This is far richer and more flavorful to the Sloppy Joes of childhood. The ground angus beef is mixed in a "boozy" tomato sauce that tastes like a sweet and sour whiskey barbecue sauce, topped with fried shallots and sage leaves to give it some crunch and round out the sweetness. Lot No. 3 smears the bun with a house-made Dijon mustard; it's spicier than what you'd find at other places, and it gives the sandwich an almost wasabi-like burn. More

Recently, someone pointed out to me that sloppy joes are nothing more than poor man's barbecue—a quick version of ground beef mixed with tomato sauce opposed to cuts of meat smoked slow and steady before being coated with barbecue sauce. I am not sure I agree with this idea, but thinking of them in this way did inspire a new thought to sloppy joe tinkering. More

Photograph courtesy of Town Hall Deli You say "sloppy joe" in Lunch Lady Land, and only one thing comes to mind. Say it in South Orange, New Jersey, and you're talking about a whole different sandwich—no ground beef, no hamburger bun, and no worry that today's sandwich was yesterday's meatloaf. In South Orange, the sloppy joe is a much more serious concoction. Three slices of bread, any two meats, Swiss cheese, and my two favorite sandwich condiments of all time: coleslaw and Russian dressing. And there's no better place to get one than the Town Hall Deli.... More