Make no mistake. Winnipeg’s Salisbury House Restaurant – known as Sals – isn't the Ritz or a roadside shack. It’s a chain that doles out comfort food like hot turkey sandwiches, notable for one reason: the Nip. The Nip was born when owner Ralph Erwin wanted to give customers a wee nip of Salisbury steak. Charred and soft in the middle and served on a crisp bun, its no-fuss toppings like cheese and fried onions take a bite out of the modern burger. And nothing’s better for a quick little nip.  

Salisbury House Restaurants
Various locations throughout Winnipeg, salisburyhouse.ca

The Sandwich is as European as yodelling. But export that basic bread-plus-meat equation and sometimes the result is extraordinary. A by-product of years of French colonial rule, the Vietnamese bahn mi is baguette, grilled pork, cilantro, hot peppers and shredded carrot – moist fillings inside the crunch of bread, revealing a signature flavour not found in any other form.

I’m tractor-beamed every week or so to my local bahn mi joint, Cao Thang in Montreal, where one bite has me yodelling for more.

Cao Thang, 1082 St. Laurent, 514-392-0097

People are lining up outside the Kogi Korean truck in Los Angeles to savour its Eastern take on the humble taco – a yummy base of Korean-style meats (like short rib and spicy pork), topped with kimchee-inspired salsa. They are so addictive that fans follow the truck on Twitter (@kogibbq) to find out where it is at any given time. We had some on Hollywood Boulevard and apologize to Bob Hope for spilling a drop of hot sauce on his Walk of Fame star. Thanks for the memories!

In the circle of serious sandwich eaters, there is perhaps one true maxim: A good veal Parm takes a back seat to nothing. While veal doesn’t occupy much space on fast-food menus (except for the veal sandwich that made a brief cameo at Burger King in the 1980s), it is a staple at old-school eateries. The veal Parmesan sandwich at Montreal’s Santangelo’s has just the right amount of salty smack, while Toronto has a saucier, meatier version at California Sandwiches. Just as “try the veal” is a classic jokester’s line to test the mettle of an Italian restaurant, it’s also the best way to shake down any Mediterranean-touched sandwicherie – while patting your belly.

California Sandwiches

244 Claremont St., Toronto, 416-603-3317

Sandwicherie italienne Santangelo’s Italian Deli

1650, av. Lincoln, Montréal, 514-937-7444 
 

You can call it donair, you can call it yero, you can call it gyro, but I just call it plain delicious. These hearty pita sandwiches are made with slices from a generously spiced loaf of ground beef that has been twirling on a Greek-style spit and topped with onions, tomato and, most importantly, the signature sweet tahini-like sauce (which you can also order at most Halifax pizza joints for crust dipping). Donair isn’t fancy dining, sweethearts; it’s a tasty testament to the willingness of dedicated entrepreneurs to meet the immediate demands of late-night, bring-it-on appetites. If you want to know the very essence of Canadian degustation, you need to be at Halifax’s famous Pizza Corner at 2 a.m. with that sweet, sweet donair sauce dripping down your forearm.

King of Donair

1560 Grafton St., Halifax, 902-422-0000
 

The Commonwealth of Kentucky did such a good job popularizing southern-fried chicken and slow-sipping bourbon, it’s no surprise that Bluegrassers have also made a weighty contribution to the world of signature sandwiches. The almost impossibly yummy Hot Brown Sandwich, invented by chef Fred. K. Schmidt at Louisville’s Brown Hotel in 1926, is actually more than a snack: It’s a hefty, savoury, full-on meal fit for Derby winners and honorary colonels alike. This audacious take on the leftover turkey sandwich is a broiled-until-crisp concoction of turkey, buttery white bread, bacon (of course!), cheese and mornay sauce (onion, more butter and – what else – cheese). Hot brown, hot damn. 

The Brown Hotel

335 W. Broadway, Louisville, Kentucky, 502-583-1234, brownhotel.com