Denver Food Blog

After fifteen months of reviewing sandwiches, it's time to take a step back, time to consider what has passed between many, many slices of bread, time to take a break from sandwiches and offer a countdown of the ten best I've had.

It's easy to pick twenty good sandwiches, but narrowing those down to ten is hard. Still, eating all those sandwiches has given me some stomach fortitude, so here, in reverse order, are my favorite sandwiches of the past fifteen months.

​10) Spanish Ham and Cheese
Fisher Clark Deli
723 South University Boulevard, 303-722-2091
Nine bucks is a lot to spend on a sandwich, but the ingredients used here are so good and so fresh that I always find a stop is worth it. On this sandwich, I'm not sure what I like better -- the incredible, tangy-sweet onion and pear jam, or the ham and chorizo, or the soft, fresh focaccia made Bluepoint Bakery-style. Fair warning: Try to take small bites, as the meat is piled high. Yes, just try to take small bite - if you can.

​The sandwiches: Benny Mac and Persian Chicken Sandwich
What's on them: The Benny Mac is a breaded chicken cutlet, with mac-n-cheese, bacon and BBQ sauce; the Persian chicken is spiced chicken meatballs, mild roasted green chiles, lettuce and tomato, harissa and tahini.
Where to get them: Sputnik (3 South Broadway, 720-570-4503)
How much: $9 and $8

Macaroni and cheese is a meal in its own. So are chicken fingers. Shwarma is a meal in its own. So is spaghetti and meatballs, turkey and stuffing, and tortilla Española.

So why would someone take something that is already lunch or dinner and turn it into a sandwich?

​The staffers at Lenny's Sub Shop at 726 Lincoln Street watch a lot of traffic roll by their windows every day, especially at rush hour, when that traffic rolls very slowly.

So what did these enterprising sandwich makers do? They set up a little curbside stand where a Lenny's employee will hand off sub orders to anyone who calls ahead. The only problem: after two weeks, they have yet to see a customer there.

But no matter: The Lenny's crew is too upbeat to care. Besides, the manager believes she'll start seeing some business eventually, especially in the mornings, since Lenny's offers a wide range of breakfast sandwiches.

Lenny's a large Tennessee-based chain with only four spots in the metro area, but the Lincoln Street outpost is only one with a curbside stand - basically a rolling valet stand with a sign. And while some restaurant chains, like Ruby Tuesday and Outback Steakhouse, have offered curbside service for a while, most of those have a parking lot.

Lenny's, on the other hand, has a single parking meter out in front where the stand is set up, and if the curbside service eventually takes off, it could be a real traffic stopper.

​The sandwich: 'Atsa Turkey Meatball
What's on it: Sage and cranberry turkey meatballs, melted provolone and marinara sauce on a roll.
Where to get it: Larimer Hot House (2810 Larimer Street, 303-292-3008)
How much: $7 for the sandwich; $10 for a meal deal

A couple of years ago, I started my quest for the perfect meatball recipe. The idea was to make a meatball that was as good as what I'd eaten at any number of Italian joints in any number of cities across the United States.

My quest was short-lived, however. After the second recipe left me with dried-out meatballs over-filled with fennel, I gave up. The meatball seems so easy, so simple, but it is not, and I envy and admire anyone who can make a good meatball.

​The sandwich: The Fax
What's on it: Turkey, bacon, choice of cheese, lettuce, tomato, red onion, mayo and mustard
Where to get it: Fat Jack's SuperSubs (1245 East Colfax Avenue, 303-830-7827
How much: $6.99

I'm a big fan of quality. But dammit, I like quantity, too.

So the name Fat Jack's sounded more and more attractive today as I ravenously watched the lunch hour slip by, fifteen minutes at a time. And when I finally escaped the office and made it to Colfax, I wasn't disappointed.

