Are you looking at a mouthwatering deli morsel or overpriced buffoonery slapped between two slices
of soggy white bread? Don't order another restaurant sandwich until you watch this.
The BLT is one of the greatest sandwiches of all time. The combination of crisp bacon,
juicy tomatoes, and fresh lettuce tucked inside bread slices sounds like a perfect blend of
savory ingredients, but when you order BLT at a restaurant, you usually end up with a big heap
of disappointment. What makes this sandwich special is the simplicity of ingredients,
there are usually no fancy additions in the BLT, but the star trio has to be of
exceptional quality, and the sandwich has to be freshly made and assembled to order.
In restaurants, this is rarely the case. The bacon is usually pre-cooked and left
on the counter for too long, so it turns into a wobbly, chewy strip with no signs of crispiness,
while the lettuce lost all its vigor the moment it was cleaned. The tomatoes might be the biggest
issue. As we all know, tomatoes are a seasonal summer product, and for most of the year,
the tomato slices inside a BLT are bland, flavorless, and dull. A BLT can also be a
questionable order due to its cost, as the amount of ingredients often does not justify its price.
If a BLT is your absolute favorite to eat at restaurants,
at least do yourself a favor and avoid it when tomatoes are not in season.
A bagel and lox is one of the best sandwich options you can have at a restaurant. This
sandwich that combines a bagel, cream cheese, and cured salmon is almost synonymous with New York,
although none of its ingredients actually originate from New York. As journalist
Heather Smith told NPR, lox, or cured salmon, has its origins in Scandinavian culture,
though The cream cheese is considered native to Britain, while the bagel could be regarded as
New York original, but it was inspired by similarly shaped European and Asian
loaves. Native Americans also used similar fish curing and smoking techniques. The
combination of this glorious trio, according to Smith, most certainly originated in New York.
Many restaurants serving bagels and lox specialize in bagels or deli specials,
or sometimes both, so you will most likely get top-notch ingredients in this sandwich.
It is also one of the most popular orders at delis, so you will probably get your
order freshly made. It's worth pointing out that cured salmon is preserved, so there is a
less likely chance that it can go bad. A bagel with lox is convenient to eat at a restaurant,
and as we all should eat more salmon, it is also a nutritionally balanced sandwich.
“The lure of lox is simply too strong.”
“I feel at times, I am one with the salmon.”
Though a tuna sandwich might sound like a healthy choice, don't be fooled by the name
and the supposed health benefits. A tuna sandwich is usually a simple combination consisting of two
slices of bread and a filling that combines shredded pieces of tuna with mayonnaise,
mustard, and sometimes onions. You should avoid this sandwich option
at restaurants mainly because of the texture and sogginess. Even if appropriately drained,
the combination of tuna and mayo can be somewhat runny. It often makes the bread,
especially classic toast, wet and moist, two adjectives you never want to associate with bread.
Although it is often lauded as a protein-packed and nutritionally rich food, not everything about
tuna carries positive connotations. Tuna is one of the most popular seafoods in the U.S.
and one of the most popular seafood options worldwide. Naturally, such high demand has
a negative influence on the fish stock and the sustainability of the tuna population.
Also, you can't even be sure there is tuna in your sandwich. As NPR reported, the recent
controversy with Subway tuna sandwiches proves that the label and the name can be deceiving,
and despite regulations and inspections, you really can't be sure what is inside the tuna mix,
so it's best to avoid the tuna sandwich order at restaurants.
The Cuban sandwich might be a less familiar item on the list,
but this only means that you should be ordering it more. Despite its name, it's not entirely
clear where the Cuban sandwich originated. There are different accounts of its origin,
but it most likely first appeared somewhere in Florida and was certainly inspired by Cuban
tradition. A classic Cuban consists of sliced Cuban bread that is filled with mojo-marinated
pork, ham, cheese, pickles, and mustard. The sandwich is pressed, which heats the bread
and allows the fillings to remain neatly nestled between the two slices of bread.
The Cuban sandwich is a great restaurant option as it is compact and convenient,
not to mention utterly delicious. All the ingredients inside perfectly complement each
other, and along with lightly pressed bread, make a feast for the palate. The components
that go inside the Cuban are standard, and it's difficult to go wrong with this
order. And as a bonus, you won't find sad, soggy veggies inside the Cuban sandwich.
The meatball sandwich is next on the list of sandwiches that should be avoided at
restaurants. Typically, this sandwich will consist of a bread roll packed with meatballs covered in a
generous amount of tomato sauce. The combination sounds reasonable and even tempting to try,
but you should think twice before making the order. The meatballs are often reheated,
so you can't be sure how old they are, especially if the place doesn't specialize in meatball subs.
Meatball sandwiches are also awfully messy to eat. The meatballs break easily, and the accompanying
sauce they come doused in will most likely leak, making the bread soft, soggy, and unable to hold
the structure. Eventually, expect to find pieces of meatballs and heaps of sauce everywhere.
“What the…”
"You’ve been meatballed! Are you ready for some meatballs?"
"Oh, man."
