When a sandwich gets serious

Midtown deli features house-made ingredients & sandwiches with substance

Trenchers Delicatessen opened its doors in the small strip mall on 27th and Harvard, down the row from the dearly-departed Steve’s Sundry. Owned by Zach and Melinda Curren, who also operate the uber-popular coffee shop Shades of Brown, the new sandwich mecca is introducing Tulsans to the “trencher,” a medieval meal of a hollowed-out slice of bread that is loaded with various ingredients.

The latest marketing trend for many restaurants is to describe items on their menu as “homemade.” You’ll see many menus speckled with words like “house made” or “artisan” to make a dish seem more enticing. But if Triscuits can be “artisan” and TGI Friday’s has “house made" spicy aioli, these adjectives have been rendered meaningless. When I see the words “from scratch,” my cynicism rears its ugly head, but lo, my faith has been restored—in a tiny sandwich shop in Midtown. Every slice of bread or meat, each dollop of mustard is made in house. And you get to see the magic happen the moment you walk in.

The quaint space has maybe ten tables, and is more cozy than cramped. The majority of the space is occupied by the open kitchen, which gives it a short-order-diner feel. Three or four people work like synchronized swimmers behind the counter, kneading dough, grilling sandwiches and mixing up fresh salads for the deli case.

Each lunch sandwich is $10 and is served with a blend of potato, sweet potato and beet chips. Trenchers offers a line-up of classics like the Italian roll with roast beef, spicy tomato chutney, arugula, caramelized onions and basil; or the Dutch crunch, with turkey, avocado mayo, baby Swiss and microgreens. More exotic choices include the chicken tawook with garlic marinated grilled chicken, roast tomatoes, wild cucumber pickles and toum (raw garlic puree) on flatbread. One may also build a sandwich, choosing from all their meats, cheese, toppings and breads (also available by the loaf).

When you go to a steakhouse, you order the steak. Trenchers namesake is piled high with Carne Ninha d’Alhos (pork shoulder braised in wine) and spicy mustard inside a hefty slice of house-made Italian bread. The star of this open-faced monster is the succulent pork and the aromatic steam. This knife-and-fork sandwich was composed of simple ingredients — meat, bread, mustard; yet somehow, the whole was greater than the sum of its parts. The flaky crust of the Italian bread, the layers of flavor in the pork and the addictive hot mustard reminded me that less really can be more.

When visiting a new sandwich joint, the Reuben serves as my litmus test. The corned beef can be problematic, prone to being overly-salty, fatty and gristly. Each bite of Trenchers version was the perfect morsel. Hefty slices spilled from the bread seductively, with sauerkraut scantily on top. Reuben fans, I highly recommend Trenchers as your new go-to.

Breakfast begins at 7 a.m. Try the breakfast sandwich ($8) with sausage, a fried egg, hollandaise and sautéed greens, nestled inside a glorious homemade English muffin. All breakfast items are $8 and are served with grilled potatoes and onions. I was pleased to find the coffee options various.

The Trenchers deli case is filled with various made-in-house salads, like egg and tuna, tabouli and eggplant caponata. I sampled the Caesar ($8), which was a vibrant mix of little gem and Brussels leaves, a verdant foil to the tangy, garlicky Caesar dressing. Don’t overlook the desserts, especially the chocolate chip cookie.