Closed July 4 June 30, 2010
Posted by Janet in : SANDWHICH musings , comments closedDear Friends,
We’re always closed on July 4th and this year is no exception. Since we are normally closed on Mondays, you’ll find that we will be closed 2 days in a row. Hich and I wish all of you a wonderful 4th of July and we’ll see you this week through Saturday!
Summary:
Saturday July 3 — OPEN 11-4 and 5:30-10 as usual
Sunday July 4 — CLOSED
Monday July 5 — CLOSED, as usual on Mondays
Tuesday July 6 — Open 11-4; 5:30-10 as usual
That’s all the serious concrete information you’ll need from this e-mail. The rest is just a story that you can read or not, as you wish.
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Eggs Two Ways
In 1985, I traveled to Nicaragua to see what all the fuss was about. That’s the gospel truth — I had this idea that Nicaragua was going to be “closed off” like Cuba and that I’d never get to go (not that it had ever occurred to me to go prior to the arrival of my anxiety that it would be closed off) unless I went now, which was the summer of 1985 when I was 20 years old.
The proposal that I travel there alone (with sketchy plans to meet up with friends of friends of friends where I could lodge) scared the daylights out of my parents, as you can imagine. At the time, I had no idea what they were so worried about, geez, it was just a far-away war-torn country after all, and I was a “total adult” anyway. So I went.
Ladies and gentleman, that was one nutty trip. I flew out from Miami and arrived in Managua, Nicaragua that evening, all bewildered and somehow strangely realizing that, although I thought I spoke Spanish, I didn’t. Luckily, as I have bragged before on this blog, I am one of those “language people” and I worked it out, Spanish-speaking-wise.
A woman named Martha Bolanos met me at the airport. She was the matriarch of my host family — those friends of friends of friends whose house I planned to stay in. Luckily they showed up — I have no earthly idea what I would have done if somehow they had gotten a flat tire on the way to the airport and not made it to see me. This was 1985. There were no cell phones. I had a “Master Charge” (all-but-useless in Nicaragua at the time) in my wallet.
Martha came up to me, clearly noting me as the bewildered-looking American woman, and said, “Yann-ETTE?”. I said, “Si.” and we proceeded to her house.
That night, I hardly slept — all night long, I could hear children crying all across town. At least, I thought they were children. You see, I went to Nicaragua in 1985 with some idea that I could help out down there. Of course I can see clearly in retrospect that the notion that I, with no practical skills, could help build a school (that’s what I thought I’d do!), was incredibly presumptuous. But at the time, I was really earnest about it, so I don’t want to make fun of all that energy I had as a 20 year-old — that desire to do something really good and special. I look back and am so pleased that I followed my desire to help.
So — these screaming children, the ones I thought I’d help by building them a school? They were ROOSTERS. It seemed that, at the time, everyone in Barrio Altagracia had chickens in the back. But I didn’t learn that until the next day after my first sleepless night.
The house I stayed in had a very humble kitchen that was partly outside (where dishes were washed) and partly inside — a shaded indoor/outdoor area with a rustic table. I awoke the next day, after my nearly-sleepless night, to a very fine breakfast of fried eggs straight from the chicken coop, served with bread. There was “corn water” to drink with it.
The grandmother made the eggs — I watched her, and to this day, when I am not making Moroccan eggs (which I also learned by watching), I make Nicaraguan ones. She poured a little bit of oil into the very hot pan and put two chunks of onion, each the size of a three-dimensional quarter, into the oil and let them brown. Then she’d crack the eggs on top and let the onion cook into the egg white. While cooking, she’d spoon the hot oil onto the egg yolk to cook the yolk slightly. They were salted and served on a plate with a piece of bread. There were flies all over the food, which was unfamiliar to me. The corn water was this totally weird, sweet gritty-watery beverage that I finally learned to like by the end of my 3 & 1/2 week stay.
To this day, I remember that breakfast as one of the most satisfying I have ever had. I even remember where I sat at the table. I remember the taste of the eggs, which were so fresh. I remember the grandmother making them. I remember the very wet salt that was flicked onto the tops of the eggs. I remember not liking the corn water.
