nutrient , much like sportsman commitment , is something we wear proudly on our sleeves as a badge that boasts , “ Yep , I live here ! ” While many American city put up apparently unbounded options for all sorts of world cuisines — keeping thing interesting for hoi polloi who live there , of course — nothing beat eating what you ’re suppose to be eating in the very office you ’re supposed to be eat up it . Could anyone imagine chit-chat , say , Philadelphia for the very first time and not chowing down on a cheesesteak ? Or passing up barbecue in Texas ? It ’d be downright sacrilege .
Which bring in us to this feeling at the sandwich as a source of regional pride :
New England
traditionalist will debate that a lobster roll , however complex on the roof of the mouth it may be , should comprise of five — and five alone — ingredients : lobster meat ( knuckle , claw , and rather tail ) , mayonnaise , romaine lucre ( shredded ) , a hot dog bun ( toast ) , and butter ( for the scratch ) . New to the experience ? Be skeptical of too much mayo or unnecessary seasonings — lobster meat is so tremendous a sandwich make full that it does n’t demand much to smoothen . Typically associated with low - key , bare - bone seafood joints constellate Maine , Cape Cod , and Rhode Island , in recent years the lobster roll has experience a two - pronged growth . On the one hand , it ’s clawed its way , to to speak , into restaurants hoping to recreate the Pisces - hut experience in topographic point like Manhattan ; on the other hand , fast - casual restaurant such as McDonald ’s and Panera have begun serve them in summertime .
Philadelphia
A Philly staple fibre since the 1930 , the cheesesteak has too many iterations to numerate : if you were to need 10 Philadelphians what makes a right cheesesteak , you ’d believably get 10 version on a report . Here ’s what ’s standard : some track of steak ( ordinarily costa - centre or top cycle , and either chopped or trim ) is topped with cheese ( freshly sliced provolone or Cheez Whiz ) , load onto some sort of breadstuff ( usually Amoroso or Vilotti - Pisanelli rolls ) , and served raging . It could bar there , but the cheesesteak could also be pinch with saute Allium cepa , mushrooms , mayo , spicy sauce , and other condiments . Pat ’s and Geno ’s , the two most famous — and most touristy — places to get a cheesesteak in Philly come about to be located across the street from each other , and common folklore about the city ’s “ good cheesesteak ” holds that besides Pat ’s and Geno ’s there ’s always “ that other place ” that no one can match upon .
NYC
Forgo the Michelin - starred temples that make the NYC din scene so notable and opt for something with a bit more history : a pastrami on rye . The nativity of this sandwich is widely disputed — some credit a cosher blunderer - turned restaurateur for whipping up the first one in 1887 , others say it ’s the father of Katz ’s deli , still located and in operation on the Lower East Side ( and still well known to America as the setting for that unforgettable view from When Harry Met Sally ) . In 1888 , Katz ’s did the same thing as the kosher butcher did the year before — but however you , er , slice up it , here ’s the scoop : the navel end of the brisket , cured in brine and coated with a mix of spice ( garlic , coriander , paprika , and so on ) , smoke , steamed , and serve on Secale cereale bread with Russian bandaging and a side of coleslaw .
New Orleans
masses will reason that the muffuletta — sound out moo - foo - LET - ta or muff - uh - LOT - uh — is handwriting - down the proficient sandwich in the land . Perhaps that ’s because of its complexity : Italian kernel ( capicola , salami , pepperoni ) , plus jambon , Swiss , provolone , and a marinated Olea europaea salad , all piled between two pieces of muffuletta bread , which is like in taste and feel to focaccia . Today , the Central Grocery in the Gallic Quarter , where the muffuletta was first grow in 1906 by Sicilian immigrants , is incessantly packed and notoriously stern , à la Seinfeld ’s Soup Nazi , about its line insurance policy .
Deep South
If ever three letters were to capsulise the food traditions of seven states , it would doubtlessly be B vitamin - boron - Q. Of course , this is a catchall term with a whole master of ceremonies of sass - tearing lotion , from old - school brisket barbeque in Texas to pull porc BBQ in North Carolina , Georgia , and Alabama . What ’s common to all : sum that ’s fudge slow and low for many hours and usually outside , strangle in some kind of sauce ( usually made from vinegar , ketchup , or sweet tomato - base ) , and pack on a roll . The drift has hit so much speeding that Burger King launched a ancestry of regional barbecue sandwiches this summer , complete with “ Memphis BBQ Pulled Pork , ” “ Texas BBQ Whopper , ” and “ Carolina BBQ Tendergrill . ”
Chicago
In recent years , while the city around them has develop into a veritable temple to fine dining , older - schooling Chicago Italian kick joints keep on doing what they do best : churning out the kind of sandwich that ’s intemperate to find anywhere else in the country . First created in the ‘ 30s , the Italian beef sandwich consists of thinly slice roast beef that ’s been seasoned with garlic , oregano , and other spice , stuffed into a long , Italian - manner curl , and topped with either pickle vegetables or sauteed sweet-smelling capsicum . Two key thing : the meat must be extremely blue — the drippier , the better — and the roll must be dense enough to act like a sponge , yet not so dull that it ’s grueling to the teeth : indeed a balancing act .
California
One might think of California as the land of Lord’s Day - kissed people who routinely do yoga and commit to juice cleanses , but lately the southern part of the land has experienced a boom in the fast - intellectual nourishment burger section . Perhaps the most obvious example is In - N - Out , which open in 1948 as a exclusive driving force - through in suburban Los Angeles , and has since expand to 275 store . In - N - Out has become so voguish , in fact , that it has a extremely coveted entity in the eatery human race : a secret menu know only to superfans . Other notable fast - food hamburger chains populating Southern California : Carl ’s Jr. , Fatburger ( a notorious famous person favourite that ’s been immortalize in Notorious B.I.G and Beastie Boys lyrics ) , and the ultra - trendy Umami Burger , which GQ named Burger of the Year in 2010 . This is L.A. so yes — you could even valet your railroad car at Umami Burger .
