Starwich Salads & Sandwiches

[phaelon56]

This may be a dumb question, but are Starwich and Starbucks related?

I've wondered about that but it appears not, despite the not so surprising similarity in the name. They certainly aspire to a similar branding concept. I just visited the truly horrible Starwich web site with its unbearably long Flash intro (for which there is no bypass shortcut link). In addition to the cheesy smooth jazz background music that plays when the site is opened, they make this statement:

  "By branding The Starwich Experience™, we will continue to improve the lives of millions throughout the Northeast."

Wow. I didn't even realize that my life was so sorely in need of experience. All this time I thought that a sandwich was just a sandwich. Thank goodness I live in the Northeast - there's finally light at the end of the tunnel

I discovered that the Starwich trademark is registered specifically to the Starwich company in NYC whereas all Starbucks trademarks (there are literally dozens of them) are registered to the Starbucks Brands Corproation in California.

Starbucks actually now even owns the rights to this amusing anti-Starbucks brand

No! Starbucks Coffee

They actually now own the right to the word No! when ever it's used as a modifier for the Starbucks name. Thankfully, the US Patent and Trademark office has decided that Starbucks does NOT own the exclusive rights to the actual word "No!" when it used in other contexts

[Jinmyo]

No! Really?

[cdh]

Have *$ ever actually used the "No!" mark anywhere? In order to get a registered mark, they have to claim that they've used it... anybody ever seen it? The TM office certainly doesn't verify the claims...

[Fat Guy]

(I've added sandwich and salad photos to my first post on this thread.)

(Starwich is in no way whatsoever connected to Starbuck's.)

[Curlz]

You should have seen my face when I went back to look at those pics, Fat Guy! The place is FAR nicer than I expected based on what I've read. I'll be very curious to see how they progress, esp once some other eG folks go a few times and post their reviews! Thanks for the preview.

Curlz

[Fat Guy]

On the way to Starwich today -- a journey that required the M96 bus, the C train, and an almost three long avenue walk (the far West side is just about the most inconvenient part of Manhattan to my home) -- we perused our fill-in-the-bubble card that we had saved from the previous visit. This gave us just enough time to design several dozen theoretical sandwiches and salads, all of which we wanted to eat. We were loaded for bear when we arrived. Ellen stuck with her planned order: a salad with turkey, artichoke hearts, frisee, yellowfoot mushrooms, heirloom tomatoes (seriously, legitimate ones), and red beets. I changed my mind a few more times, filled out a card, and ordered turkey and slab bacon on challah toast with romaine lettuce, heirloom tomatoes, and gruyere.

There's hardly anything I can think of that I would have done to make my sandwich better. If I had done all the mise-en-place myself I would have maybe cut the turkey thicker, or maybe not, but I doubt overall that I would have bothered to obtain the level of ingredients that these guys are using. Apparently Amy's is custom-baking the challah in an elongated sandwich shape just for Starwich. The bacon is quite thick and cooked just right. The turkey is real turkey breast thinly sliced. The tomatoes are excellent; totally Greenmarket quality. Good Gruyere and crisp romaine lettuce. Ellen's salad was also terrific.

After the place emptied out we lounged around on the couches and had coffee (they use Illy). We also sampled some of the Route 11 potato chips they're selling, which are super-crunchy small-batch chips from Virginia. The oatmeal cookies made at Starwich are also quite tasty.

A few additional sandwich and salad photos . . .

This is the black olive crusted seared tuna salad with daikon sprouts, scallions, mizuna, toasted sesame seeds, and sweet carrot ginger dressing:

This one is the thinly sliced bresaola salad with celeriac, gruyere, watercress, baby turnips, and herbed vinaigrette:

Here we have the stuffed pequillo salad, which is pequillo peppers, goat cheese, serrano ham, baby greens, white asparagus, salsify, heirloom tomatoes, and sherry-shallot vinaigrette:

Next, the thick cut slab bacon and avocado sandwich with read oak lettuce, "melted" tomatoes, and roasted garlic pesto on sourdough bread:

Finally the "young vegetable gratin" with zucchini, patty pan squash, tomato, eggplant, manchego, and black-olive jalapeno emulsion on 5-grain bread:

[StInGeR]

Damn they look good

Cheers

Tom

[bpearis]

I would just like to add that Steven Shaw, you've become such a better photographer than you used to be. Those are great shots, very vivid colors.

