Seattle’s 48 Best Sandwiches: The Bucket List

Before you kick it, you simply have to try The 5 Best Sandwiches in Seattle at least once...or twice

By Allison Austin Scheff and Lorna Yee December 31, 1969

This article originally appeared in the August 2010 issue of Seattle magazine.

Porchetta
Salumi
Downtown
There is no better place to praise the lard than at Salumi, Seattle’s own temple of pork, where the Batali family prepares overstuffed sandwiches for the patrons snaking out the door of their charcuterie/restaurant. The Porchetta is a behemoth crammed full of juicy chunks of pork shoulder with braised carrots, fennel, celery, onions and an herby, garlicky spread—a veritable ode to this most delicious of beasts. (Piggy heaven is yours for about $9.)

Cornmeal-Crusted Catfish
Matt’s in the Market
Pike Place Market
Take one milky white fillet of catfish, dredge it in spices and cornmeal batter, then fry until it’s shatteringly crisp. Slather with spicy sambal aioli, top with a shower of crunchy shredded lettuce and slide it all between two pillowy slices of Macrina potato bread ($13). Is there any doubt why this sandwich makes our list?

The Cuban Roast
Paseo
Ballard, Fremont
The best “Cuban” sandwich in town is Cuban in name only, but it wins points for scrumptiousness. Pork shoulder is slowly cooked after an all-day bath in a secret aioli marinade, then piled onto a split baguette ($8.50). It’s finished off with a liberal application of garlic, pickled jalapeños, caramelized onions, a smidge of sweet relish and a few leaves of cilantro. We love it—and food writers across the nation are giving this sandwich much deserved accolades, too.
 
Croque Madame
Café Presse
Capitol Hill
This gooey, ham-and-Gruyère sandwich topped with an egg sunny side up is Gallic magnificence at $7.25. The yolk running onto the plate and just enough dreamy béchamel sauce put it right over the top.
 
Rajun Cajun
The Other Coast Café
Ballard
If warm ’n’ sloppy earn high grades in your book, then the Rajun Cajun gets an A-plus. Cajun-style turkey is piled high and bathed in an addictive—and decidedly spicy—salsa mayo. Pepper jack cheese, tomatoes and onions are stuffed in before the whole shebang is toasted to crunchy-soft perfection ($8.55/$14.95).

Video: The inside scoop on Allison Austin Scheff’s favorite sandwiches.

Originally published in August 2010

 

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