The Line at Tat’s is Ridiculous

Tat’s is a solid sub shop.  They specialize in Philly Cheesesteaks, but they also have some nice Turkey Sandwiches.  They’ve always done a nice little business and there is typically a line, but I could get in and out with sandwich in a few minutes.

They recently moved – literally around the corner from their old location in Pioneer Square, Seattle – and all of the sudden, you would think it’s the Viper Room circa 1993.

Here’s a look at the line, it’s ridiculously long.

This line is at least 30 minutes to just order a sandwich.  Then it’s probably another 15 to get it.  Screw that.

The thing that really sucks is that I only need three more stamps on my frequent feeder card to get a free sandwich.  Unless I bust out for an early lunch, it looks like that’s not going to happen any time soon.

The Messiest Non-condimented Turkey Sandwich Ever

Bakemans Sandwich, originally uploaded by nealdstewart.

When you get a Turkey Sandwich at Bakeman’s, you either do it the Bakeman’s way or the Highway.You can’t get your bread toasted.

• You can’t get your bread toasted. It’s against the rules.
• You have to make your decisions fast. They don’t have time for your indecisive bullshit. Tell them what you want on your sandwich and move on.
• They’ll also try to up-sell your ass with over priced sodas, chips and desserts.
• It’s mayo, yellow mustard or nothin’.

But they use REAL turkey and that makes it all worth it. The result is a sloppy-ass sandwich and I’m completely fine with that.

And make sure you get some cornbread too.

Where is the Sandwich District of Seattle?

Last week, I promised to settle the dispute between Pioneer Square and Fremont as to who can own the title “Sandwich District of Seattle”. I’ve made my decision.

My answer is: Ballard.

I like Turkey Sandwiches, but Screw This

Tat’s, originally uploaded by nealdstewart.

Tat’s opened up their new joint today. The Turkey Sandwich Report was there to document the festivities and we have one thing to report:

It was crowded as fuck.

And for those of you that know the Turkey Sandwich Report, we don’t wait in line, So we took our lunch business elsewhere. Tat’s has good sandwiches, but not good enough for us to stand in line for 40 minutes.

Just saying.

The Turkey Sandwiches of Fremont

I’m still sorting through all of the information that I gathered from my trip to Fremont yesterday as I try to decide what neighborhood really should be dubbed “Seattle’s Sandwich District”.  No decisions yet, but here’s a look at the two sandwiches I ate:

Roxy’s Turkey Chipotle:

Turkey Bacon Avocado (86 the Avocado) from Homegrown:

Pioneer Square vs. Freemont: Sandwich Fight!

There’s some shit going down in the world of Sandwiches out here in the Great Northwest.  The Stranger, Seattle’s alt-weekly newspaper, has dubbed Pioneer Square as Seattle’s “Sandwich District”.  They stake this claim on the presence of Tat’s, Salumi and the new Delicatus all being within walking distance of each other in the southern tip of Downtown Seattle.  I’ve been to all three of sandwich joints and all are good (although it should be disclosed that Salumi does not serve a TURKEY Sandwich) and of them serve a different need.

• Salumi’s is owned by Mario Batali’s Dad and they’re all about cured meats.  They typically have a line out the door by 11:30am.  I had a Pancetta sandwich there a couple weeks ago and it was amazing.
• Tat’s is a deli, but they specialize in Cheesesteaks and gut-bomb subs.  They get bonus points for roasting their own Turkey.  I’m about three sandwiches away from filling my Tat’s frequent feeder card, if that says anything about my opinion of them.
• Delicatus is the new player in Pioneer Square.  You might recall my post about the Mudd Honey a few weeks back.  Delicatus is probably my favorite of the Pioneer Square Group.  They have a great menu, the Turkey is amazing and I like the fact that they also sell craft root beers.

But whoa, whoa, whoa.  What about Freemont?  The Homegrown Sandwich Shop isn’t willing to let Pioneer Square get away with this so easily. The claim that along with their own sandwiches, Passeo, Baguette Box, Royal Grinders and Roxy’s all put up a formidable Freemont challenge to Pioneer Square’s sandwich contenders.

