The lobster roll is a quintessential sandwich, because it takes an otherwise luxury foodstuff and makes it a meal for the masses. To eat a lobster roll, you don't need a fancy restaurant, a platinum card, a silly bib, or even a table — only a firm enough grip to ensure that no succulent shellfish escapes from the bun.
Now, the lobster roll is more accessible than ever. Thanks to a lobster glut in Maine, the East Coast classic is having a moment in New York City, writes New York magazine. One good sign: the fact that one peddler has a cult business selling lobster rolls out of his Brooklyn apartment under the name Dr. Claw and the Lobstah Pushah. Find out what's driving the boom.
Philadelphia and New Orleans are great sandwich towns, but in terms of rich history and sheer diversity, it's hard to rival New York — in sandwiches, or anything. In NYC, sandwich trends are over before the rest of us have even tasted them, and there's always something new to try.
When New York Magazine's 51 best sandwiches issue arrives in the mail (with 50 more online), I see it as a scouting mission. What trends ruling the New York sandwich scene can we expect to see next? Here are five to watch from NY Mag's latest list.
- Banh mi. I love $3 Vietnamese sandwiches, and in New York, the street food is everywhere and getting a gourmet spin. In addition to traditional standouts, New York rewards the smoked pork shoulder banh mi from the Fatty 'Cue and the Sloppy Bao from Baoguette (pictured), featuring curried ground beef and jalapeño.
- Cross-cultural combos. I've been saying for years that sandwiches are the real melting pot. Like the BBQ banh mi, NYC sandwiches increasingly combine American classics with exotic ingredients. I'm drooling over the Super Heebster from Russ & Daughters — a bagel sandwich with wasabi-infused flying fish roe — and the Mumbai grilled sandwich from Mumbai Xpress.
Three more trends after the jump.
While Playboy's "best of" is full of what my boss calls "big, sweaty sandwiches," New York Magazine's latest sandwich list is fancier, and rich in more ways than one. The nine featured creations range from a $5 banh mi at Baoguette Pho Sure (what a great name!) to a croque monsieur at Le Cirque that I'd happily pay $16 for based on this photo.
Even crazier is the "BLT" at Char No. 4, which piles on pork belly instead of bacon, and a sausage and broccoli rabe grinder with ricotta. If anyone has tried any of these, please, feed me some recommendations! Which one has you guys salivating the most?
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