A lunchtime staple for its convenience and easy affordability, basically fillings enclosed by bread that are eaten out of hand, sandwiches come in many forms, hot and cold – well, room temperature – from simple to elaborate, and boring or worse to delicious.  It all starts with the bread.  It’s tough to have a good sandwich without good quality fresh bread, and that is found much more readily here these days.
 
The most distinctively Houston sandwich, once ubiquitous, is a cold po boy with a unique airy roll devised several decades ago from a family originally from the Levant that lives on in recommendable form at a couple humble sandwich shops.  Concerning popular local sandwiches, there are the Vietnamese banh mi and ones with barbecued beef brisket, both of which are done at least as well here as anywhere.  Those brisket sandwiches – though often delicious – are excepted from this list.  Every one of the many really good barbecue joints serve a really good beef brisket sandwich, with sliced or chopped brisket, and usually just those two sandwiches.  See the best of barbecue section.  And banh mi are distinctive and popular enough to warrant a separate section.
 
There are also excellent versions New Orleans-originated po boys with fried shrimp and the like and muffalettas to be found here.  The Mexican tortas, too, though too many versions suffer from inexpensive, preservative-laden bread, but there is at least one place in Houston worth a drive for them.  And there are many other types of tasty sandwiches here.
 
Below are the best places for sandwiches in Houston, listed in order of preference.
 
The Best
 
Kraftsmen Bakery & Café (Hot and Cold) – As the retail outlet for a commercial bakery that supplies many of the city’s top restaurants, and operated by a chef who was once named as one of the country’s top ten young chefs by Food & Wine magazine, you can expect that the sandwiches here to be worth the trek to this largely residential section of the Heights in Houston.  There’s only about a half-dozen sandwiches here, but all are quite tasty, even a turkey one, The Jive Turkey, which has received some national attention.  Heights
 
