Between the Bread

A few weeks ago, my friend Phil showed up at a bar with a nicoise tuna sandwich from Bi Rite Market, and I've been craving one ever since. On Sunday, after hitting the tennis ball around a while, Phil and I let Bi Rite supply our postgame sandwich picnic.

Since Phil was also getting the nicoise — pan-seared tuna, saffron aioli, olive tapenade, and heirloom tomatoes — I considered, for about 30 seconds, ordering something else, then decided to do what I'd come there to do, and it did not disappoint. Read on for my thoughts and more photos.

You'd think any sandwich loaded with lobster would be divine, but they can't all be as stellar as the lobster roll Phil had on the East Coast. Andrew recently ordered the lobster BLT with cucumber-mint salad at San Francisco's Waterbar, but the sando proved to be a great idea, poorly executed, with stale bread and not very flavorful shellfish. For $22, lobster or no, a sandwich should be damn near perfect.

Have you recently eaten a sandwich worth sharing? Send in your sandwich photos to nancy@betweenthebreadblog.com, along with a description of what's on your sandwich.

I haven't been able to go east to feast on the lobster glut that's making NYC a more delicious place, but Between the Bread reader Phil is on the scene. At a recent visit to Sag Harbor, NY, he sampled the bounty at Bay Burger.

That is not a mini lobster roll, just a normal-size lobster roll in front of the world's largest ketchup bottle(ew). At $14, Bay Burger's lobster roll was overflowing with top quality lobster meat and not too much mayo. See it in action!

I am a sucker for new food products. Fortunately, I do most of my supermarket shopping at Trader Joe's — where I recently picked up these Mahi Mahi Burgers — and not Safeway, where I'd be tempted by new varieties of potato chips and Pop Tarts.

Truth be told, the fish patties were just OK, but the sandwiches we made with them were uniquely refreshing. Paired with Trader Joe's corn salsa and avocado and served on Acme green onion slab, the mahi made for a vaguely tropical, wholly novel treat.

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.

This weekend on a rare trip to Berkeley, I scoped out a perfect brunch spot, only to arrive and discover a 45-minute wait. New plan! My mom and I wandered into a seafood joint I had never heard of called Sea Salt.

I figured I might as well order seafood, and why not get a sandwich? Though my mom's crab cake benedict was better (hard to make that bad), the trout sandwich was well done. Pan-seared fish, the perfect thickness, served on a house-baked roll with sides of tartar sauce and slaw on the side. I wondered if trout sandwiches are a local specialty anywhere in the States. Curious? Keep reading.

I only had one chance to order lunch at Jerry's Cajun Cafe, another must-stop when I visit Pensacola, and I sort of blew it. Namesake owner Jerry is from Louisiana, so even though Pensacola is three hours from New Orleans, you can get a great fried oyster po'boy here.

I usually get the combo: half oyster, half shrimp. This time, out of some misguided obligation, I felt like I should order something different. The Gulfuletta was too tempting: a version of one of my favorite sandwiches, the muffuletta, made with fried seafood instead of salami and ham. It sounded too good to be true. Alas, it was.

On the menu, "crab cake sandwich" sounded a little too bready — breaded crab cakes between bread? So I did not order this sandwich last weekend at Gar Woods Grill in North Lake Tahoe, but when I saw Anna's sammie, I felt a pang of regret and asked for a bite.

Rather than breaded crab cakes, this sandwich on sourdough contained a sort of deconstructed crab patty, with all the expected seasonings and creaminess. It went very well with my giant mai tai. Of course, so did my fish tacos.

I have always wanted to try a lobster roll — especially after my disappointing lobster club sandwich — but I've never been to lobster country in Maine. Enter the next best thing: Woodhouse Fish Company.