<<< VOTING CLOSED FOR THURSDAY, MARCH 28 2013 >>>

A week ago we began pitting 64 of the South Sound's best sandwiches - voted in by the Weekly Volcano readers - in head-to-head battles. Today marks the end of First Round action. The last eight sandwiches will enter the area bright eyed and fresh. At the end of the day, four sandwiches will join the other winning 28 sandwiches in the Second Round, four will pick up the crumbs and go home. This is a tournament, folks, not a playoff. Each match is do or die - one misstep and you're out of the dance. Leave the bread out on the counter a little too long, forget to add lettuce, and you can pack your sandwich bag and go home.

Yesterday's Results

Game 1: Cuban Fish Sandwich (Asado, 2810 Sixth Ave., Tacoma) vs. Albacore Tuna Po'Boy (Tides Tavern, 2925 Harborview Dr., Gig Harbor)

In a battle over the Narrows Bridge, Asado cruised to victory and securing roughly 60 percent of the vote by the time things were said and done. This one was over early, and the pummeling lasted all day. Luckily for all of us, Tide's Tavern doesn't need the Tournament of Sandwiches to get by ... it has an awesome deck, not to mention a grubbin' Albacore Tuna Po-Boy. The high-powered Asado moves on to Second Round action.

Game 2: Philly Cheesesteak Tempeh (Le Voyeur, 404 Fourth Ave. E., Olympia) vs. Egg Salad Sandwich (Steilacoom Pub & Grill, 1202 Rainier St., Steilacoom)

In a back and forth matchup pitting two fairly evenly matched competitors (at least in the eyes of voters, it seems), Le Voyeur was eventually able to pull ahead of the Egg Salad Sandwich at the Steilacoom Pub thanks to a late run - grabby 52 percent of the votes. The loss has to be especially tough for Steilacoom Pub, as they entered the Tournament of Sandwiches with plenty of hype, mainly coming from, well, the entire town of Steilacoom. That said, Le Voyeur thanks its lucky stars every time it makes a bank deposit for the damaged livers of Evergreen students, and it has its eclectic music scene, so the fact it's moving on to the second round isn't shocking. You can't question Le Voyeur's following, and sometimes a following is just what it takes in the Tournament of Sandwiches.

Game 3: Farmhouse Philly (Dirty Oscar's Annex, 2309 Sixth Ave., Tacoma) vs. Notorious P.I.G. (The Ram, 3001 Ruston Way, Tacoma)

It would have been an upset of monumental proportion had The Ram somehow managed to defeat Dirty Oscar's Annex, but - alas - it was never meant to be. Dirty Oscar's dominated from tip-off to the final seconds yesterday, collecting votes at almost a three to one ratio and securing 73 percent of the votes. Rock stars and moonshine lovers unite - Dirty Oscar's will not be denied!

Game 4: The Chief (Sparks Firehouse Deli, 621 Fifth St., Puyallup) vs. Jan's Mufalletta (Joeseppi's Italian Ristorante, 2207 N. Pearl St., Tacoma)

Everyone loves a good comeback, and this may have been one of the better clutch performances in the (obviously short) history of the Tournament of Sandwiches. Down by a substantial margin by midday, Sparks Firehouse was able to rally the troops at halftime, and by the time the final buzzer sounded the Puyallup deli had walked away with an impressive victory, racking up 57 percent of the vote. Next up for Sparks' Chief sandwich, a Second Round dogfight with Dirty Oscar's Farmhouse Philly. ...

Stick a toothpick in them! The following are advancing to the next round:

• Asado's Cuban Fish Sandwich
• Le Voyeur's Philly Cheesesteak Tempeh
• Dirty Oscar's Farmhouse Philly
• Sparks Firehouse's The Chief

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 joint per battle. Voting for today's sandwich battles ends at 11:45 p.m.