​The sandwich: Three Sisters Club
What's on it: Roasted turkey, shaved ham, smoked bacon, red onions, cheese, lettuce, tomatoes and mayo on a Bavarian roll.
Where to get it: Three Sisters Café & Catering (1717 Stout Street, 303-991-8772)
How much: $5.95

I'm not a big fan of standing in line at lunchtime. I'm usually too hungry, in too much of a hurry and have little patience for the guy at the front who can't decide what he wants in fifteen seconds or less. So when I walked into Three Sisters Café, I was ready to turn around and walk out. The line on this first, very cold day of fall was twenty people long and doubled back on itself inside the small space. I don't know if Three Sisters is always that busy, or the crowd was the psychological reaction of an entire city switching from the light-appetizers-on-a-patio mentality to the hot-soup-for-comfort mentality -- because Three Sisters makes some killer, steaming, hearty soups.

​The sandwich: Rare Roast Beef
What's on it: Rare roast beef, grilled red onions, lettuce, tomato, horseradish havarti and aioli on a baguette
Where to get it: Cafe Options (1650 Curtis Street, 303-573-0733)
How much: $7.25

Do you believe in second chances? I do.

That's why I'll probably try a cheesesteak again, even though I can't stand them. And it's why I keep sampling sandwiches that combine roast beef and horseradish, a popular combo that's difficult to pull off, judging from the lackluster versions I've tried.

Roast beef itself can be tricky. The meat is often overcooked and can be bland or filmy or slimy or gamey. Horseradish is a delicate matter as well; it can easily overpower everything else on a sandwich, leaving even the biggest horseradish lover longing for something more.

That's what made the Rare Roast Beef at Cafe Options all the more rare. (For more on Cafe Options, see this week's story at westword.com.)

​Cheba Hut raised a toasty toast this week when a Weld County District Court judge overturned a ruling that had denied a liquor license to the sub shop's Greeley location.

In April, Robert Frick, who rules on Greeley liquor licenses, turned down the company's request, citing Cheba Hut's pot-related marketing strategy, and spanking it with this: "This restaurant is founded upon the principles and theme of the illegal drug marijuana and incorporates other illegal controlled-substance-related themes."

​The sandwich: Panama Red
What's on it: Grilled chicken breast, home-grown marinara sauce, parmesan and provolone on white, wheat or garlic "herb" bread.
Where to get it: Cheba Hut (1531 Champa Street, 720-974-1880)
How much: $6.50

A lot of people like Cheba Hut. They've been telling me it's good, strongly suggesting that I try it. But I'd been afraid to, scared that I'd like it too much, that I wouldn't be able to stop going there -- that it would lead to more, bigger sandwiches.

The truth is: It was really good, although I'm sure I'll just hit it on special occasions or with the right person.

Cheba Hut calls itself America's only "counter-culture" themed deli, and it's worth going to just for the artwork -- ´60s-style music posters and such -- the colorful decorations and the hilarious menu, which includes about thirty sandwiches named for pot. There's the Magic Mushroom, Endo, Afghani, Schwag and Pacific Blue, just to name a few.

​The sandwich: # 9 panini
What's on it: Turkey, olives, olive oil, tomatoes, cheese, portabella mushrooms on panini
How much: $7.49
Where to get it: Gourmet Corner, 830 17th Street, 650-291-6945

"Hungry?" the guy asked when I walked into Gourmet Corner, almost as if I'd have to be starving to stumble into this new and somewhat odd little joint on the corner of Champa and 17th streets. Yes, I was hungry.

Open for about two months, Gourmet Corner is a deli that also serves omelets and crepes and has a soup, pasta and salad bar. The family-owned and -operated -- according to its website -- place also offers a large selection of pastries, muffins and other baked goods.

I went with the #9 panini in part because it had olives on it, and I'm a sucker for weird.

The bad: the panini bread tasted like burnt toast and the mushrooms were decidedly not portabella, appearing to be regular mushrooms straight out of A can.

