Category: Sandwich

AlbuquerqueAmericanBurgersNew MexicoRating: Very GoodSandwichSteak

Dave’s Valley Grill – Los Ranchos de Albuquerque, New Mexico

Gil Garduno10:22 AM

Several years ago, Major Larry Abraham (God rest his soul) of the Village of Los Ranchos de Albuquerque called me out, reminding me that such restaurants as Sadie’s of New Mexico, Casa de Benavidez and Vernon’s Speakeasy were located not in Albuquerque as credited on Gil’s Thrilling…, but in the village he capably served for four terms. He politely asked me to correct my oversight. Ever since Mayor Abraham’s gentle prodding, your humble blogger has been much more diligent about ensuring the correct location of every restaurant reviewed–especially when at issue is whether the restaurant is in Albuquerque or in Los Ranchos de Albuquerque. In my defense, the Village of Los Ranchos de Albuquerque is much like what New Mexico’s legendary best-selling author Tony Hillerman termed “the checkerboard reservation.” Hillerman was, of course, speaking of the Navajo Nation, a hodgepodge of lands owned by tribes (mostly Navajo and Zuni), privately-owned lands and lands controlled by the government or trusts. Similar to the challenge of knowing where which lands in the Checkerboard Reservation are Navajo-owned, it’s not easy to tell where the village of Los Ranchos begins and ends and when you’ve crossed in and out of the village into the…

AlbuquerqueItalianNew MexicoPizzaSandwich

Chicago Pizza Kitchen – Albuquerque, New Mexico

Gil Garduno12:01 AM

There is A LOT to see at the Chicago Pizza Kitchen (CPK).  My Chicago born-and-bred bride loved the framed photographs of the Windy City’s incomparable skyline and distinct architecture.  Bulls and Bears fans (not a reference to the stock market) will enjoy perusing photos and banners of Chicago’s sports teams.  Students of the age of chivalry will gravitate to the restaurant’s northern-most corners where knights in shining armor (literally) stand guard.  Military veterans like me will reminisce about our own experiences in service to our country as we peruse the photos depicting the military service of Chicago Pizza Kitchen’s owners.  Some of us will linger longest at the POW-MIA table, one of the most poignant and thought-provoking sights at any Duke City restaurant. Contemplating the meaning behind the POW-MIA table setting can bring you to tears, especially if you served or had family in the armed forces.  A POW-MIA table has only one place setting, representing the frailty of one prisoner, alone against his or her suppressors.  Fittingly the table is set close to the dining room entrance.  There are a number of other symbols displayed on the table which military veterans will appreciate. Some of my brothers-in-arms (including my own…

JewishNew MexicoRating: N/R (Not Rated)SandwichSanta Fe

Manhattan Avenue Deli – Santa Fe, New Mexico

Gil Garduno3:55 PM

I’ve been called many things, not all of them kind, but the name I’m most proud to hold is “Gil.”  It was my father’s name.  When colleagues from Intel’s manufacturing plant in Israel met me for the first time, they asked if I was Jewish.  Apparently in Hebrew, “Gil” means “joy,” “happiness,” or “gladness.” The name “Gil” is associated with celebration and optimism.  Gil can also be used a verb, with forms like gili (my joy) or related words meaning to “rejoice” or “be glad.”  The feminine version of Gil is “Gila.”  In my travels over 39 years on this planet, I’ve met several people named Gil, but until November, 2025 had never met anyone named Gila.  That is, until my visit to the Manhattan Avenue Deli in Santa Fe. A very vivacious young lady named Julia greeted and chatted me up as I walked into the Deli.  Not surprsingly, she asked if I was Jewish.   Julia regaled me with tales of her experiences in Israel, sharing that during her time in the Holy Land, she acquired the name “Gila.”  The name certainly fits.  Julia…er, Gila is one of the most genuinely effusive and optimistic people I’ve ever met.  Sporting…

AlbuquerqueHot DogsMexicanNew MexicoRating: Very GoodSandwichTacos

Dogos VIP – Albuquerque, New Mexico

Gil Garduno12:01 AM

Thanks largely to a 1974 Chevrolet commercial and its catchy tune, the phrase “As American as baseball, hot dogs and apple pie” has purportedly defined what Americans hold most sacrosanct.  Never mind that hot dogs are derivative of European sausages, they’re inextricably part of the fabric of the fruited plain. The National Hot Dog and Sausage Council (yes, there is such a thing) estimates that Americans eat seven billion hot dogs (so it’s not just me) during the unofficial summer season which runs from Memorial Day weekend through Labor Day. That’s 818 hot dogs per second and more than a third of the hot dogs eaten per year! July 19th has been designated National Hot Dog Day, but a case could easily be made that there are actually two days in which the not-so-humble hot dog is celebrated in America.  The second day, of course, is the 4th of July when Nathan’s Famous Hot Dogs sponsors its annual Hot Dog Eating Contest, the premier competitive event for gurgitators.  It’s no surprise that  several locations under the spacious skies have declared themselves the “hot dog capital of the world.” It may have started in 1999 when former New York City Mayor…

