Egg, Ham & Cheese on Hoagie

Egg, Ham & Cheese on Hoagie at Snacks at Bellagio

bellagio.com

C

Though it's one of the fanciest resorts in the world, the Bellagio does in fact have sandwiches. More specifically, it has a sportsbook in its casino, and every sportsbook needs a mini-deli or snack bar. The one at Bellagio is simply called Snacks, and the menu is just as simple. Leading off its breakfast (served all day) offerings is this thing, which includes every single ingredient in its name. The soft scrambly eggs, barely melted cheese and shaved ham almost give me a fast-food-breakfast vibe. The only redeeming bit of this bite is a spongy, delicious roll. Also, it's nice, and odd, to have a pickle spear served alongside breakfast potatoes.

If you're looking for breakfast in Bellagio, definitely opt for buffet, cafe, room service or the magical Jean Philippe patisserie.

French Dip

French Dip at Bob Taylor's Original Ranch House

bobtaylorsranchhouse.com
B-

This old school restaurant is known for two things: being hella old, and serving up great big slabs of smoked prime rib. So this is the lunch version, thin slices of that flavorful beef on a nice toasty French roll, slathered in melted provolone and served with salty au jus for dipping. It's a pretty solid sandwich, but as you can see from this cross section, a little extra beef would've been nice. Thinner slices takes away a lot of the fat and flavor of prime rib, but as far as the ordinarily boring French dip sandwich goes, the ranch house does it decent.

Buffalo Pot Roast

Buffalo Pot Roast Sandwich

homemade

A+

Leftovers = sandwich greatness.

Roasting a buffalo shoulder was something of a Thanksgiving tryout. Buffalo meat has great taste considering how lean it is, but could the texture be manipulated to replicate mom's beloved pot roast? Hoping for the best, I brought in a secret weapon: piggy. So this roast went in the magic blue LeCreuset wrapped with slab bacon, and accompanied by garlic, celery, carrots, onions and red wine. The result was soft and tender meat, slightly gamey taste, but an overall lack of succulence. Eh, good try.

But after piling all these goodies on two slabs of fresh sliced crusty French bread, slathered with my shit Boetje's Dutch stone ground mustard, we've got a super winner. Rustic, spicy, messy, hearty, totally satisfying ... especially with the chewy bacon and glistening, fat-glazed carrots riding shotgun. This is basically having a bowl of stew and a chunk of bread, minus the bowl. Accidental ideas rock.

El Korean "Nate" Dog

El Korean "Nate" Dog at HanShikTaco

hanshiktaco.com

A

Vegas' first Korean taco stand also serves up these spicy, creamy, tasty dogs. This weiner is split and sizzled up nicely, releasing its savory delights much more than your typical uncompromised frank, dropped in a toasty bun and covered with some customized Asian-fusion toppings: HanShik's very own spicy-sour kimchi, sriracha-spiked ketchup, a thinner yet still formidable mayo, and the special chili seasoning dust that also comes on this fun food stand's delicious, crispy fries.

If you think this looks delicious, wait 'til you get some of these tacos. The Vegas food truck revolution continues, and it sure tastes good.

The Orleans

The Orleans at Steiner's Nevada Style Pub

steinerspub.com

B-

A juicy chicken breast, seasoned with some cajun dust and grilled. A sweet, also juicy roasted red pepper. A sharp tasting mound of blue cheese. All this on a soft kaiser bun, with lettuce, tomato and red onion on the side. This is not the best sandwich on the menu at Steiner's Pub. It's downright average. But the pepper is a nice touch, blending with the cheese and adding a little unexpected flavor. Little touches like these are the reason why Steiner's is known to have some of the best bar food in Vegas.

The Parma

The Parma at Parma

parmabychefmarc.com

A

Hell yes. We've known Parma Pastavino & Deli as a great little neighborhood Italian joint, but only recently did we stop by for lunch and experience one of the best Italian subs in Vegas. Even more incredible than the taste of this beautiful sandwich is the fact that at six bucks, half of one of these is all you'll need.

