Club Sandwich

Does anyone wish for an old style club sandwich ?

I remember dining at a family diner in Burbank, Il. that had the best club sandwiches..... the turkey, the swiss, the tasty ham.... Ever since moving to the south I have missed this staple....

Do they still have these on the menu?

====Do they still have these on the menu?====


They still make them. I still do. This year I have made the usual turkey, but also ham, roast beef and hamburger clubs too. They're on the menu...
They are a pain in the butt. No sandwich should require four toothpicks and to be cut into four little pieces. If I had my druthers, I would slice the whole thing in half and place it on the plate like a normal sandwich. Too much slicing, tooth-picking and arranging.
I'm never satisfied that I have cut the thing evenly. It is hard to cut rectangular bread evenly. Square shaped bread would be easier. Traditionally, you need to cut an 'IXI' from corner to corner, creating little triangles. I like what the boss does, she slices it with a 'I+I' and makes squares that appear to be even. For me, this is a new trick that this ol' dog has learned.

mark

in addition to the proper staking and cutting procedure, 3 slices of toast are required.

Their avalible here in the North East. Most diners and pubs have them on a luncheon menu. Most wholesale bakerys sell club loaves of bread also, and some supermarkets carry them too. They are a pain in the butt to make as Mark said, just use the mayo as a glue to keep from falling apart. Chow Jim

quote:

Originally posted by doggydaddy
[br If I had my druthers, I would slice the whole thing in half and place it on the plate like a normal sandwich. Too much slicing, tooth-picking and arranging.

Mark: Why not slice your sandwich any way you want?

"Ya' know, I order a club sandwich all the time, and I'm not even a member. I don't know how I get away with it.

I like my sandwiches with three pieces of bread.
So do I!
Lets form a club.
Okay, but we're gonna need more stipulations.
Yes we do.
Instead of cutting it once, lets cut it again.
Yeah, four triangles.
And we shall dump chips in the middle.
Let me ask you something, how do you feel about frilly toothpicks?
I'm FOR 'em."

- The late, great Mitch Hedberg
(this probably isn't funny to you if you've never heard his delivery)

quote:

Originally posted by tsores

quote:

Originally posted by doggydaddy
[br If I had my druthers, I would slice the whole thing in half and place it on the plate like a normal sandwich. Too much slicing, tooth-picking and arranging.

Mark: Why not slice your sandwich any way you want?

It's not my restaurant and where I've worked, it has always been done this way.
While I am sniveling about making these things, did I mention that you have to fuddle around with four toothpicks.....Last weekend, we got four clubs on one ticket. It took some time to put that together.

mark

Most deli's offer a club sandwich- but you have to read the fine print on the menu- not all clubs are created equal (no pun intended)
Most are not the "old fashined" ones we remember from our youth. And I think a lot of that has to do with the sandwich makings available now- too many preservatives and chemicals- come to think of it, most of the food available today does not taste like it did back in "the dark ages" as my kids like to remind me of my advanced years!

The best club sandwich I've ever eaten was from our bowling alley....seriously.

If you mean a triple decker sandwich, they still are on the menu around here in NY. Served with french fries, pickles, coleslaw.

A turkey club, I know to be turkey, bacon, lettuce tomato, still triple decker style. Still on the menu....

Denny's makes a pretty good club sandwhich. I'm not a big turkey fan so I ask them to make it with ham and its very tasty. Ture, club sanwhiches are hard to find now. You use to see them on the menu all the time years ago (places like 5 & 10 cent store diners, etc.).

The traditional 'Turkey Club' is one of my favorite sandwiches. When we spot it on a menu somewhere it is always in the running for selection. White Toast, Mayo, White-meat Turkey, over a BLT...Cut in quarters, served with chips or maybe FF.

My feelings about the traditional turkey club are the same as The Mayor's. They're on every diner's menu here in the Northeast.
And it's always a consideration of mine for my meal choice.

