New England Lobster Roll

New England Lobster Roll at The Oyster Bar

santafestation.sclv.com

A-

A super legit lobster roll might seem an unlikely find inside of a neighborhood casino way out in northwest Las Vegas, but it actually makes a lot of sense when you consider the Oyster Bar at Palace Station (more centrally located) is a Vegas seafood institution and Station Casinos has attempted to mimic its success with a location at this more distant Santa Fe Station property. The original, however, is known more for raw shellfish, gumbo and pan roasts. That stuff is on the menu at Santa Fe, too, but then you discover this New England treat, nice-sized chunks of sweet lobster meat in a fresh, vegetable-crisp, not-too-saucy salad, crammed into a buttery, toasty cube of delicious bread. It's a bit unlike the traditional lobster roll but it's certainly satisfying and misleadingly large. Delicious Cajun spice-dusted fries are a perfect complement, but this sandwich—a knife-and-fork job for real—gets the job done all by itself. There could be a better lobster roll in the desert, but we have yet to find it.

Fairfax

Fairfax at Eggslut

eggslut.com

A

Can a simple breakfast sandwich really live up to the hype surrounding Eggslut, the former food truck that has taken Los Angeles mornings by storm and now expanded to Las Vegas with a shop at the Cosmopolitan on the Strip? When its makers concentrate on making each ingredient as delicious as possible, the answer is yes. Our first taste of the 'slut is the Fairfax, probably the most popular sandwich on the menu: cage-free soft-scrambled eggs with a bit of chopped chives blended in, caramelized onions, cheddar cheese and sriracha mayo in soft brioche. Avoiding rookie mistakes, we added bacon and avocado, and the result is pure indulgence. It really needs the crispy, salty bacon to punch through all the warm, creamy goodness, and that mayo brings the tang. The eggs are in the spotlight, of course, with a melt-in-your-mouth texture and fresh flavor. We're not sure if Eggslut is worth waiting in hours-long lines like they do in L.A., but the Vegas version will become a regular stop on the allsandwich rotation, in the morning and after hours.

Lamb Shawarma

Lamb Shawarma at Cleo

slslasvegas.com

B+

Until recently, we were always too busy noshing on babaganoush and carrot harissa and "spicy cigars" and the other tremendous mezze at Las Vegas' best Mediterranean restaurant, Cleo at SLS, to make our way to the few sandwiches on the menu. There are lamb sliders, too, but we had to go with the shawarma first, about three bites of the most luscious, slow-roasted, indulgently spiced lamb you've ever tasted—literally dripping with savory juices—topped with onions and fresh parsley, all tucked into a mini-pita. One of these is in no way enough. Now we have another great snack to add to our regular Cleo rotation.

The New Yorker

The New Yorker at PT's Brewing Co.

pteglv.com

B

In the history of meat-stacked, deli-style sandwiches, have you ever found one done the right way in a bar? How about in a brewery? It seems like it can't possibly work out, but PT's Brewing Co.—the new beer-making arm of the ubiquitous Las Vegas tavern company—delivers a monster of quality here, especially impressive because the pastrami and corned beef are made in house. Thick, salty slabs of those two sandwich faves, plus tender, medium-rare roast beef, all somehow stay upright between two holding-on-for-dear-life pieces of marbled rye. Provolone and Swiss cheeses are added to the mix to add a different kind of richness, while coleslaw brings a nice fresh crunch and Thousand Island rides in with a little tang. This is a true meat mountain, and there aren't a lot of delis around the Vegas valley that you can find legit sandwich monuments like this one. Here, you can wash it down with a cold brew made in the room on the other side of the wall, and that's pretty cool.

