Mayhem & Stout

I am always in search of a new sandwich place because I love eating sandwiches for lunch but I tend to get bored of the same few options.  Pretty frequently I type into google "best sandwiches in NY," but am generally disappointed with what I find because a lot of them have ingredients that I don't eat.  So, when I discovered two weeks ago that a new sandwich place, Mayhem & Stout, was opening near my apartment, I was immediately intrigued.

The name sounded familiar from Madison Square Eats in May, and I remembered trying one of their sandwiches and loving it.  I had forgotten about them though because they didn't have a brick and mortar shop so there was really no way for me to have their sandwich again except for at a few festivals.  To find out that they were finally opening up a shop was exciting enough on its own, but to see that it was only 10 minutes from my apartment made me ecstatic.

Since it had just opened, I figured I had to try it out and make sure that it was as good as I had remembered.  In preparation, I looked at the menu online and starting thinking of the amazing combinations of sandwiches that I could make.  The menu is great because all the sandwiches are custom made to order, so you can really have fun choosing unique combinations.  For the meats, you choose between short rib & brisket, braised pork shoulder, braised lamb shoulder, braised pulled chicken, and braised vegetarian "meat" balls.  Next, you choose from a long list of unique sauces including dragon (which is asian bbq), blueberry sriracha, chipotle mango and black cherry mustard, to name just a few.  Then, you choose the toppings and the options are spicy slaw, pickled onion, pickled celery, potato chips, onion confit, tzatziki, roasted kale, pickled vegetables, and fresh scallions & chive. You also have the option of a half or full sandwich, which gives you even more creativity because you can create two entirely different half sandwiches rather than getting a whole one with the same combination.  After imagining all of the potential combinations, I ultimately decided to get the braised pulled chicken with black cherry mustard, roasted kale and onion confit (half).

This sandwich combination was so interesting and unique, and you really can't find it anywhere besides Mayhem & Stout.  Even though it sounds like an odd combination at first, all of the elements worked really well together and created a delicious and satisfying sandwich.  I have heard of places offering raspberry mustard, but I have never heard of black cherry mustard, and it was so delicious!  The sweetness and tartness of the cherry worked really well with the mustard and neither flavor was too overpowering.  My sister also got a half sandwich, and she opted for the pulled chicken with dragon sauce and fresh scallions & chive.  She loved hers as well, but found the dragon sauce to be a bit too spicy.

Mayhem & Stout is exactly what I have been looking for in a lunch spot.  They offer really unique, delicious, and fresh ingredients and allow you to create whatever combination you want, which gives you endless opportunities.  Since it is made to order, you know that what you are getting is fresh and it hasn't been sitting around for hours like at other sandwich places.  They take something as simple as a sandwich and elevate it to something more gourmet and artisan, which I really appreciate.  You can also come here everyday and never get the same exact combination that you had the previous day, which is great.  I will definitely be back here to try out some more unique flavor combinations!

Sweet Potato & Quinoa Cake with a Summer Kale Salad

Lunches for me have always been a pretty boring meal, because I usually just end up eating a turkey sandwich.  While I do love turkey sandwiches, I was at a point where I needed to spice things up.  So, last weekend when my sister and I ran in Central Park and decided to stop at Whole Foods on the way back, I was immediately drawn to their prepared food counter.

The Whole Foods in Columbus Circle is, in my opinion, the best one in the city and has a really great selection of prepared foods.  They have a big sushi counter, pizza, hot food bar, prepared food bar, deli counter, sandwich counter, and a great bakery counter.  After looking in all of the the display cases for a while, I decided on a few small things.   Among them was a Sweet Potato Quinoa Cake with Dried Cranberries and a Summer Kale Salad which had some apples, almonds, and a light coating of a sweet dressing.

Today, I finally got around to trying both of them.  I brought it with me to work and it was the perfect lunch.  The quinoa cake is really delicious and filling.  It is basically quinoa, some wild rice, dried cranberries, and sweet potato to bind all the ingredients together in the shape of a patty.  The sweet potato taste really comes through, and it is even better when heated up.  The kale salad was also really delicious and felt very light and springy.  The kale was lightly coated in a sweet dressing, which created a perfect balance.  The apples in the salad also gave it great flavor.  Together, these two dishes were a great combination and were super filling.  After eating it, I felt like I had a really healthy and balanced meal that also tasted delicious, which was a nice change from my usual turkey sandwich!  I will definitely be purchasing both of these dishes again on my next trip to whole foods if they have them!