Pro Picks continues with the one of the brains behind The Grid’s Burger Week! (Although, as we all know, a burger is not a sandwich.) This guy knows his food, and knows what gets people excited:
Karon Liu just finished a delicious mahi-mahi sandwich from the Buster’s Sea Cove food truck for lunch so he’s rightfully prepared to talk about sandwiches. He’s The Grid’s staff food writer and has eaten many lovely sandwiches across Toronto from gas station Leslieville Pumps’ better-when-cold Veginator grilled Portobello sandwich to the classic veal at California Sandwiches.
Follow him on Twitter @karonliu to read his latest articles in The Grid, recipes for the home cook, and 140-character rants about how flip-flops outside of the beach or house are gross.
What makes a great sandwich?
Everything in a sandwich has to be there for a reason, meaning all the ingredients have to go well with each other and add a certain texture or flavour that takes it to the next level. A PB&J sandwich is a perfect example. Peanut butter is great and all, but the addition of a sweet, tart strawberry jam really highlights the peanuts’ earthiness. Bacon in a BLT adds a heavy saltiness that livens the crisp, greenness of the lettuce while the tomato adds a meaty and soft texture to the bite.
Like any good dish, a sandwich should have multiple layers of tastes and consistencies to keep things interesting. Just remember to not go overboard with the fillings or else flavours will clash or get lost in the mix — not to mention the sandwich will fall apart on your lap.
Recommend eats
It’s not a secret underground place, but I’ve gone to Porchetta and Co. at Bathurst and Euclid at least once every month ever since it opened in late 2010. Succulent, juicy, and garlicy roasted hunks porchetta on a soft bun topped with truffled mayo, hot sauce, mushrooms, mustard, and crackly bits of pig skin is my jam. It’s totally out of my way from work — it’s a good 40-minute trip just to get there — but it’s worth it. A few other places tried to get on the porchetta train after this tiny shop opened to much fanfare, but it just doesn’t compare to this place.
Porchetta and Co., 825 Dundas St. W., $6.45 (toppings 75 cents each).
