All Star Sandwich? Any new updates?
Buzz on this place has just about died out. I was wondering if any recent diners have been more satisfied with the epxerience, especially the service issues.
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andytee
Feb 17, 2007 01:42 PM
I've had lunch there 4-5 times and have been happy every time. Service is fine for a sandwich bar, not perfect, but friendly and polite. Sandwiches are great - I've had the Cubano, Pastrami, Beef on Weck, and a few others, and I've liked the soups I've had too - especially a good fish chowder one day.
I've never been for dinner, just casual lunches, but I'm a big fan of the place so far.
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I work in Kendall Sq and eat at the All-Star at least once a week. So far the highlights for me are the fish po' boy on Fridays- not too greasy, good batter on the fish, good spicy aioli, and the meatloaf - great spicy onion chutney, good meatloaf. a little greasy but delicious.
One day they had a fried chicken, american cheese and applesauce sandwich on white bread... I would eat this every day, and die happy.
The fries and chili are also not to be missed.
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I've just started a job at five minutes' walk from ASSB (after having waited forever for the place to open, then somehow never getting over there--I blame Emma's). I went in four days this week for the half sandwich plus soup or salad. Wish you weren't restricted to "half sandwich of the day"--once it was even the same sandwich two days in a row (I opted for a bowl of kale soup the second day--delicious, incidentally). This week it'll be time to start trying whole sandwiches. Counter staff has been nice, take-out wait short, lunch crowd respectable in size and cheerily pan-Cambridge in aspect. (They do have a veggie sandwich of day now, to address a complaint on an earlier thread.) And it's a perfect pairing with Christina's, of course. I believe it will stay.
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i too bitched and moaned early on, but they have pretty much cleaned up their act. in my opinion, the food was never the problem: it was the service and order taking that was screwed up, along with a kitchen staff that just seemed to mill around. someone cracked the whip and things are much improved
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The problem with the All Star muffaletta is that it's made fresh and served on scali bread. A real muffaletta is made in advance on a big round loaf, then wrapped in plastic and pressed to marry the flavors. All Star's muffaletta ends up being limp and soggy, with the flavors too scattered, not truly married to one another.
BK
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I found photos of ASSBAR muffuletta here:
http://www.roadfood.com/Reviews/Photo.aspx?RefID=4282&PhotoID=8674And the original fron central Grocery here:
http://www.roadfood.com/Reviews/Photo...›1 Reply-
re: hargau
Harp00n
Jan 14, 2007 08:29 AM
Wow, thanks for the legwork, "hargau". I've had a Central "Muff" but twice. At 6'3" & well...let's just say 200#'s is WAY back in the rear views, it's a daunting sandwich. Like the plop, plop, fizz, fizz sez; "I can't believe I ate the whole thing!" It's one of those Hound travel memories that is absolutely hard-wired.
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I've had the muffaletta and did not find it particularly great. However, never having the real thing, it's hard for me to judge.
Two large pieces of bread, about 3 slices of meat and a layer of the olive salad about the same thickness as 3 slices of meat. Ratio of bread to meat in inches: 4 to .125
My other visits to ASSBAR have been excellent. Texas Reuben and Pastriminator + gravy fries + beer. An excellent combo.
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I've eaten there twice with mixed results. The beet sandwich and beef on weck both left me feeling underwhelmed - the beef being dry and the beets a tad mushy. The clam chowder was wonderful - really rich and creamy with tons of clams in the soup. The mac & cheese is great as well. My favorite though so far has been Elsie's roast beef, which is my new favorite guilty pleasure.
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I've been 3 or 4 times in the past month, usually in the midafternoon on a weekday, and the service has been consistently excellent. Everyone inside is super friendly, and on all occasions the staff has been particularly attentive.
I've had the beef on weck a couple of times, which I love, but my favorite is the texas reuben. And I always get the chili and the sweet pickles, which are both always outstanding.
What strikes me about these sandwiches is that they actually taste BETTER with each bite -- and no matter how full you are at the end of the meal, the last few bites are somehow the best. There are few other sandwiches where I've had the same experience (Darwin's Story comes to mind).
Clearly, I'm still a fan of the place.
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re: wags
tatamagouche
Jan 11, 2007 10:41 AM
Much of the excitement, for me, stemmed from the sheer variety (in contradiction to my usual feeling about jack-of-all-trades menus). Are you suggesting that the switch to the current smaller selection was a smart move? and/or Has the place in fact improved?
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re: tatamagouche
No -- actually, that's the biggest problem I have with the place. Last time, the two or three sandwiches I wanted were not available, and I ended up getting the Beef on Weck. I do wish they had the full menu every day, and ultimately the fact that they don't may prevent me from going as much as I might have.
Can't really comment on improvement, since the first time I went was about a month ago.
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okra
Jan 10, 2007 08:03 PM
I wasn't impressed with my Beef on Weck... the jus from the beef soaked through the Weck, leaving me with one of those soggy beef messes that falls apart in your hands, and you end up eating with a knife & fork? That was about a month ago, I haven't been back. Drove by there today though, ~ 1pm, and there were plenty of people there...
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re: okra
I've had the beef and weck a number of times (both in-house and take-out) but never encountered that problem. It's always been served in a "french dip" style to avoid any sogginess. The bread, especially the top, comes out incredibly crispy, almost crunchy.
The Beef on Weck is on the permanent menu, so it's there every night, at least until they run out.
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BarmyFotheringayPhipps
Jan 10, 2007 06:48 PM
A friend of mine who works in Kendall Square says he eats at ASSBAR (love that acronym) at least twice a week, and has never had the horrible seating/order problems people were complaining of early on.
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I was there a couple of weeks ago on a weeknight after a failed attempt at reaching Chez Henri's for a cubano -- parking was impossible. Parking in Inman went much better and since I was in a specifically sandwichy mood, All-Star's it was.
There were only a few other patrons there so no wait and fine service. And the meals were just as expected -- my cubano was not CH quality but more than adequately kicked the craving. DC's mahi mahi with some kind of fruity relish was also solidly prepared, and the fries it came with were crispy and hot and delicious. Oh, the houndly highlight of the meal was the clam chowder we shared -- smoky, bacony, clammy, creamy, thick enough without being gluey. If I lived in the neighborhood, I'd definitely eat there more often for just that kind of casual meal with a decent beer to wash it down.
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I've been 3 or 4 times in total, and while my first visit, about a month after they opened, was a bit of a zoo, I still only waited about 15 minutes to be seated, and have never experienced the kinds of disasters that I've read about on the board. All in all I've had numerous excellent sandwiches, terrific fries, and a very good burger, and would not hesitate to go back.
BK
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re: tamerlanenj
Link to my review of the burger here:
http://www.chowhound.com/topics/343039
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)BK
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hiddenboston
Jan 10, 2007 05:04 PM
The All Star Sandwich Bar? Is that place still around? :-D
I've driven by it a couple of times lately and it looked pretty empty. I liked it the one time I went, but it is what it is (a sandwich joint). Personally, I'd rather go to Barry's in Waban or Strip T's in Watertown for my sandwich fix.
