The Bite (Issue 25): The perfect sandwich

Join the club sandwich club Culinary perfection isn’t easy to define, but allow me to paint a picture. It’s 41 degrees and sleeting on-and-off despite the fact that it’s supposed to be spring in Chicago. Dinner time rolls around and you’re so hungry that simultaneously everything and nothing sounds good, so you bundle up and wander until you see a beckoning glow from a corner diner. There, you slide into a booth with a laminate table top, the kind that is just sticky enough that you have to physically peel the menu towards you. The waitress simultaneously hands you an ice-cold water in one of those marbled red tumbler glasses (bonus if there’s a faded Coca-Cola logo on the side) and a piping hot black coffee in a chunky white mug. Within 15 minutes, she brings back your entree — a club sandwich sitting next to a mountain of crinkle-cut French fries. There’s nothing special about this club sandwich, per se, but it’s perfect in all its glorious normality. It has the slightly toasted white bread, a thin smear of mayonnaise, crisp iceberg lettuce, an uneventful slice of tomato, thick-cut turkey meat and a couple snappy pieces of bacon. All the better if it’s speared together with a little toothpick topped with a cellophane flourish. To me, a club sandwich is kind of peak Americana. It’s been part of the fabric of this country’s culinary fabric since the late-19th century when it was invented at either the Union Club or Saratoga Club in New York City. An 1889 edition of the Evening World newspaper sides with the former, writing: "Have you tried a Union Club sandwich yet? Two toasted pieces of Graham bread, with a layer of turkey or chicken and ham between them, served warm.” That said, I don’t think that I’ve ever actually made a club sandwich. Unlike certain dishes that taste uniquely of home — chicken and rice soup, my mom’s chocolate chip cookies, my boyfriend’s Dutch baby pancakes — club sandwiches are the kind of food that I use to anchor myself in liminal spaces: airports, hotel rooms, unassuming corner diners. Of course, some restaurants have tried to offer their individual twist on the classic club, substituting a garlic-citrus aioli for the humble mayonnaise or substituting marinated and grilled chicken breast for the turkey lunch meat. I’m sure these are delicious, but to me, the club sandwich’s perfection is found in its ability to be standardized. A room service club sandwich in California will taste pretty darn close to a deli club in New York. In a world of endlessly customizable meals at our fingertips, there’s something beautiful about that. In this week’s issue of The Bite, Salon’s weekly food newsletter, we’re going to share recipes, essays and how-tos about a few of our favorite classic dishes. What is your “perfect” dish — the kind that you seek out because you know exactly what you’re going to get? Let us know at food@salon.com — Ashlie Stevens, deputy food editor. If you found yourself here without subscribing, make sure to sign up for [The Bite](~/AASU4wA~/RgRkM_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-flcDc3BjQgpiS1R1UWJjkHcWUht0cmlzdHJhbWJhbGR3aW44NUBnbWFpbC5jb21YBAAAACU~) so you don't miss anything! *** Our favorite classic recipes - [The secret to the perfect grilled cheese, revealed](~/AASU4wA~/RgRkM_pUP0RTaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuc2Fsb24uY29tLzIwMjIvMDMvMjAvdGhlLXNlY3JldC10by10aGUtcGVyZmVjdC1ncmlsbGVkLWNoZWVzZS1yZXZlYWxlZC9XA3NwY0IKYktUdVFiY5B3FlIbdHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODVAZ21haWwuY29tWAQAAAAl) - [5 eggsquisite tools for making better eggs at home, according to our editors](~/AASU4wA~/RgRkM_pUP0RUaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuc2Fsb24uY29tLzIwMjIvMDQvMDgvNS1lZ2dzcXVpc2l0ZS10b29scy1mb3ItbWFraW5nLWJldHRlci1lZ2dzLWF0LWhvbWUvVwNzcGNCCmJLVHVRYmOQdxZSG3RyaXN0cmFtYmFsZHdpbjg1QGdtYWlsLmNvbVgEAAAAJQ~~) - [The absolute best way to make juicy pork chops](~/AASU4wA~/RgRkM_pUP0RYaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuc2Fsb24uY29tLzIwMjIvMDMvMzAvdGhlLWFic29sdXRlLWJlc3Qtd2F5LXRvLW1ha2UtanVpY3ktcG9yay1jaG9wc19wYXJ0bmVyL1cDc3BjQgpiS1R1UWJjkHcWUht0cmlzdHJhbWJhbGR3aW44NUBnbWFpbC5jb21YBAAAACU~) - [The one simple tip that made my homemade focaccia instantly better](~/AASU4wA~/RgRkM_pUP0RkaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuc2Fsb24uY29tLzIwMjIvMDMvMzAvdGhlLW9uZS1zaW1wbGUtdGlwLXRoYXQtbWFkZS1teS1ob21lbWFkZS1mb2NhY2NpYS1pbnN0YW50bHktYmV0dGVyL1cDc3BjQgpiS1R1UWJjkHcWUht0cmlzdHJhbWJhbGR3aW44NUBnbWFpbC5jb21YBAAAACU~) Your weekend dinner plans Writer Maggie Hennessy describes chef [Beverly Kim’s kimchi jjigae](~/AASU4wA~/RgRkM_pUP0R8aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuc2Fsb24uY29tLzIwMjIvMDEvMjkva2ltY2hpLWpqaWdhZS1pcy1vbmUtb2YtYmV2ZXJseS1raW1zLWFsbC10aW1lLWZhdm9yaXRlLXNvdXBzLWl0LWhpdHMtdGhlLWNvcmUtb2YteW91ci1zb3VsL1cDc3BjQgpiS1R1UWJjkHcWUht0cmlzdHJhbWJhbGR3aW44NUBnbWFpbC5jb21YBAAAACU~) like this: “The brick-red stew emanated the mellow tang of ripe, cooked kimchi; the lip-tingling fire of green chiles; and the dual umami bomb of anchovy stock and pork belly. 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