Let's be honest: A lobster roll is something you will rarely make at home. Even if you get your
hands on a nice, fresh lobster, the time-consuming preparation and the total cost of the experience
are simply not worth it. However, ordering a freshly assembled lobster roll at a coastal
seafood place will certainly pay off. According to Lobster Everywhere, lobster rolls originated
on the East Coast and are mainly associated with New England. First made by local fishermen,
the sandwich has now become a regional specialty, and no one should miss the chance to devour at
least one of those butter-smeared rolls packed with a hefty amount of freshly cooked lobster.
The lobster roll is certainly one of the best sandwiches you can order in a restaurant,
but be aware of where you're eating it. The best restaurants will specialize in lobster rolls,
meaning they constantly whip out orders so you get the freshest possible dish. Also,
it's one of the recipes where you can't hide the main ingredient. Lobster is the
shining star of the dish, and it's not covered up with many other components,
so any reputable restaurant will have to get the best-quality catch. For the best lobster
rolls in the U.S., make sure to check our list to find which restaurants make the best versions.
Avocado toast might enjoy a lot of love these days, but it's questionable how much popularity
it deserves. Avocado toast has long been a staple on bistro menus, well before it became Instagram's
favorite. The trend allegedly started with chef and restaurateur Bill Granger, who first put it
on the menu in 1993 in Sydney, Australia. In the United States, this brunch favorite became
a staple in the late aughts. Avocado toast is often lauded as a healthy sandwich alternative,
primarily due to avocado's multiple health benefits, as Harvard University claims it's
packed with minerals, good fat, and fiber. But avocados fall flat on the sustainability test.
As explained by The Guardian, more chefs are trying to replace avocados with more
sustainable options. Avocados are still primarily grown in Central and South America,
and the increase in global consumption makes avocados less affordable for the people living
in avocado-growing areas. Sustainable Food Trust writes that when compared to other fruit groups,
avocados have a relatively high carbon dioxide footprint. As they usually travel long distances,
they require energy-straining storage and travel conditions.
If you still want to indulge in avo toast, you are certainly better off making it
at home. The dish requires literally no particular cooking skill, so anyone can
easily and quickly whip it up at home and save money for more elaborate restaurant options.
The Reuben is a stellar sandwich. This deli favorite is traditionally made with rye bread
stacked with seemingly infinite layers of corned beef topped with sauerkraut,
Swiss cheese, and Russian dressing. All About Delis describes it as an incredibly
filling sandwich whose ingredients result in a perfect blend of complex flavors and
textures. Because it is assembled with several components that have to be prepared separately
and are not always at hand, it is one of the best sandwiches to eat at restaurants.
Despite its Irish origin, in the U.S., corned beef was popularized by Jewish delis,
and their brisket corned beef is traditionally used for the Reuben, which also stems from the
Jewish-American culinary tradition. As explained by the Smithsonian, Jewish butchers and chefs used
kosher brisket to make corned beef, and as it is a tough and lean cut, it requires long cooking
to become the tender piece of meat that we can then stack inside a Reuben. Because of this,
a Reuben will probably not be your quick and easy homemade snack. Instead,
leave the preparation to those who do it best and have a Reuben at your favorite deli.
Egg salad can be a nutritious, quick, and easy homemade dish, but as a restaurant option,
especially tucked inside two pieces of toast, it simply doesn't work well. According to The Nibble,
the egg salad was created in the early 1800s and was probably first made into a sandwich
in Great Britain. Since its conception, it has always represented an inexpensive,
protein-packed option. But to be a successful dish, it must be made fresh. Nothing is more
unappetizing than a mix of chopped boiled eggs and mayo that has been sitting on the counter
for too long. Though Food Safety says you can keep your egg salad in the fridge for up to four days,
we don't recommend this as the liquid will start to separate, the eggs will become soggy,
and there is a good chance that the salad will lose its flavor.
“Ugh. It’s like a party in my mouth and everyone’s throwing up.”
In a restaurant setting, you may receive pre-made egg salad, which is sometimes even
smeared on the bread well before serving. As it has a somewhat wet consistency,
the egg salad will quickly turn the bread into a damp mess that will immediately
break apart. Stick to homemade egg salad sandwiches because you can be sure of
the origin and quality of ingredients and the freshness of the egg spread.
The best sandwich to have at a restaurant is the one that requires long cooking or
the one that is always prepared fresh, and a croque madame checks both boxes.
Croque madame originated in France and was inspired by croque monsieur,
a simple combination of cheese and ham tucked between two slices of bread that is then grilled
until crisp. The madame version went a step up and added a fried egg on top. Along with the egg,
a common addition is a heap of thick bechamel sauce in which the sandwich is doused before
it is toasted. The croque madame is certainly one of the classic French bistro sandwiches,
and because of its hearty and comforting character, it's one of the best wintertime meals.
A croque madame sounds like something you are better off eating at a restaurant.
Due to laborious elements like frying the egg, grilling the sandwich, and whisking up bechamel,
croque madames sounds like a painstaking, time-consuming,
homemade option. So keep it simple and have one made by a professional.