Okay, You Were Right, Mean Sandwich Makes a Mean Sandwich – Slog

I used to be instantly greeted by candy Tommy Lee Bones, pictured under, who would guard our desk throughout our go to and vacuum up any future meals scraps that we would drop. It was arduous to not feed him the deep-fried potato thinguses that Imply Sandwich calls “Skins and Ins” (like fries, however they’re chunks), however we did not need him to get canine diabetes, though he clearly does this all day. Tommy was begging earlier than we even bought our meals, and he began bodily leaping into the air to make eye contact with us as soon as it arrived. That is his job. Properly, he is an actual skilled and it labored. I may need slipped him a sardine morsel. Canine can have fish, proper?

Sandwich fanatic Tommy Lee Bones is able to greet you. Er, I imply your meals. Stephen Allen

Imply Sandwich serves “The Fish” room-temp, and the sardines are large fats fatties—the bun solely wants a pair for full protection. Oily and agency, they’re accented by recent iceberg lettuce, celery root aka celeriac slaw, vinegary house-pickled jalapeños, a smear of lemon-pepper mayonnaise, and a handful of chopped cilantro. You may ask for the sando with out cilantro in the event you’re a type of it-tastes-like-soap individuals. (I do know, it is genetic, it isn’t your fault.)

Up to now, all of this was going nicely. Imply Sandwich’s sardines are of excellent high quality and never mushy, the bun is toasted however pillowy, it is the correct quantity of mayo, and the mustardy slaw and herbs and peppers add some’ zazz and maintain the fish and mayo from being too wealthy. All very good.

However the crowning glory right here is the lemons. I’ve solely ever seen fried lemons in pasta earlier than, often with kale and parm, however they are a plain ingenious addition to a sandwich. The entire fruits are sliced into wheels, dredged in effective breadcrumbs, after which pan-fried, they usually’re ugly to behold however simply beautiful to style. Tangy, crunchy, savory, barely candy. They had been so darkish brown, they seemed like they’d be arduous and burnt, however nope, they’re gentle and crispy with a mushy inside, like a really skinny doughnut. I wished to eat an entire basket of them. I began daydreaming about including them to a tuna soften at house, or possibly a salade niçoise. Omelets. Pizzas. My god, the probabilities.

Let’s zoom in on that fried lemon, lets? Stephen Allen

One tiny minor criticism is that this sandwich has a number of shifting elements to it. The sardine fillets stored threatening to slip out and shoot throughout the room into Tommy Lee Bones’s open maw, and the slaw and herbs had been immediately strewn everywhere in the desk like confetti. A sandwich’s messiness usually signifies how good it’s, so it is effective, a small value to pay. However yeah, this can be a four-napkin sandwich, minimal. Do not eat it in a automobile.

Anyway, I like this sandwich A. most of all as a result of it is bizarre, B. as a result of it is scrumptious, clearly, however C. as a result of it is a mishmash of a bunch of various cultures and nobody felt any stress to be like “We have to maintain issues typically Iberian right here” or no matter. It is a singular invention. The Matiz sardines are Spanish, and so the primary sensory style expertise is “Spain” for certain, however then the jalapeños are Mexican, the mustard-celeriac slaw appeared French à la celeri remoulade, you bought your Italian-style fried limoni, and it is on a regular-ass American brioche-type hamburger bun with mayo. It appears a bit of improvised on paper, after which all of it comes collectively like Voltron.

Inquisitive about that steak tartare sandwich now, and likewise the falafel. Yuzu koshō mayo! Harissa beets! Stephen Allen

“The Fish” is maybe not a sam that I might eat various occasions a yr as a result of it is kinda intense, however nonetheless, A++, very tasty and delightfully unusual. It made my complete Sunday. What a heat introduction to the courageous and artistic menu at Imply Sandwich—I am solely sorry it took me so lengthy to cease by.