READERS' PICK: It should come as no surprise that Baggin's was voted Best Sandwiches. Their multiple locations provide ample opportunity to stop in and sink your teeth into some deliciously different sandwiches. Take the Sundown Baggin's: inspired by Thanksgiving leftovers, the Sundown piles turkey, herbed stuffing and cranberry sauce, along with lettuce and mayonnaise, on an 8-inch sub roll. Or consider the Prime Baggin's beef au jus with cream cheese, horseradish, sweet onion, mayo, tomato and lettuce on a sub roll. Perhaps the Southwest decor will inspire you to try something from the grill, like the Anasazi Chicken seasoned and spruced up with lemon, Provolone cheese and green chili, served on sourdough. The Albuquerque Turkey fills an 8-inch sub roll with baked turkey breast, barbecue sauce, hot and sweet peppers, Swiss cheese, and onions. Wash it down with Baggin's signature cinnamon-orange spiced tea and a fresh-baked chocolate-chip cookie.
READERS' POLL RUNNER UP: Bison Witches Bar and Deli, 326 N. Fourth Ave. The location isn't big and fancy, but Bison Witches' sandwiches certainly are! The Fourth Avenue hole-in-the-wall offers a slice of urban ambiance as well as some seriously savory sandwiches. Chances are you'll end up on the waiting list at lunch time, but the wait's not too long and it's definitely worth it. Squeeze past the perpetually packed bar to a vinyl booth, order a brew, and consider a plethora of sandwiches served on your choice of bread -- white, wheat or dark rye -- each loaf fresh-baked and cut about an inch thick. We're partial to the Jayhawk, a 6-ounce, oven-baked chicken breast topped with melted Provolone, tomatoes, lettuce and a mouth-watering house honey-mustard. If you're looking for something meatier to root for, the Wildcat teams thinly sliced roast beef and turkey, covered with smoked Gouda cheese and topped with lettuce and a house-blended Russian mustard. Bison Witches features an inventive array of beef, turkey and chicken combinations, as well as a tuna or vegetarian option. Any way you look at it, you'll find lunch time has come a long way from your childhood PB&Js (although they've got that, too!).
MORE MANIA: Jersey Joe's, 1628 E. Sixth St. There are a lot of contenders for the top-sandwich honors, but for our bread we have yet to find a place that can put a sub together better than Jersey Joe's, where a commitment to using only the highest quality ingredients pays off with outstanding fare. It sounds so simple to assemble a cheese grinder. Yet we've frequently been served a mass of shredded Iceberg with a few hard tomatoes and a slice or two of pasteurized American cheese on a dry, stale roll. Blech! Give us Jersey Joe's any day! It comes on a fresh Italian roll piled high with deli-sliced cheeses (provolone and cheddar), real leaf lettuce, lots of ripe, juicy tomatoes, and slices of sweet onion, all drizzled with a garlicky vinaigrette. Now, that's a sandwich! Meat eaters will enjoy the combo sub, dog piled with deli meats, and the gloriously messy chicken parmesan sub. For a nice touch, order a side of roasted Italian peppers. You can't go wrong with any sandwich at Jersey Joe's. Besides, where else will they toss you a plate of pasta or a cold soda while you wait? Jersey Joe's is a winner.
MORE MANIA: Even if everything else on the sandwich besides the bread was flat-out rotten, a lunch customer at Beyond Bread (3055 N. Campbell Ave.) could hardly go wrong. All sandwiches begin with the fabulous Beyond Bread bakery goods, all with delicious flavor, silken texture and crispy crust. Fortunately the other sandwich ingredients are just as fresh and tasty. But who are all these people the sandwiches are named for? We can vouch for Gino's Grinder (capicolla, roasted red peppers, red onion, provolone and vinaigrette on a baguette) and Avi's Avo ( turkey, avocado, cucumber, sprouts and mayo on ciabatta). The other 24 sandwiches -- all named for Ollie, Molly, Brad, Chad, Nick, Maya, Bart and the others -- look pretty scrumptious, too. But we want to know who has 26 friends with such sandwich panache? Are they for real?
