Public Market, Brussels Belgium

I already gave my thoughts as to why the Europeans have a much better philosophy about food so, I'll save you another lecture from atop my soapbox. Anyway, I went to this fantastic market in the a Spanish and Italian neighborhood in Brussels today I then made my rendition of the sandwiches from Snack Sandwiches (see below). Also pictured: white peaches (my ALL time favorite fruit), garlic brined olives, and six month Manchego cheese...EPIC!

Arty photos courtesy of my new iPhone app...

Snack Sandwiches, Brussels Belgium

One of the things I love about vacations is finding spots that are not on your radar. Tommy stumbled upon this little sandwich shop and we fell in love with it. In two days I managed three meals from this humble little shop.

There are three things that make a great sandwich in my opinion:
1) Someone else makes it
2) The quality of the toppings
3) The bread (probably the most important!)
Snack Sandwiches has all three of these in spades! They are assembled by a husband and wife duo that dance around each other and prepare your lunch with love and respect. The meat and cheeses here shine but the real stars are the vegetables. Cucumber, mixed greens, roasted peppers, carrot julienne, and tomato all made an appearance on one or all of our sandwiches. All the baguettes are fresh baked in house (in fact, with our first order the bread was still hot!!!) These things are the type of sandwich I dream of. I once drove four hours to Pittsburgh to get a sandwich. I envision a day when I will have to buy a plane ticket and fly eight hours to get a salami sandwich from Therese and Dominique!

La Campanella, Paris France

La Campanella, Paris France
Brasseries are the way to eat in Paris and much of Europe. What I love about them is allow you to slow down and look at where your feet are and enjoy the moment. A leisurely lunch with friends where you enjoy several courses and coffee in the middle of the day is my idea of a break mid-day.

La Campanella is one such brasserie. Located at the foot of the Eiffel Tower, they serve typical French lunch fare: omelets, steak with frites, salads, and sandwiches. Tommy, Elizabeth, Myself and Elizabeth’s co-worker, Yan Ping sat down to lunch and were treated to a wonderful meal at this quaint little restaurant.

Tommy and I both ordered the Croque Madame. This classic French sandwich is essentially a grilled ham and cheese sandwich with more cheese bruleed on the top and crowned with a fried egg. This monster was served with frites and a simple salad. This was a filling lunch, but we were famished after a morning of taking in the Parisian sites so we were quick to eat it all.

The girls opted for paninis. Elizabeth had the ham and cheese panini and Yan Ping ordered the curried chicken version. These too were served salad and frites. All the sandwiches met approval and gave us the much needed energy to tackle a busy Louvre on a free admission Sunday!