Very Good
 
Roostar (Hot and Cold) – Now with a trio of locations in various parts of town, this Banh Mi 2.0 operation is both slicker and better, overall, than its predecessors.  What began as Vietnam Poblano in Spring Branch, an area with a far higher Hispanic and Korean populations than Vietnamese, this has adapted to a growing clientele with a menu and preparations that are broadly popular.  Jalapeños, shredded pickled carrots, cucumbers, cilantro with stems, soy sauce and garlic aioli help provide the sandwich platform along with rolls from excellent Slow Dough Bakery that are maybe more traditionally French than is found at other banh mi spots.  Not just the bread, but the proteins are also generally better quality than other banh mi purveyors.  These are certainly worth a trip, which is now a little easier for many.  Spring Branch, Galleria area, East End
Winnie’s (Hot) – Contemporary takes on New Orleans-bred po boys from experienced, skilled chef with Louisiana roots, these slightly upscale and whimsical renditions will likely please any hearty or discriminating appetite.  A fun, friendly spot that belies any thought this is a sandwich shop – as tasty as the sandwiches are – there is are also oysters on the half shell, from the East Coast, too, and the capable bar mixes and shakes excellent cocktails, many of which are just $5 before 5:00 every day but Monday when it’s closed.  Midtown
Pappa Geno’s (Hot) – Philly cheesesteaks with a Houston accent – thankfully, as the Philly one is quite awful, having lived across the river as a kid – these are the best cheesesteaks in town.  Always moist flavorful beef stars in these oft-messy concoctions, with fresh rolls, and in local fashion can be nicely complemented with the Valentina hot sauce in plastic bottles on the table.   Montrose, Spring Branch, Timbergrove, Katy (2), Deer Park
Kenny & Ziggy’s (Hot and Cold) – A spiffy, large new spot near the Galleria serving slick renditions of Jewish-American deli food and a sporting a multi-generational deli legacy, this is easily the best place in Houston to enjoy the deli classics, which are all here, including those gut-busting sandwiches.  Obscenely large, typically as unhealthy as a sandwich can get by any measure, and often unable to be eaten with your hands, some of these are ridiculously tasty, including the pastrami sandwiches, featuring meat smoked in house.   Galleria area.
Mexico’s Deli (Hot) – Excellent, hot Mexican-style sandwiches, which are not only delicious, but a tremendous value is the simple reason to visit here.  There are now about forty different tortas here, plus soups, tacos, burritos, alambres, and breakfast, all prepared to order on the flat grills and a meat-laden spinner in the open kitchen found in a humble strip center on Dairy Ashford.  Possibly the best tortas in town, it is certainly the most attractive tortaria, and it’s also among the city’s best food values, period.  West Houston
Angelo’z Po Boys (Cold and Hot) – Serving the once-ubiquitous Houston-style cold po boy better than anywhere else, these feature an airy, crusty roll filled with a just-enough amount of lunch meats or other fillings, usually a thinly sliced cheese, and complemented with its distinctive piquant chow chow that just works really well when done well.  They also assemble a top-notch warm muffaletta, with bread from Royal Bakery, which also supplies the rolls for its po boys. NRG area
Ragin’ Cajun (Hot) – The shrimp po boys – deep-fried, of course – and muffalettas are both the best renditions in the city and each worth a trip here.  The other dozen-plus po boys can be very tasty, too.   Greenway Plaza
Baguette and Tea (Hot and Cold) – A tiny place in a small strip center with wretched parking on West Alabama across the street from the Ice House, it can also be quite slow to get an order fulfilled here. But the sandwiches, which all come with a light smear of chicken pâté, are so good and such a fine value that it is worth any possible hassle.  Reflective of a large part of its clientele, who might have never ventured to Bellaire Boulevard, you might even be asked if you want jalapeño on your sandwich.  Montrose
Thien An (Hot and Cold) – A Midtown stalwart, this casual unassuming place opened from mid-morning to early evening is seemingly always bustling during the weekday lunch hours with downtown office workers and a heavy Vietnamese contingent, more so after Sunday Mass.  Closed on Saturdays.  Its banh mi thit nuong is one of the very best around, as the restaurant is more generous than most with the pork, which is nicely cooked, tender and richly flavorful.  Midtown
The Cuban Station (Hot) – The best Cuban sandwich in the area is found here. Made with Cuban-style roasted pork, slices of ham, a judicious amount of thinly sliced of Swiss cheese that’s melted, a bit of similarly thin pickle here and there, mayonnaise and evident yellow mustard on a sturdy, somewhat crusty, admirable fresh bread that’s served warm after a turn in a sandwich press.  It is delicious, with the tasty – fairly mild but flavorful – roast pork, which is used the most, setting the tone for the rest of the quality ingredients that work together for an excellent sandwich that might be in a lower-key, but very easy to want the next bite and the next until the substantial construction is no more.  There is also a similar Pan de Lechon, a roast pork sandwich, that’s worth ordering plus a dozen other options.  East End
Don Café (Hot and Cold) – This modest stand-alone structure along Bellaire Boulevard has served up some of the very best banh mi in Houston for about a couple of decades now, and it remains one of the top values with the sandwiches; still costing just $3.50 or so. Don Café serves all of the requisite Vietnamese sandwiches plus the somewhat unique versions with char-grilled beef (banh mi thit bo nuong). In addition to the sandwiches, there are about two dozen items on the menu and a few brightly colored packaged items near the counter. Though take-away is very popular, you can actually linger here – not that it is that comfortable nor charming – as many of the polyglot patrons do.  Chinatown
Revival Market (Hot) – Well-situated in the prosperous Heights, this eatery from the folks at Coltivare, Indianola and others, does additional duty as an artisanal butcher shop, quite helpful for the five sandwiches on the menu that includes a fun, fancy fried baloney one.  Not so cheap for what these are, but certainly enjoyable.  Heights
Yelo (Hot) – It’s modern Houston banh mi here. Anchored by excellent, fresh and crusty loafs, the smaller-than-usual sandwiches step a little beyond the locally typical banh mi creations.  Assembled to order, slowly, and a bit more expensively, this friendly, attractive contemporary little spot in a Katy Chinatown strip center offers easily enjoyable flavors and still-welcome values from a focused menu that still has a number of enticing options.  Jalapeños, shredded pickled carrots, cucumbers, cilantro, papaya slaw, garlic aioli along with a smidgen of pâté provide a solid and expected-tasting base for the sandwiches.  Katy
Brown Bag Deli (Cold) – This small local chain of small bare-bones sandwich shops, siblings to the Barnaby’s, has been more-than-aptly serving up often delightful built-it-yourself cold sandwiches in a low-key fashion since 2003.  Montrose, Heights, Downtown (2), Rice Village, Spring Branch
Paulie’s (Hot) – Featuring hot Italian-inspired sandwiches, both panini-pressed and otherwise, the Italian accents are clear here. These are artfully assembled with obviously quality ingredients such as ripe roma tomatoes, nicely fresh spinach, roasted red peppers and tasty, fresh bread.  Montrose
Maine-ly Sandwiches (Hot and Cold) – Maine-style lobster rolls are the main attraction here, but there is also a really tasty chicken salad sandwich, done differently.  Served on a buttered and toasted split-top roll, a soft, industrially produced hot dog roll, with everything, it’s the chicken salad, slivers of apples, bits of walnuts, chopped onions, iceberg lettuce, slices of tomato, pieces of bell pepper, pickles, black olives, pickled and jalapeños along with salt and pepper.  It is a rather odd and unsightly concoction, but it was quite tasty, mayonnaise-heavy, with a lot more going on than the typical chicken salad sandwich.   Spring Branch.
Nickel Sandwich Grill (Hot) – There is barbecue, plenty of deep-fried dishes, seafood, a juicy grilled hamburger, and Cajun items, some of this is served in sandwich form, at two decade-old neighborhood standby on Lyons just north of I-10 in the Fifth Ward.  It’s almost all very tasty, and a terrific value.  Portions are large and prices are low, and the kitchen here is much better than most similar type of neighborhood places.  The sandwiches are served on thick slices of buttered toast that works quite well, and the po boys on a small, crusty baguette-like roll.  The Smoked Cajun Turkey and Chopped Beef are a couple of the sandwich stars here.  Fifth Ward
 