When I was a kid in the 1950's and went to the diners of New Jersey (mostly Somerset and Hunterdon Counties) with my parents, I was "discouraged" from ordering the club sandwich because my father thought they were overpriced. I don't remember how much they were, but I was always allowed to get a platter with 2 cheeseburgers, fries, and cole slaw. I'm pretty sure that platter cost $1.25. The chocolate shake was an additional 30 cents. I'm guessing that the club sandwich was around $1.50 all by itself. Does anyone else remember them as being "pricey"? -pb

We do them at home, turkey, bacon, etc, but only use two slices of bread.

John

Pigiron-
Thanks for the Mitch Hedberg routine! And you are right, you have to hear his delivery to get how funny it is.

If I see a club sandwich on a menu, thats usually what I order, however, I prefer a ham club on rye.
Kinda make it hard to eat when they slice it those little triangles though.....But the frill picks come in handy for getting the rye seeds out of my teeth afterwards.

Beaks'
Yeah the Club Sandwich was usually at the top of the sandwich menu 'price-wise'. When I worked at a HoJo's in the mid-60's it was our least fsavorite sandwich to make. A bit labor intensive compared to the regular 2-slice sandwiches. If an order came in for one late in the evening we would usually not have any bacon 'pre-cooked', so we would toss a couple of strips into the deep fryer to get them done quickly. The toothpicks and quarter-cutting was something that took an extra step or two before serving.

Thanks Pigiron for posting the Mitch Hedberg routine, that's the first thing I thoought of when I spotted this topic. ---Ken

quote:

Originally posted by doggydaddy

quote:

Originally posted by tsores

quote:

Originally posted by doggydaddy[br If I had my druthers, I would slice the whole thing in half and place it on the plate like a normal sandwich. Too much slicing, tooth-picking and arranging.

Mark: Why not slice your sandwich any way you want?

It's not my restaurant and where I've worked, it has always been done this way.
While I am sniveling about making these things, did I mention that you have to fuddle around with four toothpicks.....Last weekend, we got four clubs on one ticket. It took some time to put that together.

mark

It's not a 'Club' if it's not cut into four triangles. Don't remember the how, why's or history but that's the way it is.

They sure ain't a joy to make. Especially when your getting slammed and you get four or more clubs going to different tables.
The worse is working an all day menu and you get multiple clubs while your doing omlette's, pancakes, and eggs every which way. Hopefully you have a dishwasher that at least knows how to do toast.

That's small potatoes though compared to when you get those blueberry pancake orders during the dinner or supper rush. You only have one grill and it's filled with burgers, tenderloins and various other not to be discolored meats. At least one person on this forum might appreciate getting a blueish purple porkchop sandwich! Meat flavored pancakes aren't a big hit either

I really hate working all day menu's in a joint with only one grill!

Pat, you are so right.
It can be a nightmare to get several club sandwich orders in a row.
When I worked up north, we had several on the menu, and only 2 toasters...arrrrgh!
I hated to make them, and funny thing is, I always order them.

I love the 3 bread clubs with the turkey,mayo and blt.I even like the frilly toothpicks.Havent seen one like that on a menu in awhile..

quote:

Originally posted by SassyGritsAL

Denny's makes a pretty good club sandwhich. I'm not a big turkey fan so I ask them to make it with ham and its very tasty. Ture, club sanwhiches are hard to find now. You use to see them on the menu all the time years ago (places like 5 & 10 cent store diners, etc.).

OMG. I had one of these about a month ago on a trip through middle GA. Totally NASTY.

But I do like a good, 3 slices of toasted bread, X sliced (triangular) club sandwich. Lots of thinly sliced ham & turkey, lots of crisp bacon, thick cut FRESH tomatoes (obviously an issue most everywhere now), and losts of crisp leaf lettuce, trimmed. Extra mayo, also, with some sliced cheddar cheese. Sounds easy enough, but I can't find one anywhere unless I make it myself. The local Huddle House has a "fairly" decent version, but WAY to skimpy for me.

quote:

Originally posted by Adjudicator

But I do like a good, 3 slices of toasted bread, X sliced (triangular) club sandwich. Lots of thinly sliced ham & turkey, lots of crisp bacon, thick cut FRESH tomatoes (obviously an issue most everywhere now), and losts of crisp leaf lettuce, trimmed. Extra mayo, also, with some sliced cheddar cheese. Sounds easy enough, but I can't find one anywhere unless I make it myself. The local Huddle House has a "fairly" decent version, but WAY to skimpy for me.

