30DC18: Something I Crave A Lot

Yeah, baby.

I love my sweets, but every so often, nothing can satisfy me better than a savoury, meaty, roast beef sandwich.  I'm not talking about the slimy, slippery, nitrate-saturated crap you buy at regular supermarkets, but slices of heaven that actually come out of an actual, filler-free, hunk-of-cow roast that was perfectly-seasoned and blasted in the oven. Yuuum!!!

I first experienced what I call "real roast beef slices"
at my friend Elle's house.  Elle is a Forest Hill Princess - which is Toronto parlance for a girl who grew up in great privilege, specifically in the (very) affluent Forest Hill neighbourhood, who probably has at least one but more likely two Jewish parents.  Drake, for example, is a Forest Hill Prince (even though he downplays it and insists he had humble beginnings - I'm telling you, poor people who are not domestic help do not live in Forest Hill).  But don't get me wrong - Elle is also one of the most down-to-earth, quietly classy individuals I know, because her parents are just the loveliest people. 

Anyway, I was at Elle's house one summer evening, when her mother prepared an eccentric, unique dinner for us that consisted of a bunch of miscellaneous things on separate platters - sliced chicken, sliced roast beef, jasmine rice, sweet & sour soup (what?), fancy cheeses, fruit, salad, and a couple other things that I don't remember.  That roast beef was a revelation.  It was just unlike any other roast beef deli slices I'd ever had before.  It was delicious, and the spiced, marinated edges held the yummy roasted flavour that only barbecues and ovens could produce.

I started craving the roast beef I had at Elle's house since that fateful day but nothing at Loblaw's, Metro, or anywhere else was even remotely comparable.  So I finally asked her where her mom got that roast beef and she told me casually, "Oh, my mom only shops at Whole Foods or Pusateri's."  Off to Whole Foods I went and, holy moly, that stuff costs about $45.00/kg.

I didn't have roast beef in sandwiches quite like that again, until I started my current job over a year ago.  Sometimes when there are fancy lunch meetings, we get catering from Rose Reisman and we always only get sandwiches because they're the most filling option among the least expensive platters.  The roast beef is DELICIOUS and just like what I had at my friend's place - but the sandwiches themselves aren't exactly stuffed to the gills:

There's nothing I love more than meeting leftovers!  The roast beef sandwich is on the bottom right. :D  (But there's only one slice, folded up.)

Another place I've found that serves great roast beef sandwiches is Fast Fresh Foods.  There aren't many locations at all, but I occasionally will make the trek down to the Eaton Centre's Urban Eatery for it. (pictured at the top of this post)  At $9.75 after tax for a sandwich with no extras though, it's a bit of a splurge.

One of these days, I swear I will finally get off my butt and try this awesome-looking recipe!