Giveaway: Win a custom sandwich portrait

We're almost finished with sandwiches. But not quite. There's one more thing.

I'm giving away a custom portrait of your favorite sandwich. No, not one that I've drawn. That's something I couldn't give away if I tried.

What you can win

The prize: Your custom sandwich portrait (a $70 value) will be designed by Carrie Gowran, a food-loving graphic designer and illustrator who goes by "caged tomato." Her online shop, where you can purchase food-themed cards and prints, is here. Her blog is here. I'm a big fan. I think you will be, too.

How you can win it

To enter: Leave a comment below on the best sandwich you've ever eaten — or just your favorite sandwich in general.

Don't sweat it too much; your entry below is not binding. Should you win, you can choose whichever sandwich you'd like for your custom portrait. (Maybe you change your mind, maybe you decide to give the sandwich portrait as a gift.)

Commenting does not require registration, though you do need to provide a valid email address. That address will only be used to contact you in the event that you win.

Other very important details

The rules: One entry per person. (Please note that while you may have more than one email address, you are still only one person. Enter only once.) The winner will be determined by a random number generator. If the winner doesn't respond to an email in 48 hours, I'll draw another number. (So make sure you enter using an email address you check at least every two days.) The contest is open to people worldwide, except where this sort of thing could land you or me in prison. ("So, what are you in for?" "Sandwich art giveaway.") Your odds of winning depend on the number of entries received. If you think you know me too well to participate, refrain from entering. This means if you work with me, have collaborated with me on the blog, or are my close friend, you'll have to get your own sandwich art.

The contest begins now. It ends Monday, June 21, at midnight central time.

Good luck.

Comments

[Jessica C.]

Open-faced BLT on cinnamon brioche french toast with thick applewood smoked and peppered bacon, baby greens, heirloom sweet tomatoes and a poached egg. Completes the sweet/salty/bacony trifecta. The true breakfast/lunch/brunch/midnight snack of sandwich champions.

[sara]

Definitely a pulled pork sandwich with vinegar-y slaw on top!

[Danielle A.]

My favorite sandwich is currently the Tomato Mozzarella panini at Panera Bread. However, I can also be suckered into a good grilled cheese or PBJ. Mmmmm....

[Sei Jin Lee]

I'm a fan of the High on Fire at Kuma's Corner, which Carrie has done up in the past http://bit.ly/9HBhM3 , but my favorite is the Sleep (usually the burger of the month for November). It's a 1/2 pound turkey burger with a deep fried stuffing medallion, turkey gravy & cranberry sauce.

Oh Matt Pike, why are your burgers so tasty!

[Natalie]

I would like a picture of an Italian Beef sandwich, preferably the one from Al's Beef- I Would love that!

[Rebecca]

BLT from my mom's house. We put all the ingredients in the center of the table and spend the meal continually crafting sandwiches until we are full. This only happens in August and September when the tomatoes are worth the effort.

[Valerie]

My favorite sandwich is a fried egg sandwich crossed with a BLT that I make at home. Lightly toasted bread, light sweep of mayo, a healthy sprinkle of salt and fresh ground pepper on the egg while it's frying, with summer tomatoes sliced fairly thickly, crisp lettuce, crispy bacon, maybe a mashed avocado or maybe some cheese (a sharp white cheddar).

[AutumnBottom]

A Rueban of course...I can think of nothing more than it's savory deliciousness from 11:45 till I finally have one in front of me.

[schatze]

Fried Oyster Poboy. It's a New Orleans thang.

[Andrea]

Lunch at home, the morning spent in the garden. Our reward? Sandwiches, almost wholly made from homemade elements. Multi-grain bread made by Mom, young Dutch Gouda, buttery yellow and rich, from the deli. Spicy arugula and juicy cucumbers, ripe warm almost citrus-y tomato, all our own. A drizzle of Balsamic vinegar and a sprinkle of sunflower seeds. If you must, toast the bread.

[Melissa Joulwan]

Oh! Phillipe's in LA.... a so-good-we-wept lamb and blue cheese French dip. If you've never been to Phillipe's, YOU NEED TO GO. And be sure to pick up at least one jar of their amazing mustard, too.

http://www.philippes.com/

[Estee]

I love simple sandwiches made from fresh ingredients. My favorite is butter, roastbeef or pastrama sliced very thin and some good cheese.

[Jennifer]

Philly Steak and Cheese!

