<<< VOTING CLOSED FOR TUESDAY, MARCH 26 >>>
Favorites or underdogs, fancy restaurants or dive bars, it's all the same. In the end, they all have one chance to put some tasty morsels between two slices of bread that can take the prize. Sixty-four South Sound sandwiches were selected and seeded by readers throughout February for the Tournament of Sandwiches, which is now six days into the competition. Apparently sandwiches were on the minds of South Sounders yesterday as it was the second largest voting day for the Tournament of Sandwiches behind Thursday's opening bell.
GAME ONE: TLT (Quickie Too, 1324 Martin Luther King Jr. Way, Tacoma) vs. Fishwich (Spar Tavern, 2121 N. 30th St., Tacoma)
Cod filet rolled in crispy panko breading served on a Kaiser roll: The Fishwich at The 
Spar sound easy enough, but alas, it's not. Coddies - those who live for cod filets - claim The Spar has one of the best fish sandwiches in the South Sound. Yesterday, voters agreed. Tacoma's oldest tavern moves into the Second Round after beating Hilltop's beloved Quickie Too by 20 votes.
GAME TWO: Catfish Sandwich (Fish House Café, Martin Luther King Jr. Way, Tacoma) vs. Lobster Sandwich (Oliver's Sandwiches, 900 Meridian Ave. E., Milton)
Oliver's Sandwiches turned out the troops to propel it into the next round of the tournament, despite Fish House Café's exceptional Catfish Sandwich. Although it's what sandwich experts call a "hidden gem," Oliver's Sandwiches treats diners like family, and that had to be a factor against the Hilltop Tacoma cafe. With 93 percent of the vote, Oliver's moves on.
GAME THREE: The All Star Grilled Frenchy Cheese and Ham (Babblin' Babs Bistro, 2724 N. Proctor St., Tacoma) vs. Nutty Chicken Sandwich (Varsity Grill, 1114 Broadway, Tacoma)
Babblin' Babs Bistro doesn't have a mini theater in the middle of its restaurant. It doesn't have a huge happy hour menu. And kids don't eat free. Those are the attributes of the Varsity Grill sports bar in downtown Tacoma. What Babs does have are gourmet sandwiches and an ownership that can squeeze ever bit of goodness out of a Chardonnay seed. Babblin' Babs and its famous All Star Grilled Frenchy Cheese and Ham moves into the Second Round after grabbing 64 percent of the votes over the Varsity Grill.
GAME FOUR: Stinker (STINK - Cheese & Meat, 628 St. Helens Ave., Tacoma) vs. Papa Bair (Bair Bistro, 1617 Lafayette St., Steilacoom)
STINK owner Kris Blondin has found the perfect formula. Create gourmet comfort food recipes, teach hip kids how to recreate them, play kick ass music and serve big beers and soft wines to movers and shakers in Tacoma. Yesterday, this formula paid off when STINK's famous Stinker sandwich beat Bair Bistro's delicious Papa Bair - and all the history the town of Steilacoom could muster up - by 70 votes.
Stick a toothpick in them! 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: Cuban Fish Sandwich (Asado, 2810 Sixth Ave., Tacoma) vs. Albacore Tune Po'Boy (Tides Tavern, 2925 Harborview Dr., Gig Harbor)
Game 2: Philly Cheesesteak Tempeh (Le Voyeur, 404 Fourth Ave. E., Olympia) vs. Egg Salad Sandwich (Steilacoom Pub & Grill, 1202 Rainier St., Steilacoom)
Game 3: Farmhouse Philly (Dirty Oscar's Annex, 2309 Sixth Ave., Tacoma) vs. Notorious P.I.G. (The Ram, 3001 Ruston Way, Tacoma)
Game 4: The Chief (Sparks Firehouse Deli, 621 Fifth St., Puyallup) vs. Jan's Mufalletta (Joeseppi's Italian Ristorante, 2207 N. Pearl St., Tacoma)
LINK: Tournament of Sandwiches explanation
LINK: Hot Damn! Yes, I want the Weekly Volcano's Afternoon Delight newsletter!
