No one joins the Army for the food, but even career soldiers can get a little sick of carrying around bulky, tasteless Meals-Ready-To-Eat (MREs) like "Spaghetti with Meat Sauce." So Army food officials decided to create a new food for soldiers, something that can stay shelf-stable for years on end and be at least somewhat palatable. Their solution? A sandwich. A sandwich that can stay fresh for two freaking years. more ›

Michael "Mike the Butcher" Virtuoso, who owns old-school Williamsburg butcher shop Graham Ave Meats & Deli, has unexpectedly pleaded guilty to extortion charges thanks to his side business as a loanshark for the Bonanno mafia. more ›

Say it aint so! Michael "Mike the Butcher" Virtuoso, owner of Williamsburg's Graham Ave Meats & Deli, was arrested yesterday on extortion charges, thanks to his side business as a loanshark for the Bonanno mafia. But what will become of his signature sandwich?! more ›

You know what would probably make the Oscars a lot more entertaining? Adding a category that for Best Performance By A Sandwich. Because, if you look back through cinematic history, sandwiches have played some very important roles, such as fake orgasm-inducer (When Harry Met Sally) and possible symbol of betrayal (Copland). Enjoy this collection honoring the finest celluloid performances from two pieces of bread, and take a moment to reflect the next time you stop at a deli for that turkey on rye. more ›

Vinnie Goregous just isn't adjusting well to this whole "on trial for murder and racketeering" thing. First, he needed to borrow a dress shirt from the judge. Now, Vincent Basciano is unhappy with the cuisine on offer from the US Marshal, whose selection is limited to one slice of bologna on bread. Where's the beef? Fuggedaboutit! more ›

In this charming little video from Saveur, 2nd Avenue Deli manager Steve Cohen and counter man David Gonzalez—who's been working there off and on since 1978—reveal what goes into the construction of the deli's famous pastrami sandwich. Did you know that at least a half a pound of pastrami gets piled onto that bad boy? And that customers who want to soil it with mayo tend to place their orders "very quietly because they don't really want to be seen by the others"? Also, according to Cohen, this sandwich is the key to peace in the Middle East: more ›

Most of us haven't been shot, so we really can't know exactly how we'd react if we were. Would we keep calm and rational? Would we scream hysterically? New Haven resident Miguel Soto III faced just that situation after he was shot twice, near the groin and in the left leg. And he chose to eat a sandwich. Soto, 25, was shot leaving a New Haven deli on Tuesday. He went home, ate his sandwich, then asked his father to take him to the hospital. Many, many questions come to mind, but only one will keep us from sleeping tonight: what kind of glorious sandwich was it?? more ›

Denny's has decided to update its $2 $4 $6 $8 menu (which includes $2 biscuits and gravy) with this "fried cheese melt"—four mozzarella sticks intimately caressed inside an oozing grilled cheese sandwich. We haven't seen anything this transcendent since we caught that double rainbow over a Luther Burger. We immediately decided we needed to get our hands on one, and luckily the closest Denny's is just 30 miles away in Avenel, NJ, and a leisurely one mile walk from the closest New Jersey Transit station! more ›

In what Stephen Colbert is calling a "devastating setback in sandwich exploration," the Securities and Exchange Commission is trying to keep visionary Travis L. Wright from stuffing sandwiches in cans. The SEC filed a civil complaint against Wright, claiming he promised investors 24% returns on real estate investments, but put the $145 million he collected into "Candwich" technology instead. As if that was bad enough, Wright was planning on canning french toast too! more ›

Chuck Schumer clearly isn't on board with that whole salt reduction initiative if his signature lunch sandwich is any indication. Known as the "Schumwich" around his office, the beast consists of roast beef, banana peppers, pickled jalapeños, extra onions, extra tomatoes, two layers of pickles, mayonnaise and mustard on italian bread. Under no circumstances must there be lettuce, and Schumer has been known to jump down throats if there aren't enough pickles. more ›

As you may have heard, today KFC rolls out a new food product, The Double Down. It is a sandwich with two chicken fillets instead of bread slices; in between you will find two pieces of bacon, melted slices of Monterey Jack and Pepper Jack cheese and the Colonel's sauce (which is akin to mayo). The Double Down also comes with 540 calories, 32 grams of fat, 1,380 milligrams of sodium, and definitively wipes away any remaining crumbs of moderation or dignity left on the American bib. But does it live up to the hype? more ›