Secret Sunday Chicken

Secret Sunday Chicken at Carson Kitchen

carsonkitchen.com

B+

Here's a not-so-secret secret: The people behind Carson Kitchen, arguably the best and most cool restaurant in downtown Las Vegas, are opening a new restaurant out in Henderson this summer. We are excited about that. Similarly, this fabulous fried chicken sandwich at Carson Kitchen is not really a secret, despite its name, and it certainly isn't surprising that it's delicious. Puffy brioche with butter lettuce, spicy pickle aoli and a crunchy—not crispy, crunchy—chicken breast makes for quite the bite. Everybody's doing fried chicken sandwiches and it seems the best ones are the simple ones.

The Mayor of Flavortown Burger

The Mayor of Flavortown Burger at Guy Fieri's Vegas Kitchen & Bar

caesars.com

B-

The thing I notice most about the food at Guy Fieri's Las Vegas restaurants—there are two now—is the presentation. This burger is not just put together. It's carefully constructed for maximum height and to make sure it looks like you could never get your mouth around it, but it also needs to be a bit sloppy, as if the kitchen crew didn't use any tweezers placing a single strand of the caraway seed coleslaw intentionally out of place. And the fries, even ... they're not in an kind of container. They're just pile-mounted onto a metal frame with a piece of paper holding them up. It's quite scientific. It's pretty tasty, too, especially if you can manage to order this sucker by name without giggling. The burger is good quality meat, smash-grilled for juiciness and nicely textured outside (but mine was just a bit overdone), and piled with pastrami, Swiss cheese, that slaw, pickles, fried onion strings and Dijon mustard, all on top of a garlic-buttered pretzel bun. All those flavors get a little bit muddled; it still tastes like a burger first and foremost. But you do get little tingles of the 'strami and the pickles and the mustard, and the chewy bun makes it even more satisfying. This probably isn't the best burger at Guy's first Vegas spot, but it's pretty close to being on the money.

Buttermilk Fried Chicken

Buttermilk Fried Chicken at Bruxie

bruxie.com

B-

When this thing was brought out to me, I was less than excited. You can't just call something a sandwich if it's not, and the combo of fried chicken and waffles—though unanimously delicious—does not just become a sandwich because you say so. But then I picked this thing up, California chain Bruxie's original and most popular offering of a buttermilk fried chicken breast with cider slaw and chili honey plopped into a light, crisp, Belgian waffle, folded it over, and took a few bites, and it did in fact behave like a sandwich. Mostly. Though Bruxie does manage to mitigate the sweetness of the waffle, the texture is a bit dry and crumbly, and the flavor is muddled. But the airyness of the waffle is a fine complement to the crispy breading of the chicken, creating a nice texture in each bite. The chicken itself is stellar, juicy and tender inside and seasoned well outside. The slaw is a little odd at first, and there's not much of it, but the chili honey goes a long way in bringing everything together. Bruxie, a new addition to the Las Vegas Strip, has potential. My guess is this basic chicken waffle sandwich is only the starting point and tastier options await. To be continued.

Lahm Bi Ajeen

Lahm Bi Ajeen at Khoury's

khouryslv.com

A

It's compact, simple and sublime. It doesn't look like much—and this terrible photo doesn't help—but the traditional Lebanese sandwich at Las Vegas' foremost Lebanese restaurant is a jewel. A thin, flat disc of Khoury's outstanding pita bread dough is crisped in the oven and folded around a spectacularly spiced combination of ground lamb, tomatoes and onions. You cannot stop eating this thing. Bite after wonderful bite yields familiar pizza/calzone/panini textural association, but the tastebuds get blown by the rich, fresh, diverse and savory notes inside this crispy concoction. This could become an everyday addiction.

Santa Barbara Style Charburger

Santa Barbara Style Charburger at The Habit Burger Grill

habitburger.com

B

Another highly regarded burger chain comes to Las Vegas? Yes, that. The Habit started making its "charburgers" in Santa Barbara, so it only makes sense that our first taste is the menu's Santa Barbara Style Charburger, right? Right. There is significant char on these fresh beef patties, adding some nice flavor—kinda what Burger King should taste like. But it's the dominant flavor; the meat is mostly underseasoned. This mighty, satisfying double burger comes on grilled sourdough with melty American cheese, avocado, juicy tomatoes, shredded lettuce and mayo. The avocado and tomato brought plenty of gardeny goodness to the party, helping distinguish this concoction from all the other signature burgers at the various burger joints we've sampled. Is the Habit habit forming? We're not sure, yet.