To Keep in Mind
 
The Boot (Hot) – Using the New Orleans favorite Leidenheimer French bread for the po boys makes a
difference, even from par-baked form.  Po boys with fried shrimp, catfish, oysters, and crawfish tails might be the most tempting, but you can also get the first two in healthier if still tasty form, grilled or blackened.  All these and the others properly fully dressed with mayonnaise, iceberg lettuce, tomato and pickle slices.   Heights
Nielsen’s Delicatessen (Cold) – Old school and eschewing those spices and peppers that are popular in much of the world, and here, it’s just bread and sliced meat or another protein, and their tasty house-made mayonnaise.  It still works.  You can add cheese, lettuce and tomatoes though for a charge for each.  Afton Oaks
Ploughman’s Deli & Café (Hot and Cold) – Very friendly little place set in a quiet decades-old strip center with a half-dozen hearty specialty sandwiches on the menu including quite respectable takes on the reuben and meatball sandwiches. You can also create your own in a couple of different sizes from a half-dozen types of bread, nearly as many proteins plus more than enough cheeses – grilled cheese is an option, too – spreads, dressings and vegetables to satisfy nearly any taste.  A handful of sides or chips complement, as can the soup of the day, and the sandwich’s great partner, beer on tap in four flavors.  Garden Oaks
Common Bond (Cold) – With bread making for much of the quality of the sandwich, it’s not surprising that Houston’s best retail bakery also offers some credible sandwiches.  Chicken salad and the Texas Club with turkey, thick bacon, and a bit of avocado and piquant aioli, both served on the ethereal croissants, are two worth a visit to one of its locations.  Montrose, Heights (2), Garden Oaks, Medical Center, Downtown, Spring Branch, Spring
Paulie’s Po Boys (Cold and Hot) – Not to be confused with Paulie’s on Westheimer, this one is still owned and operated by descendants of Antone’s and does a great job with that sandwich legacy in similar fashion to Angelo’z.  Serving the once-widespread Houston-style cold po boy featuring those airy, crusty rolls filled with lunch meats or other fillings and a smear of the distinctive piquant chow chow and wrapped white paper, these are often sitting ready to grabbed with the low, open refrigerator.  West U
Local Foods (Hot and Cold) – Nearly ten sandwiches each day among the garden-fresh and health-oriented (or -signaling) options.  These come with the choice of a couple sides or the soup of the day, all higher quality than at most other inexpensive spots, even the chips are house-made.  Some of the items, including the sandwiches, are more attractive than they are delicious, though.  Rice Village, Upper Kirby District, Heights, Tanglewood
BB’s Café (Hot) – A big attraction here are the New Orleans-style po boys, several deep-fried seafood plus a roast beef one, with a Texas twist – chipotle-infused mayonnaise – done well, and heartily so.  Montrose, Upper Kirby District, Heights, Briargrove, Oak Forest, West Houston, Katy, Cypress, Pearland, Webster

Most of a whole muffaletta at Angelo'z

Grabbing lunch last week at the slick new J-Bar-M barbecue joint – well, “joint” isn’t nearly the right descriptor, as grand, attractive and comfortable it is – I noticed its cool map showing locations of some popular Houston barbecue joints from the past, most of which I was quite familiar with.  Though the barbecue game is far better today than it’s ever been, including the excellent fare at J-Bar-M, it was enjoyable for me to look back at that artwork and some part, a fun part as an adventurous diner, of Houston’s history.
 
One of the places in it is Kozy Kitchen which was at 1202 Lockwood, about a quarter mile south of I-10.  It had one especially distinctive feature.  Here is what I wrote about it in the second edition of Houston Dining on the Cheap that was published in 2004:
 

Since Lockwood Barbecue that was located directly across the street burned down a while ago, Kozy Kitchen is the only old-line barbecue restaurant left in the Fifth Ward.  The Kozy Kitchen has been serving the neighborhood and visitors since 1946.   This place is much more than a slice of history, as it could not continue to survive if it didn’t serve some very good food.
 
The Kozy Kitchen serves the basic African-American East Texas barbecue with at least one twist.  In addition to the beef brisket, beef links (sausage), ribs and sides of potato salad and baked beans, there is barbecued veal.  The Kozy Kitchen is certainly the only place in Houston that you will find this.  The veal is veal brisket.  It’s served tender and moist, with some of it blackened if you are lucky.  It is good, but it is not nearly as flavorful as the beef brisket, which is probably why you never see it at barbecue joints.  And,  maybe the cost, too.  The tastier and more traditional beef brisket is what Kozy Kitchen has gained its reputation and continued patronage.  It’s moist and very tasty.  Even better is when you ask for the “in and out” pieces or an ”in and out” sandwich.  This means both inside and outside cuts of the brisket and you will be rewarded with several bits of excellent charred brisket that provides an enjoyable textural contrast with the tender inner meat, and even more flavor.  The beef links, done in the distinctive East Texas-style, are good.  The moist meats are even better with a few squirts of the hot sauce made on-site that sits on the counter and tables.  Sandwiches are available with all of the meats for under five bucks.  Sides are cheap, too.  With the exception of Goode Co. Barbecue, Kozy Kitchen serves the best sides at a local barbecue place in town.  There are only two, though, potato salad, which is heavy on the mayonnaise, and the slightly sweet baked beans.   Both are uncomplicated, but both provide excellent accompaniments to any of the tasty, slow-cooked meats.  Plates are hearty and offer a choice of one or two meats plus both the sides for $8.00.  For the very large appetites, the three meat plate is $10.00.  There is also a large baked potato stuffed with either chopped beef or chopped pork for $5.00.
 
The Kozy Kitchen is a bare-bones operation.  The fairly good-sized dining room appears to be a bit empty much of the time.  Part of this has to do with the fact that the dining area could accommodate several more tables and chairs.  It is scruffy, but that is part of the attraction, especially since this place has been around since the start of the Cold War.  Takeout is popular at the Kozy Kitchen.  For sharing with the family at home, the meats and sides are available by the pound and quart, respectively.  Only about six blocks south of I-10 on Lockwood, the Kozy Kitchen is quickly accessible from downtown during lunchtime.