AlbuquerqueNew MexicoRating: N/R (Not Rated)Sandwich

Los Toasties – Albuquerque, New Mexico

Gil Garduno12:01 AM

To paraphrase John 15:13, “No greater love a man has than this, that a man give up his life for a….sandwich.” In an uproariously funny episode of the television show Friends, Joey, Chandler and Ross go on a ride-along with Phoebe’s policeman boyfriend. Believing a back-firing muffler was actually a gunshot, Joey (sitting in between his two friends) dives, seemingly to protect Ross from harm.  Naturally Chandler was upset that Joey would choose to protect Ross instead of him…until he learns that Joey was actually trying to protect his sandwich.  In the finest tradition of Dagwood Bumstead, Joey Tribbiani loved sandwiches; they were his favorite food.  I don’t know how many Americans would “take a bullet” for their sandwich, but America is most definitely a nation of sandwich lovers. According to  the National Institutes of Health, “on any given day, 47% of adults ate a sandwich. A larger percentage of men (52%) than women (43%) ate sandwiches.  Most sandwiches eaten by adults contained meat, poultry, or fish (79%). The most commonly consumed types of sandwich were cold cut sandwiches (27%), burgers (17%), and poultry sandwiches (12%).  Among adults, nearly one-half of all sandwiches were eaten at lunch (48%), followed by dinner…

Rating: ExcellentSandwichSanta Fe

Mucho Gourmet Sandwich Shoppe – Santa Fe, New Mexico

Gil Garduno7:14 AM

The New Mexico State Legislature has long recognized the important of our state’s culinary traditions, enacting measures to officially recognize those foods that have historical, cultural and emotional significance to citizens of the Land of Enchantment. In 1965, the delicious duo of frijoles (pinto beans) and chile were designated New Mexico’s official state vegetables (never mind that chile is technically a fruit). Frijoles and chile are virtually inseparable in New Mexican cuisine and are considered staples. In 1989, House Bill 406 designated the bizcochito as New Mexico’s official state cookie. Lawmakers on the range floor couldn’t initially agree on its spelling, some pressing for the “s” and others for “z.” Ultimately the Senate returned the bill as “bizcochito.” On On April 8, 1999, Governor Gary Johnson signed the bill making the resolution a law which declared “red or green” the official state question. Less known is the fact that the New Mexico state legislature also passed a resolution approving an official state answer. It’s no surprise that “red and green” or “Christmas” has been adopted as the official answer of the great state of New Mexico. On March 28, 2023, Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham, signed Senate Bill 188 making the…

PizzaRating: N/R (Not Rated)SandwichTexasUnited States

Little Deli & Pizzeria – Austin, Texas

Gil Garduno12:01 AM

In the 1973 Woody Allen movie”Sleeper,” the neurotic comedian, writer, actor, and film director declaimed, “I believe there’s an intelligence to the universe, with the exception of certain parts of New Jersey.”  Comedian George Carlin pounced on New Jersey’s license plate, deriding the “Garden State” sobriquet, expressing that it should be “The Tollbooth State.”   In response to his son-in-law Michael “Meathead” Stivic’s “I hate Jersey” comment, Archie Bunker declared “Everybody hates Jersey! But somebody’s gotta live there.” New Jersey is the Rodney Dangerfield among the fifty states.  It gets no respect, especially when compared with its nextdoor neighbor New York.  Perceptions among some outsiders is that the population of New Jersey is replete with Italian-American Mafia types like Tony Soprano.  Others perceive as accurate the unwatchable MTV “reality” television series Jersey Shore which perpetuates Italian-American stereotypes of New Jerseyans.  Its gratuitous use of the ethnic slurs “guido” and “guidette” are an affront to every good and decent resident of the state. Admittedly I haven’t spent much time in New Jersey.  My first visit was just long enough to qualify on the M16 rifle before the Air Force sent me to RAF Upper Heyford, England.  Would you consider it boasting if…

