The Girl Who Ate Everything

Blogging about food and whatever since 2004.

Press Toast, Panya, and Lenny's: MORE SANDWICHES

business cards
Press Toast

On Monday I went to Press Toast for a sandwich. A part of me kept going, "You want to go back to Crosby Connection! You want soft foccacia bread stuffed with stuff! You want a brownie!" But then another part of me went, "You should try something new! If you don't, you'll be doing your readers a disservice. And maybe you'll find something you like. Or maybe you'll hate it. Well. Stop talking to yourself." I had actually been to Press Toast before (they have since upgraded from a tiny hole-in-the-wall to a slightly-larger-hole-in-the-wall), but all I got was a honey and banana sandwich. Perhaps it was time for something of the non-sweet variety.

my press...toast...
avocado toast

It's called Press Toast because their sandwiches are pressed and toasted; fascinating, yes? The avocado comes with mayo, swiss cheese, and za'atar. I couldn't vouch for the za'atar's presence since I had no idea what it was, but the other stuff is there.

innards
innards

Gooey melted cheese and mooshed avocado smushed out of the warm, crispy, soft bread. Oh. Boy. I love me some cheese globs. I would just eat a plain cheese sandwich, but I figured avocado offered some good fat. Then again, the mayo probably cancelled out any of the health giving properties. Overall, my press toasted sandwich of warm mashy avocado and cheese was awesome in tastiness and price ($4). Hopefully I'll go back again soon.

avocado sandwich
avocado sammich

Look, more 'cado! While I always thought Panya's sandwiches looked good, I was never compelled to try one. My avocado and sandwich kick led me to try their avocado sandwich, which as you can see is really like 75% of a sandwich. I mean, it's half of a double-layered sandwich. Is that odd? I don't know. I thought one sandwich would consist of both halves, but apparently it doesn't. Anyway, it was a good thing that it was only half of the sandwich because when I was done with it, I felt like I had been impregnated with an avocado brick. I know that makes no sense, but it doesn't have to...this is my blog and I do not claim to make sense.. 'Cado brick. In mah belly. Sitting. Waiting. Not digesting as comfortably as it should. I thought the walnut bread was great, but there wasn't enough non-avocado substance (in this case, lettuce, thinly sliced cucumber, and tomato slices) to cut through the neatly layered avocado chunks. Cheese would've helped. Melted cheese. In warm, globby form. Oh well.

inside
Lenny's

But that night's sandwich (yes, I'm still eating the damn things) redeemed the impregnanting avocado brick. I went around the corner of my dorm (which I rarely do; seriously, I don't know what the hell is behind there) to Lenny's, a chain of delis in NYC. While there weren't many customers actually inside at the time, employees were busy packing bags and delivery boys constantly filed in an out. My interest in Lenny's developed after one of my friends kept praising its awesome sandwiches. Once I went there with her while she was picking up dinner.

"Robyn, you know you want it."
"Eh, I'm not really a sandwich person."
"How can you resist? IT'S SOO GOOOD."
"Ehhhhh..."

She got a sandwich piled high with roast beef. I'm not a big fan of roast beef. What am I a fan of?

meatloaf, cheese, lettuce, onions...
meatloaf sandwich of doom

When I walked out of Lenny's, my first thought was, "...Why the hell did I get a meatloaf sandwich? I've never even eaten a meatloaf sandwich before." When I got back to my dorm and unwrapped the meatloaf log, I saw that I had made the right choice. Juicy slabs of meatloaf topped with melted cheese, crisp lettuce, caramelized onions, gravy, and future atherosclerosis. So delicious. With better bread this would've been even more delicious, but I won't complain since it was nicely toasted. Structurally, this sandwich held up really well; nothing splodged out and the sauce didn't make things too soggy. You get a hearty portion for about $8, which I honestly found daunting at first, but soon realized wasn't when I ate the whole damn sandwich in seemingly 15 seconds. I wasn't even hungry. Seriously, I went for the sake of telling you lovely humans that Lenny's makes a yummy meatloaf sandwich, not to quel my nonexistent hunger.

