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.

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.

Krispy Kreme Pulled Pork

Krispy Kreme Pulled Pork at Truck U Barbecue

truckubbq.com

B

This is clearly insane, but also impossible to not order. It was a special from our beloved Truck U Barbeque food truck, and even though we also devoured fried chicken tacos and a burnt-ends brisket burrito that were off-the-charts delicious, we felt compelled to go to work on this super-sweet indulgence: Truck U's slightly smokey, slightly spicy, juicy and wonderful pulled pork and a slice of cheddar sandwiched between two Krispy Kreme glazed doughnuts. We've seen other people make crazy sandwiches out of Krispy Kremes, but usually they cut one in half. Nope. Not Truck U. Two full doughnuts, over the top in an irresistible way.

Brioche Donut

Brioche Donut at Metro Pizza's beer and pizza dinner

at Lulu's Bread & Breakfast

metropizza.com

A

It's no surprise that one of the most epic ice cream sandwiches ever created was done so at Lulu's Bread & Breakfast, one of our favorite local sandwich depots and the offshoot of stalwart Vegas pizzeria Metro Pizza. The occasion: a multi-course pizza and beer pairing dinner that filled us so completely full, we wanted nothing to do with dessert … until this baby arrived. A sweet, fluffy cloud of brioche converted into doughnut form was split and stuffed with caramel-sea salt gelato, studded with chocolate chunks, and then drizzled with a little extra ganache and powdered sugar just for fun. The beautiful texture of the dough against the thick, creamy gelato was nothing short of ethereal. As if we weren't swimming in sandwich happiness already, Wasatch's Black O Lantern pumpkin stout was served along with this treat. Too much awesome.

Pineapple Burger

Pineapple Burger at Kua 'Aina

kua-aina.com

B+

Kua 'Aina burger has expanded in recent years, going from a roadside stand feeding surfers hearty sandwiches to a burgeoning chain with locations in Tokyo and London. We hit the new and improved spot in Haliewa along Oahu's North Shore, and it was a cozy, family-friendly spot serving up grass-fed deliciousness. All burgers are served on fresh-baked buns with lettuce, tomato and onion, and you get to customize from there. Of course, we had to go the pineapple route, adding crispy bacon as well, and finding success and textural variety in the sweet and smoky combination. But in retrospect, we should have gone bigger, stacking on melted cheese and avocado, too. This is a big, messy, wonderful burger, and it deserves to have as many toppings piled on as you can stand. Extra points for the juicy grilled meat and soft, tasty bun.

Really Sloppy Joe

Really Sloppy Joe at Brooklyn Bowl

vegas.brooklynbowl.com

C

We love the ultra comfort food at the new Vegas Brooklyn Bowl, from the killer Southern fried chicken to the nostalgic fun of French bread pizzas. But this Sloppy Joe needs some work. The sweet meat mixture is right on the money, including finely ground beef and crisp bits of chopped bell pepper, but there's not enough of it on the sandwich. A Sloppy Joe needs to be overstuffed with meat. This one's got a ton of coleslaw—crunchy, sweet slaw—with the meat on top. The final straw is the sesame seed bun, which is light and airy, but also incredibly sweet. We love a bit of sweetness in a meat sandwich, something to play against the satisfying savory notes. But this sucker is just too sweet, with no balance.

Pancake PBJ

Pancake PBJ

homemade

B

This is how we do peanut butter and jelly over here. That's crunchy peanut butter, homemade plum jam from a friend, and the silver dollar buttermilk pancakes are just right. Boom.

Grilled Brie and Cranberry

Grilled Brie and Cranberry at Lulu's Bread & Breakfast

lulusonthemove.com

A

Another sandwich titan from our beloved Lulu's, another seasonal creation you must feast on before winter departs. Thick slabs of creamy, rich Brie are melted fabulously within even thicker slabs of Lulu's house-made country bread, swirling around tart dried cranberries and strips of crispy bacon. That's it. There are only three things on this sandwich, and yet it's packed with decadent flavor, balanced between smoky, salty, sweet and the mouth-enrapturing glory of all that cheese. Amazing.

Waffle Sandwich

Waffle Sandwich at Bread & Butter

breadandbutterlv.com

A-

Is this even a sandwich? Waffles are not bread, but these waffles are sweet and light, and would be nice and crispy if they weren't saturated in old-school white sausage gravy and a pre-drizzle of maple syrup. Layered in between them are ham (or you can order yours with turkey), scrambled eggs and melty cheddar cheese, basically everything you need to make an ideal breakfast sandwich. Just because you need a knife and fork to take it down doesn't mean it's not a sandwich, right?