AlbuquerqueAmericanNew MexicoRating: Very GoodSandwich

The Sandwich Company – Albuquerque, NE

Gil Garduno12:01 AM

In 1967, John Poppy introduced the term “generation gap” in Look magazine.  Still used widely, the term refers to the “the chasm that separates the beliefs and behaviors belonging to members of different generations. This gap often manifests in varying thoughts, actions, and preferences between younger and older generations.”  According to Investopedia, “Differences may exist in politics, values, pop culture, and other areas.”  Among the ways in which a generation gap exists is in culinary exploration. TouchBistro, “an all-in-one point of sale and restaurant management system that makes running a restaurant easier” conducted a survey of more than 2,600 diners which revealed a wide expanse between generations when it comes to dining out.  TouchBistro discovered that younger generations–“56% of Gen Zers and 47%–of millennials in the U.S. say they visit new restaurants once a month or more. When it comes to deciding which new restaurant to try, younger generations are also more likely to rely on online reviews, through sites like Yelp or Google or from social media. The TouchBistro survey found that 71% of Gen Zers and 72% of millennials have opted to try a new restaurant solely because of favorable reviews online.” Sadly, 35% of respondents from my…

AlbuquerqueBrunchCoffeeNew MexicoRating: OutstandingSandwich

Sammys Cafe & Deli – Albuquerque, New Mexico

Gil Garduno12:02 AM

Most foodies have pondered the expession “Never trust a skinny chef.”  Maybe you’ve even mused if there’s any truth to it.   Your line of thinking probably goes something like this: “If a chef’s cooking is any good at all, how can that chef possibly resist stuffing himself (or herself)?”  With this train of thought, every chef should look like Paul Prudhomme, the brilliant Creole-Louisiana Cajun chef who once weighed more than 500 pounds.  Celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay, who’s not shy about expressing his opinion, called the notion that you shouldn’t trust a skinny chef “BS.”  To the contrary, the volatile Ramsay believes “In order to be consistently excellent, a chef must “stay fit.” As my friend Bill Resnik and I strode into Sammy’s Cafe & Deli, we ran into the very fit Chef Marc Quiñones who had just finished his morning run.  Chef Quiñones runs distances some of us get tired driving.  He’s the proverbial high-energy somatype, a dynamic whirling dervish in constant motion.  Moreover, he exemplifies a paraphrase of a famous Homer Simpson quote: “Chef Marc Quiñones: Is there nothing he can’t do?”  At least in the culinary arena, the answer to that Jack Handy deep thought is “no.” …

AmericanChickenDiners Drive-Ins and DivesNevadaRating: N/R (Not Rated)SandwichUnited States

Pine State Biscuits – Reno, Nevada

Gil Garduno12:01 AM

In 2020, Ted Lasso burst onto the pop culture scene.  Not long thereafter my friend Alonna Smith, the brilliant owner of My Indian Stove practically begged me to watch it.  She realized that with my penchant for British comedies, I’d love the laugh-out-loud show about an American soccer coach who assumes the help at a Premiere League soccer team in the United Kingdom despite not knowing anything about soccer.  Lasso is the master of the one-liner as well as the bringer of balm during heart-warming scenes.  He’s warm and fuzzy…and as usual, Alanna steered me in the right direction. On the second episode of season one, Ted began the practice of bringing freshly baked biscuits to the football club’s owner Rebecca Welton.  “Biscuits with the boss” quickly became one of the show’s most endearing gags.  Moreover, it’s essential to the relationship Ted wants to build with his stoic, business-like boss.   Over the time, the daily biscuit fix defrosted Rebecca’s cold heart and she embraced Ted not only as integral to her team’s future, but more importantly as a friend. Bringing biscuits to his boss also displays Ted’s efforts to assimilate with British culture.  What Americans like Ted would call…

ItalianNevadaRating: N/R (Not Rated)SandwichUnited States

all’Antico Vinaio – Las Vegas, Nevada

Gil Garduno12:01 AM

Whether a sandwich shop calls its bill of fare a submarine, hoagie, po’ boy, grinder, hero, bomber or just plain “sandwich,” one commonality is that most sandwich shops have an “Italian” sandwich.  Beyond that, the actual Italian sandwich varies in composition as well as in preparation.   Typical ingredients include layers upon layers (especially on the East coast) of paper-thin capicola, salami, pepperoni and ham often drenched in a vinegar, mayo or mustard and  topped with shredded lettuce, fresh tomatoes, sliced onions, and cherry peppers.  There is no one standard as to what constitutes an “Italian,” not that most of us would care much. Also falling under the purview “Italian sandwich” are panini which are constructed with grilled Italian bread, usually made using a sandwich press. Panini are replete with delicious ingredients such as melty, molten cheese with complementary meats. The perfect panini is crispy on the outside, warm and gooey on the inside, and entirely delicious.  Most culinary historians agree that the panini originated in Italian sandwich shops called “paninoteche” sometime during the 1960s.  From there, Americans quickly picked up on the trend, and paninis became widely available in the States starting from the 1970s. You can’t mention Italian…