I want to try Starwich. Maybe tomorrow, if I can lure myself away from a Shackburger...

[Fat Guy]

I didn't take any of those photos! They're from Starwich's portfolio; I've got no idea who actually took them.

[GordonCooks]

The hot set-up would be to go to the website - click on my combo and what store I would like to pick it up at and at what time.

I could then go to an automat locker type pickup area, punch in a 3 digit number and I'm out the door. (you can tell I eat my lunch on the go much of the time)

[Fat Guy]

The hot set-up would be to go to the website - click on my combo and what store I would like to pick it up at and at what time.

You can do exactly that.

[xyz123]

After reading all of the above about Starwich I decided to go and have a sandwich this afternoon. I am surprised of all the negativity written on here too. Especially since most have not been to Starwich. Fatguy, thanks for defending this place. This is not your typical deli, its not one of those places that pile 2 inches of worthless meat on some ordinary bread. The ciabatta I had was super crispy on the outside but not hard to the tooth. It was served slightly warm. I chose roast beef, watercress, caramelized onions, fontina cheese and truffle oil. As soon as I took a bite, I knew this was no ordinary sandwich but rather an extraordinary one. The décor, plates and silverware are out of the ordinary too. I have only eaten one sandwich with the above ingredients at Starwich, but if you are in the area I would highly recommend this place, for $9 one cant beat its quality and taste. I for one when I need to eat something of quality quickly will make a journey to this place.

Their breakfast menu is $3.50 and $4 sandwiches, tarts,

star-tillas and quiches.

[jauster]

Yesterday, I tried out Starwich, since I was in the neighborhood. I was there from 11:45-12:15 and there were only 5 customers the whole time. Staff out numbered the clients the whole time with 5 doing something or other behind the counter. It seems this place is suffering from location, location, location. If it were in midtown, I'm sure it would do a brisk business and people wouldn't blink at the $9 sandwich prices.

As for my sandwich, it was excellent. I had turkey, avocado, daikon spouts, heirloom tomatoes, muenster, and dijon mustard on a Tuscan log. It was served warm, and the portion was pretty large. The only thing I would change was the avocado, it was in spread form. It had chunks, but I would have preferred whole slices (even if they do tend to slide out the sandwich).

I don't think I would go out of my way to go there, but it is good - leaps and bounds better than the pathetic sandwiches Cosi puts out.

Jennie

[bergerka]

Ok, sorry to bump a year-old thread, but I just got back from my first trip to Starwich (yeah, I know, I've apparently been living in a cave). I went to the one at 53rd and Lexington, inside Citicorp Center.

Holy crap, this place is really good. I had the braised short rib with balsamic poached red onion and cabrales on challah (right off the menu, I spent less than a minute deciding). There was only one customer besides me, it took less than five minutes to get my sandwich and my diet root beer. The whole experience, including subway up to 53rd from Grand Central, ordering, eating & drinking and subway back to Grand Central took well under an hour - I was able to make my way back to the day job in leisurely fashion - and it tasted so good it was well worth it.

Will I eat here every day? No, but I don't eat at any one place for lunch every day, how boring. I WILL probably eat here once a week.

How much more expensive was it than my "normal" lunch? About $3-4 more than my typical deli lunch, $3-4 more than a Bistro NY salad or soup-and-salad combo with drink, but no more expensive than the places I go for hamburgers (fine, bacon cheeseburgers), Chinese food, Chipotle, or Indian food. Or the Shake Shack, which is also close enough to work that I could go there for lunch if the lines weren't so frigging long. In other words, in terms of my lunching experience, the price did not stand out as at all remarkable.

John, the manager, was simply charming, wanted to know how I found out about Starwich (and when I said "I read about it on eGullet," he said "Oh! I read that all the time! I love it!"), and made sure I had everything I needed for a great experience.

Oh yeah, and I found out that they will deliver from that location to here. Now THAT could be deadly.

K

[Fat Guy]

It was inevitable. It's truffle season. Starwich has already demonstrated that people will routinely pay $8.95 for a sandwich (actually, I think average cover is over $10). So, is it any surprise that, starting today, 9 January 2006, two grams of shaved truffles will be available to top any sandwich or salad for a $15 supplement?

