A MAN STUMBLES through the front door of Kenny and Zuke’s
SandwichWorks looking slightly dazed. He holds his hands out, palms up,
fingers splayed. His face and shirt are spotted with red. He glances
around the restaurant, his gaze shifting from his messy hands to
various employees. They are calm. They’ve seen this kind of thing
before.
“Do you need napkins?” one asks. The man nods gratefully, accepts a
pile of paper napkins, and wipes marinara from his hands and face. Who
would have thought the meatball hero would be so villainous?
It became obvious after several trips to SandwichWorks that owners
Nick “Zuke” Zukin and Ken “Kenny” Gordon have something against casual
business wear. Why else would they pack their menu with such
deliciously messy sandwiches?
What makes their assault on office attire so diabolical and
effective are their irresistible sandwiches. Consider that meatball
hero. Packed into a hoagie that handles the sauce but is soft enough
between the teeth, this creation combines bold oregano-heavy marinara
and flavorful, substantial meatballs with perfect texture—not too
coarse, not too smooth. It’s a crave-worthy clothes killer.
A full hero could easily satisfy two, but that’s to be expected from
Kenny and Zuke, who serve a Reuben at their downtown deli “as big as
your head.”
At SandwichWorks the Reuben is served in smaller “slider” form
(slider in this case meaning “reasonable portion”). It’s comparable to
their deli version, with delicate balance maintained between all
constituents—not overly smoky, or overly dressed—while
remaining adequately sloppy.
The bulk of the SandwichWorks menu is similar: balanced and sloppy.
A chunky ratatouille sandwich is excellent with intriguing texture from
eggplant and mixed veggies, and surprising depth of flavor reminiscent
of bouillabaisse. A grinder is authentic meaty grub classed up by a
zippy balsamic. The Super Torta Puebla is a coup, with low heat from
chipotle and chorizo blending with broad roasted pork tones, black
beans, cheese, and a cool, creamy texture added from avocado.
The New York dog, loaded with the works, is eminently devourable,
though I wish I’d eaten more of it quickly before the remains of the
dog fell through the crease in the bun (damn you, sauerkraut
juice).
Chicago, as represented by the Italian beef sandwich, bests New
York’s menu entry (they’ll take it where they can get it). The classic
is spot on, piled high with tender beef and topped with a bright, spicy
giardiniera (pickled veggies). This sandwich was the final proof
of the K&Z war on textiles. Watching an employee build my sandwich,
my jaw dropped as they dipped the entire thing, bun and all, into a
steaming pot of gravy.
Disappointments are few. Waits can be long (a testament to
popularity), on one visit a Reuben slider came off the grill burnt
enough to skew the flavor, and the egg salad sandwich is lacking.
Although I appreciated the integrity of large pieces of chopped egg, I
found the flavor to be both over-salted and bland. But I think most egg
salad lovers fall into two camps: “with pickles” and “without pickles.”
I’m a with pickles type of guy, preferring my egg salad more tangy and
deviled than plain and salty.
But in the end, SandwichWorks proves itself one of the top sandwich
joints in a town obsessed by the sandwich. More than that, it’s a
vibrant neighborhood joint, even if much of the color and exuberance
winds up on your favorite blouse.
OTHER NOTABLE WESTSIDE SANDWICHES
The Redonkadonk
This amazing creation from downtown cart Brunch Box (SW 5th and
Stark) combines egg, ham, Spam, bacon, and American cheese (the
constituents of the $6 OMG! Burger) and cradles the whole mess between
two buns made from Texas-toast grilled cheese sandwiches. Get your
recommended daily caloric intake in one single sitting.
The Döner Kebab
The döner kebab sandwich is a marvel. Tomatoes and shredded
lettuce, turkey and spicy yogurt sauce slowly flavor fresh-made pocket
bread with a rich and lightly spicy sop. It’s dynamic, flavor-packed
German fast food from a shop that calls itself, simply, Döner
Kebab and German Cuisine (515 SW 4th).
The Ice Cream Waffle Sandwich
Cool Moon Ice Cream (1105 NW Johnson) offers the amazing sensation
of biting through a warm, crisp cultured waffle into cold, softening
ice cream. Enjoy for breakfast, lunch, or dinner; the sheer variety of
Cool Moon’s delicious ice cream selections mean that this sandwich will
never, ever get old.
I am a fan of Sandwichworks for sure. I most often end up with a reuben slider, potato salad, and some sort of Bundaberg concoction. I occasionally encounter an unnecessarily rude dude at the counter, but luckily he only gets to be surly to me for a moment. They’ve certainly gotten their shit much more dialed in since they opened, so I usually don’t think twice about stopping in. And it doesn’t hurt that I work in the neighborhood, cause while I like it quite a bit, I certainly wouldn’t bike several miles to get my fix there.
The New York dog, while “imminently devourable” in certain circumstances (just after you order it for instance), was actually meant to be described as “eminently devourable.” Either way, a douchey non-phrase. Article has been edited to reflect proper usage. Douchiness remains intact.
Thanks to CC for the heads up.
“Chicago, as represented by the Italian beef sandwich, bests New York’s menu entry (they’ll take it where they can get it).”
Really?? Huh…. I guess having the nation’s best restaurants and best chefs, and probably the most creative culinary scene of the moment, doesn’t count for much.
This isn’t so much personal opinion as it is critic and industry opinion. And yes, NY certainly has their upper-hands, but, I mean, this is article is about food, right?
I’m a Jersey girl – land of sliced meat products and sandwiches. Let me tell you Kenny and Zuke – Get a Sharpener for your slicer! The Sh*t is too thick – corned beef and pastrami should be cut soooo thin you can almost see through it! I have unfortunately never been anything but disappointed at K&Z’s. I dream of sandwiches almost incessantly, but not theirs.
yeah, it’s awesome. my friend couldn’t get over their pickles. i had some soup they were still developing, some hungarian mushroom soup, which was excellent. sandwiches were very satisfying. you can also tell it’s good when a fairly complete cross-section of the city’s inhabitants are there, reluctantly rubbing elbows for good food. prices are reasonable. i hope they stay around a while.