As for hunger...yesterday in my "Food and Nutrition in a Global Society" class we watched a documentary called "Waiting" about people in Sudan patiently waiting for food that was basically sitting right in front of them to be distributed by nonexistent officials as the people starved. In the end, the people may or may not have gotten the food since enemies took over the village on the same day that officials finally came in to distribute the food. It was painful. Of course, by the end of the day I had forgotten about the starving, skeletal, distended-stomached Sudanese and stuffed myself with more food than most of those people would ever seen in their lifetimes. Eating is...a weird subject. It's a given that we can eat just about whatever we want. No one will ever starve in America unless it's a conscious decision or if the person is so isolated that no one else notices.

I wish I could feed everyone.

...Someone needs to take my cake. I'll describe it later.

Note: I was way too tired to adequately write this entry. Crap. What's done is done. What you SHOULD do is check out Kathy's latest post about Patisserie Claude. I don't care if you're busy (actually, if you're reading my blog you're probably killing time); click that link and read the whole thing. You might get a tear in your eye. Or feel something in your soul. It's probably the sweetest food blog entry I've ever read, a beautiful tale of pastry lovers. Enjoy. :)

Comments

Kathy / March 30, 2006 1:30 AM

Oh gesh. I love avocado sandwiches. and with melted cheese! hungry hungry! Don't forget to give the "fruit sandwich" at cafe zaiya if you've got time. man, if only i was there a week longer, we could have split it and then huffed up to levain for a cookie :)

Cathy / March 30, 2006 8:26 AM

Man, people here get bent out of shape if they have to wait to be seated. I mean, we turn around and go someplace else if the wait to EAT is too long. I can't imagine what it's like to stare at food when you're starving...

Anyways... tasty looking meatloaf sammich!

(i'm going to hell)

Deb / March 30, 2006 8:36 AM

You're terrible for my diet! :)

Thanks for linking to Kathy's post. I commented there, too, but just to say it again -- she's a very talented writer!

I'm definitely going to try the press toast avocado, if nothing other than to try to taste the za'atar. Lenny's looks like a place for John and I to try together. Lots of options for him as an omnivore.

Ani / March 30, 2006 10:38 AM

Zat'ar is a combination of middle easter spices. It is also eaten on top of a pita bread with olive oil and baked for a little bit in the oven. Soo good.

Yvonne / March 30, 2006 11:46 AM

Robyn! No more s'miches! They look delicious (esp that meatloaf one *drool*) but dang, girl! How 'bout food requiring utensils?

Becky / March 30, 2006 12:32 PM

I don't know how I happened upon your blog, but it's very amusing and I enjoy your writing style. The pictures of food were the piece de resistance! Great. A+

mona / March 30, 2006 1:57 PM

both of those sandwiches look incredible. i'm a huge avocado fan i put it in just about everything. i am going to have to trek to this place. and i'm sorry, i'm not a meatloaf person either really but after seeing that picture i'm willing to change my mind. a lenny's just opened around the corner from my office and people are eating them left and right-we're practically keeping them in business. i'm psyched b/c it's about time we had a real deli sammich around here!

roboppy / March 30, 2006 4:18 PM

Kathy: Ahh the fruit sammich...it looked intriguing but then there's probably a reason I've never eaten a fruit sandwich before: kinda weird? Bread, cream, and fruit? :\ It's like cake, but bread. But I'd rather have cake! :D

I DID HAVE TO ADD THE LAST BIT! Cos that entry = awesome.

foodcrazee: Glad you liked hte pic. DROOL AWAY!

Cathy: The narrator in the documentary said that she would've just stole the food if she had to. I think the civilians had been taught to be patient their whole lives...because they have to live with that. I had a class today just about starvation and thirst, so now...aah, I dunno. Bent out of shape. Not that I really want to experience, but I feel like I should considering how often I gorge myself...

You're going to hell? Where am I going?! AHH.

Deb: I'm terrible for my diet too. ;D

Being an omnivore provides too many options. "Whoa, I can eat...ANYTHING." Yeaaah.

Ani: That sounds good. I need to try more middle eastern food! And not just the desserts. ...Although I kind of just want desserts.

Yvonne: I ATE ANOTHER SANDWICH FOR LUNCH! If it means anything, I also ate a brownie with a fork. ...Okay, that doesn't count.

