Friday, June 17, 2011

Good Friends, Great Sandwiches - All Star Sandwich Bar

They say a good sandwich is like an old friend and old friends are usually the best friends, right? Well at All Star Sandwich Bar in Cambridge, MA that is definitely the case. Brothers Johnny and Kosta Diamantopoulos treat all their guests as old friends and serve up some of the best sandwiches in the city and beyond. I've considered them friends since my second visit to the restaurant more than a year ago and have enjoyed dozens, yes dozens of amazing sandwiches since then. It's always a pleasure to see Kosta and Johnny and the staff is ALWAYS warm, friendly and efficient. Read what I had to say about my first two visits to All Star Sandwich Bar.

As for the sandwiches, they are divine. Regular menu options are always a solid choice, especially sandwiches like the Atomic Meatloaf Meltdown, The Texas Reuben, The Po Boy and the Veggie Cubano, but the daily blackboard specials with sandwiches called the Funky and Extra Funky are what really sets the All Star sandwich apart from the rest. My very first All Star sandwich was the Extra Funky offering on February 26, 2010, a jerk grilled chicken breast sandwiched between two perfectly grilled slices of sourdough bread with jack cheese, sliced pineapple, chayote slaw and mango habanero barbecue sauce. One bite of this sandwich and I was hooked. Sandwich number two was the Atomic Meatloaf Meltdown. Number three, a Texas Reuben. Four, a fried oyster Po' Boy, and the list goes on. I'm pretty sure I've eaten at least a dozen, maybe two dozen sandwiches at All Star, many of them more than once.

Along with great sandwiches Chef Johnny also makes a popular chili and some great sides too. Hell Fries and Hell Rings are good choices, hand cut fries or onions rings dusted in cayenne and doused with delicious and spicy Inner Beauty mango habanero barbecue sauce. Gravy fries, cheese fries, chili cheese fries and poutine are available every day and blackboard special sides have included amazing scallion and jalapeno hush puppies with Tabasco remoulade, fried hearts of palm with goat cheese and marinara, and curried chickpea-battered fried cauliflower with mint yogurt dipping sauce.

Once a great local find, this place has been put on the national map as a destination for serious and casual eaters alike. Chef Johnny can be seen on how2heroes demonstrating some skills in the kitchen and this Monday night, June 20, at 10pm, All Star Sandwich Bar will be featured on the relatively new Food Network program, Meat and Potatoes with Rahm Fama. Chef Fama and his crew were at All Star back in March to film and Chef Johnny made a special Extra Funky sandwich that day, the Rahm Fama Lama Ding Dong with Dr. Pepper braised short ribs, fried cheddar, and sweet potato bacon mash, I was there and it was GREAT!

Rahm Fama and Kosta talking Sandwiches
Kosta and Rahm Fama

Chef Johnny making an Atomic Meatloaf Meltdown for the camera
Chef Johnny at All Star Sandwich Bar

Tune in Monday night to see the whole show. Now enjoy some of the great sandwiches and sides I've had at All Star Sandwich Bar:

Extra Funky - Rahm Fama Lama Ding Dong
Dr. Pepper Braised Short Ribs, Fried Cheddar, Sweet Potato Bacon Mash
The Rahm Fama Lama Ding Dong Extra Funky

Texas Reuben
Texas Reuben at All Star Sandwich Bar

Fried Oyster Po' Boy
Fried Oyster Po' Boy at All Star

Chile Relleno Burger 
Homemade chorizo sausage, fried poblano pepper, corn salsa, pepper jack on grilled brioche.
All Star Chile Relleno Burger

Extra Funky - Guava Pasilla Chile Braised Pork Shoulder 
with Jack Cheese, Crispy Fried Poblano Peppers, Avocado, Pico De Gallo
Sweet Corn Queso Fresco Crema on Grilled Sesame Telera Bread
Extra Funky at All Star Sandwich Bar


Hell Fries
Hell Fries

Rings of Fire
Rings of Fire at All Star

Fried Hearts of Palm with Goat Cheese and Marinara
Fried Hearts of Palm

Crispy Fried Chickpea Battered Cauliflower with Mint Yogurt Dipping Sauce
Curried Chickpea Battered Fried Cauliflower

Fried Green Beans with two Dipping Sauces
Fried Green Beans


All Star Sandwich Bar
1245 Cambridge Street
Cambridge, MA 
Ph. 617.868.3065
http://www.allstarsandwichbar.com

7 comments:

  1. Um did you say fried cheddar? I think I just drooled over my keyboard. I've seen commercials for the Food Network show! So cool that All Star Sandwich Bar will be featured! I feel lucky to live in Cambridge and have access to so many good places like this.

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  2. I lived in Inman Square for two years and went to All Star nearly every week. Agree, Johnny and Kosta are great guys and the menu just keeps getting better. Those pictures are incredible. Here's my review from a recent visit: http://popbopshop.blogspot.com/2010/01/dining-out-all-star-sandwich-bar.html

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  3. Hi Bianca, yes...FRIED CHEDDAR! The picture above does not really do it's size justice. No joke it was at least 3/4 of an inch thick! My taste buds wishes I lived closer to Cambridge, my wallet is happy I'm living where I am.

    Hi Molly, it is such a great neighborhood! Great review you have there too, although I wouldn't consider that so recent any more. I love the hush puppies!

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  4. I'm pretty sure I've eaten 50-100 sandwiches there! :) I've lived right around the corner for 5 years now (in three different places). It's my favorite spot in the area to get takeout. The tuna melt and the BLT are among my go-tos, but like you, I truly enjoy the specials. I feel like they sometimes put together the craziest combinations and come up with an incredible sandwich! I cannot wait for their pizza place to open.

    Hope you're doing well!

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  5. Hi Megan, I have not tried the tuna melt or the BLT I remember you telling me about them when I wrote about Emma's BLT. I always have good intentions of getting a BLT when I walk into All Star but I am always seduced by the Extra Funky! I too am psyched for All Star Pizza. Johnny and Kosta are great guys and I'm psyched for them. They should create a challenge pie to bring Adam Richman and Man v Food back to town!

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  6. it looks delicious, I wish I could taste them

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  7. Yum!! I would like one of each of the last four dishes, please.

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