At the time, in Nicaragua, most Nicaraguans would have said I was staying with a solidly middle-class family. But for me, it was my first real experience with poverty. I had gone really wanting to help, but returned realizing that I was the one who had been helped. The trip was a life-changing experience in so many ways. It was also a humbling experience, as I learned, in an authentic way, about my own limitations.
I tried to be as generous with my host family as they had been with me. But I don’t know that I can ever repay them for all they did for me over those 3 weeks, for what they showed me and shared with me. There is more to write on this topic, but I’ll stop here.
Nicaraguan Eggs
fresh eggs
cooking oil
onion
very special salt
bread that you like
a new friend named Martha
Heat the skillet until it is very hot. Pour in some oil and tilt the pan so the oil collects. Drop in 2 chunks of onion per egg. These can be small or medium-sized. Let the onion sizzle and brown on the edges. Crack 2 eggs into the pan, which is now sitting flat on the burner, and cook them, spooning oil over the yolk, until it is done. Serve on a plate, and accompany with bread, something strange to drink and a new friend who speaks a language you thought you knew how to speak.
At the end of the day, go to sleep and try to ignore the roosters.
Now wait 15 years and then marry a Moroccan and learn how Moroccans like to eat eggs for breakfast.
Moroccan Fried Eggs
skillet
extra virgin olive oil
cumin seeds
kosher salt
fresh eggs
ground cumin
freshly ground black pepper
baguette
Heat the skillet on medium and pour in some oil and sprinkle a few cumin seeds and some kosher salt to get the oil going. Crack 4 eggs in a bowl separately, careful to not destroy the yolk, which you will destroy later. Make sure you put enough oil in the pan — if not, add more. Gently pour the eggs from their bowl into the medium-hot skillet and just let it sit there cooking forever, it seems. Use a spatula to carefully break the yolks IN THEIR PLACE (don’t mix them up like scrambled eggs). Let it cook until you are happy with the done-ness, remove from heat and sprinkle some freshly-ground cumin and some freshly-ground pepper on top. Put the whole skillet as is on the table (use a trivet, of course!), and break some chunks of baguette and distribute the baguette chunks among the diners. Break your chunk into bite-sized pieces and use them to scrape the egg out of the skillet. No utensils allowed, if you want to be eating it the real way.
Happy July 4th everyone!
Janet
Dinner is Served June 8, 2010
Posted by Janet in : SANDWHICH musings , comments closedDear Friends,
Wow! Wowowowow! We moved and things are going smoothly and we’re just thrilled. That’s why we’ve been so out of touch — because we’ve been busy being thrilled.
For those of you who haven’t seen our new hip space, please come see us! For those of you who have, then you know how cool it is. For those of you who haven’t tried dinner or brunch yet, I have good news! I finally posted the menus on the website (go to the MENUS tab and see!). Please be aware that these menus are subject to change either due to availability or to chef’s whim! (But you know that Chef Hich’s whim is part of the fun, don’t you?). So — you can read it on the website, or you can look at it here (below). This is the dinner menu. You’re going to like it. I mean it. The wine and beer selections are great, as well.
See you soon!
Janet, Hich and staff
Fan us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter.
SANDWHICH dinner menu
dinner served Tues – Sat 5:30p – 10p
terrace dining; full service
Appetizers
Chef’s Soups /6
Don’s Bibb lettuces, lemon vinaigrette/6
Mixed Field Greens, oregano vinaigrette/6
Tomato & Goat Cheese Salad /9
Roasted Beets, Blue and Walnuts /7
Sardines, Lettuce, Peppers, Gruyere /11
Prosciutto, mozz, poached SC peach/9
Chicken Wings, our ranch dip /9.5
Sides
Spinach /5
Polenta /5
Broccoli Rabe /5
White Beans /5
Grilled Red Onions/3
Roasted Potatoes /5
Potato Puree / 5
French Fries /3.50
Ashley Farms Rotisserie Chicken
Whole Chicken w/ roasted red bliss potatoes & spinach (3-4 people) /31
Half Chicken w/ polenta & spinach (1-2 people) /18
Entrees
Lamb Tagine w/ spinach, polenta & prune chutney /18
10 oz. Niman Ranch NY Strip Steak, potato puree, crisped leeks /25
Risotto w/ shiitake Mushrooms & Parmigiano-Reggiano /15
NC soft shell crab with fresh corn spring Salad /20
Vegetable Plate: Broccoli Rabe, White Beans, Grilled Red Onions / 13.50
Our Amazing Macaroni & Cheese /9 (great for sharing)
Pulled-Indian chicken with mango chutney, cilantro on house-made brioche with spinach-crème fraiche /15
Our Famous Sandwiches $13
w/Fries or Chips
OBLTCrispy bacon, perfect local tomatoes, fire-roasted jalapeño,
avocado, garlic mayo on grilled sourdough.
