Marble Lane wins Food Network’s 2012 NYC Sandwich Showdown

The winning sandwich: Marble Lane’s Kobe Patty Melt.
(photo by Francis Chin / Meniscus Magazine)

Steps away from Food Network’s Manhattan headquarters lie the Highline Stages which, on Oct. 14, transformed into an extravanganza of sandwiches – be it on potato roll, baguette or hoagie – as part of the 2012 Food Network NYC Wine & Food Festival, a four-day culinary charity benefit.In the end, it was a beef patty and melted cheese between two slices of toast – which would have been well at home at the sister Burger Bash competition on Friday – that took home $5,000 and the title of Sandwich Showdown Champion. Marble Lane’s deluxe edition of a patty melt utilized the unctuousness of U.S. Kobe beef, melted white cheddar and sauteed mushrooms between generous griddled wedges of white bread.

The competitors’ creations fell under two categories: enhanced editions of traditional favorites or fanciful combos of their menu in sandwich format. Phil’s Tavern produced a premium Philly cheesesteak that was marked by flavorful sliced beef, mushrooms and cheese sauce made from scratch. Xe May Sandwich Shop put on “The Lam’bretta,” a coconut curry lamb Vietnamese-style banh mi sandwich that this writer favored. Luke’s Lobster faced the upstart Capital Grille in lobster rolls. Capital Grille’s rendition was more generous, but Luke’s claw meat did not have the excessive mayonnaise of the former, filler vegetables or meat bits. Some items were challenging to eat even with two free hands, including a country ham biscuit from Egg and a creation from La Superior called Pambazo, which included adobo and crumbled cheese and chorizo meat with a marinated radish salad.

Food Network personality Jeff Mauro hosted the competition, whose winner was determined solely by audience voting.  The Food Bank For New York City and Share Our Strength, charities that address hunger, were also presented with a donation of $258,000, all the net proceeds from the event.

Photo Gallery: Sandwich Showdown with Food Network’s Sandwich King, Jeff Mauro
all photos by Francis Chin / Meniscus Magazine