Here ya go!

Hope you like wheat bread.

Or maybe white with curly fries?
Oops..Not enough bacon on either one of them!

quote:

Originally posted by roossy90

Or maybe white with curly fries?
Oops..Not enough bacon on either one of them!

On a fine June day it was...I was helping the line staff out by building sandwichs to order...sandwich station did Rubens, French Dips and CLUBS....the Rubens prebuilt in a tub, a quick butter and on the sandwich grill, FDip, slice the bread, butter and grill, then drop the pre-measured beef in hot Au Jus, AND build the Clubs as they were called out. We had 3 - 4 hole commercial toasters, I had two clubs working and was smoothing on through everything else...building the plates etc. I looked up and had 3 more on one ticket...started to get them ready, two more ticket came in with 4 clubs on each one, then the lunch rush hit AAAAAAARRRRRGGGGGHHHHHH! I made somewhere around 40 Clubs that day along with all the Rubens and FDips. That was the longest lunch I'd ever been through and probably the fastest I've ever worked. And them F'n toasters...just couldn't keep up. Since that day I've had a real aversion to them

Man am I hungry now! Hey Roossy, those sprouts look good on a club. What about onion rings with a club?
Joe

Joe that is one of my favorite sandwich combinations!

Back to my whinning...When getting slammed, multi orders of Clubs and "hand dipped" Onion Rings can drive me over the edge


Here is my own observation working from experience.

A Club is a sandwich that you may not get an order for, sometimes for days.
Then all of the sudden it's a Clubtastrophy!
It seems folk don't always think about having one until they see a really nice looking one go by.
Then ya just gotta have one... then he's gotta have one...she's gotta have one...!

Yep, Building Clubs and hand-doing the double-dip batter for onion rings was the messiest and most time consumming part of my tasks as a 'grill-man'. Clams, Scallops, Flounder fillets, were all 'single dip into the canned milk, then dumped into the season flour mix, then the fryer. Onion Rings required two cycles thru that routine, before going into the shortening. No way to get it done without really coating your hands. Try that while catching the multiple toast slices and prepping that damn sandwich for it's cocktail toothpick decorations !!

Oh man. Wheat or white or whatever; those look good. Supper SOLVED for tomorrow night!

quote:

Originally posted by Adjudicator

Oh man. Wheat or white or whatever; those look good. Supper SOLVED for tomorrow night!

I just made myself a ham club here at work.. I couldnt stand it after looking at those pics.
(I would much rather someone else make one for me though!)

quote:

Originally posted by roossy90

Wow! Look at you Roossy! Using all that fruit stuff as a garnish and what not! That's the healthiest darn lookin' thing I've ever seen on this site!

As she puts down her chicken wing and shakes her head in agreement!

I love club sandwiches. If I see one on the menu, I will usually order it. I grew up on Cincinnati double and triple deckers. If I find a good one, I will go back.

Until I read this forum, I never realized what a hardship it was to put one together. Maybe I shouldn't order them anymore. Gee, I wouldn't want to piss off the kitchen staff. Maybe they should come out and let me know what I should order, so I can be easy on them.

It is a classic sandwich that I happen to think is delicious when made properly. To all the past, present and future kitchen staff, deal with it. That's what you are getting paid for and what I am paying for. It IS on your menu.

Boy, I really hope that no ever one knows where I eat or I REALLY will have to stop ordering my favorite Club Sandwiches.<g>

Gee whiz don't do that! If everyone who ordered one was as great an affectionado of the Classic Club it would be a pleasure all the time! Well maybe not at 7:00am.
Hmmm by chance have you had the triple beef-ham-turkey at JJ's or perhaps Price Hill Chili?
Best in the 'Nati!

Oh those pictures bring back memories, just wish there was a place around here that would serve em that way.

====They sure ain't a joy to make. Especially when your getting slammed and you get four or more clubs going to different tables.
The worse is working an all day menu and you get multiple clubs while your doing omlette's, pancakes, and eggs every which way. Hopefully you have a dishwasher that at least knows how to do toast.==


Pat T Hat....