The Vietnamese-originated banh mi sandwich has been a Houston staple for many of us for over three decades now.  Awareness of its charms, and an amazing value, have grown well beyond the Vietnamese community, and in recent years top-notch banh mi purveyors have been found in more than just the Vietnamese and once-Vietnamese areas of Chinatown, Midtown and old Chinatown.
 
The signature Houston version of banh mi, at least for non-Vietnamese locals, has been the one featuring char-grilled pork, the banh mi thit noung.  A nominal but sufficient amount of tender, somewhat thin slices of hopefully crispy, warm pork are nestled in an airy, short Vietnamese-style baguette that should be properly crusty and fresh. The pork is joined by a light smear of rich-tasting house-made mayonnaise, shredded pickled carrots and daikon radish, slices of horizontally cut crisp cucumber, cilantro leaves with its stems, and fresh jalapeño usually cut into prominent wedges with seeds and membrane.  The result is an enticing contrast of textures and very enjoyable flavors – predominantly the moist and savory pork and the fiery jalapeño – that is satiating while remaining vibrant, and not at all heavy, somewhat unique among sandwiches. Usually even better with a few dashes of vinegar from the shop and plentiful squirts of the estimable and thankfully ubiquitous Huy Fong brand Sriracha, it can be tough to eat just one of these if you are very hungry. 
 
Using the same sandwich base, other commonly found fillings include the same char-grilled pork along with pâté, char-grilled chicken, shredded pork, steamed pork, pork meatballs (xiu mai), pâté solo, tofu, a fried egg, and the strangely brightly colored Vietnamese-style ham.

Updated on November 1, 2022.
 
The Best
 
Roostar – Now with a trio of locations in various parts of town, this Banh Mi 2.0 operation is both slicker and better, overall, than its predecessors.  What began as Vietnam Poblano in Spring Branch, an area with much higher Hispanic and Korean populations than Vietnamese, this has adapted to a growing clientele with a menu and preparations that are broadly popular.  Jalapeños, shredded pickled carrots, cucumbers, cilantro with stems, soy sauce and garlic aioli help provide the sandwich platform along with rolls from excellent Slow Dough Bakery that are maybe more traditionally French than is found at other banh mi spots.  Not just the bread, but the proteins are generally better quality than elsewhere, too.  These are certainly worth a trip, which is now a little easier.  Spring Branch, Galleria area, East End
 
Some of the Best
 
Baguette and Tea – A tiny place in a small strip center with wretched parking on West Alabama across the street from the Ice House, it can also be quite slow to get an order fulfilled here, but the sandwiches, which all come with a light smear of chicken pâté, are so good and such a fine value that it is worth any possible hassle.  Reflective of a large part of its clientele, who might have never ventured to Bellaire Boulevard, you might even be asked if you want jalapeño on your sandwich.  Montrose
Don Café – This modest stand-alone structure along Bellaire Boulevard has served up some of the very best banh mi in Houston for about a couple of decades now, and it remains one of the top values with the sandwiches; still costing just $3.50 or so. Don Café serves all of the requisite Vietnamese sandwiches plus the somewhat unique versions with char-grilled beef (banh mi thit bo nuong). In addition to the sandwiches, there are about two dozen items on the menu and a few brightly colored packaged items near the counter. Though take-away is very popular, you can actually linger here – not that it is that comfortable nor charming – as many of the polyglot patrons do.  Chinatown
Thien An – A Midtown stalwart, this casual unassuming place opened from mid-morning to early evening is seemingly always bustling during the weekday lunch hours with downtown office workers and a heavy Vietnamese contingent, more so after Sunday Mass.  Closed on Saturdays.  Its banh mi thit nuong is one of the very best around, as the restaurant is more generous than most with the pork, which is nicely cooked, tender and richly flavorful.  Midtown
Yelo – It’s Banh Mi 2.0 here.  Anchored by excellent, fresh and crusty loafs, the smaller-than-usual sandwiches step a little beyond the locally typical banh mi creations.  Assembled to order, slowly, and a bit more expensively, this friendly, attractive contemporary little spot in a Katy Chinatown strip center offers easily enjoyable flavors and still-welcome values from a focused menu that still has a number of enticing options.  Jalapeños, shredded pickled carrots, cucumbers, cilantro, papaya slaw, garlic aioli along with a smidgen of pâté provide a solid and expected-tasting base for the sandwiches.  Katy
Nguyen Ngo – Along with Khang, possibly the least atmospheric of any sandwich shop, banh mi or otherwise, in all of Houston, nonetheless, this humble spot in a humble shopping center serves up tasty and terrific-value banh mi inside of crusty, noticeably high quality rolls.  This might be the only local banh mi place that has one with saucisson, a French-style salami, or Vietnamese-style French salami, it is justifiably well-regarded for its chicken and xiu mai versions.  They also sell large jars of its tasty house-made mayonnaise to go.  Cash only.  Chinatown
Ka Bau – This hip, contemporary Vietnamese sporting a Cajun twist at times offers artful banh mi sandwiches with a half-dozen choices fillings - smoked chicken, , brisket, pork belly, tofu and egg, and a pricey smoked brisket ($14) - for a weekday lunch that are well worth a detour. Pâté and aioli form a bit of a creamy base for each within the slightly toasted roll from the quality Parisian Bakery II on Wilcrest along with toppings of cucumber, cilantro, a couple house pickled veggies and hearty slices of fresh jalapeños. The very flavorful and fiery house-made habanero-based hot sauce stands in for Huy Fong here, if need some additional heat.  Montrose
Khang – Also set in a trash-strewn strip shopping center on Bellaire Boulevard, this tiny place has a tiny menu, just banh mi and drinks, but the made-to-order banh mi are worth a stop – for take-away –featuring properly crusty bread, a light touch with the mayo and quality meats like the char-grilled pork and beef.  Chinatown
 