Becky: Thanks for stopping by! I GOT AN A+! That's officially my only A+ of the year. Hehe....(sigh)

Mona: There was avocado in my sandwich today! IT'S FREAKIN' EVERYWHERE...if I'm eating sandwiches. I wouldn't say I'm a meatloaf person either (not really a big meat person overall; my sandwich today had prosciutto in it and it was so-so) but LOAF OF MEAT, JUICY LOAF OF MEAT! Pretty damn good. I hope you like Lenny's!

bryan / March 30, 2006 4:51 PM

robyn -- thanks for the tip on lenny's. i've walked by a million times but never ventured in. i like the meatloaf sandwich at fresh salt (146 beekman between front and south) but the roasted eggplant is better (and includes melted cheeese). that eggplant is my favorite sandwich in the seaport district. mmm.

gamin / March 30, 2006 8:27 PM

oh wow that avocado sandwich looks gorgeous. I think there's more attractive food in new york than people. Is it wrong that food can be more attractive than people? Unless it's people-food.. like soylent green. I lost myself.

santos. / March 30, 2006 9:47 PM

>No one will ever starve in America unless it's >a conscious decision or if the person is so >isolated that no one else notices.

ah, but people do, people do. they shouldn't but it happens, consciously, although not necessarily a decision made by themselves.

lutkie / March 30, 2006 10:47 PM

ROBYN! WTF?!?! You are ME! You totally read my mind...or my stomach. I was in Panya this morning and I was thinking about getting that EXACT same freaking sandwich!!! I got a banana chocolate croissant instead...And yesterday for lunch I was deciding between crosby connection, press toast, and the dosa cart. I chose the dosa cart for proximity...but holy cow..that's crazy. Psssst...I have some cranberry orange hazelnut biscotti for you...from Bouchon...You are a crazy mind reader.

Kevin ashton / March 31, 2006 6:53 AM

Hi Robyn,

Just chanced upon your blog and liked it and your sense of humor alot, picture are pretty damn good too!...thanks.

Regards

Kevin

www.wannabetvchef.blog.co.uk

roboppy / March 31, 2006 8:33 AM

Bryan: EGGPLANT SANDWICH, ohh...I need to try that. Every delicious sandwich shall be mine.

gamin: Nono, food can totally be more attractive than people. Food here probably wouldn't be cuter than people...perhaps in japan. But more attractive, ya!

SOYLENT GREEN. Man. That movie sucked.

santos: Ah...okay, so sometimes people make conscious decisions for themselves and sometimes other people make conscious decisions for them? Or something? Eeh. I guess what we figured in class is that if someone were really starving and was seen by others, other people would help out...maybe. At least it's more likely to happen in America than in a place where everyone is starving, thus no one can help each other. :(

Sarah: DUDE we are totally the same person! Yes. I tried the banana chocolate croissant, but it made me sad. :( Hope you like it better! I still haven't tried the Dosa Cart, weiiird. I should.

OMG BISCOTTI! Can I have a muffin too? Muuuffiiiin? :D :D :D :D I'll give you...uh...c..cake!

Kevin: Thanks! I see you've got a lot of delicious photos on your site too. :)

Clare / March 31, 2006 1:21 PM

DANG I want that ooey gooey toasted avo sandy. But that other one - too much of a good thing, methinks. I mean, how does one even get their mouth around a double-layer avo brickhouse like that??

David / March 31, 2006 4:43 PM

I will definitely try the Lenny's Meatloaf sandwich. I'm a fan of Lenny's. I'm a fan of meatloaf. I'm a fan of Robyn's write-ups. How could it possibly to wrong?!?!

tfp / March 31, 2006 10:11 PM

Heheh. I don't really care for avocado, however, the meatloaf sandwich looks really great. I go through similar thoughts when choosing where/what to eat. I love eating my favourites over and over and over again, but I know I need to come up with new yummy pics for my site, which makes me try new stuff.

roboppy / April 1, 2006 1:45 AM

Clare: You can't get your mouth around it! :| I mean...I could eat half of it at a time. Too much 'cado.

David: YOU CANNOT GO WRONG WITH LOAF OF MEAT.

santos: Hehe, fair answer.

I think I'm going to stop talking about school related things. There's a reason that even though I've been in school for 15 years, I never participate in class discussions. Seriously...15 years. I'm surprised I got this far. What happens is that my teachers know I'm not braindead because of my writing, but still.

tfp: We are doomed to have to try new things all the time! ...Oh, bakeries don't fit this rule for me. BAKERIES DEMAND MANY REPEAT VISITS.

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