There seems to be two camps here. Those who have to and hate to make Clubs, and those that love to eat them.

I understand and sympathize with your problem. The kitchen here has two, four slice toasters. What is unusual about this is that they actually work properly!!!! This compares to a previous restaurant where in the basement was the crypt of dead toasters.
If anyone has seen the toaster at Louis Lunchbox, that is a toaster that I want. I have never seen a conveyor belt toaster like theirs.

Your comments about a dishwasher does not apply to this place as we have these high school kids who do that job. There is something about these kids that if I was their father, I would have to give them a 'dope-slap'....

When you say that a dishwasher can help, you are basing this on how it was when a dishwaher would use that job as a stepping stone to a prep job, up to pantry and eventually a line position. What I have is a bunch of kids who are killing time until they get their parents to send them to college where they can continue to have no clue as to what to do with themselves and their future. Why should they care? They are inheritence kids... ....(end of rant).

mark

I didn't "Hate" to make them, they just took me out of the motion-study routine associated with burgers and fried foods. Those extra steps were not a big deal, but in the middle of a 'Noon-Rush' they would cause a bit of a comotion! Our Bacon was precooked, and the turkey slices (and Ham) were all done by a prep-Guy using a pretty tight portion control, so that part was ok. It was the assembly and presentation that needed more than the average amount of care, and usually received it. The Sandwich- when done right- is certainly "Pretty"!

Ah, I still like em.....

The Club sandwiches at Reilly's at the north end of Hilton Head have been very good in the past. The one's I like best are the ones I make myself right after Thanksgiving or Xmas with leftover turkey breast. Oh, man! That roasted turkey with some Hormel Cure 81 ham, thin-sliced cheddar, and thick-sliced peppered bacon from the Fresh Market is "ALMOST" better than sex. Did I mention that I like Club sandwiches? It isn't as pretty as the one's in a restaurant, but who cares, as long as it tastes great. I do cut it into quarters and use toothpicks.

To answer a prior question. I haven't had the Price Hill Chili double deckers. I left Cinci in the early 70's. Back then we subsisted on clubs and triples from Century Inn, Acropolis chili and some places on Clifton Ave. that I no longer remember. My favorite triple decker has always been ham, beef and egg. La Rosa's was also a winner.

quote:

Originally posted by PepperPhil

Oh those pictures bring back memories, just wish there was a place around here that would serve em that way.

Amen. Also. Would you people believe that NO local grocery store in my area (INCLUDING a Super Wally's), sells sprouts??? Did in past; but no one (besides me, I guess) ever bought them. If you ever wanted to visit the Twilight Zone**, book a room in MY town.

** Yet, lard is available around here in both 5 and 10 gallon containers...

My grandmother used to take me to the lunch counter at the "Five in Ten" in Lewistown, PA...we'd always get the Turkey Club and a Cherry Coke....a real Cherry Coke made at the fountain by the Jerk (Soda Jerk, that is) behind the counter.......good memories!

I have a club sandwich every Sunday at the country club after church. The usual is all I say...no ham, no mayo, whole wheat, major extra veggies and mayo on the side for the fries.

quote:

Originally posted by V960

I have a club sandwich every Sunday at the country club after church. The usual is all I say...no ham, no mayo, whole wheat, major extra veggies and mayo on the side for the fries.

I bet they just love you!

I can remember that the only thing I'd ever order when stiuck eating at a Holiday Inn was the club sandwich. Even they couldn't wreck a club sandwich.

quote:

Originally posted by Greymo

quote:

Originally posted by V960

I have a club sandwich every Sunday at the country club after church. The usual is all I say...no ham, no mayo, whole wheat, major extra veggies and mayo on the side for the fries.

I bet they just love you!

They better at least appear to love me...I'm on the board.

A local restaurant here in los angeles called the pioneer takeout next to circuit city on sunset across from kcet television presents an interesting club.

It is different because its on a sub roll and it has mayo on the top and bottom of the bread which is kinda thick and sort of like ciabatta bread.

