Best Sandwiches: Elevating classic sandwiches

1 5

Smoked Roast Beef with Spicy Cheddar Sauce—Lifeworks, Fort Worth, Texas

Ingredients: Eye of round, cheddar cheese sauce, local greens, frizzled onions, housemade brioche

Why it’s special: This is classic sandwich with a Texas twist—that smoky flavor, created by sous viding a big steak to an internal temperature of 128°F, cooling it completely then smoking it up a few degrees. The tomatoes are local, the onions are Tabasco-tinged and the cheese sauce has charred jalapenos.

Smoked BBQ Mac and Cheese Grilled Cheese—Petersen Events Center at University of Pittsburgh

Ingredients: Smoked brisket, mac and cheese, barbecue sauce, Swiss cheese, French bread

Why it’s special: An unstoppable smoky, cheesy combo, this sandwich balances the ingredients so well it’s on the menu for an upcoming wedding. Here comes the barbecue!

Pimento Cheese Patty Melt—Virginia Commonwealth University

Ingredients: Beef patty, pimento cheese, fried green tomato, Texas toast

Why it’s special: Iconic diner classic, the patty melt, gets Southern-ed up with sassy pimento cheese and a crisp fried green tomato.

Chips ‘n Dip Sandwich— Columbia University, NYC

Ingredients: Roast beef, tangy horseradish dip, kettle-cooked potato chips, Swiss cheese, arugula, onion focaccia roll

Why it’s special: Served at campus hot spot JJ’s Place, this sammie was part of an April Fool’s Day joke in which staff pretended it was everyone’s birthday who walked through the door, complete with games, decorations and cake. This nostalgic sandwich evokes party snacks perfectly.

PB&Chef J—Elon University

Ingredients: Three varieties of housemade peanut butter (made with local peanuts), three housemade jellies (made with local fruit), local bread, basil-balsamic reduction

Why it’s special: This PB&J on steroids was created for a chef’s takeover event, and the goal was “luxury.” We think that’s been achieved.

Next Up

Jacques Torres, Sunny Anderson and Marc Murphy bring new ballpark foods to Citi Field

Start Slideshow ›