Not on the menu: Police in Evesham, NJ say that a sandwich shop cook deliberately placed a "body hair" in a cop's bagel sandwich because the cop had previously given him many tickets. However, Ryan Burke, who was charged with aggravated assault, told the Courier-Post, "That's ridiculous. I'm not that kind of person." more ›

After countless delays and setbacks, all New Yorkers can agree that today marks a major accomplishment at Ground Zero. Earlier today, construction workers installed a Subway sandwich shop atop a crane that will rise alongside the Freedom Tower during construction. Builders hope the high-rise hoagie store will help hardhats work more efficiently by allowing them to purchase $5 footlongs without descending from the skyscraper. The Subway will be elevated higher and higher until it reaches the 105th floor — about equivalent to the height of the World Trade Center's Windows on the World restaurant. more ›

Here's the latest installment in our ongoing quest to find a good, cheap meal that won't kill us or our budget. more ›

Technology meets lunch meats: Scanwiches features "center-cut" scans of sandwiches from cafes and delis in the Soho, Chinatown, and Lower East Side vicinity. Dare we hope for a scan of the an M&O Deli turkey sandwich, which is only offered on Tuesdays and Fridays? [Via reader Jeff] more ›

The CEO of Swich, John Gargiulo, has hipped us to a serious lunch special tomorrow at his sleek and tasty pressed sandwich shop on Eighth Avenue between 15th & 16th. All their "Swiches" and "Deconstructeds" will be sold for $.67 cents to commemorate the anniversary of the stock market crash of 1929. Gargiulo writes: "It's a crappy time for everyone out there and we thought we'd cheer NYC up! I personally would take a train for a .67 cent sandwich and I imagine many Gothamist readers would too (wait, I am a Gothamist reader). We're doing it from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. tomorrow (Wednesday) and it is sure to be a madhouse (it is between 12-1 already!)" So to beat the madhouse you'll probably want to start lining up tonight—an inconsequential sacrifice for delicious, steeply discounted panini. more ›

One Bronx man’s entrepreneurial dream of bringing subs and strippers together under one roof has finally been crushed by a federal judge. It wasn’t the timeless “sandwiches and lapdances” concept that got owner Anthony "Cousin Vinny" Agnello in trouble, but rather his appropriation of Subway brand wrappers and menus for his hybrid venture on East Tremont Avenue, which he described in a flier published by Gawker in May:

During the day, it is an extraordinary 'Subway-style submarine sandwich shop' offering the highest-quality meats along with the freshly baked bread that you would expect from the offspring of a longtime Subway Restaurant. In fact this was a Subway franchise up until May 2008 when we were disenfranchised due to politics and differences of opinion as far as marketing is concerned.At 10 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday, this seemingly harmless sub shop becomes the wildly exotic and explicit, all-nude private club 'Cousin Vinny's Little Secret.'

The Post has the latest "oh sweet Christ, what the hell is this thing in my food!?" story, and this one’s a keeper: 27-year-old John Agnesini plans to sue Subway after he found a large serrated knife baked into the bread of his 12-inch cold-cut sub. Agnesini bought it from a Subway on West 35th Street last month during his lunch break:

After taking a few bites I could tell something didn't taste right. Then I felt something hard on the bottom of the bread. I turned it over and could see the knife baked inside. It's shocking. You see this metal knife. I mean, it's one thing seeing a hair or something. If I didn't look at it, could you imagine what would happen? I could've slashed the side of my mouth.”

Midtown Lunch has a revolting review of the "spiciest sandwich in midtown": the “off the menu” Special Vegetarian at Blimpie on 46th Street. The madness starts with a standard Blimpie roll topped with crushed Doritos and American cheese. After that, “the whole thing is put in the microwave (yes, you heard me right) to melt the cheese (naturally) and then topped with almost every vegetable Blimpie offers (lettuce, tomato, carrots, onions, green bell peppers, pickled hot peppers) before getting finished off with this neon green spicy “chutney” which is fancy code for jarred habanero sauce… This sandwich need not answer to anyone!” more ›