Worth an Visit
 
Les Ba’Get – Called baguettes here, that fanciness extends to the prices, a staggering, for banh mi, $10 and up.  It just seems very expensive when banh mi elsewhere that are tastier are half or a third of the price.  With a name that’s different, the banh mi are also just a little different, with scallions and red jalapeño, too, and presented differently, cut in half, a more contemporary take on the banh mi that with a taste still resonating with its predecessors, and being suitably appealing sandwiches, regardless.  Garden Oaks
Cali – A dumpy little place with tables often not bussed and trash on the floor, this has nevertheless long been a popular table-service stop for well-done, inexpensive Vietnamese fare, rice plates, pho, vermicelli dishes, smoothies in addition to its long-creditable and wallet-friendly banh mi.  Midtown
Lee’s Sandwiches – Serving a northern Californian version of the banh mi, this 10,000-square-foot outpost of an out-of-state chain has been a fixture on Bellaire Boulevard near the heart of Chinatown for well over fifteen years now.  Mouth-watering aroma of freshly baked bread that fills the interior, and Lee’s northern Californian-Vietnamese sandwiches are quite tasty and certainly recognizable, but slightly different than what is common here.  It starts with the longer 10-inch French-style baguette that is a little unlike what the local Vietnamese bakeries produce.  That is filled with a broadly similar choice of fillings – albeit from a much longer list from which to choose – all with a house-made mayonnaise, pickled daikon, pickled julienned carrot that is more thickly cut, jalapeños, cilantro, salt, pepper, and somewhat uncommonly for here, soy sauce and sliced onions.  Chinatown
Parisian Bakery – Though the banh mi are bit more crudely put together here than at other places, the Parisian Bakery has long produced the bread for other sandwich shops, which is why it merits inclusion.  That, and it might be the only banh mi place that still offers the once-common buy-five-get-one-free sandwiches.  Chinatown

A banh mi sandwich from Roostar

Playwright Neil Simon once quipped that, “there are two laws in the universe: the law of gravity and everyone likes Italian food.”  But, Simon’s Italian food is not the food of Italy, it is Italian-American food.
 
These are the familiar and long-popular dishes that came from the immigrants, along with their descendants, who arrived from Italy in the big wave of immigration from there that began in the late 19th century and ended with the restrictive immigration laws passed on them in the early 1920s; the dishes often feature long-cooked tomato sauce and melted mozzarella or provolone cheese, preparations that are mostly rooted in the area around Naples.  Beginning with preparations and ideas from Italy, these dishes grew in this country adapting to what was available – more accessible and better meat, most notably – and the tastes of the Americans, whom they eventually became. 
 
Below are the twelve greatest dishes, listed alphabetically, for what still might be America’s favorite cuisine.  The criteria is deliciousness and popularity, even if that popularity is mostly local or regional.  The first eliminates any dish featuring amazingly dull-tasting chicken breasts.
 
Caesar Salad – A fixture also on steakhouse menus across the country, and found on most restaurant menus regardless of cuisine, it seems, the ubiquitous Caesar Salad is certainly the best Italian-American preparation from Mexico.  Created by an Italian immigrant – or his brother – to this country who had opened a restaurant in Tijuana just across the border to be able to serve alcohol to diners during Prohibition, this mix of romaine lettuce, egg, garlic, Parmigiano, olive oil, lemon, and anchovies was a created out of necessity on a busy night in 1924. It become a smash hit with the Hollywood set and other well-to-do folks who traveled south from Los Angeles.  Interestingly, the original version of the Caesar Salad did not contain olive oil, anchovies or lemon juice, and used whole romaine leaves, rather messily.  Olive oil was unobtainable in Tijuana in the 1920s, at least when the salad was first made, so a fairly neutral oil like corn oil was used instead.  The slight taste of anchovies was found in the on-hand Worcestershire sauce that was used in their place.  Lemons are not terribly common in Mexico; limes are.  It was lime juice that was used in the first Caesar Salads.  In Mexico, the word for lime is limon.  When the recipe was transcribed for Americans, they thought limon was lemon, and so the substitution was made, all for the better.
 
Chicken Vesuvio – This classic Italian-American dish from Chicago that hasn’t trekked far from its birthplace, is big, robust baked dish featuring a whole chicken and potatoes that might have originated at the Vesuvio restaurant in Chicago in the 1920s.  Named after the volcano near Naples, the restaurant was owned by a native of far-away Turin, though there were many Neapolitans in Chicago that might have been drawn to the name. The best version of it that I have had was at the tourist-laden Harry Caray’s restaurants – namesake Harry Caray was an Italian-American – both downtown and in the suburbs.
 
