I am happy to see Alex Sneazwell alive and well. His departure from El Cortez came as a surprise to Edmonton’s food community. But, no sense crying over spilled horchata, because Alex has moved on and set up a dynamite little sandwich shop called Sandwich & Sons on 156 Street at 131 Avenue.
Edmontonians will be familiar with the name, Ben Staley, he of culinary wizardry first at North 53 and now in the process of setting up his own place, The Alder Room at 10765-98 Street. In the meantime, he’s helping out Alex at Sandwich & Sons.
(L) Ben Staley (R) Alex Sneazwell
A little quality goes a long way. I’m happy to see Alex focus on top ingredients and homemade products. The menu is small and consists of six sandwiches and a daily soup.
Friday’s special feature is a foie gras sandwich which, from what I’ve seen on Twitter, makes people salivate in anticipation for days. I have yet to make my way there on a Friday but what I have tried, so far, is:
The Fried Bologna sandwich — This childhood feel-good item consists of three slabs of Sangudo Meats bologna topped with crispy onions, mayo, house mustard and lettuce on sourdough bread.
The Spicy Italian – Hot salami, mortadella, artichoke spread, pickled peppers and harvarti cheese, served on a roll:
The Montreal Smoked Meat – shaved brisket, house mustard and sauerkraut served on marbled rye:
The BLT – thick cut, double smoked bacon, baconaise, lettuce, tomato on sourdough:
Alex Sneazwell is doing it right. He’s in total control of the outcome and he’s not taking short cuts. All meats are prepared by the meat god himself, Jeff Senger of Sangudo Meats, and mustards, pickles and several other items are made in house. The space is modest, and the product, fantastic.
You can listen to my CBC Edmonton AM review of Sandwich & Sons here.