This is a big deal and needs to be settled by a professional.  Don’t worry, The Turkey Sandwich Report is going to play Judge Wapner and settle this dispute between neighborhoods.  We will embed ourselves in both sandwich scenes and declare a winner.  In fact, I’m on my way out the door right now and catching the first bus to Freemont.  We’ll have a answer before the end of the week.

The Kingdome Deli Carries on the Tradition

Although The Kingdome is long gone here in Seattle, the The Kingdome Deli lives in tribute.  And they carry on the tradition of shittyness by offering one of the worst Turkey Sandwiches I’ve ever had.

Don’t go here unless you’re some kind of multi-purpose domed stadium buff.

EAVB_ZEEYPYCXZX

The Mudd Honey at Delicatus is SICK

It was 1993 and I was in college at Southeast Missouri State in Cape Girardeau, MO.  I grew out my hair, rode a skateboard around campus and listened to “alternative” music.  Grunge music was all the rage and a bunch of bands from Seattle who were supposedly “alternative” became the mainstream.

Bands like Pearl Jam, Nirvana, Soundgarden, Alice in Chains and Stone Temple Pilots got too big for me.  I still had all of the CDs, but I wanted to be in the know, so I dug a little deeper and found bands like The Screaming Trees, Hammerbox and Mudhoney.

Fast forward 17 years later and I live in Seattle part-time and instead of spending my disposable income going out to see shows at the Showbox or Crocodile Cafe, I eat Turkey Sandwiches for fun.  Instead of going out to the record store to hunt for some rarities, I search for new or out-of-the-way sandwich shops.  A couple weeks ago a place called Delicatus opened up in Pioneer Square and burst onto the scene.

As an apparent honor to the Seattle music scene and one of those bands that didn’t quite make it into the mainstream, they named one of their sandwiches the Mudd Honey.  This is one sick sandwich: Roast Beef, Turkey, slab Bacon and BBQ on French Roll.  Amazing.

Even if you think Grunge sucks or if you don’t event remember what Grunge was, go out and get one of these sandwiches.  Take it from this Grunge connoisseur, The Mudd Honey at Delicatus has a chance to be the Nirvana of Turkey Sandwiches.

COMBO MEALS ARE FOR SUCKERS

THIS IS A SERIOUS SUBJECT.  SO SERIOUS THAT I CONSIDERED WRITING THIS POST IN ALL CAPS.  BUT I’M ONLY GOING TO DO THAT WHEN I REALLY WANT TO MAKE A POINT EXTREMELY CLEAR.

In these troubles economic times, a lot of people are looking for a good deal.  People are a little more frugal on everything, even Turkey Sandwiches.  The sandwich joints have taken notice.  Subway has the $5 Footlong and now Quizno’s has a pick two for $5 bucks.

Ahh, but be careful.  It’s easy for that $5 budget meal to turn into a $10 ripoff.  So how do you avoid that?  It’s pretty easy actually:

AVOID THE COMBO MEAL!

Everyone assumes that the combo meal is a good deal,  But it’s not.  It’s a complete ripoff.  If you get the $5 Footlong combo meal at Subway, you’re going to drop close to $9 bucks when it’s all said and done.  Same thing at Quizno’s.

Jimmy John’s has figured this out too.  Their subs cost $5.95, but if you add chips and a drink you’re dropping close to $10.

AVOID THE COMBO MEALS.  YOU DON’T NEED THE CHIPS.  DRINK WATER, SODA IS BAD FOR YOU.  AVOID THE COMBO MEAL… UNLESS YOU’RE A SUCKER

Specialty’s Redeems Itself

I’ll admit it.  I was tough on Specialty’s.  It gave them a strong dose of what I call “tough Turkey love”.

I guess it worked. This past week, I stopped in to Specialty’s to give them a shot with a different sandwich and they really came through.  This sandwich may not look like much, but it was delicious.  In fact, as I look at the the photo of this sandwich, it looks kind of nasty.  But believe me it was good.  Damn good.

My only complaint is that they don’t offer to toast the bread.  But, my bad.  I guess it’s up to me to remember to tell them I want my bread toasted.

Good job, Specialty’s.  You’ve totally redeemed yourself and are back in my good graces.