Paseo

Drop everything that you're doing RIGHT NOW and book a trip to Seattle.  You'll totally thank me when you get there, there being Paseo, a Cuban sandwich joint with 2 locations in Seattle.  Now, Paseo happens to be pretty famous.  I've seen it featured on multiple food and travel shows.  As well all know, these shows aren't always the most reliable.  Sometimes they draw attention to mediocre food that's just popular for historical reasons.  Going in, I had my doubts, but every crazy amazing delicious bite of the sandwiches here made me a true fan. 

The place is really small, only a handful of tables inside and small counter for ordering.  The place is cash only, so don't be like the foolish couple in front of me that was scrambling to find an ATM when they got to the top of the line!  We got there at 2pm and there was a pretty decent line outside, but it was moving and we had our hands on our sandwiches after 20-25min.

Midnight Cuban Press roasted pork, sweet banana peppers, smoked ham, swiss cheese, caramelized onions
It really doesn't look like a big deal, but no joke, this sh*t is the REAL deal.  The pork is moist, succulent, and slow roasted.  The ham, cheese, and caramelized onions, in Emeril's words really kick it up a notch.  The banana peppers add a spicy sweet sourness.  Drool.

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Bruxie

People are getting pretty creative with waffles these days.  Gone are the days of waffles with a drizzle of Aunt Jemima.   Bruxie in OC is one of these places reimagining this classic breakfast food into something the savory or sweet to be had at any time of the day.  The Germaphobe suggested Bruxie for lunch during our weekend-long celebration of April birthdays for The Mom and me.  It would be hard to follow up the previous night's dinner at Gjelina (no post because the lighting was terrible but the food was amazing!).   We were worried the line would be around the block for this not-quite-a-restaurant-or-food-truck/cart outpost.  It's an order-and-call-your-name place with a smattering of outdoor seating.  It was perfect for a casual lunch on a hot and sunny Sunday.

Roasted Mushroom & Goat Cheese fresh basil, arugula, balsamic reduction
HemaSh, being a vegetarian, is quite limited when she dines out.  Fortunately, Bruxie had some meat- free offerings.  The Germaphobe went 50/50 with her, as she commonly does.  They seemed to like their 2 waffle sandwiches.


Club avocado, tomato, gruyere, pesto aioli
I actually think this was supposed to be a "turkey club" that had bacon, but HemaSh and The Germaphobe must have gotten it sans.

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Xoco

With 5 restaurants, including 1 at O'Hare International Airport and the Macy's flagship store off the Magnificent Mile, in addition to the title of "Top Chef Master," Rick Bayless is a Chicago based chef with quite the empire on his hands.  Who knew a guy from the Midwest could master Mexican cuisine and elevate it to the next level.  Granted, I didn't get to try that "next level," which I imagine is what Topolobampo represents given the $$$$ price rating on Yelp.  Xoco actually represents the other end of the dining spectrum, being a casual joint focused on tortas and caldos, or sandwiches and soups/stews.  It made the perfect lunch spot!

La Prive and Dumpling Man were able to step away from their educational endeavors to meet me at Xoco for lunch.  Lucky for us the line was only up to the door instead of out the door.  We probably waited a good 15-20 minutes before getting to order and get a table.

Chips, Guacamole, Salsa tomatillo and 3 chile salsa
Nothing too special here, but you can't have a Mexican lunch without this.

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Best Homemade Sandwich

I'm pretty hard on myself when it comes to my own cooking. I think I compare too much to how food tastes in restaurants, and thats probably an unfair comparison since I ain't no formerly trained chef and I haven't spent years training and focusing on to merry wonderful ingredients with wonderful tastes. Anyways, for this entry I'm going to toot my own horn like no other. This is probably one of my more solid creations. NO recipes, nothing. Just straight from my good ole noggin. BEHOLD! I shall call it "Honey Mustard Maple Turkey Sandwich." Boring name, but really quite a party in your mouth =).

Here are the ingredients. I highly discourage substitutions, for it is these very ingredients that make the sandwich a solid eat. So most of these things you will get from Trader Joes.

-Par Baked Panini Rustic Rolls
-Columbus Maple Turkey Breast
-Deli Thin Sliced Jarlsberg cheese
-Honey Dijon Mustard
-Romaine lettuce leaves
-Tomatoes
-Sauteed crimini mushrooms with caramelized onions



The key ingredient is the honey dijon mustard and the sauteed mushrooms with caramelized onions. A high onion to mushroom ratio works well, so that you can really get tastiness of the the caramelized onions into the sandwich. I'll admit its not truly caramelized since I don't have the patience to sit there and cook the onions over low heat for forever. I just get some nice color into the onions. Below is a higher mushroom to onion ratio then I would like, but still comes out tasty. Season with some salt and pepper and let the mushrooms and onions do the rest of the talking.





Assembly:
Panini roll cut in half, lightly toasted with melted Jarlsberg cheese
Generous squeeze of honey dijon mustard
2-2.5 slices of maple turkey
Sauteed onions/mushrooms
Tomatoes and then chopped lettuce

Served with a side of pasta salad!




I'll have to admit that the sandwich gets very messy. Half the stuff falls out and I've never been able to or motivated to figure out a different assembly order to prevent this. Melting the cheese into the mushrooms would work but require too much effort. Maybe I just overfill the darn things. In any case, you do get something delicious that will surely get all over the place. Dumpling Man gives his seal of approval for this one!

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