The torta has a cousin, the cemita, who I’m just getting familiar with. The main difference is the bread – cemitas are made on a sturdier, darker roll that’s usually covered in sesame seeds. I believe they are also made with fewer toppings than tortas, though this hypothesis needs more research.

To illustrate the differences between these two tasty sandwich varieties, I went to a local favorite, Flor de Piaxtla (4202 5th Ave, Brooklyn, NY) and ordered a torta rusa (breaded beef, ham and cheese) and a chorizo and egg cemita (both $5). The torta rusa is a favorite of my dining companion, and it’s easy to see why. The beef and ham, while perfectly decent, aren’t the star of this sandwich – it’s the big juicy jalapenos, the creamy avocado chunks, the unexpected layer of beans, and the chewy melted cheese that make it unique.

The cemita, in this case, was much simpler – yet it was my favorite of the two. The sesame seed-studded bread is much chewier, holding in all the fillings admirably. The chipotle sauce covering the chorizo chunks is addictively spicy and smoky. It was, possibly, just the sauce from a can of chipotle peppers, but I don’t care. It soaks into the sturdy roll without creating too much mess – this sandwich is much easier to eat than the torta rusa. The chorizo, scrambled eggs, and gooey white cheese meld into a beautiful mass of fillings – in some sandwiches that’s an undesirable effect, but in this case it’s delicious.

The result of my research so far? Some Mexican sandwiches are complex, some are simple – but I haven’t found a bad one yet, and they’re cheap enough to continue sampling for a long time to come.

Both sandwiches have decent, but not outstanding quality:

Check out the layers on the torta rusa:

Another torta rusa view:

Chorizo and eggs – breakfast anytime:

Ahem. Apparently their cheesy for-the-people experiment went so well, they’re having a grilled cheese contest on their facebook wall and declare April grilled cheese month [grilled cheese menu for studying, pdf]. You read that right, the place with $15 grilled cheese sandwiches has a facebook page. Here I thought facebook was for college kids and Artisanal is for business lunches! Times they are a changin’! (You need a facebook account to participate, but can read about the contest on their site)

The contest is pretty sweet. You have until April 17th to post your recipe on their facebook wall and if they like it they invite you to a judging on April 29th where Terrance Brennan (Artisanal / Pincoline), Eric Rpiert (Le Bernadin), Josh Ozersky (editor of CitySearch), Tanya Wenman Steel (Editor in Cheif of Epicurious.com), Rob Kaufelt (owner of Murray’s Cheese) will rate them on “taste, texture, and originality”.

The winning sandwich gets on the menu at Artisanal, dinner for two at Artisanala and a cheese gift basket, though you don’t get a cut of the sales of your sandwich.

Some sandwichy stipulations:

Recipe Guidelines:

* Sandwich recipes submitted should be in keeping with the artisanal, local and organic products used at Artisanal.
* Recipes must specify the thickness of the bread.
* Recipes should specify the approximate thickness, weight or amount of the cheese.
* Recipes should specify how to cook the sandwich including cooking time.
* Other ingredients should be measured in cups, tablespoons and teaspoons, not ounces.

I’m going to call it right here and now: the winning sandwich will feature some fancy cheese mixture with either bacon or pork belly. Two food’s of the moment join for contest winnings!

Anyone going to enter?

Bacon, cheddar and apple grilled cheese from Artisanal:

The proprietor of San Antonio Bakery #2 ((3620 Astoria Blvd, Queens, NY) their first location is out past JFK airport — forget that unless you have wheels) is a really nice guy, without being overly awkward about chatting up his customers. As soon as we sat down at one of the small tables, he pulled up a chair to tell us about the options, of which there are two: the sandwich and the hot dog. My companion got the sandwich (and heartily approved of it), but I was there for the dog. The “completo” ($3.50) arrived, held aloft on a truly adorable little platform, which worked better than a plate for holding it between bites. The meat and bun were perfectly fine, but not particularly memorable. The toppings made this worth the journey to Astoria. Chunky salsa, crunchy onions, a generous serving of guacamole, all finished off with a squirt of mayo. The bun was substantial enough to hold up the whole deal without letting things get droopy or sloppy, and the combo of slightly spicy salsa, snappy meat and cool mayo and guac made every bite perfectly balanced. I will definitely be back for the sandwich, or the hot dog, or the sandwich…

Good quality ingredients, beautifully prepared:

Dog nestled in its platform (note the generous pot of salsa):

Close-up, showing off the artful mayo drizzle:

Faced with this overwhelming variety and a very limited stomach capacity I decided to try a few of the most outlandish ones I could find, while avoiding anything blended: roe, mussels and salmon (just in case the others were gross). They tasted a bit dry and cold though some of the original ingredients shined through. The roe tasted like salt, thankfully, while the others just tasted cold and a little chewy. They’re not great and I have a hunch they’d be a lot better toasted with tea and an British accent.

A few days later I tasted a ham sandwich at the beautiful Gerbeaud Cafe. This sandwich is what I was expecting: a dainty affair with a toasted roll and some ham. Not to filling, not too messy and not too intense, just a perfect little snack to go with a few coffees. Yum.

