Seven Absolutely Wonderful and Sort Of Weird Vermont Sandwiches Part I (and One Nude Beach)
Actually there are eight sandwiches I couldn't stop eating
And said "Doctor, ain't there nothing I can take?"
I said "Doctor, to relieve this bellyache?"
I said "Doctor, ain't there nothing I can take?"
I said "Doctor, to relieve this bellyache?"
I love sandwiches. I hope you like sandwiches too. Let’s talk about sandwiches.
On occasion, we may have to veer off the weird AND wonderful scale here as I’m not super duper interested in food that’s just weird and not wonderful (Hákarl, durian, I’m looking at you). I’m also excluding burgers as that’s it’s own series (or entire career). Full disclosure, I’m just at the beginning of this VT journey (hence the “Part I”) and am ENTIRELY open to suggestions, discussion, dissention, etc. These are my current favorites off the top of the dome. Many sandwiches to cross…
Four Corners Of The Earth - Hungarian Chalamada Pork
W/W:10/10
More art project than sandwich shop, you’ll find this Burlington staple at the peak of Weird & Wonderful sandwich mountain. Our hero Latszo invented a typeface which names all the offerings but lists no ingredients so you either have to 1) intuit what they are, 2) do a total trust fall, or 3) ask him (he may seem annoyed, he is not, this is not personal/unusual). Each is painstakingly created one at a time on an ancient sandwich press. Condiments are spread evenly and thoughtfully. It takes forever. You will not be mad unless you are in a hurry and even then you won’t be mad. Every incarnation is a winner, this pork one especially so.
Four Corners is the first place I bring friends when they visit. Hall Of Fame material.
Kismayo Kitchen - Somali Cheesesteak
W/W:3/10
This two-year-old cafe on Riverside Ave in the Old North End is pretty much my go-to indulgence. Ahmed gets the rolls from Philly (!) and that’s when I stopped asking questions. I’m not gonna get into a Pat’s v Geno’s thing re: authenticity. I don’t know what’s in here and I don’t care. Beyond delicious.
Poppy Cafe - The Punim
W/W:5/9
Also a newcomer to the ONE, these guys are bringing the bougie vibes to your bread towers (I am not a food writer sorry).
Offerings shift daily but I had the Punim/egg one a few days ago and it was SUPERLATIVE. I haven’t been enough to say this definitively but I don’t think they miss at Poppy. (I also super dig the Lil’ Frankie’s reference, one of my favorite joints in NYC.)
Misery Loves Company - Rough Francis
W/W:2/9
Named after a beloved Burlington musical institution, this is basically tied for first in my “buffalo chicken sandwich” category, a much-leaned-upon category for yours truly. Misery recently pivoted to a take-out/market model (country pate, you sing to me) but they kept this stunner on the menu. Grab, like, a billion napkins on your way out– there will inevitably be a flotilla of mini blue cheese bombs and therefore not first date material. Or maybe it is? Swing big, daters!
Canteen Creemee Company - Buffalo Chicken Sandwich
W/W:2/8
I, along with most of the Mad River valley, am a diehard fan of CCC in Warren. A must stop, full stop. The menu goes a lot of places (oyster rolls, kimchi fries, shrimp ceviche, fried raviolis, pumpkin creemees) but their confidence is warranted. Vinyl blasts while you wait which always gets extra points. I took a photo of my sandwich and then I ate the sandwich. Here is that photo:
The Hindquarter - Grilled Haloumi
W/W:5/8
I asked the largest Facebook restaurant-goers group about their favorite sandwiches (I’m still learning here, people) and not one of the 127 responses mentioned The Hindquarter in Huntington. Not sure why this isn’t an instant “get there” but it’s for sure in my current top 10. Similar to Poppy, these are fancy/pricey but they had me at “haloumi.” The attached store is solid too with their own sodas and creaky wood floor Vermont general store vibes. Pair this with a swimming hole up the road at The Audubon and you have an absolute banger of an afternoon.
Al Ducci’s - Chicken, Broccoli Rabe, Fresh Mozzarella
W/W:4/8
Covered previously, I had to include this one in Manchester. I want everything here. I stole this photo from their site because they aren’t sandwiches but they look like sandwiches.
Pizzaria Ida - The Italian Hoagie
W/W:6/8
1) I know this is the eighth sandwich in a list that promised seven sandwiches but I ate this last night and it deserves a spot.
2) I have complicated feelings about Ida on the price point tip - $38 is a lot for one pizza (!!) and $20 is a lot for a sandwich. I won’t speak to the pizza but the Italian is GIGANTIC, easily split between 2 people and therefore really a $10 sandwich which I can get with.
3) Dudebro blasts deep Dead jams and has been know to rip a massive bong in the middle of service. I’ll leave it up to you to decide if that’s wonderful but it’s definitely weird.
4) This hoagie is special. Slick with oil and vinegar, kicked with a few little red chilis, crunchy from the iceberg, umami’d from the heirloom tomatoes, savory from the (what I think is) mortadella all wrapped in an amazing loaf that somehow maintained its chewy-on-the-inside structural integrity to the last chomp. I didn’t necessarily want to be in but I’m in. “Sometimes we live no particular way but our own”- A Grateful Dead quote I just Googled.
Nude Beach, Lake Willoughby
W/W:8/??
I’ve given it some thought and I’m pretty sure the least likely place to enjoy any of these sammies would be this nude beach in Orleans, so here we are. I personally can’t speak to it’s wonderful-ness but Harty1313 from NudistCompass.com seems to dig it:
“Great day here today, with the temperature in the mid-90s it was definitely worth it. Probably the second busiest I've ever seen it, 150+ people at a time over 300 for the whole day. Was about 75% textile today, but it happens, no one has any issues with us naked folks though. Water wasn't too freezing either.”
75% textile y’all. We can do better. We can do less.
This was a fun one! Love you, thanks for reading, thanks for eating, see ya down the road…
RM
Seems like Poppy puts equal effort into creating interesting and creative offerings across their entire menu. This is especially appreciated as most places treat vegetarians as an afterthought.
Btw, "Punim" means face, as in when the Jewish Bubbe squeezes the grandchild's cheeks together and exclaims, "Look at this adorable punim." I might say the same for the sandwich!
Ok, but, I think a macaron is definitely a sandwich. Like an Oreo is a sandwich. I'm just glad you weren't talking about savory macarons.