The best sandwiches
by Eric Jackson
In 'proper Spanish' they are 'emparedados,' but in Panamanian Standard Spanglish
the preferred word is 'sandwich,' named after the English earl who wanted finger
food to eat while he was gambling. Panama City has a great selection.
The US-based chains have a strong presence, particularly when it comes to burgers.
McDonald's is well nigh ubiquitous, and you won't have to look too hard to find
a Burger King and can also find Wendy's here. Kentucky Fried offers but one
of the chicken sandwich options. Subway's is an up-and-coming power in Panama's
lineup of fast food franchises.
However, the American chains haven't run the competition off
the field. Niko's in particular has won a major share of the city's lunch crowd,
one that includes plenty of Americans. When it comes to Niko's many sandwich
offerings, the roast beef sandwiches get most of the rave reviews, but my preference
is for their gyros.
However, though I like Niko's and go to the ones in Balboa and
the banking district from time to time, that Panamanian chain doesn't get my
vote for best sandwich. My palate says that the honor clearly goes to Manolo's,
with its restaurants on Via Veneto and Via Argentina, and its Cubano sandwiches
(which, by the way, they call emparedados rather than sandwiches).
Is it the distinctive pressed and grilled bread that sets the
Cubanos at Manolo's apart from more mass-produced competition? Could be. Is
it the meat, or the cheese, or the sauce? Maybe one or more of those holds the
real key.
Granted, in matters of taste like this one, there can be no single 'objective'
best choice, and for vegetarians or those who observe kosher or halal restrictions,
the roast pork and cheese in the Cubano sandwich make it a clearly wrong choice.
With those caveats accepted, I still say that the Cubanos they serve at Manolo's
are one of Panama's great lunchtime joys, and the best sandwiches to be had
in the capital city.