The good: The olives lent this sandwich its only unusual flavor. The sandwich itself held together and tasted decent, aside from the burnt flavor.

For previous sandwiches, see the Our Weekly Bread archive.

​The sandwich: Jalisco Torta
What's on it: Marinated steak and chicken, beans, cheese, mayonnaise, avocado, tomato and onions
Where to get it: Las Tortas (5307 Leetsdale Drive, 720-379-7269)
How much: $6.99

There's an old Mexican adage that, when translated, reads: Ain't nothing about a sandwich that can't be made better by rolling it up in a tortilla.

Oddly, Las Tortas has taken this saying (which I actually just made up) and turned it on its head. There ain't nothing about Mexican food that that can't be made better by slapping it between two pieces of toasted bread.

Tortas are nothing new, thank god. I've been eating them in Colorado and California for a dozen years or more. But unlike almost every other kind of cuisine I've sampled, I don't think I've ever had a bad one. Which makes it all that much more difficult for a tortas restaurant to stand out among a slough of other tortas shops.

​Cheba Hut, the pot-themed sub-shop chain, could open its first Denver location as early as Monday, August 10, says franchisee and store co-owner Matt Clark-Johnson, who's at the store at 1531 Champa Street making some final preparations this morning.

Although Clark-Johnson, who also owns a Cheba Hut in Boulder, had planned to open over the July 4 weekend, he had a few setbacks that made things take longer, including hurdles involved with remodeling Cheba's space in a historic building.

Another setback: Cheba won't have a liquor license as planned, at least not yet. The store will open, make some money and then apply for the permit, Clark-Johnson says.

A Cheba Hut in Greeley was recently turned down for a liquor license because a judge there objected to the Tempe, Arizona-based company's "counter-culture" theme. (The subs are "toasted," come in three sizes: four-inch Nugs, eight-inch Pinners and foot-long Blunts, and have names like Acapulco Gold, Panama Red and the White Widow.)

Clark-Johnson will have a patio, though, which could make Cheba Hut addictive.

​The sandwich: Hummus Florentine
What's on it: Scrambled eggs, spinach, homemade hummus, cheddar cheese, tomato on rosemary ciabatta
Where to get it: Duffeyroll Café (1290 South Pearl Street, 303-753-9177)
How much: $5.95

I dare you to tell me not to eat a breakfast sandwich at 2 p.m. Seriously. I dare you.

Breakfast sandwiches are one of the simplest, purest mediums in the sandwich-making sandwich arts. Breakfast comes early in the day, so it needs to be solid. But it also needs to be simple. There are fewer items involved --- typically eggs, cheese, bacon, sausage, hash browns. In fact, a breakfast sandwich is really just a breakfast plate planted between the useless pieces of toast that always come on the side (white, wheat or sourdough?).

And yet, breakfast sandwiches get little respect. They are almost always an afterthought, and there are those around town who feel that Denver truly lacks a good breakfast sammie -- a fallacy if ever there was one (take a bite of the Deli Zone's Kong, just for starters).

Still, a bad breakfast sandwich can make for a bad day, which is why a) it's so important to focus on the details, and b) I like to eat them at 2 p.m. just in case.

Duffeyroll Café makes a good breakfast, one that is as comforting as a Sunday morning under the sheets and as well-put-together as an Israeli supermodel.

So hungry, I forgot to take a picture.

​The sandwich: Meatball
What's on it: Meatballs, provolone, mozzarella
Where to get it: Luciano's Pizza and Wings (1043 Broadway, 303-446-2424)
How much: $5.65

There's something almost magical about a sandwich charred in a pizza oven. Maybe the extreme heat transforms the molecules of the bread and the meat, the sauce and the cheese, melding them together the way a lightning strike can turn sand into glass. Maybe it's the flavor that the ghosts of 10,000 slices impart, giving the sandwich a smoky, spicy taste that a toaster just can't match.

