The Street Bar, The Newbury Boston, Boston, MA USA

While I had been planning the excursion for some time, the actual event was spontaneous in of itself.

I woke up Tuesday with a desire to head to the office and enjoy my usual yogurt and fruit from Tatte for lunch – when suddenly, without warning, a heavy craving for a club sandwich settled upon me, and instantly I recalled my forever procrastinated plans of trying The Newbury’s club sandwich. It was a meal that had been highly recommended to me, but always escaped my routine, over the past two years.

Today was the day. I called my mother and we made plans to meet at 12:15.

Warm, friendly, dark, cozy, comfortable… these were simple words to describe the exuberance and ambiance The Newbury’s Street Bar provided its clientele. The congenial atmosphere and interior design lent itself well to a relaxing lunch full of catching up over a club.

And we didn’t waste time.

Within 15 minutes my mother had her cobb salad, and I was staring down at a pleasantly plated classic club sandwich, disjointed in a way. I understood why they plated the large salad separate from the main course, but the pickle splitting the two halves while the salad waited patiently to the side felt like an odd way to bring these complimentary companions together. And I just couldn’t stop staring at that pickle!

Nevertheless, it was time to allow the chef and their flavors to shine – and I took my first bite down.

Wow, solid layers of love echoed throughout The Street Bar’s Hand Carved Club Sandwich.  I immediately shared the excitement with my mother, as I praised how well the ingredients came together. Incredibly moist, juicy, and flavorful turkey. Perfectly fried eggs, not runny but not well done, added a lovely richness. Just enough bacon to add texture and flavor, but not cholesterol, to the club. I loved the lettuce bookends of each quarter, and the incredibly ripe and delicious tomato.

The bread, as simple as it was, came prepared with care and detail. Almost crouton like, it added a soft, buttery crunch that really pulled the club sandwich together. Excellent detail on this – although the middle, 3rd slice got totally lost as it hugged onto the tomato for dear life… I didn’t understand its presence, as it was soggier than its bread counterparts.

A fantastic side-salad to top this club sandwich off, it was a meal-and-a-half, and I came away thinking this was the best overall tasting hotel club sandwich I had consumed in Boston… a symphony of standard and solid ingredients, that could only be improved by better overall execution.