Cioppino – The famed fishermen’s stew necessitating a bib from San Francisco featuring Dungeness crab along with whatever else is readily available like clams, mussels, shrimp, scallops, squid and a white fish in a tomato-y broth, is mostly an area favorite; a coastal location is very helpful for serving this.  The name is clearly an adaptation of a Genoese word for a seafood stew, ciuppin, which makes sense as fisherman from around Genoa were the first Italians to ply the waters for seafood around the City by the Bay.  Cioppino is cooked with tomato sauce – the Genoese use tomatoes, and somewhat sparingly – and this is a staple of Sicilian cooking, the homeland of the fishermen who largely succeeded the Genoese in San Francisco and whose offspring opened restaurants on Fisherman’s Wharf.  So, it might be actually be a combination of the regional heritages from both areas in Italy and the bounty of the Bay and beyond.  No matter the provenance, it’s a terrific dish when made with fresh catch, usually not far from the water in San Francisco.
 
Eggplant Parmesan – A dish found throughout much of Italy now, the version popular here comes from the Italian south with its marinara or longer-cooked tomato sauce, mozzarella and basil.  It is heavier here, as with all dishes translated from the Italian, with the eggplant slices breaded and more cheese used, used as a main dish rather than a side.  The name can be puzzling, as Parmesan is not from the south, and the name in Italian is melanzane alla parmigiana means eggplant in the style of Parma.  One Italian food historian credits the Calabrians for the dish, with the Parmesan cheese sprinkled on top, resulting in the name, not brought from the north, but a similar cheese obtained from Cistercian dairies in Calabria.
 
Fried Calamari – This dish is a hit even if the frying is overdone and the squid has spent a lot of time in the freezer and absolutely delicious with high quality seafood and expert frying.  The side of marinara sauce might not be found in Italy with this preparation but it seems to make a lot of sense here.  Deep-fried goodness is certainly some part, most part, of its appeal.
 
Italian Beef – Thinly sliced roasted beef swimming in plenty of its cooking juice that’s usually served as sandwich with a Italian-style roll and topped with the piquant pickled vegetable mix, giardiniera, this particularly Chicago creation is a wonderfully messy treat that deserves to be more easily found elsewhere.  The product of the plentiful beef from the stockyards in Chicago and Italian-Americans who needed to stretch the less savory cuts, this has been around since at least the late 1930s.  These days Italian beef is often sirloin or top or bottom round cooked for a while in broth with garlic and oregano and other spices creating plenty of the signature jus. The roast is cooled, sliced thinly with a deli slicer and then put back into the cooking broth, the jus, that’s been reheated, usually for a few hours.  Italian beef is always the main protein at the Riccetti family reunion in the Chicago area.
 
Lobster Fra Diavolo – Taking the southern Italian preparation of shellfish with factory-made pasta to include instead the large and sumptuous lobsters found readily near the coastal big cities in the northeast where Italians settled, this had been on Italian-themed restaurant menus since the 1930s, at least in New York where it is most popular.  Featuring tomato sauce seasoned with plenty of chopped garlic, oregano and red pepper flakes, it’s another exuberant of Italian-American cooking.  The seemingly frightful name “fra diavolo” means “brother devil” in Italian and refers to the heat of the red pepper flakes, which rarely used with reckless abandon in this, and also the red of the tomato sauce and cooked lobster. 
 
Meatball Sandwich – Beefy meatballs in tomato sauce that are topped with mozzarella melted in a restaurant’s salamander broiler all in a fresh crusty roll to absorb the sauce is one of the best-loved Italian-American sandwiches, maybe any type of hot sandwich.  It can be absolutely delicious in spite of its seeming simplicity with quality components, as the combination can seem perfect at times. 
 
Pizza – Pizza is amazingly popular; it’s an easy canvas on which to embrace a wide variety of ingredients and flavors, and can be done so affordably.  I enjoy pizza in most of its forms – there are more than a few – as seemingly most people do.  The vast majority of the pizza eaten in this country is much more American than Italian or Neapolitan evolving from the style that developed in New York City beginning in the early 20th century that grew distinct from its Neapolitan antecedent.  Pizza originated in Naples, the big, chaotic and historic port city in southern Italy, but pizza actually spread more quickly throughout the U.S. than it did elsewhere in Italy, as odd as that may seem.  Maybe not, as we still eat a lot of pizza here. 
 
Shrimp Scampi – A dish of sauteed shrimp cooked in olive oil with plenty of garlic, some white wine and finished with lemon juice and chopped parsley, this has long been a staple of Italian-American restaurants.  You know what you are going to get reading “shrimp scampi,” which has been on menus for decades, though the dish’s name is a misnomer.  Scampi, which is plural, is the Venetian dialect for langoustines, small lobsters that are a different family from shrimp, and there is nothing like this dish in Venice.  No matter, it is delectable when made well with high quality, fresh shrimp from the Gulf.
 
Spaghetti and Meatballs – An decidedly American creation, maybe starting by the 1920s, the combination of meatballs from the traditional Italian protein-based second course and the pasta from the first to meet the demands of the much faster-paced American lifestyle, it probably still is the most commonly served pasta dish at Italian-themed restaurants here.  Though it might be scoffed at Italian food traditionalists – and pretty much every Italian – it remains a staple on American tables and it can be delicious with top-notch meatballs, whether the usual predominantly ground beef ones or softened with pork or veal, tasty tomato sauce and quality pasta that is not too overcooked.  Kids love it, regardless.
 
Veal Parmesan – My favorite dish growing up is derived from Eggplant Parmesan using the much tastier veal, an item that the Italians seemingly adapted from their immigrant brethren from central and eastern Europe.  Tender, mild but still flavorful veal cutlets that have been battered and pan-fried pair beautifully with the tomato sauce and melted provolone or mozzarella.  Once a star attraction at most Italian-themed restaurants, the now-pricier veal long lost out on many menus to the comparatively much more boring and texturally less pleasant Chicken Parmesan.  Understandable, but unfortunate.