High complexity, but mostly mediocre quality ingredients:

See the spread:

Gimmie those little guys:

Roe and Salmon un-toasted crostini:

Mussel crostini:

Ham sandwich @ Gerbeaud:

There are three grilled cheeses on their menu: cheddar with apple and bacon, tallegio, croque monsieur and a croque madam. (They’ve also got a pulled pork sandwich and a sirloin burger, neither of which sound very French.) I sampled both the cheddar and the croque monsieur and both were fantastic, though neither were particularly cheap.

First up, the cheddar with apple and bacon ($15.50). This one was much better than I expected, mostly becuase I hate fruit in my food. But this morsel had only the thinnest slices of apple that were warmed up and only slightly crunchy. Both sides were nicely browned and the cheddar and bacon were fantastic as only cheesy bacon can be. Yum.

The croque monsieur ($16.50) was also amazing. The same bread slices filled with gruyere and prosciutto, pan fried until melted and golden brown, and then slathered with more gruyere. It was like eating a big brick of molten gruyere with veins of prosciutto. I’m not sure about anyone else, but that’s pretty much what I think about when I stare at the floor on the subway: gruyere, gruyere, prosciutto… you know how it goes.

Now I know Artisanal is trying to make their menu friendlier during these harsh economic times, but who are they kidding? $15 for grilled cheese is absurd. Seriously. These sandwiches are fantastic, but unless it’s a special occasion or you want to get a taste of exactly how these sandwiches should taste or you have a mild to strong sandwich obsession, you should make these at home. These are street snacks, after all! Grab some cheese and toast some bread with a little meat and voila.

Artisanal uses top cheeses that really make these sing:

I’m not sure why they chose to serve it on orange paper:

Don’t touch those pickles, they’re NASTY:

See all the cheese? I’d love to die and be reborn as that prosciutto!

Dogmatic’s spin is that they serve guilt-free (no antibiotics, no artificial ingredients, blah blah blah) sausages cleverly packed into baguettes that you can walk around and eat. It’s pretty clever, they found a way to make sure that bit of ketchup or cabbage doesn’t fall off your hotdog and into your lap, or onto your hands. Seriously, why hasn’t anyone else thought of this? NASA, are you hiring?

The menu is simple (and they get kudo’s for focusing so intently on sandwiches): you pick a sausage (chicken, pork, beef, lamb or asparagus[?]) and a sauce (there are 6). That’s it. They have drinks and ice cream too. They cook up your wiener, add some sauce and put it in a handy bread holder. They’re cheap too, a single sausage runs $4.50 before tax ($4.88 after). That’s recession-friendly!

All is rosy for Dogmatic: they’ve got a clever name, a sleek new storefront and a good NYC-friendly pitch. There’s only one problem: the sausages are bland. I tried the beef sausage with cheddar jalapeno sauce and it tasted like jalapeno, not sausage. I closed my eyes and went to my power cave to erase all distractions about the US economy imploding and fully taste the meat. It was hard. It tasted like seasonings and cheesy peppers. It was quite dry, which the cheese helped. About 2/3rd the way through, the cheese that had settled at the closed end started shooting back up at me. Avoiding the obvious innuendo, it was a little unsettling and gross. Then it shot out the other end. Thank god it was delicious jalapeno cheddar.

With all the buzzwords they managed to cram into a single sausage joint, I expected them to taste like little bits of mana from heaven: it turns out that all the good intentions in the world don’t mean jack if your sausage is bland. Next time, spend some time on the actual food and less on the buzz, design and little carry-out bags. I’d go back if I was hungry, but I wouldn’t get excited or take friends or bother with my power cave. How long until someone solves the spread build-up and offers regular hotdogs in this shape?

Not many not spectacular ingredients:

Cute packaging:

See the little guy poking out?

This is as close to food-porn as we can legally get without a disclaimer:

You can almost SEE the dryness:

It’s jalapeno cheddar!

First up is the ubiquitous sandwich chain Blimpie. You know them, they’re on every street corner with bright green and yellow signs that make you wonder “Is that where fat people are? Isn’t it mean to name a restaurant after fat people, especially in THIS city?” I ordered the Blimpie Best, which ran me $4.65, which is incredibly cheap. Really, considering it claims to include: “Slow-cured ham, salami, cappacola, prosciuttini, provolone with tomatoes, lettuce, onion, vinegar, oil and oregano.” That makes it sound rather grand and sprawling! Unfortunately sprawling it is not, it’s really just a little pile of thinly sliced meats with the regular topping of cheese, shredded lettuce, tomatoes and onions on top. Blah, how drab. I know recessions are bad, but do they have to be this dull?

The price is right, the taste is … bland. Very, very bland. In fact, the only thing I could taste through the thick bread is cold and mustard. All those fancy meats melt together into a flavor of cold. No real flavor, just cold. In addition to mustard and cold flavors, I got a few crunches from the lettuce. To be honest, I was a little surprised that the Blimpie Best wasn’t worse. I didn’t get sick or feel gross afterward and went right on humming (“Ding, fries are done! Ding, fries are done!“). This sandwich is purely subsistence food, there is no love for sandwiches or flavor or anything eaters want other than getting calories. Then again it’s just under 5 bucks. Are there better sandwiches out there for $5? Most certainly!

Blimpie Best is not good, but it’s got a decently many ingredients:

Not quite the unpacking experience of an iPhone:

Just like in the adverts!

See how stiff the bread is: