Next best option to Nick's Roast Beef Sandwich inside Boston/Cambridge

[Annie S.]

From what I can tell Nick's is the place for a roast beef sandwich. Unfortunately I don't have the time to get up that way. I've been searching the board but I've not been able to figure out the best place to go inside Boston/Cambridge area for a facsimile to Nick's. Any ideas for a destination worthy roast beef? Futile pursuit?

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Nick's Roast Beef
139 Dodge St, Beverly, MA 01915

[nsenada]

A bit off the beaten path, but I just had a roast beef sandwich from Inna's Kitchen - it was awesome. It was a special on the board, and came on a brioche roll with horseradish sauce. Beef looked like they had cooked it, and it was medium-rare and sliced thin. Definitely going back for the knisches - they looked amazing.

[Fly]

I'm sure it was a tasty sandwich with roast beef, but this was not a Roast Beef Sandwich as requested by the OP.

[nsenada]

It was pretty close - about the only major difference was the roll, otherwise it had rare, homemade roast beef, thinly sliced, and horseradish sauce (one of the offered toppings at Nicks, which I've been to a number of times). Also, the OP didn't say it had to be exactly like Nick's, or even a traditional North Shore RB sandwich.

[nsenada]

I would bet La Grassa could do something similar - they roast their own beef, for one thing, and they don't stint on the quality of their ingredients. I always get a cuban, pastrami, or brisket when I'm there, so I never get RB. The beef at Nick's is blessed by the gods, though - so tender, rare, and thinly sliced...

[sunalso]

Try the roast beef sandwich at Baker Street Market in West Roxbury. They make it with sauce and mayo, served warm on a toasted onion roll. That's the large, and I love that they have small and medium too, but on different rolls. Really yummy.

[Soxfan49]

My favorite roast beef sandwich in the Boston area is Cutty's in Brookline Village; tender roast beef, crisp shallots, and a perfect amount of sauce.

[Gabatta]

Great sandwich. Definitely not a traditional RB like Nick's as is being discussed in any way though.

[CookieLee]

I don't know what makes Nick's unique. There is Roast Beast on the corner of Comm Ave and Naples Rd. in Packard's Corner. Here's a thread about it:
http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/771557

[Libbypizza]

Roast Beast. Their beef is very good but they don't have the right kind of BBQ sauce. Just sweet BBQ and then some crazy spicy sauces and mayos. A N. shore RB is not the same without James River BBQ deliciousness.

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Roast Beast
1080 Commonwealth Ave, Boston, MA 02215

[BobB]

Having never been a fan of BBQ sauce, I don't consider it an essential element of the classic roast beef sandwich, so I give high marks to Roast Beast. I take mine with horseradish (not horseradish sauce, mind you, straight horseradish).

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Roast Beast
1080 Commonwealth Ave, Boston, MA 02215

[Locutus]

O Boy! My favorite subject :) I think you will find it superiour to Nicks. Also try the fried clams. They put the N Shore clam joints to shame

Mikes Roast Beef
Rt 99 Everett across from the honda dealer

[emannths]

Can anyone give a reasonable explanation on how fried clams and roast beef got paired up? As a non-native, this pairing has always seemed a bit odd.

[Dave MP]

A google search found this article: http://gastrotraveling.com/2010/04/11...

It suggests that it's because of Kelly's Roast Beef - "Creator of the Original Roast Beef Sandwich." They popularized the combination of roast beef sandwiches and fried clams on the North Shore

[itaunas]

Dave there have been a couple of newspaper articles in past years with some history of Roast Beef shops particularly from North Shore sources.. The Globe one referenced in the post below is the only one I can find now (have some articles on a hard drive stuck in customs) and as they have since made it subscription based, I will mention you can still find the complete article elsewhere via google.

http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/4322...

Certainly Kelly's had an influence, but the Greek heritage of the immigrants which opened RB shops had in influence -- not only in overlap with seafood businesses, but diners which all serve fried seafood. Also at one time just about any sub shop in general had fried haddock on the menu. The weird combination for me is fried fish and donuts which does exist, although assuming they change the fryer oil nothing wrong with that. :-)

[Gabatta]

Skampa in Cambridge is probably the best option for a traditional roast beef in the city. It's worth a visit.

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Skampa
424 Cambridge St, Cambridge, MA 02141

[Annie S.]

Thanks, I did see Skampa recommended but wasn't sure if it was done in a similar style (or what that traditional style is exactly) as Nick's. After reading some more it sounds like BBQ sauce is pretty standard on a roast beef sandwich.

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Skampa
424 Cambridge St, Cambridge, MA 02141

[Gabatta]

A classic North shore 3 way roast beef comes with sauce, cheese and mayo. The BBQ sauce is generally James River type sauce which has a bit of a distinct flavor.

[hckybg]

Gabatta, have you been to JImbo's near Union Square, Somerville? I haven't been in several years but always thought it was pretty good. But I'm curious if it compares to Skampa, where I also haven't been.

[Gabatta]

Haven't been to Jimbo's. Skampa is good, not great, but better than anything I have had in town. The Roast Beast sandwich is good, but not very traditional IMO.

[hckybg]

Thanks!

[Small Plates]

Jimbo's is fantastic! My husband, who grew up in Swampscott and feels he and his high school friends have a certain authority on roast beef, says that Jimbo's is very, very good. His favs include Mike's on Route 99, John's on Route 107 in Lynn - and another I forget, but I will report back on after I speak to him. Jimbo's toasts the roll, which is key! :)

[Annie S.]

Alright well I made it to Skampa this afternoon for a Super Beef. First meal here after the red eye from SFO. I enjoyed it fine but I could pretty much take it or leave it. I was slow on the uptake and ended up with every fixing save pickles, so the overall experience was not totally unlike eating an especially sloppy California burger + bbq - not necessarily a bad thing. It would have been nicer a bit warmer. It's what I wish an Arby's sandwich was - fast, cheap, jumbo, sloppy, satisfying but ultimately just so so food. Instead, Arby's is just awful and Skampa's seems fine for what it is. No regrets. Thanks for the rec. I saw some Brazilian restaurants in the neighborhood I'm curious about.

Tomorrow I conquer sandwich #2: the lobster roll at Neptune Oyster. I will be there tryna blend in at off hours so as not to displace the locals.

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Skampa
424 Cambridge St, Cambridge, MA 02141

[Locutus]

You should have gone to Mikes. All other RB sands. suck compared to mikes

[GretchenS]

Thanks for the report, hope you like the lobster roll MUCH better.