PrintIntroducing Serious Sandwiches
Has anyone else noticed that we are in kind of a Golden Age of sandwiches? There are yummy sandwiches to be found in every kind of food establishment there is, from four star restaurants to lobster shacks to food carts. At Serious Eats we decided that it's high time we celebrate the sandwich. So periodically, with any luck twice weekly, we are going to rhapsodize about some sandwich found anywhere in the world. We might opine in a way that some of you might find objectionable, but at least you'll know where we're coming from, a deep and abiding love of sandwiches.
Today, I would like to rhapsodize about the Cubano Sandwich at the Spotted Pig in NYC.
The Spotted Pig Cubano is the best in the city and maybe the world. The Balthazar roll is crunchy and yeasty; chef-partner April Bloomfield uses heritage pork shoulder to sublime effect by brining it for three days, slow-roasting it, and then cooking it in duck and pork fat; the pickled jalapeno peppers add just the right amount of heat; Prosciutto de Parma or speck (smoked prosciutto) is a better quality ham than you will find in any other Cubano around the city; and the aged gruyere lends the whole thing a deeply funky flavor. How a British chef who worked at the very Italian River Cafe in London manages to produce the best Cuban sandwich I'll never know.
I know Cubano sandwich purists are going to be all over me about this selection. When I posted about this on Ed Levine Eats, a reader took umbrage and told me to go immediately to Miami and go to one of Casa Larios 'three locations, or I could just stay in NY and go to El Castillo de Jagua on Rivington Street. And I have had many great Cuban sandwiches in this land of ours, in Miami and Los Angeles at Versailles (unrelated), and in New York at El Sitio in Woodside, Queens.
Nonetheless, I stand by my conviction that in terms of sheer deliciousness and Cuban sandwich pleasure, nothing beats the Cubano at the Spotted Pig. I know it's not classically speaking a Cuban, maybe April should call it something else, but it is at the top of the Cuban Sandwich food chain.
You have to go to the Spotted Pig for lunch during the week to get the Cubano, because that's the only time it's on the menu. But the SP is infinitely quieter and more comfortable at lunch, anyway. In fact, it's downright laid-back
The Spotted Pig
Address: 314 West 11th Street, New York NY 10014
Phone: 212-620-0393
Add a comment:
Previewing your comment:
HTML Hints
Some HTML is OK: <a href="URL">link</a>, <strong>strong</strong>, <em>em</em>
Comment Guidelines
Post whatever you want, just keep it seriously about eats, seriously. We reserve the right to delete off-topic or inflammatory comments. Learn more at our Comment Policy page.
If you see something not so nice, please, report an inappropriate comment.
9 Comments:
Sandwiches are terribly under-appreciated, but I'm doing my part. There's the Cubano you mention and the New Orleans favorite:
Muffaletta. A Country Ham Panini is hard to beat and for convenience Stuffed Pita Sandwiches are a favorite. And one mustn't forget the classic Rueben.
Kevin at 10:45AM on 06/05/07
As much as I appreciate the culinary stylings of Mario Batali, and his ersatz cubano, there is only one Cuban sandwich king, and that is at Latin American Cafeteria in Miami. There is no other to compare it to, it is the Katz Pastrami of Cubanos. Look at the photos and you will understand why.
http://offthebroiler.wordpress.com/2006/11/30/florida-dining-latin-american-cafeteria-restaurant/
jperlow at 10:52AM on 06/05/07
A cuban is not a cuban if it has proscuitto and gruyere. What you are describing is a great pork sandwich.
adrocks at 11:24AM on 06/05/07
Looks like a damn fine sandwich, but I wouldn't call it a Cubano.
Actually, my wife makes the best Cubano in the world. The bread she uses is Pan de Agua, which I would guess is similar to Cuban bread, and she pressed it in a plancha to get the bread crisp on the outside while still soft on the inside. She uses boiled ham; I think Prosciutto de Parma may be overkill.
You can get great Cubano sandwiches all over Puerto Rico for less than $5.
Lou at 11:50AM on 06/05/07
Bull. The best Cubans in the world are made at the Kool Korner Grocery on 10th St. in Atlanta.
Don't try and convince me otherwise, because you're not changing my mind.
NTSCBlogdotcom at 1:11PM on 06/05/07
That looks like a great sandwich, but I agree with others it is not really a cubano. El Sitio, which you mention, is my favorite in NY for the real thing.
Vitello Tonnato at 4:19PM on 06/05/07
Is something wrong with me? I had this some months ago and didn't like it so much. Mine was so dry and all I could do was salivate over my boyfriend's hamburger.
alynn at 4:22PM on 06/05/07
I guess technically speaking many of you are right when you say the Spotted Pig's Cubano is not really a Cubano. Let's call it an incredibly delicious sandwich inspired by a Cubano. It has all the elements and characteristics of a Cubano elevated by superior ingredients and cooking techniques.
All I know is it's one seriously delicious sandwich.
Ed Levine at 5:41PM on 06/05/07
@Ed: don't get me wrong, I'd eat that sandwich in a hot second, but since I have my Prosciutto de Parma shipped to me only a few times a year, I save it for other uses.
Lou at 6:59PM on 06/05/07