The sandwich I had and the sandwich I wished I had

That's the sandwich I would have liked to have had. A Manny's pastrami sandwich. A real sandwich, a manly sandwich.

What was the sandwich I actually had? The sandwich whose nature, whose philosophical underpinnings, were so diametrically opposed to the platonic ideal above?

I took the kids to the Kohl's Children Museum yesterday. Now, I am not prejudiced against the Insta-Development that has sprouted in Glenview, as I posted here I think it is actually done about as well as such things can be done, and with a few years and natural evolution of its retail it will be quite pleasing. Nevertheless, in terms of food it is a place for Dining Concepts, not for good restaurants.

And that is what there is to eat inside the museum: a Concept with a capital C, Kim and Scott's Gourmet Pretzel Bakery and Twisting Cafe. If I could dot the I in Kim with a little heart, I would. (And the name doesn't even get around to mentioning the Kid's Cocoa Bar, which is designed to wire the little monsters even further the same way mom gets her buzz from a Frappucino.) In this case the Twisting seems to be what has been done to the idea of a pretzel, which is no longer a chewy, salty breadstuff but, reborn as the Pretziola, a vehicle for Flavor Sensations of various types, stuffed full of goop to make a grilled cheese or PB&J pretzel, or dotted with asiago (the inevitable topping cheese of all sandwiches at the moment) to make a suitable sandwich bread to hold turkey, roast beef or pesto chicken.

The end result, of course, is that you take something that wasn't very good on its own (a soft, bready, asiago-flavored pretzel) and combine it with two or three other things that aren't very good either (melted goopy muenster cheese and processed turkey) and you get a sandwich which, if not good in any one way, at least tastes like too many things at once, thus justifying its Gourmet label. But given my other choices if we had left the museum-- Potbelly's, Cheeseburger in Paradise, Ted's Montana Grill, whatever-- entropy overtook me. I ate that sandwich, and thought of this one:



Simplicity. Realness.

What a Concept.

Kohl Children's Museum
2100 Patriot Boulevard
Glenview, IL 60026
(847) 832-6600

Next time try Mitchell's, which turns out to be a surprisingly good seafood house even if it is a chain out of Columbus, Ohio. (And do not miss the hot buttered rum.) Also, I'm not positive, but I think they may do cheese sandwiches and savory pastries like quiche at Dessert Gourmet.

Mitchell's Fish Market
847/729-3663
www.mitchellsfishmarket.com
Glen Town Center
2601 Navy Park Blvd.
Glenview

Dessert Gourmet
847/486-0772
The Glen
2300 Lehigh Ave.
Glenview

Some other good options in Glenview, a little farther away:

Cafe Lucci
847/729-2268
www.cafelucci.com
609 N. Milwaukee Ave.
Glenview

Cho Jung Restaurant
847/742-1111
Olympia Shopping Center
952 Harlem Ave.
Glenview

Dear Franks
847/498-1717
Glenbrook Market Place
2841 Pfingsten Road,
Glenview

Hackney's
www.hackneys.net
847/724-7171, 1514 E. Lake Ave.
847/724-5577, 1241 Harms Road
Glenview

Walker Brothers Original Pancake House
847/724-0220
www.walkerbrosophcom
1615 Waukegan Road
Glenview

Mike G wrote:I ate that sandwich, and thought of this one:

Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young

I think even they would make an exception for a Pretziola.

G Wiv wrote:

Mike G wrote:I ate that sandwich, and thought of this one:

Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young

Almost as creepy when applied to sanwiches as when applied to humans.