The Tale of The Great Chain Sandwich!

C'mon kiddies! Gather 'round! Let me tell you a wonderful tale about sandwiches! And if you're very good, perhaps a beer too!

Yesterday was a grand day! The lady and I had tickets to see Regina Spektor at Toad's Place, so I had to get my sandwich on in a hurry. Since we had just finished bowling (yeah, I got a 48, beat that, internet!) at Short Pump we decided to stop at Arby's. Usually, I have very little faith in fast food restaurant sandwiches, but I thought I would give it a shot. As for today's beer, I had it earlier last week after work from the Strawberry Street Market.

Today's Beer
Otter Head

Otter Head is a traditional English bitter brewed by the Otter Brewery in the UK. I don't know where in the UK, and I won't bother looking because it isn't AMURICA. And if it ain't AMURICAN then I'm not interested! Oh, sorry about that.
Anyway, Otter Head ale has a fruity taste, with a subtle hoppiness. I thought it was a good bitter, which is a bit like an IPA on less intense. I drank it a while ago, so I don't have too much to say about it. The sandwich, on the other hand, I could out write Joyce.

Today's Sandwich
Arby's Toasted Club
Ciabbata bread
Old Tyme Ham (what is that!?)
Rotisserie Turkey
Cheddar
Swiss
Applewood Smoked Bacon
Tomato soaked in redwine vinegar
lettuce
onions
herb mayo

Holy crap, what an amazing sandwich. If you can see the photo, the halo that surrounded the sandwich didn't come out so well. This was probably the most delicious sandwich I've ever had at a chain restaurant. And that means something, because I eat a LOT of sandwiches. The turkey was rotisserie cooked so it was juicy and thick (that one's for you, Dave). I thought at first the combination of cheddar and swiss would be too much cheese, but because of the ham and applewood smoked bacon it was a nice counterpoint to the salted meats.
The attention to detail was immaculate. The tomatoes had been soaked in red wine vinegar. The ciabatta bread was lightly covered in garlic butter on one side, and herb mayo on the other. Oh, it was wonderful, let me tell you! Why are you still reading this? GO GET THIS SANDWICH!

My Time As A Sandwich Supervisor

Today's sandwich is a passport to a land where my wedding is final and done. A taste vacation, if you will, that lets me escape the all encompassing vortex that is planning a wedding. Not even really planning a wedding, just listening to someone complain about planning a wedding. Good thing this sandwich ripped me away for a second. As for today's beer, I will likely be drinking them too fast to write about it.

Today's Sandwich
Joe's Market MTO
Sun Dried Tomato Wrap
Turkey
Honey Mustard
Horseradish Spread
Avocado
Tomatoes
Banana Peppers
Lettuce
Provolone Cheese

Sometimes it is nice to have someone do your dirty work for you! For those of you who don't know, MTO is the single greatest combination of letters in the English lexicon. Go to Sheetz if you don't believe me. I oversaw a small woman construct this delicious turkey monstrosity. I say monstrosity not because of it's taste, but because of it's epic proportions. It filled me up right, and I like that. Joe's Market has a fantastic horseradish cream sauce that perks up an ordinary sandwich; and of course I couldn't resist some honey mustard to accompany. Anyway, back to getting yelled at for seating arrangements.

Double Feature

Today we have a wonderful surprise for my blogulating audience! It's a Friday miracle, you get to hear about both a SANDWICH and a BEER. Finally I'm living up to the title of this thing!

Originally I was going to write a post about a sandwich I got from Coppola's deli here in Richmond; however I ate it without taking a picture. Oops! It's better that I don't write about that one though, because it was a let down.

Today's beer looked like it was going to be good. I have become quite a fan of Belgian wheat ales as of late; Blue Moon is one of my favorite beers and I hoped this one would be similar.

Today's Beer
Shock Top Belgian Wheat

This beer was good. The lable claimed to have won some awards the past two years, so I was confident it would at least be drinkable. Shock Top turned out to be made with lemon, lime, and orange peels along with coriander. The inclusion of coriander helped spice this up quite a bit, but I wonder if it wasn't a bit too spicy for what I think of and enjoy in a wheat ale. The hints of fruits and the sweet taste are what make wheat ales so drinkable and refreshing, and I think the coriander might have detracted from that slightly. Overall, a good beer though!



Today's Sandwich
Turkey-liscious
Turkey Breast
Wheat Bread
Lettuce
Tomatoes
Red Onions
Banana Peppers
Honey Mustard


Mmmm buddy. The classic. This was a plain turkey sandwich but it was so good! Sometimes I forget about classics like this and get caught up in the world of exotic pickles, sun dried tomatoes, and pungent cheeses. It's good to return home though. This was the sandwich I made as a kid (maybe not with onions or banana peppers then). Changing up and returning to old standards does wonders for me, as I can appreciate the rare and exotic treats that are more complex sandwiches.