For Wilder Appetites
Midtown West, NYC | I have promised myself that I would stop "celebrating" food holidays dedicated to foods that are by no means suffering from a lack of awareness of popularity. National cheese or chocolate days are superfluous and unnecessary.
And, in theory, likewise redundant is National Sandwich Day, which today, November 3, is. As I type this at just after 1 in the afternoon, I might safely assume that the sandwich—in any of its many iterations—is probably the dish being most ordered and consumed as I type this.
But then I was reminded of a trip I took earlier this past summer to a place called Untamed Sandwiches that I had just discovered online.
Located in Midtown they feature a very unconventional array of sandwiches—all with quality, locally sourced, premium ingredients. Having perused the menu before walking in, I originally thought I was stuck deciding between three of the meat-featured sandwiches: the Butt (pork butt, cheddar, pepper jelly), the Nettle Neck (lamb neck, walnut nettle pesto, gruyere), or the Hot Goldie (grass-fed beef short ribs, sweet & sour cabbage, black pepper aioli).
All of those appealing to my wilder appetite for the culinary unique and creative. That same creativity won me over, though, with one of their vegetarian options, the Sheemaker Bounty sandwich consisting of charred broccoli, fried almond butter, pickled raisin jelly, and watercress.
Fully admitting to being a devout carnivore, this sandwich was no less impressive than what I could imagine the meat sandwich options to be. It is a delicious and hearty meal. The charred broccoli add initial smokey and familiar texture and bite, followed by the added sweet smokiness of the fried almond butter, giving the sandwich the meat of its bite. Slight acidity from the pickled raisin jelly help brighten and clean the palate, all of held together by an airy yet crispy- and flaky-edged ciabatta roll.
So on a day dedicated to any rather ordinary food item—the sandwich—I am glad to celebrate it with a reminder of a truly tasty and extraordinary one.
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UNTAMED SANDWICHES | 43 W 39th St, New York, NY 10018 | (646) 669-9397 | untamedsandwiches.com