Some of the best sandwiches I've tried have been cooked in pizza ovens, sandwiches that would make my doctor shake his head and my mother weep. Italian sausage; chicken parmesan; meatballs covered in gooey provolone; mushroom and pepperoni, drenched in garlicky tomato sauce and sealed with seared and crusty mozzarella.

The sandwich: Meatloaf Sandwich
What's on it: Meatloaf, grilled onions, white American cheese, and BBQ sauce or ketchup on toasted sourdough bread.
Where to get it: Delaney's Deli (7007 West Alaska Drive, Lakewood, 303-936-3354)
How much:$6.95

Meat Loaf.

It was your mom's fallback - for good or for bad - and the bottom of the food chain for years, at least until trendy restaurants, looking to get back into comfort foods as an ironic commentary or reaction against haute cuisine, began featuring it on their menus. Bang!, on West 32nd Avenue, has made a legendary one for a decade.

Today, there are entire restaurants (Steubens stands out) dedicated to new twists on old standards: Mac n cheese, fried chicken, turkey pot pies.

But meatloaf may be the king of comfort foods. Which means that the meatloaf sandwich is the king's less ambitious, but more personable brother. Meatloaf gets the fame and the burden of the crown. Meatloaf sandwich gets the chicks and the trust fund.

Which is good for the meatloaf sandwich at Delaney's Deli because, while the loaf itself was solid if unspectacular, the flourish of the sandwich made it downright royal.

It looks like the Rib Shack, 4736 East Colfax Avenue, which was reviewed last October in Our Weekly Bread, has gone under, replaced by something called Atomic Wings.

Not that I should be surprised.

This odd looking A-frame building - possibly a former Der Wienerschnitzel - has also been home to a Chinese restaurant, a pizza place, a Caribbean wrap joint and couple of other wings-related eateries in the past few years.

What will it be next year? Check back in 2010 to find out.

The sandwich: Italian Sub
What's on it: Mortadella, capocollo, Genoa salami, tomatoes, olives, banana peppers, red onion, lettuce, provolone and Parmesan on a demi baguette with Italian vinaigrette.
Where to get it: Tony's Market (950 Broadway, 720-880-4501)
How much: $7.99 with chips and cookies; less without

Tony's Market opened to great fanfare (especially in the Golden Triangle) in late May, bringing not just another top-notch butcher to central Denver, but its reputation as a great market for all kinds of hard-to-find meats, cheeses and other delicacies.

And since it's across the street from Westword, it also opened convenient banking accounts for our staff so that we can simply deposit our paychecks into Tony's cash registers. (Now we just need a pedestrian bridge so no one gets killed running across Broadway with some fresh fruit and a loaf of bread in their hands.)

Tony's has both a restaurant and deli counter. You can get a sandwich at both, but I recommend the counter because you can customize if need be, and there is more variety (plus, it's easier to check out all the other stuff for sale while you wait).

The sandwich: Invesco Park
What's on it: Chicken breast, caramelized onions, melted pepper jack cheese, lettuce and tomato, homemade red pepper mayo on oven-roasted focaccia.
Where to get it: Intermission Café (444 17th Street, 303-825-0515)
How much: $5.49

Having a bad day? Take a break. Boss yelling at you? Pause for a moment to take a deep breath, preferably somewhere cool and dark and not too challenging.

That seems to be the theory behind the Intermission Café (motto: "Because Everyone Needs a Break"), a family-run place that opened a few months ago, serving breakfast, sandwiches, wraps, baked potatoes, salad and coffee.

Although it's located on bustling 17th Street, the café is quiet, large on the inside, and the place I would escape to if I worked in any one of the office buildings around it.

It's where I'd go by myself, or maybe with a friend -- preferably one I could bitch to about my job -- and be sure that no one would find me. It's where I'd steal away when the idea of green chile or Chinese food or pizza unsettled my already churning stomach.

