<<< VOTING CLOSED FOR SATURDAY, MARCH 23 >>>
For the past four months the Weekly Volcano has been hanging out in delis gathering intel for our Tournament of Sandwiches. Besides smelling like meat and cheese, we have learned a couple things. You don't hear fake orgasms followed by the phrase, "I'll have what she had" much in the South Sound delis. What you do hear is, "With the economy being in the dumps this past year and my having even less free time than normal, I found myself eating more sandwiches than usual." That's a statement that makes sense. What the Weekly Volcano has learned most through all the prep work involved with hosting a Tournament of Sandwiches is - you don't have to sacrifice flavor to save a little money and get portable eats.
GAME ONE: Lobster Shop's Dungeness Crab & Rock Shrimp Melt vs. Enoteca's Quattro Fromaggio Panini
If there's one thing we've learned over the years, it's don't mess with the Tacoma's waterfront. Back in the day the Ruston Way area, which us to be called Front Street, was lined with industry - boatyards, warehouses and mills. Today, it's home to joggers, scuba divers, restaurants and a delicious Crab Melt. The Lobster Shop's Dungeness Crab & Rock Shrimp Melt - loaded with artichoke hearts, onion, tomato, cheddar cheese and served on a toasted croissant - edged out Enoteca's delicious cheese sandwich with 52.5 percent of the votes. Congrats to The Lobster Shop as it advances to the Second Round.
GAME TWO: The Swiss' Heart Smart Art vs. The French Hen Bistro's Veggie Sandwich
Jump on The Swiss' website, and the first message that jumps out is, "You're A Stranger Here But Once." How do you compete against that? You don't, if you are a Veggie Sandwich from The French Hen Bistro. The Heart Smart Art sandwich reached deep into its heart - and sliced artichoke hearts and sundried tomato pesto - and squeaked out a victory by 30 votes over the Lakewood powerhouse. The Heart Smart Art will need every bit of its grilled whole grain ciabatta to beat that Melt at The Lobster Shop in Second Round action.
GAME THREE: Nordstrom Café's Braised Short Ribs Sandwich vs. Moon Rise Café's Monte Cristo
The Monte Cristo at Lakewood's Moon Rise Cafe beat the Braised Short Ribs Sandwich at Nordstrom Cafe with 74.2 percent of the votes. Who's fancy now?
GAME FOUR: Fish Tale Brew Pub's Ham and Brie vs. The Hub's BLT
Finally, in yesterday's closest battle, The Hub's BLT edged out The Fish Tale Brew Pub's Ham and Brie by half a percentage vote. Loaded with deli ham, smothered in nutty melted Brie and nestled between two slices of grilled sourdough with sliced granny smith apples and mellow horseradish, the Ham and Brie had the making to go all the way ... if The Hub's BLT with turkey on grilled sourdough wasn't in the way. That's the power of bicycle-themed neighborhood gathering spots. The Hub's BLT will head into the Second Round to take on Moon Rise Café's Monte Cristo March 29.
Let's lift the top bread slice and reveal the goods. The following are advancing to the next round:
The daily sandwich battles here on Spew are sponsored by Subway in Orting, Puyallup, Tacoma, Spanaway and Lakewood.
OK, let's check out today's First Round sandwich battles. Vote for one sandwich per battle. Voting for today's sandwich battles ends at 11:45 p.m.
Game 1: Philly Cheesesteak (Ricky J's Restaurant, 6805 176th St. E., Puyallup) vs. 3 Sauce Italian Meatball Sandwich (Farrelli's Wood Fire Pizza, 3518 Sixth Ave., Tacoma)
Game 2: Big Tacoma (Pacific Coffee House & Deli, 1201 Pacific Ave., Tacoma) vs. California Club (The Office Bar & Grill, 813 Pacific Ave., Tacoma)
Game 3: Lamb Beef Gyro (Legendz, 1201 S. Sprague Ave., Tacoma) vs. Baked Italian Sandwich (Engine House No. 9, 611 N. Pine St., Tacoma)
Game 4: Italian Sub (Meconi's Italian Subs, 5225 Lacey Blvd., Lacey) vs. Pork Banh Mi (Little Da Nang, 301 Fourth Ave. W., Olympia)
LINK: Tournament of Sandwiches explanation
LINK: Hot Damn! Yes, I want the Weekly Volcano's Afternoon Delight newsletter!
