I have a thang about club sandwiches–a love-hate thing. When I’m served a good one, it’s a stop-chewing-head-hanging-universe-thanking experience for me. When they’re bad, botched, or too riffed, it usually ruins my meal. Either way, the memory permanently colors my opinion of the restaurant and I remember the win/lose like an elephant.
It’s not that I consider myself any connoisseur or expert on Clubs. I don’t even order them often–the Club I ate yesterday was my first in over 6 months. But my heart gives a little hop whenever I see the thing in a menu or on a board listing.
I know the history of this sandwich is longer than the longest human lifespan. But what defines it? Is it thin, toasted white bread? Three slices? Must it have bacon, turkey and cheese slices? Lettuce? Tomato? Do the layers repeat? Plain mayo, or is other dressing pono? Must it be served cold, room, or warmed?
I am prone to suspicion over riffs. Thick Texas Toast is a disqualifier. Subbing shrimp, fried chicken or chicken fried streak is, too. Hamburger and brioche buns cause me to order something else. The one riffed club I recall enjoying (a lot) employed a thin unitary piece of lightly-smoked salmon. For me, any but a slight departure from my Platonic Ideal Club makes it a fundamentally different sandwich. Perhaps this is because I find a unique visual, flavor and textural synergy in the classic presentation.
What are other Onions’ thoughts on Club Sandwiches?
I’m with you in that there is really nothing more satisfying than a great club sandwich. IMO a club sandwich consists of—ONLY—three slices of toasted white bread, turkey, bacon, lettuce, tomato, and mayo. I don’t believe in cheese on it.
That said, I had a lobster club sandwich in Nova Scotia in 2014 that changed my whole outlook on the universe. For the life of me I cannot find the place where I ate it, but if I ever went back to that area, I’d search until I found it.
Oh, my. It’s probably been 20 years since I ordered a club sandwich, and I’m pretty sure I’ve never made one! I used to love them, but for some reason I stopped ordering them. My biggest gripe with club sandwiches: Every time I’ve been served one, they’ve been cut in an “X” pattern into four isosceles triangles. I hate sandwiches cut that way. I much prefer a single diagonal cut, or no cut at all.
I love a good BLT, too. My only problem with them is the 90+% of the year when I can’t get ripe, flavorful Ts. It’s easier to hide lesser tomatoes in something like a Club.
I wish I could buy fresh tomato water mixed with bacon fat and mayo. I’d mainline the stuff.
The cut-in-four-triangles thing is one of the essential characteristics of the club sandwich. If it’s not served that way, it’s just a sandwich with an extra piece of bread.
I may be one of the traditionalists on the making of the Club sandwich:
BITD it was 3 slices of Kilpatrick’s (blue check bag), no crusts. Thinly sliced home roasted oven turkey breast, thin sliced cooked bacon, a slice of ripe beefsteak type tomato, barely a leaf of iceberg lettuce and just enuf mayo to moisen the bread. Cut in quarters. Each quarter pinned with a frilly pick. Served with a small scoop of Waldorf salad and a glass of iced tea.
Home roasted turkey was key. I can’t deal with the commercially processed deli turkey.
I’ve also had winter BLTs made with sun-dried tomatoes, or roasted tomatoes. The roasted tomatoes are a little messier, but still good with bacon in a sandwich.
Bacon and Tomato sandwiches, without lettuce, are also a fairly common old school option at greasy spoons in Canada. Sometimes, Peameal Bacon and Tomato is an option, too.
I only knew about Bacon and Tomato sandwiches until I was in my late teens. I remember friends ordering Club Sandwiches by the time I was 17. I don’t think I paid any attention to BLTs until college .
I like a hamburger club. Square patty, tomato, lettuce, mayo on toasted sliced loaf styled brioche.
Def BLT on toasted rye
Egg salad club with sliced pickles on wheat bread.
And a NJ sloppy Joe triple decker with ham, turkey, slaw and Russian dressing on rye.
No cheese. 3 slices of thin sandwich bread, toasted. Mayo. Iceberg lettuce, sliced tomato,sliced fresh turkey (no deli roll, please) and good bacon. And frilly toothpicks.
