Porchetta - Isabella's Brick Oven Pizza and Panini

Sandwich Contents: Rosemary-spiked pork, fresh mozzarella, and tomato layered on an Italian roll and toasted.

Kate's Review: This delicate sandwich was perfectly constructed with just the right amount of every element. The rosemary added a fresh taste to the juicy pork which was complimented by thinly sliced fresh mozzarella and surprisingly ‘in-season’ tomatoes. There was just enough olive oil to bring out the flavors without soaking the crisp Italian Baguette that added the perfect crunch to the sandwich. And the slight sprinkle of parmesan just added to the excitement in my mouth . This sandwich was so simple yet delectable. One of my top favorites thus far and I can’t wait to back and try their other mouth watering creations. A definite 5 baguette status from me!
Note, make a to-go back-up plan if you go during peak hours. The 3 tables may turn quickly but there will be another taker if you don’t act fast. The staff was very welcoming and in true Italian fashion make you feel like part of the family.


Nicole's Review: Amazing. This sandwich is a winner. At first I was a bit skeptical, it didn't look like anything special. It looked like a ham and cheese sandwich on a really nice italian roll. Oh my goodness though, from the first bite to the last I was in heaven. It was fantastic. The pork was perfectly flavored with the rosemary, the mozzarella was just enough and the tomato was strangely delicious for mid-February. Oh and that bread. It was so perfect. This is defintly one of my favorite sandwiches and will certainly be enjoyed again!

Cloak and Dagger - Eddie's of Roland Park

Sandwich Contents: Lean turkey topped with coleslaw, Swiss, and Thousand Island dressing.

Kate's Review: I’m already a big fan of any variation of the Rueben so this was a no brainer. The Cloak and Dagger aka ‘The Rachel’ or Turkey Rueben was accidentally made with corn beef which we didn’t notice until we brought it back to my house. Instead of bringing it back for the ‘real’ deal our stomachs told us otherwise and we dove right in. The deli attendant suggested we make it Panini style which would have also been my first choice. Since we brought the sandwich back to my house the bread did get a little soggy from the butter and thousand island but that didn’t stop me from devouring it. I enjoyed the saltiness of the beef along with the tang and sweetness of the slaw and dressing. I give it 3 baguettes.


Nicole's Review: I was a little hesitant heading into this sandwich because I'm not a fan of swiss cheese. I figured I liked everything else the sandwich had to offer (in fact, I LOVE coleslaw on sandwiches) to I'd probably not even taste the swiss. I was right! I hardly tasted the swiss at all and what I did taste, I actually liked. This thrilled me because there are quite a few sandwiches left on our list that include swiss and I was a little nervous about that. Anyway, the sandwich was delicious despite not being what we ordered. Instead of the lean turkey, they gave us corned beef. We were a little disappointed that the sandwich wasn't exactly what we were supposed to try, but it was still pretty good. If I had to comment on one thing, it would be that there was a bit more corned beef than I would have preferred. It was a bit messy too, but in a good way, not that annoying, liquide dripping down your hand, sandwich falling apart way. All in all, it was good, but not a favorite. The question now is, do we try this one again with turkey, or move on?

Salmon BLT - Dogwood To-Go

Sandwich Contents: House-made sourdough bread, a filet of wild-caught salmon, slices of heirloom tomatoes, strips of local bacon, hunks of romaine lettuce and a slathering of whole-grain mustard mayo. Comes with a side of house-made, russet-colored potato chips and a pickle. (Sorry, no picture this week)

Kate's Review: This week brings us to Dogwood; one of my favorite restaurants since it features local ingredients and the dishes are in season. The salmon BLT sounds good to me; I like salmon and bacon although I’ve never had the combination before. The mustard added a kick to the salmon which was really fresh. After my first bite I had to discard the bread; not because it wasn’t good but because the salmon fell out and didn’t want to fight with my food that day. I did enjoy the sandwich but it wasn’t anything to rave about. I’ve had better from there and elsewhere.


Nicole's Review: Since this sandwich was only available on the To-Go menu, we had to bring it back to the office to eat. I actually sat in the car while Kate went in to pick it up, so I can’t even comment on the atmosphere. Anyway, about the sandwich.... I hated it. I had one bite and spit it out. I’m a bias judge though, I don’t like salmon. I want to like it and I try to like it, I just don’t. If the salmon wasn’t on the sandwich, I would have probably liked it, but honestly, without the salmon, it just looked like any other BLT. Nothing seemed really special about it.
NO BAGUETTES!

Chimichanga - Holy Frijoles

Sandwich Contents: A flour tortilla stuffed with cheese, poblano peppers, onions, and a choice of fillings, ranging from chorizo and grilled veggies to black beans and corn. The whole deal is dipped into the deep fryer, just long enough to give the tortilla a crunchy casing. Top it off with picante, salsa verde, and/or sour cream.

Kate's Review: Time for a little Mexican taste testing. How could you go wrong with anything deep fried let alone something stuffed with meat and cheese? Unfortunately I was starting my “diet” this week so I couldn’t go all in for this sinful creation. I limited myself to a quarter of the Chimichanga but that was enough to know I should stop before overindulging. We opted for the traditional version w/ Chicken, rice and beans but I’m sure any combo would be just as good. I’m a quac junkie so of course we had to pay the $4 for a side but that is always worth it for me. I also recommend a side of the grill veggies; add it to a side salad for a healthier option if your waist can’t afford all the heavenly cheese and fried food.


Nicole's Review: This was the only “sandwich” on the list that I had tried before. I have always been a fan of Holy Frijoles and chimichangas so I knew I wouldn’t be disappointed. How can you go wrong with a chimichanga? Meat, beans, rice & cheese wrapped in a tortilla and fried! It was delicious. The guacamole was a great accompaniment and of course you can’t go without the sour cream. The only thing missing from the meal was a beer. We were on our lunch break though, so I had a coke instead. Albeit it was a great sandwich, there wasn’t anything about it that knocked my socks off the way the Bistro Beef or the Crouque Misour did.

Roasted Vegetable - Donna's

Sandwich Contents: Ciabatta roll with roasted veggies (red peppers, onions, eggplant, and portobellos) and smoked mozzarella with a side of fried sweet potatoes.

Kate's Review: We realized the other day that we were picking all of what we consider to be the most tempting sandwiches of the group and saving the questionable ones to the end. Probably not the best idea, but we decided to stick with our methodology at least one more sandwich day. So we headed up the street to Donna’s for the Roasted Vegetable sandwich. As we are walking in the door I mentioned that we should probably call ahead the next time to ensure that the sandwich is still on the menu or in season. Of course once we were handed the menu neither of us could find it. After a brief moment of panic we described the sandwich to the manager and they did indeed have it just under a different name which escapes my Friday fried brain. Per the usual Nicole and I split the sandwich with a side of sweet potato fries. I was positive I would like it but how much was the true test. You can’t go wrong with Ciabatta and this was crisp to perfection….not too hard but not super chewy. It had a little grease to it but what do you expect when you have the perfect amount of melted mozzarella over roasted veggies. Although eggplant can upset my stomach I was all for it; a very small price to pay for good food. I give it 4 baguettes and hope to try other items since everyones plates looked scrumptious.


Nicole's Review: Donna's was a very crowded the day Kate and I went and we ended up sitting at the bar so we didn't have to wait for a table. Although I do like Donna's, I was a little leary of this sandwich. I'm not much of a fan of portobellos or eggplant and they pretty much make up the sandwich. I was however, pleasantly surprised to find that for the most part, I enjoyed this sandwich. There were a couple moments where I had more eggplant and/or portobello in my mouth than other ingredients and could get more of the taste, but I handled it well. The seasoning of the veggies was good, the cheese can never really be bad and the bread was perfect. Honestly, we haven't had bread that good yet. Oh yeah, the sweet potato fries were great. The aoili they served wasn't very flavorful, but with sweet potatoes, you really don't need to dip them in anything.

Bistro Beef - Miss Shirley's

Sandwich Contents - Beef is grilled to order, topped with blue cheese, tomatoes, mixed greens, and roasted vegetables, like peppadews and Vidalia onions, then piled on ciabatta bread. Served with Miss Shirley's signature dipping salsa and either seasonal fruit or a mixed green salad.

Kate's Review - Finally, I get to try Miss Shirley’s Café. I’ve heard so many good reviews about their brunch but not much talk about their sandwiches so I was eager to try it myself. We were originally thinking of picking something lite since this trip was on the heals of Thanksgiving, but why wait for something that sounds so delish. I have to say I’m addicted to good bread especially ciabatta so I didn’t think it would take much to impress me on this one and impress it did. I loved the combination of the tomatoes and roasted peppers especially when the melted blue cheese mixed with the horseradish made its way into the bite. The steak was cooked medium per our order and was perfect. The sandwich was complimented with a special order of sweet potatoes fries which I definitely recommend to round out the meal. Tamara joined us again and ordered another sandwich on the menu, which impressed me just as much. From my experience I don’t think you can go wrong with anything on their menu. I rate this sandwich with 4 Banquettes; well 4 ½ but we don’t do halfs!


Nicole's Review - I have been wanting to go to Miss Shirley's for a couple years now. I hear their breakfast is great, but I also hear its a hard seat to get and with a 1 year old, waiting for a table isn't something I want to do. Finally, I had the opportunity to visit and I wasn't disappointed in the least bit. The sandwich was delicious. The amount of blue cheese on the sandwich was perfect. Just enough to get that great taste, but not too much to overwhelm. The bread was amazing. In addition to the sandwich, we split an order of the sweet potato fries. Wow. I'm a recent fan of sweet potatoes (thanks to making sweet potato baby food) and although I haven't had too many variations of the sweet potato fry, I honestly think none will ever beat these. They were so yummy. The citrus aioli made them even better. I have nothing bad or even the least bit negative to say about the sandwich, much less the whole place. This was one of the best so far.


A big thanks to Dave, Kate's hairdresser for sponsoring this sandwich!

Roma - Ceriello Fine Italian Foods

Sandwich Contents: Rustic ciabatta bread with layers of finely sliced prosciutto, mozzarella cheese and tomato, drizzled with a splash of olive oil, and punctuated with the slight tang of basil. Grilled, panini-style or eaten cold.

Kate's Review: Originally postponed due to a work meeting we were able to squeeze it in after a late cancellation. The Roma was one of my top picks from the list so I was super excited to experience it myself and I basically LOVE anything Italian so how could I go wrong. The sandwich is served cold or panini style so of course we had to try both. The cold one was good but the Panini version was scrumptious. The grilling intensified the cheese and prosciutto and who doesn’t like melted mozzarella. I would have liked more basil with each bite and I did add balsamic to spice it up but I still enjoyed it and downed the whole thing. Oh, and the bonus was being introduced to the Belvedere "market". Can’t wait to hit up all the other places. Special thanks to Karen for sponsoring this week and joining in on the judging. I rate this sandwich as a 4 baguetter.

Nicole's Review: This was one of the ones I was looking most forward to having on the list. Everything on this sandwich is a favorite and the combo of it all makes it even better. We tried it both ways, panini style and cold. I can't decide which was my favorite. I will say that I was pleasantly surprised with the panini style. My only history with the panini is a sandwich from Panera Bread and a couple of those Lean Cuisine paninis so I didn't have very high hopes for it. My only complaint would be that the basil was concentrated in one location on the sandwich. I would have liked it to have been chopped and sprinkled over the sandwich. Other than that, no complaints!


A big thanks to Karen who sponsored the Roma. Unfortunatly Karen wasn't able to make it to lunch with us because of a work obligation, but she was able to enjoy the Roma we brought back to the office for her!