A sandwich at Sprankles Deli, a deli in Benicia, California.
out of 100 · excellent
Excellent, with one move worth +14.
Uncharted, six of six roles on the board.
Holding the summit: a focused, restrained build
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.
toasted sourdough roll, toasted: roast beef; mortadella (high tier); mild coppa (high tier); mozzarella; italian dressing; onions; tomato; pepperoncinis; lettuce.
Balance
| Axis | Value | Catalog percentile |
|---|---|---|
| salt | 1.8 | 82nd |
| acid | 1.3 | 81st |
| fat | 2.4 | 60th |
| sweet | 0.2 | 24th |
| umami | 1.7 | 59th |
| heat | 0.3 | 75th |
| bitter | 0.2 | 65th |
99 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| toasted sourdough rollscored as Sourdough | bread | soft chewy crusty | the frame |
| roast beefscored as Beef | protein | fat 3 umami 3 juicy chewy tender | −8 |
| mortadella (high tier) | protein | fat 4 salt 3 umami 3 soft silky tender | −9 |
| mild coppa (high tier)scored as Capicola (coppa) | protein | salt 4 fat 4 umami 4 silky chewy tender | −13 |
| mozzarella | protein | fat 3 soft springy melty | −3 |
| italian dressingscored as Italian Vinaigrette (oil & vinegar) | sauce | acid 4 fat 4 salt 2 saucy wet | +9 |
| onionsscored as Onion | texture | sweet 2 crunchy juicy fresh | +1 |
| tomato | texture | acid 3 umami 3 sweet 2 juicy soft fresh | +15 |
| pepperoncinisscored as Pepperoncini | acid | acid 4 salt 2 pickled crunchy wet | −4 |
| lettuce | texture | crunchy juicy fresh | +10 |
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
- Beef + Onion: onions sweeten seared beef, philly style
- Mortadella + Pepperoncini: pickled pepper bite against soft spiced pork
- Mozzarella + Tomato: caprese core: milky against sweet acid
- Italian Vinaigrette (oil & vinegar) + Onion: raw onion in vinegar, the quick pickle
- Italian Vinaigrette (oil & vinegar) + Tomato: vinaigrette on tomato, salad logic
- Italian Vinaigrette (oil & vinegar) + Lettuce: dressed greens, the sub shop way
How to raise it
- Between you and 90: a focused, restrained build (0.06 short).
All the sandwiches at Sprankles Deli · The menu this was read from · Build your own in the Sandwich Builder