Piled on a very flavorful, very crusty hard roll are a variety of meats and cheeses, and the selection could change at the chef's whim. But rest assured all are imported, high quality ingredients like hot capicola, pepperoni, mortadella and classic picnic ham, augmented by provolone and parmesan cheeses. Shredded lettuce, tomato, red onion and a red wine vinaigrette dressing are pretty familiar complements, right? But the kicker is a spicy, vinegary spread of marinated olives and pepperoncini, an element that makes an ordinarily delicious sandwich unique to this shop. Bravo. Maybe we'll get a whole one after all.

The Engineer

The Engineer at Firehouse Subs

firehousesubs.com

B-

I don't really understand you, Firehouse Subs. Your sandwiches are fine, large soft rolls stacked with mighty portions of meats, but your flavors are merely ordinary and your gimmick is ... firemen? Because firemen are extra hungry? Or everybody loves firemen so they'll probably love your sandwiches? This franchise was founded by firemen, fine, I get that. But what does that have to do with a delicious sandwich?

There's nothing confusing about this straight-ahead sub. The Engineer has a nice pile of smoked, sliced turkey breast (standard stuff without a lot of smoky flavor), mushrooms, Swiss cheese and your everyday hoagie vegetables. In fact, at Firehouse Subs they call it "fully involved," which means lettuce, tomato, mustard, mayo, onion and a pickle spear on the side. Most sandwiches here come warm, though not necessarily toasty a la Quizno's. They're also huge; a large is at least two meals. The new shop that just opened in my 'hood boasts a nice collection of hot sauces if you want to spice things up a bit. The Engineer is tasty and satisfying, but it could definitely use a few shots of something.

The Bearcat

The Bearcat at Johnny McGuire's

johnnymcguires.com

B+

How come nobody else is talking about this Johnny McGuire's sandwich shop at the annoying outdoor super mall known as Town Square? It's deliciously consistent. Fine, I'll do it.

It doesn't make sense to call a sandwich The Bearcat, but it sounds awesome. Let's agree on that. This is a wheat roll, soft and fresh, and there are fairly normal toppings on board, but the thing that sets this sandwich off is the purple cabbage coleslaw in a barely creamy, slightly zingy sauce. The menu says there's Thousand Island dressing on The Bearcat, but if that's true it must be blended innocently into this slaw. It's the perfect amount of moisture and a very pleasant taste and texture, a crunchy-drizzly dynamic. Meatwise, you've got plenty of turkey and some crisp bacon, with Swiss cheese, tomatoes, onions and green bell pepper balancing things out. Another fine creation from JM.

Half Pastrami

Half Pastrami at Bagel Cafe

thebagelcafelv.com

A

In the case of the traditional deli stacked-meat sandwich, sometimes a half is all you need. Most times a half is all you need. So I usually pair this bad boy with a cup of Bagel Cafe's matzoh ball soup, which is much more food than I need in one sitting.

Bagel Cafe's pastrami is right up there with the best in town, and unlike most deli-type spots, they actually make it in-house. It's sliced thin, juicy with the right amount of fat, and salty with just a bit of spiciness. A dab of spicy table mustard is all you need on this meaty beast, ordered here on simple (also homemade) rye. This is as good a basic pastrami sandwich as you'll find in Vegas, just as tasty as those imported NY and LA sandwich spots as the Strip. And at the Bagel Cafe, you're not gonna take a hit in the wallet.

BLT Burger

BLT at BLT Burger

bltburger.com

A-

Even though the "BLT" in BLT Burger doesn't stand for what you think it does, it's still made up of what you think it is. BLT is another Vegas fancy burger joint, one of the better ones, and its name comes from Laurent Tourondel, the chef originally behind the BLT family of restaurants. I'm not sure if he's affiliated with this burger shop anymore, but it doesn't matter. The burgers are still good. This one has a seven-ounce patty of grilled angus beef, double smoked bacon, lettuce, tomato, BLT burger sauce (which is probably fine but I don't remember tasting) and strong blue cheese. Man, blue cheese and bacon go together.

But the best parts about this burger are the bun, a standard issue, soft-yet-firm sesame seeded roll, and the meat, a custom grind of sirloin, brisket, chuck and shortrib. There's probably a lot more chuck than anything else, but it's a nice, fatty blend, full of beefy flavor with a great texture. And even though this one seems relatively unfancy, it's my favorite burger on the menu.

Sandwich Sundays Presents: The Afterparty

The Afterparty

homemade

A-

On Sunday, my first attempt at smoking a brisket was a rousing success. Compliments galore. It was tender if not juicy, rich with smoky flavor and augmented with a crisp, black, sharp and savory crust. Overall, almost perfect.

