Thanksgiving Sandwich Project

Today I decided to start a new eating project, the Thanksgiving Sandwich Project. Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays, for reasons that have nothing to do with Pilgrims, Native Americans or aliens, and everything to do with food, family and giving thanks for everything we are lucky to have. As we get closer to the holiday, I thought it would be fun to try out a bunch of Thanksgiving sandwiches to see how they stack up and prepare for the stuffing extravaganza that will be here in a little over a week.


So, what is a Thanksgiving sandwich? Usually it contains roast turkey, stuffing, gravy and cranberry sauce. Some (like Lenny's and Toasties) offer their Thanksgiving sandwiches year-round, while others (like Cosi, Earl of Sandwich and usually Pret (but I have not seen their holiday sandwich yet this year)) bring them out in the late fall as a seasonal item for the holidays.

It took me over a year, but I finally made it back to Toasties in connection with the Thanksgiving Sandwich Project. The 4 places I listed above are places that I knew had these sandwiches and I tried to decide which one to visit first. I had originally planned to go to Cosi but it was cold and pouring, so I decided to stay a little closer and go to Toasties. (Side note: There is a Cosi near my office that is actually closer than Toasties but I don't really like that location and wanted to try a new one.)

I had to include this photo with the calendar in the background because the dog looks completely ridiculous
I ordered a Thanksgiving sandwich on a whole wheat roll. It was a decent sized sandwich, filling enough for lunch and came with the usual turkey, stuffing, gravy and cranberry sauce.


My first bite of the sandwich consisted of turkey, stuffing and gravy. It was really good. When I got to the cranberry sauce (which was like slices of sauce out of the can), it added another layer of sweetness and tartness. Every so often, I got a bite of just turkey with no stuffing, gravy or cranberry sauce. The turkey by itself was very dry, which was disappointing.

Since I don't usually add cranberry sauce to my turkey at Thanksgiving (it's fine but I prefer it separate), it's probably no surprise that my favorite bites were those that consisted of turkey, stuffing and gravy. Also, since stuffing is my favorite part of Thanksgiving, it's probably no surprise that my favorite part of the entire sandwich was the stuffing (plus gravy). Generally, it was a good sandwich. I think I would get it again if I were in the mood for it.

Any recommendations for other Thanksgiving sandwiches I can try?