Whenever I found myself at the bottom of the depths of writ of certiorari (they never taught me how to pluralize writ) spent a lot of errant time researching NY Sandwiches on the internet. After several conferences with my sister, her paramour and various NYC-Canwiches affiliates, I established a Sandwich plan the likes of which hasn't been seen since George Marshall, George Keenan and William Clayton were told to decrease stipends of Veal Parm Heros in the revisions to their European recovery plan. I packed my bags, loaded up on statins and headed in search of NYC's Finest Sandwich.
#1: No 7 Sub
The first stop was at No. 7 Sub. I had first head of the original No. 7 in an Esquire Article which waxed eloquently on how manly it was in their rather uncomfortable "How to Eat Like A Man" feature in April 2010 (here's a smidgen: "You've been a bad guy before. Your wife knows it, your girlfriend knows it... You can start to reclaim it by taking your wife or girlfriend to no 7").
As such, I half-expected a pair of Flintstone Ribs sandwiched between a Homo Habilis Hero roll. Instead I found extremely creative, even daring Sandwich combos, assembled in factory form.
The benefit of having an enabler/partner/sister with me is that I was able to order two different Sandwiches.
We started off with the Eggplant Parm. The Sandwich consisted of Fontina, Fried Yellow Squash, Pickled Jalapenos.
***Getting off a Sandwich editorial aside, I am all for the occasional use of potato chips in Sandwiches, provided they are merely to provide a crispy punch of flavor. I also heartily support the use of Hickory Stix in North American Hot Dogs and Argentinian Supeeeeeeeeeeeeeerrr Panchos.***
Overall Impressions of the Sandwich were as follows:
- Smooth buttery Fontina added a lot of juicyness to the Sandwich. Melted properly without negatively effecting texture of the bread and rendering it 'crunchy'
- Probably could have used another Jalapeno for consistent Sandwich spiciness
- Great Bun (same bun for both Sandwiches tasted). Perfect soft hero bun consistency without feeling gluey. Toppings stayed in Sandwich, no push out effect
- Squash was tasty in a very conventional sense. Nothing fancy
Their Turkey Cubano was a 21st century take on a 20th century product of Sandwich social history classic.
The Sandwich derogated from Sandwich norms by featuring Roast turkey Breast instead of roast pork/ham, pickled daikon instead of pickled cucumber, Chinese Mustard instead of Gweilo/Laowai Mustard but managed to avoid blasphemy by sticking with Swiss
The Turkey was surprisingly juicy and well balanced against the condiments. I would have appreciated a little smokiness in the Turkey, but with a turnover as intense as this during off hours, I was surprised the Turkey even came pre-plucked.
Other Impressions:
- Could have used more Daikon
- Bread remains fantastic
- Overall a pretty flavorful re-imagining of a tasty, if occasionally bland, classic
Overall Impression of No 7 Sub:
What really struck me about this place is that it confirmed what that pigheaded Esquire article suggested about it's Brooklyn sister. This place has got serious balls. Some of the Fusions probably work fantastically, others not as much. But you gotta love em for trying
Judgment: 8.25/10 Opas.
