A sandwich at Troubadour Bread & Bistro, a sandwich shop in Healdsburg, California.
out of 100 · outstanding
Outstanding, and the road to 90 is open.
Reads as a fully realized italian sub, six of six roles on the board.
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.
hoagie roll (inferred from the name), served cold: ham; salami; mortadella (high tier); provolone; calabrian chile; red wine vinaigrette; pickled onions; arugula; olive oil.
Balance
| Axis | Value | Catalog percentile |
|---|---|---|
| salt | 2.0 | 87th |
| acid | 0.9 | 68th |
| fat | 2.8 | 75th |
| sweet | 0.3 | 32nd |
| umami | 1.8 | 63rd |
| heat | 0.0 | n/a |
| bitter | 0.3 | 72nd |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| hoagie roll (inferred from the name) | bread | soft crusty | the frame |
| ham | protein | salt 4 umami 4 fat 3 soft silky tender | 0 |
| salami | protein | salt 4 fat 4 umami 4 chewy silky | +20 |
| mortadella (high tier) | protein | fat 4 salt 3 umami 3 soft silky tender | 0 |
| provolone | protein | fat 3 umami 3 salt 2 soft melty | +5 |
| calabrian chile | not scored | ||
| red wine vinaigrettescored as Italian Vinaigrette (oil & vinegar) | sauce | acid 4 fat 4 salt 2 saucy wet | 0 |
| pickled onionsscored as Pickled Onion | acid | acid 4 pickled wet crunchy | +4 |
| arugula | bulk | bitter 2 fresh leafy tender | 0 |
| olive oil | fat | fat 5 silky smooth | 0 |
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
- Ham + Salami: salami and ham, the deli's double cure
- Ham + Pickled Onion: the cubano lesson: brine cuts cured pork
- 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) + Pickled Onion: raw onion in vinegar, the quick pickle
How to raise it
- Judged as an italian sub: focus is not held against it.
- Outstanding, not legendary: the menu does not name its bread.
All the sandwiches at Troubadour Bread & Bistro · The menu this was read from · Build your own in the Sandwich Builder