The sandwich: Cee-Lo
What's on it: Country ham, turkey, bacon and Swiss on French toast-battered, waffle-grilled potato bread
Where to get it: Lakeside Waffles (4335 West 44th Avenue)
How much: $7

I've got two words for you: guilty pleasure. Or how about: hangover cure.

Either one fits the Cee-Lo, a soul-soothing sandwich that can instantly clear a headache, fill your belly and change your outlook. It's not pretty, sitting there on your plate or in a Styrofoam box, but looks don't matter when something tastes this good.

The Cee-Lo is like the girl with bad breath you keeping calling at 2 a.m. because she's the best lay you've ever had. It's like the beater you can't sell because every dent reminds you of a story. It's like the reality show that you TiVo and watch when no one else is around.

It's waffelicious.

The sandwich: Hawaiian Express
What's on it: Ham, pineapple ring, cheddar, lettuce, tomato and mayo on choice of bread
Where to get it: Katherine's French Bakery, Café and Catering (728 South University Boulevard, 303-282-5888)
How much: $7.95

If you don't do it Hawaiian style, you've never done it Hawaiian style, and if you're not planning to do it Hawaiian style, then turn away now.

But if you can get down and boogie with ham and pineapple, then Katherine's has a sandwich that you'll want to say "aloha" to: the Hawaiian Express.

The sandwich: Market Roast Beef
What's on it: Niman Ranch roast beef, horseradish sauce, cheddar and arugula on rye
Where to get it: Marczyk Fine Foods (770 East 17th Avenue, 303-894-9499)
How much: $6.99

I love markets. They're often expensive, but browsing through their awesome, gourmet stuff is part of the fun. Central Denver is blessed with several good markets, including the seven-year-old Marczyk's, the venerable Spinelli's, Fisher Clark, Parisi, Summerhill and now the brand-spanking new Tony's, right across the street from Westword.

Aside from groceries, many of these markets also feature sandwich counters. But the menu at Marczyk seemed rather limited, so I went with the Market Roast Beef, in part because roast beef is typically much better at markets than at sandwich shops (especially when the market roasts it on site -- and uses Niman beef, as Marcyzk's does), but also because I liked the sound of horseradish sauce. It's the perfect condiment for roast beef.

Roast Beef

What's on it: Mushroom, fennel, tomato, radish sprouts, all roasted and served with hummus, feta, balsamic vinegar on rosemary yam focaccia bread

Where to get it: Hi*Rise (2162 Larimer Street, 303-296-3656)

How much: $6.95

I got a chance to try five - yeah, five! -- different sandwiches at once this week when Hi*Rise, a new breakfast shop, bakery and deli in the poppin' Ballpark neighborhood -- brought them to the Westword test kitchen for sampling purposes. And I have to give them props, both in sandwich craftsmanship, menu creativity and flava.

Po'Boy

The first one I dug into was the Cajun Pork Po'Boy, a massive if mellow beast filled with juicy shredded pork covered in a purple, chunky coleslaw, apple chutney and Creole mustard. While the chutney was great, there wasn't enough to balance the pork. And the coleslaw and mustard were a bit bland. There was a little too much bread, as well. (Hi*Rise bakes its own, and it's good enough to stand on its own.)

The sandwich: Our Famous Reuben
What's on it: Corn beef, Swiss cheese, homemade sauerkraut, Dijon mustard and Thousand Island dressing on rye. Potato salad on the side.
Where to get it: Black Forest Deli (9535 West 58th Avenue, Arvada, 303-425-0265)
How much: $7

Arvada was small once, and the Black Forest Deli seems like the kind of place that would fit in better on a little "Main Street" than on busy 58th Avenue, jammed between a liquor store, a tire store and a bunch of tractor trailers. But step inside and you'll be back on Main Street - Main Street in a little German town.

German music and groceries, greeting cards and candy. German sausages, potato salads, strudel and little old ladies with German accents. It all comes together at Black Forest, which serves up a list of twenty or so sandwiches, plus soups, salads and sides.

