King of sandwiches crowned

While servants of John Montagu, the 4th Earl of Sandwich, may have devised the eponymous food as a means for him to have a quick lunch, The Chronicle and Cités Nouvelles' team of taste testers took their time this week to judge the top of what the West Island has to offer.

As usual, three finalists were based on reader nominations, and a specialty of the place was chosen for tasting.

The results were particularly close for the penultimate edition of this year's Best of the West, which may just reflect how different each judge's taste is in sandwiches.

In third place, with 337 points out of 400, came Delibee in Pointe Claire. This is the second time it placed third place this year. Its smoked-meat sandwich caught the eye of Cités Nouvelles reporter Marie-Hélène Verville. "The meat is big and juicy, I love it," she said. "Nice and juicy," agreed The Chronicle editor Albert Kramberger.

In second place, with 347 points out of 400, came Toasty Sub. As its name suggests, the St. John's Boulevard-located subway eatery in Pierrefonds distinguishes itself from its competition by toasting its subs. "A very good sandwich," said The Chronicle and Cités Nouvelles graphic designer Louis Athanasatos, referring to the Philadephia Cheest Steak sub the judges tried out. "I love the bread's texture, crispy and tender on the inside," Verville remarked.

Pushing though to first place with only a five-point lead came Sacwich, with 352 points of a possible 400.

The Pointe-Claire located sandwich place recently opened a branch in the West Island after first finding success in Laval and downtown Montreal. "It's excellent, mouth-watering," Kramberger said in reference to the Euro Club. Like all of Sacwich's dishes, the Euro came served in hot ciabatta bread. It was filled with chicken, provolone cheese, and a mix of vegetables and spices. "Fillings didn't make everything soggy, which kept the bread nice and crispy," Athanasatos wrote. "The Italian spices added a little something to eat," Verville remarked.

Each sandwich was graded individually on a score of 100 by judges based on four categories: texture, fillings, bread and "good times." The scores were then compiled.

Be with us as Best of the West goes out with a bang for the summer. Our winner for the final category (Reader's Choice) will be revealed in The Chronicle's Sept. 2 print edition. In the meantime, you can still send in your category and nomination choices for best reader's choice to news director Marc Lalonde by e-mailing marc.lalonde@transcontinental.ca, or by calling him at (514) 685-4690, ex. 243.