Taco Sandwich

Taco Sandwich

homemade

B+

So I invented this. You've never made this before. No, it's not a torta. It's close, though. I used a traditional torta roll, a fluffier version of a bolillo, one with a really nice, soft chewiness to it. It's a pretty great roll, actually. I toasted it and melted slices of pepper jack cheese on both sides, then layered some ground beef with the traditional gringo taco flavorings. Then on top of the meat, I basically placed a tostada—not tortilla chips but a crunchy taco shell, snapped in half so it'd be flat, then coated with chunky red salsa, fresh cilantro and sour cream. Then, top bun, with top cheese. You bite it and simultaneously get the soft, meaty, spicy goodness of your favorite torta with the crunchy, zesty, cheesy sensation of a taco. Which is why I named it the taco sandwich, and I get to name it, because I invented it.

Montecristo

Montecristo at Truffles N Bacon Cafe

trufflesnbacon.com

B+

This charming southeast valley (Henderson area) cafe continues to evolve into a tasty little jewel. Truffles N Bacon does everything a little bit differently, including the preparation (and one-word spelling) of this bygone-era sandwich. The Monte Cristo is traditionally a thick-breaded, deep-fried, melty-savory sandwich, an indulgence you'll probably regret having for lunch or brunch. TNB's version combines ham, turkey and cheese, with plenty of honey mustard, layered inside a pillowy bread that is battered and griddled, French toast-style. It's a super-soft, lovely bite, with a nice balance of meat and cheese, and perhaps not as guilt-inducing as the original. Another solid sandwich offering from these fine folks.

Chicken and Waffle Sliders

Chicken and Waffle Sliders at PKWY Tavern
pkwytavern.com
C+

Syrup. So much sticky syrup. You can't see it here because we moved this slider to a separate plate, but the platter these three mini waffle and chicken sandwiches were served on was absolutely drenched in it. And the stuff wasn't even advertised as syrup; the menu describes it as bourbon glaze. It was tasty, if super-sweet and messy. Just too much of it. And it didn't really complement the other ingredients here, which include perfectly decent waffle wedges, crisp and fluffy, with fried white meat chicken chunks and strips of bacon inside them. This creation qualifies as pretty solid drunken snackery, but it's barely a sandwich.

Ham and Cheese

Ham and Cheese

homemade

B

Go to a French bakery. Take home a baguette. Spread mustard on each side, throw some provolone on there and drop it under the broiler for a couple minutes. Add some Back Forest ham. Crunch it up. Toasty, salty, satisfying. Done deal.

Pâté de Campagne

Pâté de Campagne at La Belle Terre

labelleterrebakery.com

B+

Pretty sure a classic country terrine on baguette needs some dijon, no? La Belle Terre doesn't serve it, but it doesn't really matter because this baguette is one of the best in the biz, and this pâté is soft, moist, savory and wonderful. Topped only with some sliced cornichons and served with a bit of salad with zingy, creamy balsamic dressing—yep, I used that instead of mustard—and roasted potatoes, this is a simple sandwich worth a return visit. Or several.

Land & Sea Burger

Land & Sea Burger at Cafe 6

palms.com

B-

When you go to a goofy gourmet burger joint, consider getting the goofiest burger on the menu. It turned out well at Cafe 6 at the Palms, where this surf-and-turfwich includes a sweet Hawaiian bun with a fairly juicy Angus beef patty and the sushi joint mainstay crab dynamite (there's a chance no actual crab was harmed in the making of this burger) plus red onion, fennel, kale, radish, havarti cheese and tomato tartar sauce. Shockingly, you could actually taste the sauce and it was nice. The kale, radish and fennel brought some necessary crunch to the mix, and the beef and creamy seafood combo was funky in an acceptable way. This burger certainly isn't for everybody, but it was an overall success.

