Category: culinary

The Best Sandwich in NYC

On top of mounting apprehension about Election Day and the gradual, inevitable acceptance of dystopia becoming the norm…once again, a cuisine has entered and remained in my mind so steadfastly that I have no other option than to write a gluttonous post.

A couple weeks ago, I discovered my favorite sandwich on the planet.

Behold: The Chicken Katsu Club

This vibrant, savory tower of perfection can only be experienced at Golden Diner, located almost directly under the Manhattan Bridge in Chinatown.

Golden Diner augments the traditional American diner menu, creatively (and impeccably) applying an Asian influence. We found the menu so intriguing and inviting that we struggled to cull down our order more than in any other New York dining experience I can recall. And, despite over-ordering, we departed without a crumb of leftover food—only plans to return.

As for the aforementioned Chicken Katsu Club…

The chicken katsu is juicy and tender, and its breading is impactful without being too heavy.

The bacon delivers crisp texture and nostalgia from bygone mornings at the local diner.

The cabbage slaw is delightfully creamy yet crunchy enough to complement the rest of the sandwich’s textures.

The taste of the Japanese milk bread is subtle, holding the layers of this behemoth together but not competing with its flavors.

Despite how opulent this sandwich sounds, it’s also pragmatic. The ratios of its contents are so well-proportioned and assembled that they don’t slide around at all when biting into them. Ultimately, the Chicken Katsu Club’s thoughtful design matches its deliciousness. And I think that’s what solidifies it as my favorite sandwich in New York—a city that knows how to assemble memorable meat and bread concoctions.

To close with some additional selling points for Golden Diner: It serves breakfast all day, as any respected diner should, and the chefs/owners have curated a short but spectacular list of organic, biodynamic wines.

Golden Diner is firing on all cylinders—a true staple of Lower Manhattan.

Japanese Design

I had to get this written down to complement my persistent fatboi daydreams:

I’m blown away by the brilliant design of this Japanese dessert I ate earlier this week.

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^ This is what perfection looks like.

Its form and function are flawless. The wafer exterior prevents your hands from getting cold, while the thin layers of crunchy chocolate on either side of the ice cream enhance both the flavor and texture. Above all, though, this treat encapsulates childhood summers. One bite and I was temporarily back to being a kid again, enjoying a warm night at The Cup in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. For me, the best part of ordering an ice cream cone was always getting to the cone itself. I suppose I was a somewhat neurotic child, but the rapidly melting ice cream always caused me anxiety. Reaching the cone—the ice cream perfectly level across its top ridges—legitimately felt like a reward every single time, regardless if there was soft serve dribbling down my forearm.

As soon as you open the wrapper of an Imuraya Frozen Wafer Sandwich, you are rewarded just as generously. No, I am not affiliated with Imuraya, and no, they’re not paying me to write copy. I’m just thrilled to have stumbled upon this reliable bliss…that only costs $2.