I went with the number-one item on the menu - the one that the lady behind the counter said was the most popular sandwich - the Reuben. And it was a good one.

Thin slices of warm corn beef melded together well with the Swiss, the mustard and the dressing, but the best part was the sauerkraut. No sloppy store-bought stuff here. Rather, it was a homemade version that had a delicious and powerfully sour snap to it.

I guess I'll have to get out to the suburbs more often.

For previous sandwiches, see the Our Weekly Bread archive.

The sandwich: Club Supreme
What's on it: Roast beef, turkey, Swiss cheese, bacon, mayo, lettuce, tomatoes, vinegar, oil and spices
Where to get it: Jersey Mike's Subs (555 Broadway, 303-825-1744)
How much: $6.95 for a regular

It was 1990, and I needed a job.

Togo's, the ubiquitous and well-loved California sandwich chain, had just announced that it was opening a new store on the campus of the University of California at Santa Cruz, where I was majoring in Anthropology. A big fan of Togo's (especially their No. 24 avocado and turkey, and sometimes the No. 27 avocado and cucumber), I seemed like a good candidate for a job there. And I was, getting hired shortly after the store opened.

But things went poorly. The manager took an instant disliking toward me, despite the fact that I was a damn fine sandwich-maker, having learned how to slice tomatoes and slop mayo a few years earlier in Denver at La Petite Boulangerie and later at the Gourmet Alternative, two long-closed purveyors of meat and cheese between bread.

Why didn't she like me? I will never know. The reason she fired me? Well, let's just say it had to do with pickles. A large sandwich took five and five only. A small took three. My manager alleged one day that I had put four pickles on a small, which I may or may not have done -- I'll never tell -- and wrote me up.

A day or so later, while again working the line, a man asked me for extra pickles. Was it a setup? Maybe. But I acquiesced, and was once again spied by my manager, who hadn't heard the man's request, or who denied having heard it. Anyway, that was it. I was done.

All of this is to say that I understand what it's like to work behind the counter between noon and 2 p.m. at a place that has to turn out sandwiches faster than they can be eaten.

The sandwich: Corned Beef Brisket and Swiss
What's on it: Corned beef briskey, Swiss, mayo, mustard, onions, lettuce, tomato, pickle, oil, seasonings, hot pepper relish
Where to get it: Snarf's (1001 East 11th Avenue, 303-832-9999)
How much: $7.65

Hey! Who put the hot peppers on my corned beef brisket?

Hey! Who put the corned beef brisket in my hot pepper relish?

Yeah, I had a Reese's moment the other day at Snarf's, the Boulder-born sandwich hotspot that opened its first Denver outpost in April.

Known for its bright color scheme, Snarf's has three locations in Boulder and one in Longmont. This Denver store is tucked into a strip of Capitol Hill shops near Whole Foods and happened to be the second place in two weeks where I enjoyed hot pepper relish in a deli that incorporates a garage door into its decor. Coincidence? Maybe.

The sandwich itself was innocently described on the menu as corned beef brisket and Swiss cheese; possible sides included mayo, mustard, onions, lettuce, tomato, pickle, oil and seasonings. Oh, and hot pepper relish - which I hadn't planned on adding until my able order-taker (she had a Mom tattoo on one arm and a Grandma tat on the other) suggested it. "It's really good," she told me, with a secret sandwich look in her eyes.

The sandwich: Deluxe Club Sub
What's on it: Turkey, roast beef, bacon, mayo and a choice of numerous veggies, etc.
Where to get it: Lenny's Sub Shop (726 Lincoln Street, 303-861-1693)
How much: $6.25 for a 7.5-inch sub, $10.50 for a 15-incher

There's nothing like a warm hello and a slap on the back to make a person feel welcome, and at the Lenny's outlet that just opened in the former home of Scooter Joe's , the staff goes even further: They rang a bell when I walked in and greeted me with a series of loud cheers. Thankfully, no one actually slapped me on the back -- that would be going a little far for a sandwich shop I'd never been in before.