As the retail outlet for a commercial bakery that supplies many of the city’s top restaurants, and operated by a chef who was once named as one of the country’s top ten young chefs by Food & Wine magazine, you can expect that the sandwiches at Kraftsmen Baking & Café to be worth the trek to this largely residential section of the Heights in Houston. The Jive Turkey ($11) certainly is. It’s terrific, in fact. And it’s turkey, too.
 
Arriving in the center of a stark white plate, the sandwich halves reveal a somewhat odd assortment of colors: pink, orange, bright green, cream, deep brown, and white and light beige. These are from the slices of mesquite-smoked turkey – smoked in-house, too – chipotle-infused mayo, wedges of avocado, melted Provolone, thoroughly caramelized onions, and the interior and crust of a sturdy, tasty and toasted ciabatta roll, respectively. The first-rate, multi-hued assemblage tastes slightly sweet with the plentiful onions, often rich, and thoroughly enjoyable throughout.
 
Kraftsmen serves for breakfast and lunch from 8:00 to 3:00 on the weekends and a half-hour earlier during the work. Though a bit off the beaten path, but not far from N. Shepherd, this very casual café is certainly worth seeking out if you live or work near the Heights or nearby Garden Oaks.  The Jive Turkey is one of a half-dozen sandwiches offered during the lunch hours. There are also several choices among the entrée-sized salads, a handful of quiches, a burger with fries – a double bacon cheeseburger, at that – and a soup of the day.
 
Just be aware that the weekend mornings and early afternoons can be very crowded and service slow as the charms of Kraftsmen’s casual fare is well known to residents in the surrounding Heights.
 
Kraftsmen Café
611 W. 22nd Street, Houston, Texas 77008, (713) 426-1300
kraftsmenbaking.com

“Being American is to eat a lot of beef steak, and boy, we've got a lot more beef steak than any other country….” - Kurt Vonnegut, 1983
 
The most indulgent and representative – and also enjoyable and expensive – reflection of that truism from one of best novelists to ever come out of Cornell is at the upscale steakhouse, the Great American Steakhouse, as I’ve come to refer to these.  Places like The Palm, Del Frisco’s, Ruth’s Chris, and Pappas Bros. Steakhouse in Texas, these have pricey menus centered around high-quality, aged steaks, comforting, and usually expected starters, sides and beverages all dished in typically plush, never hushed settings often with a masculine edge.
 
For many, the upscale steakhouse is the epitome of fine dining, the place for celebration when a dinner is in order.  It’s never been for me, but I have certainly enjoyed these over the years.  When I was traveling often for work years ago, the upscale steakhouse was an infrequent but cherished evening.  Morton’s, Harris’s, and Elway’s were a few that I recall in various cities across the country.  My order was nearly always the same: a dry gin martini to start, Caesar salad, a New York Strip or Ribeye cooked medium-rare, a Napa Cabernet for the steak, and a couple of sides to share, spinach, typically sauteed, and another of potatoes, usually au gratin.  My steakhouse tastes are similar today, though my choice of wines with the beef is now Old World and often Grenache- or Sangiovese-heavy.
 
With things finally, finally, looking up including the strong job numbers the other day, I thought it was time to take a survey this concept. I haven’t dined at one of these since before things got odd for everyone over a year-and-a-half ago, but it might time for me to do so again soon.  Also, these are restaurants that were well-suited to survive the pandemic in fine form, with the deep American love for steak being a big part of that.
 
What is the Great American Steakhouse today?  To get a proper insight, I surveyed the menus of fifty different steakhouse concepts from coast to coast representing over 460 restaurants.  It seemed to me beforehand, and maybe many, that the offerings at the Great American Steakhouse were as inviolate as the canon of the Great American Songbook.  What I found, however, is that the concept is much more dynamic, evolving along with the desires of the American diner.  The long-popular preparations are still there, but these have been joined by a wide array of newer starters, steaks and sides.  Bone-in versions of the popular cuts are frequently found, as are dry-aged options, steaks from acclaimed smaller purveyors like 44 Farms and Snake River Farms, along with the sumptuous, wallet-busting wagyu beef from Japan.
 
The Great American Steakhouse is still centered around corn-fed beef from the Midwest graded USDA Prime that is usually wet-aged for three to four weeks, cut into boneless filets, strips and ribeye steaks that are seasoned with salt and pepper, broiled at a very high temperature, from 1,200 to 1,800 degrees, then finished with butter.  The a la carte menu continues to temp with starters including shrimp cocktail and crab cakes and salads like a Caesar and wedge; the sides to go along with the steak that will certainly include potatoes in several guises, and spinach, plus asparagus or mushrooms.  If steak is not enough, its natural partner at a steakhouse, lobster, is likely to be found.  Given the richness and amount of food usually consumed in the savory courses, desserts are an afterthought for many patrons, myself included; about a third of steakhouses don’t even bother to post their dessert offerings, and the offerings are often kind of rote.  It’s interesting that there is not much at all in the way of regional variations, some shrimp dishes along the Gulf Coast, but what works in Boston pretty much works in Los Angeles and all points in between.  Meat and potatoes remain popular throughout the country.
 
