Sandwiches

Most days, the college trained chemist analyzes the wastewater from the Westminster treatment plant before it's discharged into Big Pipe Creek. But once a month, acting on his Christian faith, Richard Yoder and his wife, Sonya, set up on the lawn in front of Kohn Creative in the old Westminster Post Office at 83 East Main Street. There, they hand out sack lunches of peanut-butter-and-jelly sandwiches, chips and lemonade. During the cold weather, they provide hot soup and cocoa in addition to the PB&J.

When I made this list of Top 10 Places to Get a Great Italian Cold-Cut Sandwich, I realized that there are about five delis on it that I think most Baltimoreans would agree belong there; after that, the list becomes much more a matter of personal opinion. You'll have to go to my  blog  and read the other comments to see what other delis were nominated. Note: My list is in alphabetical order: 1 Ceriello in Belvedere Square. Expensive, and a chain, but the  award-winning  Italian sandwich is worth it. 2 DiPasquale's in Highlandtown.

Every community needs a cafe — a spot to grab a quick (and cheap) bite to eat, meet with friends for coffee or read a paper in peace. In Bolton Hill, that place is On the Hill Cafe. At the corner of John and Mosher streets, On the Hill Cafe has been serving sandwiches and breakfast for five years. Owned by George and Jessica Dailey, who also run Centro Tapas in South Baltimore, this cafe has become a mainstay in and around Bolton Hill. At first sight, On the Hill Cafe has an early '90s coffeehouse-meets-sub-shop look, which, after a little observation, gives way to a warmer, more local vibe.

The soft-shell crab sandwich would join Maryland's roster of state symbols under legislation passed Monday night by the Senate. The 43-1 vote sends the bill to the House of Delegates, where it faces an uncertain fate. The House has generally been less enthusiastic about symbol bills than the upper chamber. According to the Maryland Manual, the state has 23 state symbols, including the blue crab as state crustacean. Since the blue crab in its recently molted form is the key ingredient in the classic soft-shell sandwich, the bill would make the species Callinectes sapidus doubly symbolic.

Take These delicious sandwiches on your next picnic.Tasty chicken salad,made with nonfat yogurt,is stuffed inside pita bread for a portable lunch or dinner.This recipe from the National Broiler Council is also a great way to use leftover chicken.Pita Chicken Sandwiches4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, about 1 1/4 pounds2 tablespoons olive oil1 medium onion, sliced thin1 teaspoon salt1/2 teaspoon pepper1 tablespoon wine vinegar1 1/2 teaspoons chopped chives1/2 cup nonfat plain yogurt1 small cucumber, shredded, about 1/2 cup4 slices pita bread, 8-inch sizeIn nonstick pan, pour olive oil. Heat about two minutes on medium temperature.

A few months ago, at a cocktail party, I wasn't paying much attention to the food being passed, when suddenly a dish caught my eye. I looked at a platter of what appeared to be miniature grilled cheese sandwiches served with a sauce. "I'll have one of those!" I quickly told the server, but I didn't stop at one. Three sandwiches later, I caught up with the waitress and asked about these addictive little morsels. They're one of our catering firm's favorite dishes, she replied. I didn't waste any time getting to the kitchen, where I discovered that the chef, Deb Snow, a friend of mine, was the inspiration behind these small gems.

Sandwiches are a good solution for casual, late summer meals. They're lighter than many meals, and they have a free form that invites the cook to improvise at will.If sandwiches once were reserved for lunch boxes and family-only suppers, those rules no longer apply. Sandwiches now are approached with a creative hand. These chicken breasts, bathed in a summery sauce, are grilled and layered together with cheese and tomatoes. Other vegetables can be added as well.A typical summer cole slaw takes a creative turn with the addition of lentils, which offer appealing texture as well as a peppery bite.

Although I love to cook Thanksgiving dinner, I have to confess to enjoying post-Thanksgiving meals even more. At a farmers' market where a baker was selling ciabatta, I realized this Italian country bread could be used to make sandwiches known as panini that can be filled with all manner of ingredients. I decided to make a Thanksgiving version. Today's recipe yields four servings, but you can double or triple the ingredients as needed. These robust sandwiches can stand on their own or with a bowl of soup or a salad.

Sandwiches, in case you haven't noticed, aren't what they used to be. Classier, more creative and much, much tastier than the meat-in-white-bread lunchbox fodder of childhood, they've been reinvented and redefined. Today, their breads are better. Their fillings are fabulous. And they're being served in tantalizing combinations that are spread with a whole new attitude. At the Rattlesnake Club in downtown Detroit, you can lunch on a $24 grilled shrimp sandwich -- five jumbo shrimp topped with fresh cilantro and mango-pepper salsa on scallion focaccia bread with lemon-grass aioli.

