First stop, the All Star Sandwich Bar in Inman Square in Cambridge. Chris Schlesinger’s homage to the humble sandwich, located on the same block as the East Coast Grill, is humble neither in quality nor portion size. It’s not cheap, either (sandwiches range from $7-$10), but what did you expect?
On offer: A pretty decent reuben as well as pulled pork, po’ boy, pastrami, meatloaf, Cuban, and grilled cheese sandwiches. Daily specials are marked on the chalkboard, things like the Turkey Gobbler (turkey with mayo, gravy, stuffing, and cranberry orange relish) -- a perfect prelude to Thanksgiving (or to wean yourself off of post-holiday tryptophan). If you prefer your turkey in liquid form, or like French fries in any form, don't miss their gravy fries – golden fried shoe-string potatoes topped with turkey gravy. Next time, though, I'd vote for the gravy on the side. No one likes a soggy fry, gravy or no gravy.
Space is tight at peak hours, but I found the service to be quite accommodating (despite early rumors to the contrary). Dessert options are sparse and appropriately simple (chocolate chip cookies, brownies, 7-layer bars), but you probably won’t have room. And if you do, Christina’s “All Star Ice Cream Bar” is mere steps away.
All Star Sandwich Bar
1245 Cambridge St.
Cambridge, MA
617-868-3065
www.allstarsandwichbar.com
Okay, i have to take issue with you on the topic of soggy gravy fries! When we lived in Tennessee there was a great sandwich joint on the strip by the university. With your turkey sandwich and fries you'd get a big bowl of gravy. We'd stick a whole bunch of fries in there with just the tips poking out and let 'em "steep" for awhile. Mmmmm...mmmmmm!
Posted by: Carolyn | November 24, 2006 at 03:57 PM
Point duly noted. Potatoes and gravy are definitely made for each other. My objection is in taking a potato, taking some pains to make it crispy, and then making it soggy. There's no appreciation for the middle step. That All Star fry guy did some serious frying, but, as it turns out, he should have just stayed in bed to nurse his hangover. Still, I'm intrigued by the scene you describe! Was there a penalty if your fry fell all the way in? The next time I'm in TN…
Posted by: Tammy | November 24, 2006 at 09:15 PM
On a final gravy note...bob has now corrected me on 2 counts: 1) the gravy fries came with a pizza burger and not a turkey sandwich, and 2) only 4 or 5 fries were soaked at a time so that, in fact, they wouldn't get too soggy! ha, so much for my blog comment :-).
Posted by: Carolyn | November 25, 2006 at 09:56 AM
Wait a minute, now you're onto something. Pizza burger???
Posted by: Tammy | November 25, 2006 at 10:08 AM