[J.Alvey]

I can't even remember the name of the sandwich....it had thin sliced turkey, tomato, avocado, sprouts and mayo with lemon-pepper seasoning. mmmmm

[Megan]

Spicy black-bean burger at a pub in Macclesfield, England. Spicy, hearty and full of fresh veggies- it even made the warm-ish English Ale I was drinking taste better. I'm not sure how or why, but every sandwich I ate on that trip had exceptional bread/buns... if only they had been waffled!

[Gina Bianchi]

A Vegan BLT with Fake Bacon and Vegenaise on toasted wheat bread. Simple but delish.

[Laura]

Oh man, the turkey sandwich from Breadline in D.C. A turkey sandwich may sound unglamorous, but whoa, this one is killer. Fresh ciabbata bread. Spicy mustard that hits the inside of your nose with horseradish just right. Arugula. And white and dark meat thick cut (we're talking 1/2 an inch if not more) turkey that was roasted that morning. Juicy, fatty, spicy, chewy. My favorite through and through.

[Sarah A]

I love a post Thanksgiving sandwich with crusty bread, turkey breast, melted brie, watercress, and homemade cranberry sauce.

[Michelle]

Grilled cheese using part cheddar and part pepperjack, on potato bread!

[Nelson W]

One of my very favorites is called Mussolini's Revenge. It is served at Brent's in Amagansett, NY.

It's kind of your standard Italian sandwich, but for some reason their combination of meats is just wonderful. Maybe somebody at Brent's can explain why it is soooo good. I just know that I'm on the wrong coast and can't have one right now.

[cookteen]

chicken pesto panini or grilled chicken, roasted red peppers and balsamic on foccacia! Yummmy in mis tummmmy!!!!

[Monica]

Chipotle Burrito = Perfection.

It's like a sandwich, but even more delicious.

[Mari]

The best sandwich I ever ate was in the dark in a parking garage, I was 10, my mother was driving. It was on ciabatta w/ some kind of roasted red pepper spread, lots of cheese, and grilled eggplant. Until that moment in the dark I thought I'd hated eggplant... until I didn't know what I was eating.

Eggplant is my favorite vegetable.

[Lorena]

Blackened chicken on a ciabatta bun, with mayo, lettuce and advocado. Cheese too!

[~m]

eggplant parmesan!

[Erin]

A tuna melt on rye with cheddar and tomatoes - simple, delicious, perfection.

[Katie]

A fried shrimp poboy from Singleton's, a tiny corner grocery down the street from my house in New Orleans. Crisp buttered bread, spicy shrimp, lettuce, tomato and pickle, doused with ketchup and Tabasco. OMG, I have dreams.

[Adam]

In New Orleans, in a small lunch counter next to a seafood warehouse, is a po-boy shop called Crabby Jacks. It was started by the same mad genius behind Jacques-Imo's, and it was there I acquired the best sandwich I've ever had before or since: a fried-green-tomato po-boy, with shrimp remoulade. We bought sandwiches on the way to the airport, and didn't open them up until the plane had reached its cruising altitude ... and that's when the entire rest of the plane simultaneously smelled buttery, spicy sauce; moist, lima-bean green tomatoes; and perfect Gulf shrimp (a moment of silence for them, in these oily days). A blunt torpedo of white bread managed to contain most of the innards, but not all of them. I'd sprung for the full-length po-boy, and man, was I glad of it.

Hands down, the best thing between two pieces of bread I've ever had.

[Levisan]

Just a cheese toastie. Best thing ever, with a bit of catsup on the side.

[Lisa]

I want the mushroom sandwich from the Northern Spy Food Company in NYC: wild mushrooms, clothbound cheddar, confit potato, & greens on fresh french bread. I really want the sandwich but would be even happier with a drawing of it!

[Emily]

Oh, yum... how can I choose just one?

Gooey melted grilled cheese that I made myself with real cheese and bread and homemade butter and ham. And tomato.

Or anything from Melt in Cleveland.

[Ann I]

grilled / roasted veggie sammie with some kind of really delicous cheese.

[Amy]

The best sandwich is always determined by the bread. A crispy crust and light and fluffy inside is the foundation for a wonderful sandwich. The best fillings seems to be the classic BLT sandwich plus red onions, spinach and a splash of red wine vinegar.

[Karen]

Chopped barbecued brisket on a soft kaiser roll... just enough sauce to soak into the bun, not enough to drown it.