The very tender if less flavorful filet is found on nearly every steakhouse menu – the once-lauded Peter Luger’s in Brooklyn is the sole exception – and the New York Strip in about 90% of them.  The fattier ribeye is now on only about two-thirds of the concepts.  There are a lot of different sized cuts these days.  The filet comes in sizes ranging from four to sixteen ounces, with eight ounces being most common.  The sweet spots for the larger New York Strip steaks are fourteen and sixteen ounces.  The ribeye is found between twelve and twenty-two ounces, with sixteen ounces the most popular.
 
Some more about the star attractions:

• Prices for this prime beef in prime cuts, and these can be expected to become more expensive with the near-monopoly hold that the top four meat producers have.  The popular eight-ounce filet averages about $55 at upscale steakhouses, the fourteen-ounce New York Strip is $58 and the sixteen-ounce Ribeye is $61.
• The average prices are: filet ($6 per ounce), New York Strip ($4.25), Ribeye ($3.90).  The bone-in steaks are a little cheaper per ounce because, well, there is a bone among the meat: filet ($4.90), New York Strip ($4), Ribeye ($3.40).
• As expensive as aged, expertly presented and nicely presented USDA Prime steaks are, these are a bargain compared to A5 wagyu beef from Japan.  These average over $28 per ounce at top steakhouses here.
• A dramatic steak for two that’s become more popular (44%), giving another option to the porterhouse, the Tomahawk Ribeye with the bone extended far from meat is most commonly found at thirty-six ounces and priced at well over $100.

 
USDA Prime is the highest classification for beef produced in this country.  It comes from young, well-fed beef cattle and has abundant marbling, the intermuscular fat, and generally has more flavor than lesser grades when broiled or grilled.  Given the tenderness of the filets even at the Choice level, the next grade, and the mushiness possibly found with Prime, only about one-third of steakhouses use USDA Prime for their filets.  Capital Grille is an outlier among the upscale steakhouses in not using USDA Prime beef for any of its steaks.  These are a little cheaper than the other upscale places, but not cheap.  Capital Grille is owned by Darden, the folks responsible for Olive Garden.
 
Though steaks are the reason for the visit, there is much more on the menus and at the restaurants:

• Items are almost always served a la carte, adding to the expense.  Only four of the fifty I reviewed included sides and sometimes starters with a steak orders.
• The most popular starters are shrimp cocktail (82%), crab cakes (74%), oysters on the half shell (60%), and thickly sliced bacon (52%). At the highest end, caviar is found at the most lux or expensive places (18%).  Once popular, escargot and Oysters Rockefeller are rare, at 8% and 12%.
• Newer additions to the tops of the menus include preparations like fried calamari (40%), octopus (16%), and meatballs (16%).  The latter in case you are worried about getting enough beef.
• Caesar salad is almost as frequently found on menus as steaks; only one of the fifty steakhouse concepts surveyed did not have this iconic salad on its menu.
• Most popular sides are mashed potatoes (90%), mushrooms (90%), asparagus (86%), creamed spinach (82%), macaroni and cheese (72%), baked potatoes (72%), fried potatoes (64%).  There is some type of potato on every single steakhouse menu.
• Three-quarters of the steakhouses offered some kind of sauce for the steak for those who need more than just beef (and a little butter).  Filets often need some assistance.  A pepper sauce or coating (54%), blue cheese (50%), béarnaise (46%) were the most often found.  The decadent, old school Oscar – hollandaise, crab meat and asparagus – still has plenty of adherents (42%).
• For those not inclined to steaks, salmon (80%) is the most often found followed by lobster (74%) usually the tails rather than in its more-work entirety. Lamb chops or rack of lamb is on nearly two-thirds of the menus, while the veal chop is a diminishingly sought-after indulgence (20%).
• Most popular desserts are cheesecake and ice cream or sorbets, tie, at 69%.
• Several have excellent, expansive wine lists like Pappas Bros., Baltaire in Los Angles, Bern’s in Tampa, Del Frisco’s, and Mastro’s in Houston.

 
The steakhouse concept is probably more replicable than any other upscale concept.  These do not require a top chef at each location and the menus can be identical at each one; customers are not looking for creativity when choosing a steakhouse.  It is also more profitable for the owners with multiple locations as that can improve the per unit cost for the pricey beef.  The fifty brands I looked at have an average of nine locations.  The big national restaurant operations have been involved, of course, in addition to Darden.  Fleming’s is owned by Bloomin’ Brands that also owns Outback and Carrabba’s.  And Landry’s has more concepts and steakhouses than any other company: Morton’s, The Palm, The Strip House, Mastro’s, Vic & Anthony’s, and Brenner’s.  Landry’s is definitely not known for improving the food at the restaurants it’s purchased, though the quality of its steakhouses seems to remain fairly high.  The ease of entry along with the popularity of the upscale steakhouse has attracted top chefs.  Wolfgang Puck, Emeril Lagasse, Jose Andres, Tom Colicchio, Chris Shepherd, David Burke, Michael Mina, Jean-Georges Vongerichten, and Marc Forgione have steakhouses or some named involvement in one.
 
Though there are serious environmental concerns with beef, steak in particular.  It’s part of the reason why I have been eating less of it.  But, I do look forward to my next trip to a Great American Steakhouse.  These are better than ever, with larger menus, more nutty dry-aged steaks, more choices in the steaks, starters and sides, better cocktails and more wide-ranging wine lists.  A steakhouse visit comes a greater cost, but I can’t quit it.  Visits will just be an even more intermittent indulgence. 

An enticing image from Sparks Steak House in Manhattan