[Ron Johnson]

Daisy, on Dec 1 2004, 11:28 AM, said:

Ron Johnson, on Dec 1 2004, 11:26 AM, said:

Whatever you do, never, ever call it a sandwich.

Mea culpa.

At Mike's Deli on Arthur Avenue

Me: Hi, I'll have a Yankee Stadium sandwich.

Man: It's not a sandwich, it's a hero.

Me: Ok, but can I have one?

Man: I guess so.

Lesson learned.

[Daisy]

Ron Johnson, on Dec 1 2004, 12:51 PM, said:

Daisy, on Dec 1 2004, 11:28 AM, said:

Ron Johnson, on Dec 1 2004, 11:26 AM, said:

Whatever you do, never, ever call it a sandwich.

Mea culpa.

At Mike's Deli on Arthur Avenue

Me: Hi, I'll have a Yankee Stadium sandwich.

Man: It's not a sandwich, it's a hero.

Me: Ok, but can I have one?

Man: I guess so.

Lesson learned.

That's the Bronx for you. Never pass up the opportunity to give someone a hard time, especially an out-of-towner. (And before anyone jumps all over me for dissing the Bronx, my dad, a true wise-ass, was born and grew up there.)

[Wilfrid1]

I didn't have that problem, because I just asked for "A Yankee stadium." However, I asked at the wrong end of the counter and was sent to the other end.

Meanwhile, the Dominican chicken hero is less well-known within the Dominican community than in the pages of the New York Times. The word is that, while cubanos are universal, chicken heros are not so popular because the meat is considered dry. It's not usually on the menu, but you can doubtless get a chicken sandwich if you ask for it. My source suggests the meat is likely to be "ripao", or pulled, although I didn't get that impression from the article. I couldn't get any excitement going about the skin. It will be roast chicken, so of course there will be skin. You might as well ask whether there will be bones in a meat dish. The idea that someone will sit around picking the bones out is somewhat foreign to Dominican cuisine. They like flavor, you see, and have confidence in their teeth.

[Ron Johnson]

Wilfrid, on Dec 1 2004, 01:58 PM, said:

However, I asked at the wrong end of the counter and was sent to the other end.

Oh yeah, I screwed that up too. I might as well have ordered the rice at that point.

[Wilfrid1]

I thought Sandy's Lechoneria might have been the one Tuckerman stumbled across, but his was the little place at the far east end of 125th. Sandy's is on 116th, and I don't know it.

Meanwhile, I recently ate the cubano at Joselito's on Avenue C for the first time in ages. What a sandwich. It emphasises the point Levine makes about roast pork sandwiches in general. Go to a Latino dining counter where roast shoulder of pork (pernil) is an entree, and then the meat for your sandwich will be cut fresh from the joint. Obviously, there are other factors of importance in a good cubano, especially the bread (less so the cheese, which I think should be unobtrusive), but fresh roast pork is the basic building block. No point otherwise.

Joselito's put mayo on the cubano, which was a surprise, but you could always tell them not to.

[Robert Schonfeld]

Wilfrid, would you discuss the bread in some detail, please, and could you also say what makes bread good for cubanos?

Related, is the bread for vitenamese sandwiches meant to be real French baguette? Italian hero bread is distinguished for being undistinguished.

[Wilfrid1]

Sadly, I lack competence. I could tell you how to make pernil . What I look for is bread which will flatten and crisp nicely under the sandwich press. I think Joselito's uses a commercial hero (I can find out which one), and it behaves appropriately.

[Wilfrid1]

double post - dunno why

[Abbylovi]

Robert Schonfeld, on Dec 1 2004, 02:30 PM, said:

Related, is the bread for vitenamese sandwiches meant to be real French baguette? Italian hero bread is distinguished for being undistinguished.

I believe it's a variation made with rice flour.

Wilfrid -- I would like to know how to make pernil.

[omnivorette]

We have a whole thread on pernil someplace, with recipes and stuff.

[Wilfrid1]

Maybe on a previous site? Search engine doesn't turn it up.

Let me get the recipe for home-made sazon, and do the job properly. Add that to the list (what's the bread at Joselito's? do they really sell a chicken hero at Cibao? etc).

[omnivorette]

No, right here. We were talking about Cuban methods of doing it, and bitter orange marinades, etc., etc.

[Orik]

this?

http://www.mouthfulsfood.com/forums/index....l=bitter+orange

[omnivorette]

Yes! Thanks.

[Wilfrid1]

Now I remember...