Counter Intelligence on the Jaw-Dropping New York Sandwich
In a radically retro sandwich concept, S & P's Eric Finkelstein replaces piles of meat and scoops of goop with gobs of good sense, risking the ire of keypad kibitzers who crave overkill.
The beautifully balanced sandwiches at S & P Lunch (fka Eisenberg’s) are too sensibly proportioned for the keypad kibitzers of the Instagram commentariat. They prefer to gawk at obscenely large, triple-bypass, overstuffed monstrosities packed with gobs of fatty meat, radioactive cheeses, flavoured mayos, deep-fried bits, ooze, glop and assorted HPFs.
We needn’t be too concerned for the well being of the poison-arrowed browsers with extremely healthy – with is to say, extremely unhealthy – appetites. Some are far from New York and don’t bother actually trying the dishes that, due mostly to their reasonable measurements, elicit their ire. Any risk of heart disease from browsing and venture can be attributed to rage but not binge eating of the foods they are critiquing.
Flavour, taste, texture, temperature, freshness, proportion, harmony, edibility and good sense are hardly the most important considerations in the world of Oreo nachos.
To be clear, there will always be a place in my imagination, if no longer my body, for towering, tottering pastrami sandwiches. With Jewish deli food, “decent” can provide less of a thrill than “indecent.”
Be that as it may, the downscaled dimensions S & P co-owner Eric Finkelstein brings to his classic sandwiches replaces piles of meat and scoops of goop with gobs of counter intelligence. The downside is that you must actually try his Reuben, Mel Brooks, tuna melt, Flatiron Delight (a close relation to the Rachel) or pastrami on rye, size unisex medium, to fully appreciate their impressive quality and proportionality.
“A balance of ingredients, that’s what a sandwich is,” says Finkelstein. “You’re stacking ingredients and you’re trying to figure out how to balance them.”
A balanced New York sandwich that fits comfortable into your open mouth? What a radically retro concept!