But my favorite way to eat brisket is in a sandwich, so I put it together Sunday night. This thing, too, is almost perfect, with the delicious beef providing loads of meaty satisfaction with each bite. It's topped by a blended barbecue sauce, spicy and sweet thanks to hickory, hoisin, honey and chili oil, and a homemade coleslaw of cabbage, carrot, green onion, mustard seed, almond splinters and an apple cider vinaigrette. The almost fruity-sweet notes of the sauce and the apple-ish tang in the slaw engage in a flavorful slugfest, and then the salt balance from the beef kicks in ... it's powerful stuff. The only reason this isn't a top-ranked sandwich is the bread. Regrettably, I only had plain-old Italian white bread, and while it's suited to just about any sandwich, it's too soft for this job.

Footlong Quarter Pound Coney

Footlong Quarter Pound Coney at Sonic

sonicdrivein.com

C+

Wifey thought I was going to die from eating this, but the truth is it went down relatively smooth. At about 65 calories and 25 cents per bite, is the Sonic footlong a deal? Perhaps.

It's been years since I've had a hot dog from Sonic, and the previous weiner was so grotesque (and a nice shade of gray) that I swore off these suckers. But the quality of this frank was much improved. The chili, of course, is bad news bears, and it feels a little wrong when the high school girl at the drive-through passes you an extra-long, warm and greasy package wrapped in shiny paper. But Sonic has its merits, and this might be one of them. It's hard not to agree with a giant chili dog and a chocolate shake.

The Raging Bull

The Raging Bull at Cugino's Italian Deli

Across the street from UNLV on Maryland Parkway

B

If Cugino's isn't the best deli and sandwich shop in the area surrounding UNLV, I will be surprised. They do everything here, pizza to pasta to homemade sausage (like these!), and they even have a quality Italian market section of the shop. But terrific sun sandwiches on fresh baked bread has gotta be pulling the students over here.

The Raging Bull is a simple sausage and peppers sandwich, with grilled bell peppers and sweet onions mounted on a pile of Cugino's own spicy sausage. Of course, you can order the same sandwich with sweet sausage, but why? Actually, this meat tube doesn't pack a lot of heat, but there are strong flavors of fennel and anise in this baby, a well-seasoned treat. The sub roll is crispy and delicious.

Barbecued Brisket

Barbecued Brisket on panini at Whole Foods

wholefoods.com

B-

Grabbing lunch at your neighborhood Whole Foods store is always a good idea. With this sandwich, ordered from the relatively quick-serve deli area, I may have screwed up: a wide, flat, chewy, toasty panini probably isn't the most suitable foundation for a nice pile of smoked, shredded beef. But both elements sure do taste good. If your town has some truly great 'cue restaurants, you might not be impressed with the very respectable stuff getting slow-smoked at Whole Foods. But my town is Vegas, and our 'cue could be a lot better overall, and this is decent brisket. The barbecue sauce slathered about was very standard, which is to say too sweet. The fresh, hearty panini, also baked on site, is probably the best part.

The Soft Elvis

The Soft Elvis

homemade

B+

So we're going to call this peanut butter, banana, honey and bacon on wheat bread creation The Soft Elvis because we are under the impression the King's favorite sandwich is supposed to be deep fried. Not sure if that would have improved or taken away from the wonderful salty-sweet, crunchy-yet-soft balance to be enjoyed in every bite. Perhaps a more formidable bread than this standard, kinda sweet wheat would be an improvement. But what it really needed was more bacon, as the powerful honey, gooey peanut butter and rich, smooth texture of the banana simply overwhelmed the three crispy strips of swine. Next time, the bacon will be thicker and there'll be a double layer of it ... and maybe the deep fryer will get some action. Maybe.

Homemade Turkey Sub

Homemade Turkey Sub at Capriottis

capriottis.com

B

An average everyday turkey sandwich is way above average when it's from Capriotti's, because they only serve fresh, slow roasted turkey, pulled into tender, tasty shreds instead of slicing processed birdmeat onto your bread. Cap's standard turkey sub is finished with provolone cheese, shredded lettuce, tomato, onions, mayo, oil and vinegar and a dash of dry seasonings like salt, pepper and oregano. Capriotti's may have gone corporate recently, but this sandwich is far from a Subway-style sellout.

