Categories
Dublin Dining

Dublin Dining: Beef brisket sandwich, Green Bench Café

Dublin Dining chronicles my food & drink experiences during six months living in Dublin, Ireland.

Brisket sandwich, Green Bench Cafe
Sandwich with spicy slow-cooked beef brisket, avocado, tomato relish, coleslaw, and mixed baby leaves

I’ve been hearing rave reviews of Green Bench sandwiches for weeks now – the queue outside at lunchtime is supposedly one of the longest in the city. This week, I was fortunate enough to be included in a group order picked up by someone else, so my extraordinary lunch came queue-free. A generous pile of shredded beef brisket anchored the sandwich, with just a touch of heat in its marinade, and the coleslaw was a crunchy foil to the tender meat. Avocado and tomato relish are already two staples in my Irish diet, so they were welcome additions. I was prepared for the sandwich to be rather messy, but the well-toasted bread somehow held up to the all the fillings.

The details: Green Bench Café, 18 Montague St., Dublin 2, Ireland.

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Categories
Best Bites Chicago

2013 Best Bite #16: Half and half sandwich, Smoque BBQ

Each day in December, I’m celebrating the rest of the best bites (and sips) that I didn’t get to blog about in 2013, posted in chronological order. Browse all of this year’s Best Bites, or look back at 2012’s Best Bites.

 1/2 brisket,1/2 pork sandwich with mac 'n' cheese and slaw
1/2 brisket,1/2 pork sandwich with mac ‘n’ cheese and slaw

Why it’s another 2013 Best Bite: Tucked away in Irving Park, Smoque is one of Chicago’s most beloved barbecue institutions, and it just happened to be on my way home after an exhausting bout with the DMV. I was so, so glad that they offered a sandwich with half pork and half brisket – in fact, I think it should be mandatory for all barbecue joints – and still can’t decide which meat I preferred. Both were smoky and tender, with just enough crispy charred bits, and both soaked into the soft bun with a moderate topping of tangy sauce. Suffice it to say that I won’t wait until my next DMV trip to do a little more research.

The details: Smoque BBQ, 3800 N. Pulaski Rd., Chicago.