Former chain of vegan subs out of SoCal named Subvegan had some of the best sandwhiches I have ever tasted, vegan or otherwise. Vegan deli meat and vegan cheese quality vary, but this place had the hookup for the best of both. A 9in sub was $12, loaded so fat it barely closed and was two meals worth for any normal person.

Their italian sub, the Godfather, had (vegan) turkey, ham, salami, provalone, cheddar, pepperoncini peppers, tomato, arugula, olives, onions, mayo, and italian dressing. The bread was always the perfect ratio of crunch to fluffy, their sauce portion was always on point, and their veggies were fresh as fuck. I salivate even just typing it out.

My fiancee and I would order in advance to have a sub waiting for us whenever we visited her family in Anaheim. It was the best. We started making plans in June to move out there so she could live near her parents and they closed their doors in July. Good vegan subs are a rarity, let alone vegan subs that stand out in quality against their non-veg counterparts. I am still in mourning.

I’m supposed to avoid gluten these days, but a banh mi is frequently on my mind

it’s a reuben; but that name is licensed so they call it a russian sandwich.

it’s near the museum of modern history in manhattan.

the corned beef is chunked out into thin-ish shards instead of sliced like all of the other reubens.

the saurkraut is homemade; thick; crunchy; and tart af and the rye is also homemade and super tangy. i suspect that they make the saurkraut the same way they make mexican style pickled jalapenos/carrots/onions/etc.

they also make their own dressing and it’s got a fantastic kick to it entirely due to the fact that the entire staff is mexican; no one speaks english and none of the patrons are wasp americans. (you’re not welcome if you can only speak english).

i haven’t had that sandwich since 2009 and i still crave and fantasize about it each time i want a delicious sandwich so good that it makes you lick your hands clean after you eat it.

i’ve stopped eating reubens because they pale so badly in comparison that it makes me angry to be reminded that i paid for such a THOROUGHLY mediocre alternative.

cheemsmburmger

croque madame

One slice of (still hot) toasted sandwich bread with lots of melty butter and thinly sliced ham

Simple but delicious

Baguette from our local bakery in Schinnen, they do the original French method, with tick sliced tomatoes, hard boiled eggs, home made mayo (whisked, no stickblender stuff), salt and pepper. Delicious.

I’m gonna go the other way with this one. I got a reuben on a pumpernickel bagel last week and they put thousand island and cream cheese and wet ass saurkraut on it and it was a soggy fucking mess and it ruined my lunch. I may never go back to that bagel place.

Warm ciabatta with pesto, heirloom tomatoes, fresh mozzarella, a pinch of salt and black pepper, balsamic glaze, and some greens.

For some variety add grilled portabella patties, Parmesan, or brie.

Slightly toast two slices of whole grain bread in a buttered pan, between them, you put butter fried chanterelle mushrooms, sprinkle with a pinch of salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste. Bonus points if you found the the chanterelles yourself.