Sandwiches!!!

Much like Joey, my favorite food is sandwiches. Is there anything they can't do? The stately gentleman pictured is John Montagu, the 4th Earl of Sandwich, and often cited as the inventor of the sandwich. The man is my hero (ha!). Though I can't believe it took until the mid 1700's to come up with this wonderful invention.

My love of the sandwich must have been born of my elementary/junior high/high school upbringing, where everyday, a sandwich would be waiting for me in my lunch bag (sometimes 2 - I was a chubby kid), courtesy of my mother. No exceptions. These sandwiches were so good, I remember even selling one of them (on days I had two, or course) at the lunchtable, to classmates eager to share in the sandwich bliss. Also, some of my sandwich snobbery came from these sandwiches. For example, my mother never used "regular" bread to make my sandwiches. I'd always get some sort of nicer bread, like some slices of french bread or rye, and she'd always put just ham, cheese and butter on the sandwich. I didn't realize that butter on a sandwich was weird til much later, but I've grown to love it. I thought mayo on a sandwich was weird and gross at first, but have grown to appreciate the compliment that just the right amount of mayo can give to a sandwich. But ever since then, I've tried to avoid using regular sliced bread to make a sandwich (exception: grilled cheese), because I think the low-quality bread robs from the overall sandwich experience.

Sandwiches are the #1 staple of my diet. I eat between 5-10 sandwiches a week, and I never get tired of them. The most common sandwich I eat is just a normal Ham and Cheese on sliced sourdough Panera bread, which I keep fresh my buying a couple loaves at a time, and keeping them in the freezer until I plan to have a sandwich. Sourdough is my favorite kind of bread for a sandwich, but I can appreciate a nice French loaf or Rye. I use Frick's lean ham and fat-free Kraft American cheese, and put butter on the bread. That's it. No frills, just the basics. And it's wonderful.

The basic sandwich described above makes up about 90% of my annual sandwich consumption, but I get outside sandwiches as well. I'm a connoisseur of all types of sandwiches, and like everyone, I've got my favorite places. But not just any sandwich will do. There's the basic places, like Subway, Blimpie, Quizno's, etc., and sure, they'll make a passable sandwich, but really they are all varying degrees of suck. I've had Jimmy John's and Lenny's later in my sandwich career, and they were both overrated.

But anyway, here are my favorite sandwich places, from best to worst.

W.G. Grinders
I discovered this place in Columbia while I was in law school, and it was a weekly staple. A grinder has come to mean just an open-faced sandwich, often toasted. WG Grinders serves their sandwiches toasted, and they use wonderful, fresh sourdough bread. I've always believed the freshness and taste of the bread makes the sandwich. No matter how good the meat or toppings are, crappy bread will ruin a sandwich. But it's a delicate balance. The bread has to be fresh and taste good, but it can't overwhelm the sandwich. It's got to compliment the overall experience, and not dominate it. A lot of places (Subway, for example), puts too much focus on the variety and flavor of their bread, but that ends up ruining the sandwich. Their bread is so big and flavor-dominant, that it ends up taking over the sandwich. That's not a true sandwich experience.

Anyway, the WG Grinders sandwich is awesome. I usually get the standard Club, which has ham, turkey and bacon, then add provolone (with pepper jack, my favorite type of sandwich cheese), and usually top with lettuce, tomatoes, onions, and just the right amount of mayo. After its toasted, throw some pepper on that bitch, and enjoy the taste explosion.

Unfortunately, I recently heard that WG Grinders in Columbia may have shut down. Damn recession. It's a small place that originated in Columbus, OH, and has a bunch of stores in Ohio, but I believe the ones in Indiana and Missouri have been closed down. I have mourned ever since hearing the news of the closing. I look forward to my next trip to Ohio (which will be the 2nd of my life). RIP WG Grinders (if its true)

Planet Sub
This is a place I discovered last year upon the recommendation of a buddy. There is a location by SMS campus on Kimbrough, so I decided to stop by before a basketball game. I was not disappointed. They've got a shop on Battlefield and National now too.

Apparently, it's a place that has its roots in Lawrence, KS, but I don't hold that against it (sandwiches > MU alumni loyalty). They have cold and hot sandwiches, though I've only tried the toasted ones, and they're awesome. It's pretty basic, but basic is good, if it's done right. Fresh, good bread, quality toppings, and a bit of a local sandwich shop feel make this my favorite sandwich shop in town. Get the first sandwich on the menu, appropriately called The Planet Sub - Ham, Roast Beef, Turkey, Bacon, Swiss (I sub Provolone), Lettuce, Tomatoes, Brown Mustard (I go no mustard) & Mayo. I freaking love it. You will thank me later.

They also have a good selection of bottled beers that cost between $1-$2, so that's a plus. A great overall sandwich experience.

Mr. Goodcents
When I was first introduced to this place in high school, I was blown away. Back then, I always thought Subway and Blimpie's were the best (and only) places to get good subs. Then I located a Campus Coupon for a $5 Goodcents sub, and gave it a shot.

Great sub. Far, far better than the aforementioned Subway or Blimpie subs. First of all, their "full" subs are actually 16" instead of 12". More sub = more good. Again, their bread is always fresh, soft, basic, and compliments, rather than overwhelms, the flavor of the sandwich. I always get the Penny Club, and am never disappointed. You won't be either.

Sub Shop (Columbia)
First, some clarification - there's a Sub Shop in Springfield (on Seminole and Glenstone), but this isn't it. The one is Springfield is pretty darn good in it's own right, but the one in Columbia is better.

I was introduced to this hole in the wall sandwich shop during the summer after my first year in law school. I worked in construction that summer, and we'd often get Sub Shop to deliver sandwiches to the site for lunch. This place reminds me a lot of Planet Sub with their bread, ingredients, and toasted sub selections - all excellent. Maybe I thought these sandwiches were better than they actually were because I always had them during a lunch break on the site, when it was 100+ degrees, and I just needed a break, so anything would taste good. But there were many occasions after that first summer when I'd be studying for a test in my study group or whatever, and a Sub Shop delivery gave me that extra fuel to burn through those study sessions. Highly recommended.

I always got the basic toasted Ham and Cheese, and sometimes I'd get a side of tomato soup, which had a gigantic glob of melted cheese thrown on top (Mmmm, cheese), perfect as a compliment to the sandwich, or as a dipping agent, were one so inclined. I'm not a big sandwich-dipping guy, as I feel a sandwich should be good enough to stand on its own, but this is the exception.


So that's the list. There are some other places out there that I think are pretty good (Sub Shop in Springfield, for example), but none crack this elite list. I'm planning on trying Which Wich this week sometime, as I've heard good things, so I'll give an update if there's some groundbreaking sandwich-happenings going on there.

I love sandwiches.