Open-Faced Sandwiches

The concept of open-faced sandwiches sure makes some people mad.

https://twitter.com/SandwichMeats/status/936251334541668352

Though I respect my pal Ian’s opinions most of the time, we’ve gone toe-to-toe on this subject in the past. I tend toward a more inclusive view. Though I may side-eye wraps, I think gyros are sandwiches, hot dogs are sandwiches, hamburgers are sandwiches.

So why shouldn’t an open-faced sandwich be a sandwich? Should we consider it a sandwich just because the word sandwich is in the name? Strawberries aren’t berries, peanuts aren’t nuts, and the funny bone isn’t a bone at all. Then again, catfish aren’t cats but they are fish; Panama hats aren’t from Panama but they are hats; and open-faced sandwiches are more like sandwiches than they are like faces.

We have covered many open-faced sandwiches in the past. It’s funny, for a sandwich type that is so controversial, there sure are a lot of them.

	An open-faced burnt ends sandwich from Arthur Bryant’s in Kansas City, first published in Josh’s article “A (Barbecue) Masterpiece in KC” way back when we were little sandwich babies in October of 2014.
When I wrote A Month of Breakfast Sandwiches back in January of 2015, eating a different completely unique breakfast sandwich every day for the month, I may have fudged a little bit by calling both Eggs Benedict and biscuits & gravy open-faced sandwiches.
	The very next month, we covered our first proper open-faced sandwich in the German Butterbrot. Sometimes I go a little overboard, and this was one of them.
Tribunal stalwart Crit wrote about her favorite cure for the common cold back in April of 2015, avocado toast with garlic, Vegemite, and Sambal Oelek with a squeeze of lime. We aren’t afraid of big flavors here at the Tribunal, least of all Crit.
	Creamed Chipped Beef on Toast, better known as SOS (see our June 2015 piece for the meaning of that acronym), is cheap and filling dish of salty beef in gravy served over toasted white bread, both loved and reviled by those who grew up on it.
Traditionally, American-style Cucumber Sandwiches are served open-faced, with cream cheese and some dill. Of course, we also tried some cucumber sandwiches that were not open-faced as well.
	Dyrlægens natmad is one particular type of the Danish open-faced sandwiches called smørrebrød. Though we’ve yet to cover smørrebrød broadly on this site, this kind is famous enough to get its own entry in the list.
St. Louis’ Gerber Sandwich is an open-faced ham melt on garlic bread, featuring the local provel cheese, a polarizing oddity. It tasted better on this sandwich than it does on their pizza.
	The Horseshoe Sandwich of Springfield, IL, shown here in the Buffalo Chicken variety from well-known local spot D’Arcy’s Pint, is something I grew up eating but learned a new appreciation for when we covered it in September 2016.
Similar to the Horseshoe, Louisville’s Hot Brown Sandwich (this one is from the Highlands Tap Room, a bar that is also a popular brunch spot), is another Open-Faced Sandwich covered in cheese, this time with turkey, bacon, and broiled tomatoes.
	The Hot Turkey Sandwich, served in diners everywhere in the US (and in homes as well this time of year) is an open-faced sandwich with turkey, stuffing, and gravy, usually served with a side of vegetables and mashed potatoes.
Montaditos are the Spanish take on the classic open-faced sandwich, more of a canape than a full-sized sandwich. “Tapas on Toast” is how I described it, and I will definitely be making the simple Pan con tomate every year during tomato season.
	As recently as last month, we covered open-faced sandwiches in the form of Obložené chlebíčky, a Czech-style open-faced sandwich that is as beautiful to look at as it is comforting to eat.

That’s thirteen takes on open-faced sandwiches I’ve found with a quick search through three years of our history. With another 2 years to go, we’re bound to run into a few more.

However, I thought I’d take this opportunity to explore a few things that might count as open-faced sandwiches, but aren’t likely to show up on our List.

Pork chop sandwich from Hog Wild, with “oven browns”

First among these, the “Huge and Tender Pork Chop Sandwich” from Hog Wild in Midlothian, IL. This does consist of two pieces of white bread that I refuse to call Texas Toast, as it is untoasted. However, the 1 1/4″ pork chop is not sandwiched between the slices but rather unceremoniously plopped on top of them. Let’s be clear–this is one of the best pork chops you’ll ever eat, though the default crinkle-cut fries are garbage and I prefer to opt for the slightly-less-crappy “oven browns.” The nice thing about the “sandwich” part of this is that once you’re done eating the pork chop (with knife and fork and slightly-too-sweet house brand barbecue sauce), you have at least a few bites of deliciously meat-juice-sodden bread waiting for you. I suppose one could put the chop between the bread and use the “hold the bone and eat around it” technique, but I’ve never seen anyone do that here.

Shrimp Toast from (Little) Three Happiness

And how about the Chinese dim sum item Shrimp Toast? This consists of a tiny piece of bread, covered with a seasoned shrimp and water chestnut meatball and deep fried. Chinese food isn’t generally known for its sandwiches, but they’re not unheard of. Similarly, it is rare for sandwiches to be deep-fried, but it does happen, even outside of state fairs. If the open-faced sandwich is to be considered a sandwich, then this must be one.

And what about Mexican food? Isn’t basically everything on a Mexican restaurant menu apart from tacos (pocket sandwiches?), burritos (wraps), and tortas (actual sandwich sandwiches) an open-faced sandwich? Tostadas, sopes, huaraches… Isn’t a plate of nachos basically a big pile of tiny open-faced sandwiches?

Nachos from QSazon

OK, maybe I’ve gone too far. Or have I? Tell me your thoughts on open-faced sandwiches in the comments!

Jim Behymer

I like sandwiches.

I like a lot of other things too but sandwiches are pretty great