Around the World 14 - Corned Beef & Cheese - Could it get Better?

I am going Around the World on the Primantis menu, eating every sandwich, in order.

14th is the Corned Beef & Cheese, and I've known for a long time that this is a truly excellent sandwich. I've always loved corned beef, especially as a brisket, and sliced thin is just as good.

I don't know what they do to corn beef, but it's delicious.

The saltiness of the beef is the perfect item to go with cool, tangy coleslaw and the somewhat bland french fries. It all goes really well together, and the corned beef has a strong flavor that will not hide behind that of the other items. 

Turns out it's cured with rock salt, which are nicknamed "corns", Yummy rock salt.

There is an excellent umami with the richness of the beef; there is a fantastic mouthfeel. Unlike many of these sandwiches with the excellent flavor of salted meats, they definitely give you enough corned beef. There's enough there to be rather filling, and there's enough there to get the real flavor.

In fact, I usually get the corned beef when I go to the Smallman Street location. It's easy, it needs no modification, and it's excellent. 

The only issue that sometimes comes up is that you don't always get a well-put-together sandwich. It's very easy for the corned beef to get piled up right in the middle, and you have to spread it around and make sure you get some meat in every bite. Sometimes it's very easy for this thinly-sliced meat to fall apart and require some reassembly. But, if that's your biggest issue, you've got a pretty good sandwich.

It's fantastic, truly fantastic, and I can't wait to try it with egg to see if it can unseat the only thing that is objectively better than corned beef: capicola boosted by egg.

Taste: 10 It's absolutely delicious and has a strong flavor. Adding an egg might take it to 11.

Satisfaction: 8 Sometimes it gets messy and needs reassembled. It's a scattered meat.

Flavor: 10 The flavor you get is excellent. So tasty.

Enjoyable: 8 Reassembly required.

Pittsburghness: 9 Chicago is usually known for the Irish and their corned beef, but Pittsburgh once had a hockey team named the Shamrocks, so...

Ranking:

Capicola (with Egg)

Corned Beef

Capicola

Pastrami

Pittsburgher Cheese Steak

Kielbasa

Hot Sausage

Genoa Salami (Double Meat)

Jumbo Baloney

Turkey

Triple Cheese

Genoa Salami

Ham

Egg

Bacon, Egg & Cheese

Bacon

Around the World 13 - Pastrami & Cheese - delicious

I am going Around the World on the Primantis menu, eating every sandwich, in order.

13th on the list is the Pastrami and Cheese, the salty brine-cured meat is a deli classic best known in New York City at iconic establishments like Katz's Deli. It's just as delicious in the Pittsburgh treatment, but it sure isn't piled high like it is in the Big Apple.

The highest part is the bread, followed by the french fries. 

Like too many of these sandwiches, there isn't enough meat. It's not by much, but I bet this is perfect with double meat, and I honestly cannot wait to try that. The meat is wonderfully salty, the grease is ideal, and I wish there was simply more to compete with the other flavors inherent in the Primanti sammich.

It's barely visible, but the pastami is there. Make it visible!

Look, I understand that pastrami is a very expensive meat, but I would gladly pay a little more to have more meat there. Increase it by a buck and give me 150% of the pastrami there now. That would be the ideal sandwich. 

It's absolutely worth getting, but it's not what it SHOULD be. That's the whole dilemma, it could be so much better, but it's not. 

The saltiness is fantastic though, and the umami of the pastrami should not be underestimated. This is a meat that simply belongs in a setting like Primantis, and it's definitely a good, solid choice. You'll never hear me doubt someone who orders this.

Even if this time, it gave me quite the stomach ache later on, it was worth it.

Taste: 8 Put more meat on there, it will be better.

Satisfaction: 8 So close to being perfect. I'm curious what effect an egg might have, too.

Flavor: 10 The meat is delicious, when you get that flavor in your mouth, you savor it.

Enjoyable: 9 It's worthwhile. 

Pittsburghness: 7 It's so known as being NYC's meat that we definitely take a back seat.

Should I Get This Sandwich? Yes! This is never a bad choice. Probably the best sandwich to try an extra on there, which I fully intend to do

Ranking:

Capicola (with Egg)

Capicola

Pastrami

Pittsburgher Cheese Steak

Kielbasa

Hot Sausage

Genoa Salami (Double Meat)

Jumbo Baloney

Turkey

Triple Cheese

Genoa Salami

Ham

Egg

Bacon, Egg & Cheese

Bacon