For those who aren’t vegetarian leaning, veggie sandwiches might not leap out at you during a deli stop – skip on by to the ham on rye. And while that’s understandable, you’re missing out on some good eats. I’ve leaned more veggie than carnie recently, and it’s led to many a tasty discovery. Plus there’s the guilt-free buzz of eating healthier from more sustainably sourced food. Not too long ago I crowed about the fantastic olive-loaded veggie sandwich at La Saison; newly reacquainted myself with the All Star Sandwich Bar folk in Inman Square; and made the pleasant acquaintance of Elmendorf Baking Supplies (and its cafe) down the way in East Cambridge.
Both Cambridge Street stops offer impressive veggie slates. Most surprising is All Star, where the main draw are burgers and clubs but the nonmeat lineup is pretty robust. It begins with an ALT – essentially a BLT with smashed avocado instead of bacon or, more to the point, avocado toast as a grilled sourdough sandwich. The falafel burger’s more than serviceable and filling, but ask for some extra tahini to jazz it. The Tofused Banh Mi is a tangy munch with sweet chili-ginger-hoisin-glazed tofu, banh mi basics (fresh basil, cilantro, cucumber, pickled daikon and carrots), a fried egg and sesame sriracha aioli on a grilled brioche roll – boom!
The winner beyond that Tofused tasty is the veggie cubano of grilled marinated eggplant, zucchini, portobello mushrooms, Swiss cheese, tart dill pickles, yellow-dijon mustard and a cilantro aioli on pressed French bread. It won’t make you forget the fantastic veggie cubano that was the signature sandwich at Chez Henri for so long, but it is an able pinch hitter.
All Star also has a warm, sun-infused space to camp out in, killer dill spears and beer to boot. The ambiance is reminiscent of Hot Tomatoes in Union Square – two cozy, casual sandwich shops with a kindred vibe and solid eats.
Elmendorf is a unique little shop, part bakery supply (flour, flax and kitchenwares), part bodega, part cafe – cozy and quaint cannot be overused in describing it. There’s plenty of eye-grabbing pastries in the case and a short, sharp slate of a half-dozen sandwiches, of which half are vegetarian. The list kicks off with the roasted sweet potato and tahini slaw inspired by a customer who wanted a vegetarian spin on the cafe’s turkey and tahini sandwich. Elmendorf frames its Veggie Italian as a winner that will make meat lovers forget about meat. Piled high on an Iggy’s focaccia roll, the Italian packs in plenty of cheesy fennel, roasted mushrooms, a generous slather of artichoke spread and provolone with chili hots that give the shebang a nice, brow-sweating kick.
The superstar, however, is Elmendorf’s eggplant banh mi, a generous heaping of honey-soy marinated eggplant on a crunchy ciabatta with an assortment of fresh and pickled veggies, herbs and hot peppers for the zing. The combination of crisp fresh and devilishly dill-pickled veggies with those hots and honey soy is a flavor blast worthy of return visits.
For anyone who’s a banh mi connoisseur and looking for something new, All Star and Elmendorf has you.
Elmendorf Baking Supplies, 594 Cambridge St., East Cambridge
All Star Sandwich Bar, 1245 Cambridge St., Inman Square, Cambridge
Cambridge writer Tom Meek’s reviews, essays, short stories and articles have appeared in WBUR’s The ARTery, The Boston Phoenix, The Boston Globe, The Rumpus, The Charleston City Paper and SLAB literary journal. Tom is also a member of the Boston Society of Film Critics and rides his bike everywhere.
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