Happy Tuesday! 

Man, October has been flying by! I still haven’t eaten everything to best enjoy the season… Like pumpkin, leeks, all the dark leafy greens and more… But I have been eating a lot of sandwiches. Like, every culture has them, isn’t that so fascinating? I’ve selfishly decided to make you all salivate and plan your next sandwich outing with my list of some of the most memorable sandwiches in town. 

Let me know which sandwiches you agree, disagree or felt were snubbed by emailing me at [email protected]. Additionally, I’ll be writing a dedicated newsletter about the seasons of the fall sports seasons thus far, so let me know what storylines I should keep an eye on too - more details on that will be prefaced before the updates further in the newsletter.

Thinking about my next meal,

Em Chan

I love an excuse to talk about great places for food. This list is partially inspired by the state of restaurants. Right now, restaurants love any community love they can get, and as customers you should still be getting great food. 

I made sure there’s something for everyone, whether you want a classic sub, prefer poultry over meat and of course, something for the vegetarians. This list is not organized in any particular order except by category of sandwich. Burgers are too large a category, so they will not be included in this list. Now that all that is out of the way, let’s dig in!

Looking for classic sub sandwiches? Subs with Love in Keizer offers the standard options, with very full signature sub and hot sandwich options. If you’ve got a huge appetite, the Destroyer (ham, bologna, Cotto salami, pastrami, salami, pepperoni, turkey, roast beef, provolone, cheddar and Swiss cheese) may be what you gravitate towards; but you can always get a taste of the holidays with a Holiday sub (turkey, cream cheese and cranberry sauce) if you’re jumpstarting the season. 

Bearwolf Catering and PNW Deli has quickly rose in Salem’s sandwich circles. Serving house-made lunch meats, plus lots of fun special things like Friday “do you trust me?” sandwiches (a surprise sub) among others. Keep up with their social media pages for announcements of limited time specials. From the regular menu, I recommend the Chicky Chicky Bang Bang, featuring red curry chicken cotto, roast pork, pepper jack, sanddo shred, fresh basil, onion, sunbetter aioli, and bang bang sauce. 

Fried Mortadella sandwich from Grazing Fields Cheese and Charcuterie: The homage to Anthony Bourdain’s favorite fried mortadella sandwich has Levoni Mortadella with pistachios, grilled with an alpine cheese blend on toasted brioche with mayo and mustard. The sandwich is warm, salty and slightly gooey with the cheese. This is able to be made gluten-free. 

Cubano from Ticket to Play: The board game cafe offers a classic Cubano, with Swiss cheese, ham, pickles, and capicole. A hot sandwich, easy to eat alongside whatever games you may be partaking in. And thankfully, you can always get another if your game runs long. 

Cubano sandwich from Cuban Cafe: Yes, another Cubano - what are you gonna do about it? The cafe’s version is on French bread, with ham, pork, Swiss cheese, mustard, mayo, Cayenne pepper and cucumber. I also recommend getting a Cuban coffee to complete your meal. 

Blue Horse Express Cheesesteak from Valiant the Sandwich: 

Pho Dip from Wild Pear: A Vietnamese-American fusion spin on a classic, this sandwich has sliced roasted beef, lime-garlic aioli, bean sprouts, basil, cilantro, onion, hoisin sauce, sriracha all on a toasted hoagie roll. It’s got a bowl of pho beef both on the side to dip, just like a French dip. 

Shrimp Po’Boy from Acme Cafe: Looking for seafood? This sandwich features a cornmeal crusted butterflied shrimp, creole mustard, and coleslaw on a hoagie roll. 

Brisket sandwich from Whuttle’s: As the name suggests. A classic brisket sandwich. You just gotta go try it.

Banh Mi from Kim Huong: The classic Vietnamese sandwich is offered with cuts of beef, cilantro, pickled radish and carrots, plus optional jalapenos. You’ll have to inquire within about the specific cuts, but just trust me - as is is best. 

Canyonero from The Easy Otter: This sandwich features Southern fried chicken smothered in barbecue sauce, cheddar cheese, crispy bacon, red onions and sweet and spicy coleslaw on a toasted ciabatta bun. It’s crunchy, sweet, smokey and got a refreshing bite from the coleslaw. Finish your meal off with an order of beignets! 

Hot Bird from Noble Wave: This fried chicken sandwich includes pickles, coleslaw and house made Hot Bird sauce. It is also available on a gluten-free bun, and even add bacon. Eye-wateringly hot, I would recommend a Bloody Mary to complete your meal. 

Tofu Banh Mi from Lively Station: The South Salem restaurant offers this vegetarian sandwich in a baguette. Inside is marinated tofu, cucumber kimchi, Calabrian vegan aioli and cilantro. Nice and crispy from being toasted, and full of flavor. Add in more hot sauce for a greater kick! 

Vegan grilled cheese from Venti’s: Just as its name proclaims. It includes vegan cheddar, parmesan and smoked provolone on sourdough bread. Everyone should be able to enjoy a grilled cheese sandwich, in my opinion. 

Verde Valley from Black Sheep Cafe: This sandwich is served on a pub roll, but can be made into a wrap. Inside has fresh spinach, tomato, red onion, cucumber, Kalamata olives, feta cheese and house-made tzatziki dressing. 

The economy is suffering, meaning it’s harder than ever to justify going out to eat. These bargains are awesome, because they’re under $12 (under $10 was a stretch). 

Black Sheep Cafe has a On A Budget section of the menu, offering (slightly smaller) sandwiches with a bag of chips for between $7-9. You can get half a grilled cheese, a barbeque pork sandwich, even a burger. 

Better Than Mama’s offers a Build Your Own sandwich on a hoagie roll (also available in wrap or salad) for just $11.50 in a variety of styles. You can choose one protein, from bacon, fried chicken, pastrami, dak galbi (Korean marinated chicken), and even tempeh for the vegetarians.

Fall sports is fully in swing, and I will be writing a season overview for these sports coming next week! Any storylines I should mention or know? Let me know at [email protected]. Here’s the games/matches/meets you can check out this week. 

Have an idea you’d like to see us cover in a future Tuesday send?

Let us know by simply replying to this email.