The truffles will be available through January 31 at all four Manhattan Starwich locations (there are also two more stores coming in February: Upper West and Upper East). Truffles will be added to the menu of more than 130 high quality Starwich ingredients at all four Manhattan locations through January 31.

I'm heading over as soon as I can find an excuse to try a soft shell crab BLT with the truffle supplement.

[Daniel]

I have yet to go here, but after looking at the website I am very interested.. Any word on the location of the UWS place..

[Fat Guy]

The two new stores will be 86th & Amsterdam and 84th & Lex.

[Megan Blocker]

The two new stores will be 86th & Amsterdam and 84th & Lex.

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Sweet! Right around the corner...

[Susan in FL]

You New Yorkers have great eating places right around your corners. I'm envious of that aspect of living up north. I see that all the locations are in the Northeast, including DC. Anyone have an idea of how far south this corporation might go?

I would gladly pay $15.00 to add shaved truffle to a sandwich! ...Soft shell crab BLT with that addition, oh my.

[raji]

I pass the 42nd and 11th location every day and I have yet to go in. Maybe I should have looked closer at the menu but I couldn't justify paying double-digits for something as pedestrian as a sandwich, no matter what is in it. Now this may be blasphemy on a gourmet board, but I cook a lot more than I eat out. I used to scold my co-workers for buying $9 Bottino takeout every day, when I'd spend the same on a ball of fresh mozz, basil leaves, tomato and balsamic vinegar, and not dry out the mozz the way they do! And, you had to weigh their lunches down with your drink or the wind might blow it away. If you're on a diet, you should be saving money on food, that simple!!

That said, I guess I'll try it out one of these days...

[Gifted Gourmet]

This makes for great reading, to be sure, but to receive the full impact of this article, tune in to eGullet Radio.

It will not only serve (good word to use here!) to increase your appetite for what goes into marketing and starting up this unique enterprise, but, for the visual types out there, the article is excellent ... for you who are more tuned in to audio? This is the very coolest of experiences! Me? I need stimulation on every level and eGullet Radio brings that to me. A definite addition to this already unique website!

[M.X.Hassett]

Had dinner over at Starwich last night. I decided to go the uber-luxery route and had the Wagyu, fresh black truffle and garlic horseradish aioli on the Tuscan log. I was nervous with the addition of the horseradish fearing it may over power the flavors but it was very subtle. This was one of the better sandwiches I have ever had. The bread was fresh with a nice thick crust the Wagyu was cooked rare as it should be and is so often not in many cases. But of course the star of the show where the fresh black Perigord truffles (though they were not shaved tableside I could tell that they were freshly shaved and not sitting around presliced) that had a wonderful nose to them and were present throughout the whole sandwich. The sandwich was enjoyed with complimentary chips and a Stewart’s ginger beer. Will I be back definitely will I always order the Wagyu with black truffles probably not, there are some many other thing you can put black truffles on .

Edited January 20, 2006 by M.X.Hassett (log)

[Susan in FL]

Glad you reported in on your dinner last night. Thanks! This concept really appeals to me, and it sounds like they are carrying it out very well. I think my closest chance to try them is to fly into Dulles! I am looking forward to the Conversation coming in February.

[Megan Blocker]

I pass the 42nd and 11th location every day and I have yet to go in. Maybe I should have looked closer at the menu but I couldn't justify paying double-digits for something as pedestrian as a sandwich, no matter what is in it.

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Isn't a sandwich elevated from the pedestrian by what you put on it?

Seriously, though - sandwiches are really just an efficient delivery system for whatever you put between the bread (the bread, of course, is also important), and can be incredibly delicious. It's not formal, it's not fine dining, but that don't mean it ain't dang tasty.

I spend so much on my Pax salad every day (about $8.50), that I don't have such a problem with the Starwich prices.

Work this week was too insane to allow me to trot down to Lexington for lunch, but I'm definitely putting it on the agenda for next week!

Edited January 20, 2006 by Megan Blocker (log)

[jogoode]

Maybe I should have looked closer at the menu but I couldn't justify paying double-digits for something as pedestrian as a sandwich, no matter what is in it.

Alidoro, my friend.

105 Sullivan St., between Spring and Prince Sts.

212-334-5179

Closes at 6pm.

It's hard to make the leap, but what's the harm in one day paying three or four more dollars for a sandwich. I look forward to trying Starwich, but will pass on the truffles.

Edited January 20, 2006 by jogoode (log)