To know our nation’s sandwich landscape is to understand what it means to be American. As rich and diverse as the streets south of Houston, the menus at New York’s best sandwich shops read like a provocative abstract on America’s cultural ethnography: the French dip, the Cubano, the Philly cheesesteak, the spicy Rizzak, the Reuben, the Runza, the Hillel, the Fluffernutter and the food scene’s best Italian import since Mario Batali, the Muffaletta.
James Beard, the godfather of gourmet American food, said “too few people understand a really good sandwich.” We think that’s changing. With everyone from our favorite sexy celebrity chef superstar to designers and artists the world over giving sliced bread and the good stuff between it due attention, we think the era of the sandwich is upon us. From intricate porcelain patterned bread to condiment design to deconstructed sandwiches made entirely out of vegetables, here’s our look at sandwich game-changers. Let us know in the comments what do you do to up your sandwich’s ante.
Delft porcelain patterned sandwich
Image credit: MINALE-MAEDA via More Design Please
Duotone sandwiches
Image credit: Charles Schiller
Typographic sandwiches with bread shaped like letters
Image credit: Justin Tan
Deconstructed veggie sandwich with sweet potato sliced “bread”
Image credit: Insanewiches
Open-faced embroidered egg on toast sandwich
Image credit: Judith G. Clausner
Artsy sandwich palette with condiments as paint daubs
Image credit: Ryohei Yoshiyuki via Triangulation
Brass knuckle sandwich
Image credit: Kyle Bean
Rubik’s Cubewich
Image credit: Insanewiches
Dagwood Scanwich
Image credit: Scanwiches
Open-faced modern ham sandwich
Image credit: Kevin Van Aelst
Two-sided bread art sandwich
Image credit: The Bread Art Project via Sweet Station
Cameo Oreo cookie sandwich
Image credit: Judith G. Clausner