Meatloaf Moroccan-spiced meatloaf with oven-dried tomatoes,
bacon & cheddar on toasted sourdough.
Free-range Burger perfectly cooked and served with lettuce, tomato, Vermont cheddar, seeded bun, harissa ketchup.
*We’ll post an updated photo of the site — this is our old location below — to see current pics, go to our Facebook page*
New Space, New Hours, New Happiness May 25, 2010
Posted by Janet in : SANDWHICH musings , comments closedDear friends and neighbors,
I realize as I am writing this that the images on this e-mail need to be changed — they show our old space, not our new space on Franklin Street. Alas, I suffer from nostalgia — we left a beautiful space behind…and…have moved to a larger, but equally intimate space right on Franklin Street (next to McDonald’s; across the street from our friends at Med Deli).
In our new space, you’ll find an 18-seat copper-top community table, and walls bedecked with Ippy Patterson’s wonderful work. As you wait to place your lunch order at our counter, you’ll see that we have added 4 beers on tap, and greatly expanded the bottled beer selection in our drink cooler. In addition, you’ll notice a great selection of wines. By all means have a glass or a mug while you enjoy your sandwich at lunchtime, but remember us at dinnertime as well. I have just enjoyed dinner myself in our new space — my hard-to-feed son and I went, carrying the children’s graphic novel we are currently reading.
Dinner at Sandwhich is wonderful.
Of course, I would say that, I’m the owner, right? (right.). But: I have proof. Moving the restaurant was, quite frankly, an enormous endeavor — physically, financially, emotionally. I still work many, many hours trying to catch up on all the tasks on my list (at one point recently, my to-do list was 7 pages long…). I work all the time at Sandwhich. And….still…I come for dinner because it is that delicious. I’m not coming to check to see that the staff is doing a good job, or to quality-check the food. Nope. I’m coming to dine.
Here’s what I ate tonight: half a rotisserie chicken, perfectly cooked — moist, juicy, totally flavorful with moroccan spices and sprigs of rosemary scattered across the crispy skin. The chicken comes with creamy polenta and sauteed spinach. I ordered an additional side of garlicky broccoli rabe. My son got chicken wings and french fries, which was perfect for him. He likes the spicy ketchup because he identifies with the Moroccan-ness of it, but he also asked for regular ketchup and our friendly server obliged. I had a glass of Les Petits Vignerons white wine and followed it with a glass of our house white — both wines superb.
My son and I both have a sweet tooth, but we did not want dessert (even though our sous chef Charlotte had gotten busy earlier in the day with blueberry tartlets and her famous chocolate layer cake). Our meal was just right and totally satisfying. We dined inside, sitting at a choice table by the floor-to-ceiling windows and watched the dining activity on our patio and the passers by on Franklin Street.
Friends, I can’t thank you enough for the support that you have given us that has enabled us to take this exciting step in our carefully-controlled growth. We’re so grateful to have made a name for ourselves as the best sandwich in the (universe?). Now it is time for dinner and brunch to have their respective turns.
To see some great pics of our dinner food and read a fun review, check out http://tasteontour.com/ or go to our Facebook page.
We’ll be looking for you in the daytime; watching for you in the evening, and happy to see you whenever you come.
For important notes on parking and other such things, please refer to the previous post, right below this one.
Bon appetit!
Janet et. al.