Sandwich Sundays presents: Provolone Arugula Pizza Veggie Burger

Provolone Arugula Pizza Veggie Burger

homemade

A

Trader Joe's pizza-flavored veggie burger patties are legit. Or at least as legit as frozen soy protein discs could possibly get. They are packed with tomato, basil and mozzarella cheese, which actually do get that familiar pizza-ness across when you heat and eat. But go the extra mile, like we did for Sandwich Sundays. Grill them, and melt some thick-sliced provolone on top. Toss some peppery arugula in olive oil and lemon juice and red pepper flakes and pile it high on your patty, and mount everything on a toasty ciabatta bun. We took a solid idea and maximized its deliciousness. This was an easy victory.

Beef on Weck

Beef on Weck at Anchor Bar

anchorbar.com

B+

We love some chicken wings, but when we found out Las Vegas was getting its own version of Anchor Bar—the Buffalo bar where the wing was originated, according to legend—we were equally exciting to try the traditional Beef on Weck. Our first introduction to this northeast specialty was actually at the very first Buffalo Wild Wings franchise to come to Vegas. Believe it or not, back before it was the corporate mega sports bar chain it is today, BWW actually was trying to stay as loyal to Buffalo as it could be, and there was a Beef on Weck on the menu. But it wasn't as good as this one from the Anchor Bar inside the Venetian's food court. The kimmelweck roll is what makes this simple roast beef sandwich pop, its soft, fluffy texture and sprinkling of caraway seeds and coarse salt drawing out every savory note in the stack of thinly sliced beef. Served with some seriously spicy horseradish on the side, it's an easy winner. It's satisfying but also leaves you wanting more. It's everything Arby's should have been. And it goes great with a dozen spicy hot wings.

Kefta Pita

Kefta Pita at Crazy Pita

crazypita.com

B-

Finally got around to trying Crazy Pita, a homegrown mini-chain serving Mediterranean food at malls and shopping centers and things, and it's pretty tasty. The gateway sandwich is this "kefta" pita, which is built around meatball-ish things made of beef—there's no lamb, but it's still heavily spiced so it tastes like the traditional Moroccan/Middle Eastern ground meat specialty. Wrapped in a soft, crispy-edged pita with creamy hummus, romaine lettuce, and a relish of marinated tomatoes and cucumbers with a bit of mint, it's a satisfying lunch bite, with a little more heat and flavor than we would have predicted. We'll be back, Crazy Pita.

The Instant Leftover

The Instant Leftover

homemade

B-

The Instant Leftover happens when you don't wait until Friday, or even Thursday night, to eat your Thanksgiving turkey sandwich. You assemble that bad boy right there at the dinner table. I used a a dense, buttery, utterly wonderful home-baked roll somebody's mom brought to the festivities this year, slapped it with homemade cranberry sauce, slabs of white meat, a spoonful of mashed potatoes, two spoonfuls of gravy and a couple chunks of smooth roasted garlic. It was a flavorful success but a textural dilemma: all mush and no snap. But honestly, this is the leftover turkey sandwich problem of our time, isn't it? Some people put stuffing on the sandwich, which is over-breading. This thing was tasty but needed some more thought. That's what happens when you don't wait until the natural sandwich-making hour.

The B.A.T. Shi(p) Crazy

The B.A.T. Shi(p) Crazy at Lulu's Bread & Breakfast

lulusonthemove.com

A-

You didn't think we'd go very long without revisiting the breakfast sandwich capital of Las Vegas, did you? This Lulu's treat, which may or may not be on the ever-changing menu at any given time, stars thick-cut peppered bacon, avocado, tomato relish, cheddar cheese and over-easy eggs stacked on the bakery's signature "everything" brioche, which has all the tasty seeds and things of an everything bagel. It's one of the greatest rolls you'll ever taste, a textural delight dabbed with savory brilliance, and adding rich eggs and crispy bacon to such beautiful bread is an automatic win.