Bacon Jalapeño PBJ

Bacon Jalapeño PBJ at Border Grill Brunch

bordergrill.com

A

You already know this is a winner because of its name. Seems like it gives everything away, and it also makes you think Of course, why hasn't someone thought of this already? But there are a few delicious elements to this breakfast sandwich not described in its lengthy moniker. Yes, there are crispy strips of swine, nice-sized coins of raw, bright green pepper, salty peanut butter and sweet jelly, but there's also a fried egg. Usually, we're all about runny egg goodness, but on this sandwich it's the only thing that doesn't add much to the package. It doesn't take anything away, either, it's just that the egg doesn't seem to meld with the other ingredients in the same perfect way as they do with each other. But the oozy yolk and crispy-edged white part of the egg do pair nicely with the house-made biscuit that provides this masterpiece's foundation, and the biscuit really makes the whole thing. It's dense and slightly buttery, and just adds a rustic touch to a bite that could be a little over-the-top otherwise. Basically, this baby—one of the most popular items on the all-you-can-eat small plates brunch at Border Grill—is the breakfast sandwich to end all breakfast sandwiches.

Banana French Toast

Banana French Toast

homemade

C

Look, it's a sandwich if we say it's a sandwich. Honey wheat bread griddled in cinnamon egg batter, sliced bananas and a drizzle of pomegranate honey inside. Damn ... forgot the peanut butter.

Tortas Sampler

Tortas Sampler at T&T

tacosandtequilalv.com

B+

Available only on the lunch menu at Luxor's Mexican joint Tacos & Tequila, these tasty friends are just too good to limit yourself to just one flavor. I would usually never review three sandwiches at once, but these tortas are equally delicious, mostly because of the soft, spongy, sweet, perfectly absorbent bolillo rolls. This light, lovely cloud of a bread is the quintessential component in these sandwiches, which are surprisingly authentic considering this is the Vegas Strip. They have been made a bit more friendly by this outgoing kitchen, but the flavors are staying in the spirit of tradition. From the left, you've got carne asada (tender and juicy with a bit of sour funk), carnitas (succulence personified) and shredded chicken (moist and slightly spicy), plus each also has lettuce and tomato, fresh pico de gallo, and a thin layer of soft, long-simmered bean puree for extra texture. If you happen to find yourself in the Luxor at lunchtime, allow me to introduce option numero uno.

Chef Mike's McGriddle

Chef Mike's McGriddle at Border Grill Brunch

bordergrill.com

A

The weekend brunch at Border Grill -- located in Mandalay Bay -- is one of the best meals in Vegas right now, an insane cavalcade of wonderful small plates for an incredible price, and the man who gets the credit is Chef Mike Minor. In addition to killer huevos rancheros, Oaxacan chocolate pancakes, green corn tamales, plantain empanadas, machaca chilaquiles, and way, way more, Chef Mike unleashes an off-the-top-of-the-dome special dish every week. We were lucky enough to visit when he was going all golden arches on that ass, stacking a juicy, spicy sausage patty on a fresh-from-scratch biscuit with bacon, cheese, chipotle aioli and a maple syrup drizzle. That sticky sweetness pushes it way over the edge, duking it out deliciously with the savory meat and rich, buttery biscuit. Can't wait to see what he dreams up next week.

Banana Nutella

Banana Nutella Sandwich at Lulu's On The Move

lulusonthemove.com

B+

Lulu's On The Move is a Las Vegas food truck, essentially a breakfast and bakery spot on wheels. For a mobile kitchen, this crew is remarkably flexible, having turned out everything from pizza to sausage, not to mention more sweet treats than you can imagine. And this creation combines the savory and sweet to create what we believe is the first dessert sandwich you can eat like a meal. Packed into a slightly sweet, light and fluffy brioche roll is a generous slathering of nutella, sliced bananas and toasted almonds. This combo creates some mouth-pleasing moosh and some crispy bites, and a whole lot of hazelnutty, faux-choco-goodness. It's so rich, we couldn't finish it. But we wanted to.

S'mores Ice Cream Sandwich

S’mores Ice Cream Sandwich at Trader Joe's

traderjoes.com

B+

We at allsandwich have learned through experience you can’t always trust foods that are clearly one thing, but claim to taste like a different thing. And so we treated the box of S’mores Ice Cream Sandwiches that somehow found its way into our Trader Joe’s cart a couple of weeks ago with some skepticism. As it turned out, we had no need to.