It was love at first bite. I went to Philadelphia to eat cheesesteaks, but instead fell for the Italian roast pork. It happened at Tony Luke's, a South Philadelphia stronghold of sandwiches. There are two Tony Luke's eateries; both of them sit on the first block of E. Oregon Ave. There are also two men named Tony Luke. There is Tony Luke Sr., who presides over the sit-down restaurant, a sports bar that opened 10 years ago. Then there is Tony Luke Jr., who with his brother, Nick, runs the less decorous carryout joint across the street.

The Potbelly Sandwich Shop on Charles and Biddle streets that passersbys have been gaping at is opening Tuesday. Potbelly, which promotes itself as a "mealtime hangout spot," has existing Baltimore locations in the Inner Harbor and Downtown West as well ones in Towson, Annapolis and Hanover. The Midtown-Belvedere store is at 1201 N. Charles St. It will be open Monday through Saturday, 11 a.m. to 9 p.m., and Sunday, 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. For information call 443-278-8752 or go to potbelly.com And on March 26, another Potbelly will open in Charles Village , on the corner of St. Paul and Biddle streets.

Jimmy John's Gourmet Sandwiches will open its first shop in Harford County this week in the Constant Friendship Shopping Center in Abingdon. The shop is slated to open Tuesday, March 5. The company specializes in fresh, quality products and high-speed execution, according to its corporate website. Jimmy John's Gourmet Sandwich Shops was founded in 1983 by 19-year-old Jimmy John Liautaud in a converted garage in Charleston, Ill. Since its inception, the company has grown to more than 1,500 corporate and franchised locations throughout the United States.

If you're inviting company over for the premiere of the HBO Beyonce documentary on Saturday night -- isn't everybody? -- here's a sandwich for you to make your guests, courtesy of Hooplaha.com - Life With a Smile. You can find the recipe and photos here . There's even a step-by-step video. The Beyonce sandwich stacks Popeyes fried chicken, three strips of bacon, hot sauce, blue cheese crumbles and jelly on Texas toast. There's some logic at play. Texas Toast celebrates the Houston native's home state.

Consider the soft-shell crab sandwich. What is its rightful place among the other cherished, official Maryland state symbols like lacrosse, Smith Island Cake and walking? Is it, as Sen. Ron Young believes, "a joke?"  Or, is it, as Sen. President Thomas V. Mike Miller believes, both unique to Maryland and "divine?"  Hearings were held Thursday on whether to establish the dish as the official state sandwich. Before they began, sandwich advocates distributed the multi-layer confection that was designated as the state cake in 2008.

Most days, the college trained chemist analyzes the wastewater from the Westminster treatment plant before it's discharged into Big Pipe Creek. But once a month, acting on his Christian faith, Richard Yoder and his wife, Sonya, set up on the lawn in front of Kohn Creative in the old Westminster Post Office at 83 East Main Street. There, they hand out sack lunches of peanut-butter-and-jelly sandwiches, chips and lemonade. During the cold weather, they provide hot soup and cocoa in addition to the PB&J.

Meet Wheyich, Baltimore's newest food truck. Specializing in "artisanal cheesy sandwiches," Wheyich rolled off the line in mid-December and started to hit the streets regularly right after the first of the year. Wheyich (pronounced "which") is from Ashwini Persaud, a recent transplant to Baltimore.  In an email, Persuad wrote, "I was an employee of Morgan Stanley for over seven years. As time grew on, I started considering changing career paths. I considered staying in finance but felt that doing what I loved, cooking and feeding everyone, would be a more enjoyable task.

Everything about Byblos seems cute and simple, almost effortlessly so. The food and decor at Federal Hill's new Lebanese eatery go hand-in-hand; both are charming and down to earth, with shades of the Middle East, and neither assumes too much. It's the kind of restaurant you didn't know you needed until it opened about three months ago, amid the neighborhood's plentiful pubs and sushi spots. Named after the Lebanese city, Byblos is run by the husband-and-wife team of Sami and Hala Tabet.

Open only since last month, Luigi's Italian Deli in Hampden avoids any of the missteps that invariably are part of a new restaurant. Luigi's, and several of the small restaurants on 36th Street in Hampden, aka The Avenue, belie the old adage that patrons are reluctant to walk up stairs to a restaurant. At the top of these steps is a pleasant porch furnished with four tiny tables. Sipping a Blood Orange Pellegrino and tackling one of the specialty sandwiches makes scaling a few steps a small price to pay. There is also a spacious patio out back.

If you were choosing an official Maryland sandwich based on popularity, there'd be no contest. The crab cake would beat the soft-shell crab sandwich every time. So, if the General Assembly enacts a bill this session that makes the soft-shell crab sandwich (rather than, say, the crab cake) the state sandwich of Maryland, it would be the biggest state symbol upset since the Wye Oak toppled in 2002. Some Marylanders are supporting the undercrab. "I love them. It is kind of iconic for the region," said John Shields, whose restaurant, Gertrude's, is a citadel of Chesapeake cooking.