The editors of DuJour will admit it: We’re really excited for Thanksgiving (as evidenced by our enthusiastic coverage of the holiday). So we decided to celebrate a little early by indulging in some of New York City’s best Thanksgiving-style sandwiches…and then graded them in an extremely unscientific taste test (below). We assessed each sandwich’s presentation, ease of eating, price, turkey quality and all the trimmings, and then came up with an overall score. If this doesn’t get you in the mood for Thanksgiving, we’re not sure what will.
Read our round-up, from worst to best.
1. THE UNDERWHELMER
From: CHAT ‘N CHEW, 10 E. 16th St, NYC
Description: Fresh roast turkey, stuffing, cranberry sauce and mayo on ciabatta
Presentation: B+
Ease of Eating: D
Price: $14
Quality of Turkey: A-
All the rest: D
OVERALL: C
Comments:
“It feel like a generic turkey sandwich with some stuff on it”
“What’s the lettuce doing here? And why is it warm?”
“Poor filling ratio: too much turkey and mayo, not enough of everything else”
Note: The sandwich is available year-round.
2. THE SEMI-SUCCESSFUL SURPRISE
From: MOMOFUKU MILK BAR; various NYC locations
Description: White meat turkey, dark meat turkey, gravy and cranberry sauce, stuffed inside croissant dough
Presentation: B
Ease of Eating: A-
Price: 3 for $14
Quality of Turkey: B
All the rest: B-
OVERALL: B
Comments:
“Too much croissant; not enough contents”
“This grease can’t be good for my arteries”
“I’d skip this and get Milk Bar cookies”
3. THE MORE SWEET THAN SAVORY
From: CARVE, 760 8th Ave., NYC
Description: fresh turkey, apple stuffing, cranberry mayo, cranberry sauce (the kind from a can) on ciabatta roll
Presentation: B+
Ease of Eating: B-/C+
Price: $9
Quality of Turkey: A
All the rest: B-
OVERALL: B
Comments:
“Stuffing is a little too wet and too sweet… it needs to to be salty and savory too”
“When you try to eat a half with one hand, some of the contents of sandwich ooze out the sides like toothpaste”
“Good ratio of ingredients; turkey is fresh, moist and flavorful”
Note: The sandwich is available year-round.
4. NO FRILLS BUT FLAVORFUL
From: COSÌ, various locations
Description: Roasted turkey medallions, stuffing and cranberry sauce
Presentation: C
Ease of Eating: A
Price: $8
Quality of Turkey: B
All the rest: B+
OVERALL: B+/B
Comments:
“Very flavorful cranberry sauce”
“A good stripped down, everyday sandwich”
“The stuffing is tangy in a good way”
5. THE GENIUS OF GREEN BEANS
From: CERTÉ, 20 W. 55th St, NYC
Description: Turkey meatloaf, cranberry ketchup, stuffing and green bean casserole on an onion roll with a side of gravy
Presentation: C
Ease of Eating: B+
Price: $9
Quality of Turkey: B+
All the rest: A
OVERALL: A-/B+
Comments:
“Untraditional yet unbelievably delicious”
“I’m never eating a sandwich without green bean casserole on it again”
“The only meatloaf I’ve ever liked”
6. THE ULTRA-COMPETENT CLASSIC
From: LENNY’S, various NYC locations
Description: Fresh oven roasted turkey with stuffing, cranberry sauce and turkey gravy
Presentation: A-
Ease of Eating: B+
Price: $8
Quality of Turkey: B+
All the rest: A
OVERALL: A-
Comments:
“A bit soggy”
“Salt on the turkey nicely balances the cranberry nicely”
“Very filling; feels like authentic comfort food”
Note: The sandwich is available year-round.