This is not a completely perfect ice cream sandwich. The cookie “bread,” made of graham cracker in this case (naturally), is just the tiniest bit too soft, leaving the sandwich without much textural variety. But for a store bought treat, the ice cream is divine. Fluffy and indeed somewhat marshmallowy in texture and flavor, it also has a nice light swirl of chocolate to complete the classic s’mores trifecta of delicious.

By the way: we don’t usually review ice cream sandwiches here. But since allsandwich is located in Las Vegas, and it’s currently 147 degrees here (with the comfort index figured in) we’re going to go ahead and say, “Oh hell YES” to ice cream sandwiches.

Slap & Tickle

Slap & Tickle at The Beat Coffeehouse

thebeatlv.com

D+

I love sandwiches at The Beat, but very few sandwich spots are batting a thousand. There's almost always gonna be something on the menu where things get a bit slippery. The idea behind the Slap & Tickle is a good one, mixing sweet and salty and spicy. But the execution isn't there.

It's got organic peanut butter and homemade jam -- I believe it was strawberry in this case -- with smoked bacon on pan de mie. That'd be fancy French for completely unfancy white bread. I feel like there may have been jalapeno on the sandwich as well, but I could be wrong. Using such an ordinary bread is the first mistake. The second is the bacon. It wasn't crispy. Droopy, soggy strips of swine, even if there are some smokey, savory flavors, will never cut the mustard on a sandwich, particularly not when the other ingredients are sweet and gooey. Also, too much jam and not enough peanut butter. If you're gonna go crazy with a peanut butter bacon sandwich, you've got a pick a team: PB or piggy. Let one dominate and the other complement. This sucker can't make up its mind.

Banana-Nutella Sandwiches

Banana-Nutella Sandwiches at Firefly

fireflylv.com

A+

Ladies and gentlemen, we now present one of the greatest dessert sandwiches of all time. Coming to you from Las Vegas' most loved, most popular, most cool neighborhood restaurant (Firefly), these are banana-nutella sandwiches. They are perfectly sized little bites of grilled bread filled with everyone's favorite choco-hazelnut spread and warm, gooey banana, topped with more nutella, strawberries and powdered sugar, and served with nutella cream dipping sauce (which is really just more nutella). So simple. So rich. So awesome. Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome the first sweet treat to the allsandwich A+ list.

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.

The Kalua Mini

The Kalua Mini

homemade

A

In a large family of wannabe chefs, I'm perfectly comfortable stating my only sister is the best cook. Her idea for a Hawaiian-themed potluck could have gone wrong very easily, but through careful planning and strategery it instead yielded this wonderful morsel of a mini sandwich.

The main ingredient is her version of kalua pig, 10-hour slow-cooked pork shoulder shredded into deliciousness. Typical kalua is smoky and salty. This is both, with an extra tang from some chili peppers and a heavy dose of soy sauce. It's actually very salty, but meant to be eaten alongside white rice. In this case its extreme savory notes are counter-balanced by almost-too-sweet King's Hawaiian brand rolls. To add some crunch and bite, we made a pickled vegetable salad of carrot, daikon, jalapeno, cilantro, red onion and black sesame seed. There could have been a bit more heat with more jalapeno, but the natural juice from the pork offered plenty of spice on its own. I know every ethnic cuisine has its version of sandwich, but I've never seen or heard of a Hawaiian sandwich. Allow us to offer up the Kalua mini. It's tasty.

Cuban Sandwich with Tomato Jam

Cuban Sandwich with Tomato Jam

homemade

A+

The recipe/inspiration for this nontraditional Cuban came from Food and Wine magazine. It isn't pressed flat, which strays from tradition, but that's just the beginning.

We started with some fresh, soft bolillos. Instead of a grilled piece of pork and a slice of ham, there is roasted pork, tender, moist and shredded into meaty chunks. The pork was about a 6-pound boneless shoulder cooked simply for about four hours with minimal seasoning. On top of the meat, melted Gruyere, long thin pickle slices, sauteed red onions, pickled jalapenos, and the ingredient that really stole the show. The tomato jam was made from canned roasted tomatoes, white wine vinegar, a little sugar, mustard seed, cinnamon, salt and a little ground clove. Not overly sweet, it simmered long enough to create a rich tomato flavor. This sandwich could have been just pork, cheese and jam and been amazing. But the added texture and layers of flavor from the onions, pickles, jalapenos and a quick wipe of garlic mustard shot this bitch into the stratosphere.