The sandwich: Bourbon chicken sandwich
Where to get it: Bourbon Grill (1618 East Colfax Avenue, 303-355-3821)
What's on it: Bourbon chicken, lettuce, tomatoes, mayo on a bun
How much: $5.08

So, my sister called me this morning with a sandwich tip. Bourbon Grill, she said. Check it out, or miss out.

It seemed a little sketchy, but Sarah has steered me right before, at both Buchi Café Cubanoand Carbone's, so I decided to give it a shot.

From the outside, Bourbon Grill does indeed look a little sketchy. You walk up to a hazy window and place your order either through the opening or to the impossibly old man standing in the doorway just to the right of the window. If this shack were located on a beach, in a little neighborhood or in a small town, it would be charming. On Colfax, it comes across as a place you'd probably skip.

The sandwich: Boccaccio Crostone

What's on it: Fresh mozzarella, roasted peppers, pesto and tomato on grill-pressed bread

Where to get it: Parisi (4401 Tennyson Street, 303-561-0234)

How much: $7.99

I'm a horrible American cliché when it comes to all things Italian.

I love the food, the wine, the history, the women, the scenery, the language and the entire idea of Italy - even if that idea is only part reality and a whole lot of fantasy. Italy, I always tell people (actually, I've never told anyone), is like Disneyland for adults.

And if that's the case, then Parisi is like the Disney store at the mall, a small outpost that sells all the magic and all the fantasy to a willing audience of hungry consumers. So call me Snow White, because try as I might, I eat the whole thing up every time I go there.

The sandwich: Smoke stack
Where to get it: Safeway
What's on it: Turkey, ham, fontina, tomato, lettuce and mustard on ciabatta bread
How much: $5.49

I didn't really want to review the sandwiches at Safeway; I'd rather check out a small, or at least medium-sized, business, rather than a giant supermarket company based in Pleasanton, California.

But damn if I didn't have some errands to run yesterday -- not to mention the fact that I'm lazy. And I guess that is what Safeway is relying on to keep its deli in business.

I used to like Safeway sandwiches when I lived in California, where Safeway is called Vons. They were big and fresh and good. And although the names of the sandwiches are the same in Colorado, here they are so much less than the sum of their parts.

The sandwich: Aye Conyo

What's on it: Cuban roast pork, ham, Swiss cheese, pickles, onions, mustard, pepperoni, turkey, hot peppers and Key lime mayo on Cuban bread.

Where to get it: Buchi Café Cubano (2651 West 38th Avenue, 303-458-1328)

How much: $8.75

I would like to tell you about the awesome Cuban bread that Buchi Café Cubano uses for its stylish sandwiches, but I can't. Why? Because it's a secret, so secret that the proprietress of this elegant little café wouldn't even tell me where she gets it.

"A local bakery," was all she would say, with a wide smile. "It's a trade secret."

But I can tell you about the Aye Conyo, a sandwich the menu describes as "the mother of all Cuban mixes." Aye Conyo means something like Goddamnit in Spanish, which seems appropriate for a sandwich that combines not just the typical ingredients of a Cuban -- roast pork, ham, cheese, pickles, onions and mustard - but adds pepperoni, turkey and peppers.

And, for the most part, this sandwich was Aye Conyo good. The peppers and pepperoni were a nice addition to the pork, and the bread was terrific. Next time, though, I might ask them to go a little lighter on the mustard and pickles, which stole some of the attention from the rest of the many ingredients. (If there was Key lime mayo, I couldn't taste it all.)

Still, it's hard to beat Buchi Cafe for lunch, especially when you consider how good their coffee drinks are. I had the large café con leche, and I'm not sure if I've ever enjoyed my caffeine more. Don't tell anyone else, though. It's a secret!

For previous sandwiches, see the Our Weekly Bread archive.