The Grinder

The Grinder at Which Wich

whichwich.com

B

There's a new sandwich in Vegas, and it's this crazy joint Which Wich. The concept comes from a company that also slings smoothies and burgers via similar methods: You arrive at the shop, become confused, and then realize that you're supposed to pick up a Sharpie and a brown paper bag that has the ingredients of your choice. You specify what you want on your 'wich, they put it together (a bit slowly) and make it nice and toasty, and there you have it.

Getting past a complicated process that is meant to be simple, my first Which Wich 'wich comes from the Italian category. The Grinder has salami, pepperoni and capicola, a familiar and savory combination of meats. I added provolone, lettuce, tomato, pepperoncini, oil and vinegar. The sub rolls here are just fine, and toasted to a pleasant crisp that makes for a pretty satisfying bite. I don't think I've had a straight-up Italian sub toasted like this before, as I ususally prefer it cold, but the heat did bring out some different flavors in the meats.

The sandwich choices at this place seem infinite, so yeah ... expect to see more soon.

Banh Mi Burger

Banh Mi Burger at Bachi Burger

bachiburger.com

A+

I love banh mi. When presented with this masterpiece at the popular Henderson-area Asian-inspired burger joint Bachi Burger, my first thought is: Why? Why combine two perfectly good, separate sandwiches? I didn't think it would turn out well. (Other burger joints have failed with this concept, and I'm talking about you, BLT Burger on the Strip.)

Incredibly, delightfully, this sandwich provides the classic taste of banh mi with the meaty, satisfying bite of a powerful burger. It really does the impossible. It's accomplished with a patty that blends Angus beef, pork and shrimp, seasoned sweet and sour with sugar and fish sauce. Those familiar Asian flavors pack a punch, but the juicy consistency of this new meat stays true to burgerness. Also on board are typical pickled carrot and daikon, lettuce, and fresh jalapeno slices that came on the side but should be considered mandatory, and the extra special kicker: a totally unnecessary but very welcome slice of pork pate. This element really brings it home, along with the fresh, soft, slightly sweet bun.

There are tons of other Asian burger creations on the menu here, which is exciting. Now we just have to find out if the Banh Mi Burger is head of the class or the tip of the tasty iceberg.

Amy's Turkey-O

Amy’s Turkey-O at Jason's Deli

jasonsdeli.com

B+

Like virtually everything offered at Jason’s Deli, this is a fine, workable sandwich. It’s tasty, even. There’s plenty of turkey. The vegetables are fresh and ripe and it comes with avocado, which is always a plus on a turkey sandwich. The onion roll it’s served on is fresh and provides the right proportion of bread to other sandwich ingredients.

There is very little here to set Amy’s Turkey-O apart from a zillion other turkey sandwiches from a zillion sandwich shops, but that’s OK. Every sandwich doesn’t need to be a masterpiece lovingly created by a zen sandwich master in a fancy, artisan sandwicharium. Sometimes, a sandwich can just be sandwich from a plain old run-of-the-mill sandwich shop, and all things considered, this is a perfectly nice sandwich.

Fried Egg Sandwich

Fried Egg Sandwich at 'Wichcraft

mgmgrand.com 

A+

In case you’re wondering, when someone talks about artisan sandwichariums, this is the place they are referring to. This divine sanctuary of all that is good, holy and delicious, was lovingly bestowed upon the people of Las Vegas by Tom Colicchio, and is perhaps the best reason to set foot in the MGM Grand.

The fried eggs, bacon, gorgonzola & frisée creation comes on a ciabatta roll and is one of the most fabulous things to ever happen to the mighty sandwich. The fried egg positively sings in concert with the bacon and cheese, which shouldn’t be a surprise to anyone who has ever feasted on any of these ingredients, separate or combined. The surprise is in how well it all works with the slight bitterness of the greens, and in how nicely the ciabatta roll complements the rest of the ingredients. It is listed under ‘Wichcraft’s breakfast sandwiches, and it is a perfect breakfast food, but I would gleefully eat this sandwich at any time of day. It is a full-on master-class in sandwich perfection, packaged between two pieces of delightful bread, just begging the world to come take a bite. Don’t mind if I do.