Any way you slice it

Bread matters

If clothes make the man, then bread makes the sandwich. Too flimsy and your fillings fold under the pressure, but too crusty and your jaw begs for mercy. Albemarle Baking Company Owner Gerry Newman weighs in on this most strategic decision.

For tuna salad, use olive thyme. Slice this bread a bit thicker than usual to hold up to a hearty piling of tuna salad and enjoy the savory flavor that this unique bread adds to a classic sandwich filling.

For a BLT, try Pain de Mie. The perfect blend of sweet and salty between two buttery slices of this tender-crusted loaf will make you hungry for summer’s return.

For grilled cheese, branch out with yeasted cornbread. Melt a good sharp cheddar between this favorite, made with coarse yellow corn meal, whole kernel corn, parmesan cheese and Chipotle peppers, and you have a grown-up version of a kid’s favorite. Add some smoked turkey for an entirely new twist.

Local favorites

Four sammies, from down home to downright fancy 

First-timers might be surprised at the bones in the twice breaded, fried pork chops at the juicy center of the Pork Chop sandwich at Mel’s Café, but the two pillowy slices of bread keep your fingers grease-free while you nibble the bones.

More exotic but no less delicious, fresh mint sauce and lemony cabbage salad offset the rich, spicy grilled lamb sandwich on a baguette at Bashir’s.

For meatless Mediterranean, try C’ville Coffee’s Olive Branch: whipped feta on fresh Albemarle Baking Company sourdough with roasted red peppers, olives and lettuce.

A trip through the panini grill only gilds the lily of Feast! Café’s rosemary-crusted ham, local Caromont chevre, spicy Virginia plum chutney and arugula sandwich.—Meredith Barnes

What’s in a name?

The oldest town on Cape Cod, Sandwich, Massachusetts welcome its earliest settlers in 1637. Today, it boasts a population of more than 20,000 and was once home to “Ace of Cakes” star Duff Goldman. And that’s not the only town in New England that shares its name with a lunchtime staple: You can find Sandwich, New Hampshire, on the map, too.

RESTAURANT NEWS

Rump roast

Just like the cowboys did it—that’s how the team at new Elliewood spot Buttz BBQ plans to cook everything on the menu.

“There’s no steamer, no oven,” says co-owner Chris Kabbash. “Everything’s cooked in our immense smoker.” In fact, Kabbash says they’d like to include macaroni and cheese on the list of sides, but, lacking a stove, haven’t figured out how to boil water yet.

Also missing from the kitchen? A freezer. Buttz will only offer food that has been made fresh the day you order it. Hopefully there will be something left over at day’s end, though—Kabbash says they’ll need something to put in the Brunswick stew they also plan to include on the menu.

Justin Slywka, a recent culinary school grad, will aid Kabbash in the kitchen, while out in the pint-sized dining room, guests will nosh on smoked pork, brisket, chicken and ribs. The Buttz team has made the operation as simple as possible—sparse furnishings, disposable (and recyclable) plates and utensils, plus a simplified menu of meat and rotating sides. Their no-frills stance means one thing: As Kabbash, once a sous chef at former Ivy Road restaurant Thatcher’s, says, “It’s about the meat.”

Buttz will have a soft opening January 20. For now, the restaurant’s hours are 11am-2pm for lunch and 5-9pm for dinner, and Kabbash estimates that a large portion of the business will be dedicated to catering and special events. They plan to rent out the space for private parties after the restaurant closes at 9pm.