Category Archives: Sandwiches

Panera Bread

Posted on by

*** (3 stars)

It’s hardly necessary to review a restaurant chain that most people have been to, so I’ll restrict my comments to this particular store, and to the new food item introduced on this visit.

Compared to other Panera’s this location is:

-nicer than most interiors
-a bit more difficult to park near
-has a friendlier staff
-has an annoying habit of paging you before your meal is actually ready.

The new item I tried was the Soba Noodle broth bowl with chicken. The broth had a pleasant Asian-inspired flavor, and there was lots of tender and savory chicken. The noodles were a bit odd, grayish with a square cross section, and finer than true soba noodles. Overall the complexity of the dish did not approach that of the Japanese Ramen bowls it imitates.

If you’re looking for a Panera in Orlando, I’d rate this as the best one in the area.

Panera Bread
4700 S Apopka Vineland Rd
Orlando, FL 32819
(407) 217-6916
http://www.yelp.com/biz/panera-bread-orlando-10

Succulent Cafe Wine Charcuterie

Posted on by

*** (3 stars)

This is more of a counter service sandwich shop (at least at lunch time) than an actual cafe. However they do have wine by the glass or bottle.

The “fish” on my salad was actually a round patty of minced and then fried fish and spices, presumably intended for a fish burger. However it contained about ten times the amount of salt that would have rendered it edible, so this was not successful. My companions’ tuna melt and ham sandwich were better.

The outside seating area is pleasant, and set back far enough from the main highway to create a nice oasis in busy Solvang.

Succulent Cafe Wine Charcuterie
1555 Mission Dr
Solvang, CA 93463
(805) 691-9444
http://www.yelp.com/biz/succulent-cafe-wine-charcuterie-solvang

The Plaza Live

Posted on by

***** (5 stars)

Best live performance venue in Orlando mainly because of decent acoustics in the theaters and reasonable sound levels. The seating isn’t the most comfortable, but when you go to a concert you want to hear it clearly, and this is about the only venue in town that guarantees that.

The Plaza Live
425 N Bumby Ave
Orlando, FL 32803
(407) 228-1220
http://www.yelp.com/biz/the-plaza-live-orlando

H-Dogs

Posted on by

***** (5 stars)

Chicago is looking for the successor to Hot Dougs, and not only is H-Dogs a candidate, I think it’s even better, because they make the single best salmon sandwich I have had anywhere! In fact, when I go back, I’ll just skip right past their excellent dogs, and get me another one. It was a perfectly grilled salmon filet with crisp greens, red onions, and a zesty horseradish infused dressing, all on a wheat bun.

I also sampled the Greek, vegetarian and French dogs. The Greek was essentially a gyro, with lamb, tomatoes, onions and a their version of “tzatzki” sauce. The Healthy Hound is a vegetarian dog that’s a bit more in the style of a Chicago dog, but without the pickle, and with roasted peppers. The French was the richest dog I tried, duck sausage smothered in caramelized onions.

All the dogs were good, but I kept going back to that salmon burger!

Everything comes with excellent French fries, served crisp and piping hot. The inclusion of fries makes the pricing of the dogs and burgers much more attractive.

There’s also a rich chili, available in both vegetarian and turkey versions. I got this to go, and it was great reheated later.

H-Dogs is definitely worth the trip south, and it’s pretty convenient to get there on Lake Shore, so I’ll certainly be back… for more salmon burgers!

H-Dogs
4655 S Martin Luther King Dr
Chicago, IL 60653
(773) 633-2978
http://www.yelp.com/biz/h-dogs-chicago

Rollin’ To Go

Posted on by

**** (4 stars)

This is an excellent sandwich shop, with an almost infinite number of combinations of bread, meats and accompaniments available, all scrawled on a large menu on the wall. Or you can come up with your own favorite. Service is friendly but not incredibly speedy, and it can get quite backed up at lunch, especially on Wednesdays, when the popular deli next door is closed.

Rollin’ To Go
910 Noyes St
Evanston, IL 60201
(847) 332-1000
http://www.yelp.com/biz/rollin-to-go-evanston-2

Qarma Crêpes

Posted on by

**** (4 stars)

This is a cozy little place with great service and a nice assortment of both savory and sweet crepes. The crepes themselves are fairly thin, and have a slight sweetness to the batter, particularly around the thin edges. They are folded in half before stuffing, which gives them more body, but they still remain light and fluffy.

I had a vegetarian crepe, which allowed me to pick an assortment of fillings, plus smoked Gouda cheese and lemon mayo drizzle. The veggies were raw, which gave the crepe a nice, fresh character.

The sweet crepes also looked delicious, I’ll have to save room on a return visit.

There are a few tables outside, and plenty inside, and also up in a loft accessed via a spiral staircase.

Qarma Crêpes
12 N Summerlin Ave
Orlando, FL 32801
(407) 403-5549
http://www.yelp.com/biz/qarma-cr%C3%AApes-orlando

Pammie’s Sammies

Posted on by

***** (5 stars)

This is a great little sandwich shop in an out of the way place. The fact that so many customers find it that there’s aline at lunch is a sign of just how good it is. I had the Grizzly Bear, which featured delicious house smoked salmon pressed on wheat. The salmon was flaky, moist and very smokey, a really outstanding bit of fish. They also have a daily soup, a nice selection of beers, and serve breakfast sandwiches all day. An excellent new lunchtime find.

Pammie’s Sammies
5907 Turkey Lake Rd
Orlando, FL 32819
(407) 730-3212
http://www.yelp.com/biz/pammies-sammies-orlando

Birkholm’s Bakery& Cafe

Posted on by

**** (4 stars)

This is one of the best bakeries in town. As of this writing their butter cookies still come in the traditional waxed cardboard tub rather than a plastic bucket. We compared the butter cookies from four bakeries, and these were the softest and crumbliest. The standout is their plain, round, flat butter cookie, simple and very buttery.

Birkholm’s Bakery& Cafe
460 Alisal Rd
Solvang, CA 93463
(805) 688-8188
http://www.yelp.com/biz/birkholms-bakery-and-cafe-solvang-2