Between the Bread

For some reason, I always get excited to eat when I'm on airplanes. Maybe it's because it breaks up the monotony of air travel, or because it reminds me of when I still romanticized flying and airline food. But I'm sure I don't have to tell you this: it's almost always a disappointment.

Now, after the six-layer sandwich in Taiwan, I found another winner. On a recent flight out of LAX, I picked up this roasted vegetable melt at one of those Wolfgang Puck places. Dare I say, it would have been delicious even if I hadn't eaten it on a tray table. The bread tasted like Puck's renowned pizza dough, stuffed with assorted, tender roasted vegetables and goat cheese. The best part: it stayed warm through takeoff and as I slowly savored it.

If you had told me in high school that some days I'd relish sitting in the sun, eating a wrap filled with nothing but grilled vegetables, I would have looked at you quizzically and returned to my Velveeta Shells & Cheese. I ate vegetables out of obligation, but it wasn't until moving to San Francisco that I realized vegetables could be utterly delicious.

I recently ventured to the aptly named Herbivore, which seemed a good place for someone craving a sandwich but also veggies. The simple char-grilled vegetable wrap with creamy pesto spread hit the spot. The wrap actually had flavor, which isn't always a guarantee, and the grilling brought out a bounty of tastes in the ultra-fresg broccoli, mushrooms, peppers, and more. I'm a bit hesitant to call a wrap a sandwich, but I still think it qualifies; do you?

Not every sandwich is a superstar, but even as mere sustenance, sandwiches are my favorite comfort. So today I conclude my Dublin sandwich coverage with the leftovers. And I mean that in the most affectionate way possible.

These two sammies weren't as noteworthy as the Paddy Jack's farmers lunch or as perfectly timed as the Honest to Goodness egg sandwiches, but they were surprisingly delicious. I downed the turkey and cranberry sub at a pub after a long hike, and it was better than I expected. Now check out the even bigger surprise.

Loyal reader Angelica recently sampled a new veggie sandwich at Specialty's and was so overwhelmed by its sheer girth, she had to snap a photo. Her comment: are they trying to kill me?! Apparently so, with cucumber.

But seriously, this looks like a hearty and healthy two-hander, and it's even more colorful than the chain's turkey with cranberry. It could certainly give the veginator a run for its money. Got your own sandwich to share? Email your photos to nancy@betweenthebreadblog.com, along with a description of what's on your sandwich.

I'm no vegetarian, but I cringe at ads for the Baconator, Wendy's double-decker bacon cheeseburger. So I have to respect this video parody for the Veginator, complete with raunchy narration about its "whole wheat bun topped with vegannaise, baby spinach leaves . . . and local walla walla onions, caramelized in Spanish extra virgin olive oil."