They put two slices of cold ham, thicker than usual, 2 slices of cheese, usually provolone, 2 thinner slices of turkey, and a couple of slices of roast beef from a cold beef roast medium well.

Everytime I go in I order this same version of an old favorite. There is something special about it, perhaps that it comes from deli meats kept in the fridge. And of course toothpicks, several.

YOu should try it if you are in the area just east of vermont, on sunset boulevard. I'll bet you'll like it too.

robonrex - sounds like a good sandwich, but if it's on a roll it ain't no Club.

My Dad would make clubs for us with leftovers from holiday turkeys. He'd done a little short-order cooking, and a lot more short-order eating. He insisted that a traditional Club was made with square Pullman bread. This made it easier to stack and resulted in uniform triangles. I'm not sure where you would find a Pullman loaf these days.

As for being one of the costlier items on the menu, that sometimes seems to be the case. However, when I was poor in NYC and at a coffee shop (what many NYC folks call a "diner") and didn't want another cheeseburger deluxe (always the best value on the menu, next to breakfast specials) the Club was my choice. Clubs were usually the only sandwich on the menu other than the burger deluxe that came with fries and slaw. Typically a tuna san with fries cost more than the full club platter. So the club was my splurge.

As a Northeasterner I'm horrified that there are places in this country where you can't get a real club sandwich. They're on the menu in just about every diner here, and, apologies to the staff that has to assemble them but they're a big favorite of mine. Two more tasty variations: egg salad club and cheeseburger club. And those sandwiches on rolls sound good but I'm sorry, if it ain't on toast (3 slices, preferably white, quartered and with toothpicks) it ain't a club. The next thing you know they'll be making cocktails with vodka and calling them martinis (Oh, they are? Well, that's it - the end times are here...)

Jimeats: How does a club loaf differ from a regular loaf of bread? Is it the thickness of the slices?

The squared off loaf of white bread has been called a "Sandwich Loaf" in most places i've lived. Slightly thinner slices than a regular loaf.

quote:

Originally posted by Michael Hoffman

I can remember that the only thing I'd ever order when stiuck eating at a Holiday Inn was the club sandwich. Even they couldn't wreck a club sandwich.

The Holiday Inn -Portland West (Maine), where I worked before moving here, made the BEST club sandwiches.....
They use FRESH roasted turkey breast. Not that deli crapola!
I used to have one 3 times a week!
But I did always ask the cook if he minded making me one (again!)..
He never did!

I do not mean to be rude but can anyone tell me the real definition of a club sandwich. To me it appears that it is just meat and whatever on toasted bread several layers high?

I have had club sandwiches many times and I always enjoyed them but they were never far out.

I just want to know?

Paul E. Smith
Knoxville, TN

To me the original club is two layers separated by a slice of bread: 1st layer is turkey & mayo. 2nd layer is bacon, lettuce and tomato. All on white toast, quartered with toothpicks holding it all together. Variations substitute for turkey but the BLT layer stays the same.

Wikipedia says cheese is a traditional ingredient, so you might want to consider that, too (anybody can edit Wikipedia, so it's not necessarily the final word on anything): http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Club_sandwich

The O'Charley's restaurant chain makes a pretty good club. Purists might cringe that they serve it with honey mustard rather than mayo. Not liking mayo it's fine with me, though.

quote:

Originally posted by ctfrasier

The O'Charley's restaurant chain makes a pretty good club. Purists might cringe that they serve it with honey mustard rather than mayo. Not liking mayo it's fine with me, though.

Nah, you want the mayo on the sandwich and the Honey Mustard on the side to dip the sandwich in....mmmmmmmm. Houston's Restaurant style.

There seems to be a recent trend to replacing bacon on the club sandwich with ham.Dont know where this started,but I think it doesnt work because the crunch of the bacon is pretty much a critical component.If somebody thinks that ham is a viable replacement for bacon simply because its porky,their thinking has gone astray.My guess is its a cost consideration,which as usual results in inferior product.

No bacon, no club. They have just made a ham and turkey double decker. They should call it that. Who knows maybe it'll catch on!

I am not at all a fan of a club made with ham instead of bacon.All my life a club at every restaurant I ate at(up until now)was turkey and blt makings.Period.