2014 Best Sandwiches in America: Meatloaf

Winner: Chorizo Meatloaf Sandwich
 
Restaurant: Bing’s, Seattle

Sandwich creator: Owner George Marshall

Inspiration: “My wife and I bought this restaurant three years ago. Older customers were pissed when I took the old meatloaf off the menu. So I put one back on, but with a twist. People absolutely love it.”

Key ingredients: Bacon-wrapped chorizo meatloaf, deep-fried Brussels sprouts tossed in honey sriracha and dusted with cumin and cilantro, chipotle cheddar grits, caramelized onions on Francese bread

Why it’s special: The chorizo is an unexpected twist.

Price: $13

Food cost: 25 percent

What others are saying: “Customers threaten us to never take it off the menu.”

What the judges said: It takes a death wish or insanity to take over an existing restaurant and then put a bullet in a menu item that is beloved by long-time customers. And the Marshalls were nearly run out of town until they came up with a new meatloaf recipe that tamed the angry mob. Perhaps insanity is the culprit here because who would think of replacing standard meatloaf with a version that consists of chorizo, Brussels sprouts and grits? As our pal Hunter S. Thompson once said, “If you’re going to be crazy, you have to get paid for it or else you’re going to be locked up.” The price of insanity? $13 a sandwich.

Honorable mentions

• The MacLaurin: The Dean’s List Restaurant, Boston
• Meatloaf Patty Melt: Good Foods to Go, West Berlin, NJ
• Grassfed Meatloaf Sandwich: Second Home Kitchen Bar, Denver

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