Tower to the skies
an academy of lies
And what goes up
surely must come down
And we felt the mighty blowup
with the walls coming down
Or something like that
Another Tuesday... another Taste! This week we're taking a look at a little sandwich shop I've wanted to try for nearly ten years, mostly because the name always stuck in my head. Well reader, ya should've given me your lunch money as now it's time for a Knuckle Sandwich.
Opened in 2016 by neighbourhood chums Ran Han and George Talidis (they indeed both went to East York Collegiate around the corner), Knuckle Sandwich makes no nuance about what they're about... as the giant incoming fist stenciled on the front window probably suggests. They're a homey little local sandwich shop, offering a variety of items between two buns (Zach Galifianakis' lesser known foodie web show) from fried chicken to flank steak... plus a mix of sides from fries, poutines, quinoa bowls and eccentric tater tots.
I myself used to live in this part of town (a bit closer to the Danforth) and always fondly recall this little pocket of Coxwell Avenue between Cosburn and O'Connor. So much of East York is sleepy and monotonously residential, even the major streets tend to blur together as you pass them by... thus why discovering this random stretch of quirky shops and restaurants (plus an LCBO with excellent craft beer selection) was like unearthing a hidden diamond at the time I first moved there. It was nice to see, not being in this area too often anymore, how familiar much of this block still is (many of the storefronts have changed, but the old vibe remains).
The inside of Knuckle Sandwich (it had been a Thai restaurant before) gives off a very simplistic, minimal atmosphere... framed pictures on the wall, a large chalkboard-like menu by the ordering counter and wooden tables providing any touches of style (plus the undodgeable fist in the window). While tempted by the sliced steak sandwich, I was more in the mood to try their fried chicken (especially after my mediocre experience at MightyBird) and did so, with a side of their 'Tater Tots Supreme' for maximum indulgence.
Tater tots on their own? When done right, a tasty, crispy snack. Dump a whole lot of cheddar, smoked bacon, ranch sauce and green onions on them? Well... it adds a lot of extra flavours that in this case, work quite nicely together. I don't much care for ranch typically, but here it provides a very nice peppery tang and loose creaminess to the crunchy, crispy elements on here. Soaked into the tots does soften them up somewhat, but never to the point of becoming sloppy or sogging apart.
That thumb in particular was extra delicious! Stupid camera focus. Anyhow, some thoughts on these tots themselves. Light happy crunch on the outside (not all that heavy) with thick potato filling on the inside... like a dense mashed potato. Oddly stretchy and really damn tasty just on their own, without any of that bitter-tasting frozen taste I think we all know. Meanwhile, cheddar cheese and bacon and green onion... these are things that pair with a potato like a hot dog and cold beer at a baseball game. Sharp, salty, full-bodied... it just works, damnit.
Here is Knuckle Sandwich's fried chicken sandwich (blech on that mouthful sentence... I'd love to just refer to this place as "Knuckle's" but then you might think I'm talking about the rival of a famously speedy hedgehog).
The construction of it is very simple: a garlic aioli, coleslaw (with some poblano pepper in there), and a chipotle honey on for good sweet measure. The bun is a standard large, brioche-like freshly baked bun (that the owners are supposedly tight-lipped on where they get it from) that is quite dense and squishy.
Strangely, I enjoyed this sandwich considerably more once it the remaining half of it had been sitting in the box for an hour or so. In that time the chipotle honey had soaked into the bread, resulting in a honey glazed bun that was both soft and a bit wet (but still firm enough to hold everything together). This cooled off state also allowed the natural spice of both the poblano pepper and the chipotle in the honey to show itself... giving a subtle but consistent sting on the back of the tongue. That pepper in particular... a definite tone of bitterness and mild burn, with a more pickled and slimy texture to it. A different but nice touch.
The chicken has a very bready crispiness to it... like toast that is not quite burnt but a level below that, which is very much the flavour of the breading also. A dirty greasy hint to it as well. Nothing crazy as far as seasonings go, a bit of salt is all... this is a fried chicken that lets the breading and the chicken inside do most of that talking (I suspect Knuckle Sandwich's Korean or Nashville style chicken sammies bring a bit more to them).
Like I said, I wasn't overly impressed on my first few bites... but my appreciation and enjoyment of this sandwich increased considerably as I went. These flavours aren't big and bold, rather they take their time to fully unveil themselves and work together. The texture likewise... starting off somewhat dry but gaining juiciness and a creamier crunch further in. Still could've used considerably more sauce, though. I don't think I registered even a faint hint of that garlic aioli.
Overall! It's simply hard to dislike a low key, relaxed neighbourhood sandwich shop... especially when the sandwiches are of a strong quality. I definitely got a very in-house, homemade sense with each item I tried here... none of it mind-blowing amazing but all of it thoroughly enjoyable. Plus their tater tots are on point. Definitely a place worth a try if you're venturing out to that part of town or revisiting some old haunts.
Also... wa-bam!
(Don't say I didn't warn you)
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Down The Tubes
An insightful and amusing discussion about algorithms gone amuck and confusions regarding age restrictions on everyone's favourite/only longform video sharing platform. I'm a fan of these guys in general and it's also interesting to see them pull back the curtain a bit on their own operations.
Tuesday Tune
Catchy, poppy, jangly indie rock? How am I not gonna like it... this sounds like if The Kinks met Squeeze (yet the band is American), it's downright irresistible.
That's it for another week! Until next time... stay safe! Stay cool! And most of all... don't spill that mustard.
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