A sandwich at The Brass Bear Delicatessen, a deli in Alamo, California.
out of 100 · legendary
Legendary. Every gate clear, the board clean.
Reads as a fully realized italian sub, six of six roles, most layers have a partner.
More salt than 90% of the catalog.
Each bar is one pillar of the score, 0 to 100. The tick marks what a sandwich at the summit needs; an amber bar is the one holding this sandwich back.
ciabatta, served cold: prosciutto (high tier); mortadella (high tier); salami; provolone; italian dressing; lettuce; tomato.
Balance
| Axis | Value | Catalog percentile |
|---|---|---|
| salt | 2.5 | 90th |
| acid | 0.8 | 60th |
| fat | 2.9 | 78th |
| sweet | 0.1 | 19th |
| umami | 2.5 | 90th |
| heat | 0.0 | n/a |
| bitter | 0.2 | 64th |
98 Balance, out of 100
The seven flavor axes of the whole sandwich, each summed across its layers. The shaded ring is the catalog's middle 80%; the small number under each axis is where this sandwich falls in the catalog. A shape that sits inside the ring is in the range most sandwiches live in; a spike past it is where this one stands apart.
What each layer brings
| Layer | Role | Flavor and texture | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| ciabatta | bread | soft chewy crusty | the frame |
| prosciutto (high tier) | protein | salt 4 umami 4 fat 3 silky chewy tender | −3 |
| mortadella (high tier) | protein | fat 4 salt 3 umami 3 soft silky tender | −2 |
| salami | protein | salt 4 fat 4 umami 4 chewy silky | +16 |
| provolone | protein | fat 3 umami 3 salt 2 soft melty | +6 |
| italian dressingscored as Italian Vinaigrette (oil & vinegar) | sauce | acid 4 fat 4 salt 2 saucy wet | +23 |
| lettuce | texture | crunchy juicy fresh | +7 |
| tomato | texture | acid 3 umami 3 sweet 2 juicy soft fresh | +4 |
Points: what the Sandwich Score would lose if that one layer were left out, everything else the same. A negative number means the sandwich scores higher without it. Flavor runs 0 to 5 on each axis.
Pairings
- Salami + Provolone: italian sub spine: salami and provolone
- Salami + Italian Vinaigrette (oil & vinegar): vinaigrette cuts fatty salami, sub shop law
- Provolone + Italian Vinaigrette (oil & vinegar): sharp cheese, sharp dressing
- Italian Vinaigrette (oil & vinegar) + Lettuce: dressed greens, the sub shop way
- Italian Vinaigrette (oil & vinegar) + Tomato: vinaigrette on tomato, salad logic
How to raise it
- Judged as an italian sub: focus is not held against it.
All the sandwiches at The Brass Bear Delicatessen · The menu this was read from · Build your own in the Sandwich Builder