[LibraryGirl62]

Turkey, apple, cheddar on sourdough panini...sigh....but I think I might have to try Jessica C.'s entry...WOW!!!

[Mitch]

Soft-shell crab po-boy.

[Sarah]

This is by NO means the most exciting, nor with as much culinary appeal as others, but here goes . . . liverwurst, swiss cheese, sliced tomatoes, mayo and salt & pepper on rye bread. I only ever eat it when I go home - it's kind of a family tradition. Reminds me of simpler times :) I also love me a good lobster salad roll.

[Sarah S.]

Grilled cheddar cheese with fresh tomato on home-made buttered bread. Absolutely fabulous with chocolate milk.

[Sherry Gore]

Definitely love a BLT!

[Susan]

Man, this is hard. Sentimentally? It's a straight-up, post-Thanksgiving turkey sandwich, on nutritionally worthless white bread, with mayo, salt, and pepper. No one ever makes them quite like my dad, and they're perfect.

[Jennifer Ellen]

I'm not sure anything tops the perfects BLT...a beautiful honey-wheat lightly toasted, Duke's mayonnaise,crisp romaine, thick slices of a garden-fresh tomato at the peek of ripeness, and the deliciousness of quarter-inch thick slices of gypsy-smoked bacon dripping its juices over the tomato and into the mayo.

[Alli Penn]

My favorite is definitely the Almost-Grilled Cheese at Con Pane in San Diego. Gooey brie and gorgonzola sandwiched between two thick slices of rosemary olive oil boule. It's like a party in my mouth.

[Travis]

Langers Deli No.19

Pastrami, Swiss Cheese, Cole Slaw, and Russian Dressing on Seeded Rye

[bezzie]

Sounds crazy, but Carrs in Muldoon, Anchorage, AK used to make these amazing bagel, cream cheese, sprout, and ham sandwiches. They were cheap and honestly, now that I'm older, they're probably kinda nasty. I've tried to replicate them, but I just can't! It's like a part of my childhood!

[Wei-Wei]

Chili Cheese dog! With chili con carne, melted cheese and of course a beautifully succulent hot dog. :D

I'm so glad for a worldwide giveaway! I live in China, so these opportunities don't come by often.

Wei-Wei

[Rebecca]

My favorite sandwich is turkey breast of fresh challah with sweet and creamy cole slaw. A dill pickle on the side. Everything piled high and eaten fast before it gets soggy. Mmmmmmm
Great now I'm gonna have to to get all of that together since I'll be daydreaming of the first bite until I do.

[Katie]

L'as du Falaffel falaffel (in Paris)....

[Tammi]

Oh, easy. I still dream about this one.
Cuban sandwich offered for about a month or two (five years ago) at Blue Line Coffee in Omaha, NE.
The owner roasted his own pork and sourced the most delicious ham and cheese I've ever eaten. Add amazing pickles and yellow mustard, press between crusty bread, and oh! so tasty!

[Stephanie Watanabe]

The absolute best sandwich an pastrami sandwich on marble rye with russian mustard. Meat should be spiced perfectly, so tender it must be hand sliced, and piled skyhigh in true deli fashion.

[DK]

I love me some grilled cheese on rye even though I'm really not supposed to eat dairy.

[Sheila B]

Hands down...the classic BLT!

[Islandeat.wordpress.com]

Having grown up just west of Chicago, I realized that the classic Italian Beef (hot peppers and "juicy") is my favourite, only after I had moved away.

[Jellybean]

Every Saturday when I was little, my dad would take me to a diner. He would usually order a club sandwich and I would order spaghetti and meatballs from the kid's menu. We would then trade a quarter of the sandwich for a meatball and the shard of garlic bread that came with the spag. I can recall that sandwich still: three slices of toasted bread, layered with turkey, bacon, tomato, lettuce, and mayo, cut into quarters. Each quarter was speared with a frilled toothpick. Accompanying the sandwich were a pile of thick-cut fries, a ramekin of cole slaw, and a dill pickle spear. Decades of sandwiches great and sub later, the club is still my favorite.

[Ana]

Currently obsessing over egg salad sandwiches but will also perform tricks for a BLT with bacon straight from the pan.

[Michael]

I see somebody's mentioned the Italian Beef. There seems to be an array of variations these days. In my youth it was always the one now apparently called "sweet", served with sautéed green peppers. I remember admiring the peppers for the way the quick and apparently hot cooking left them sweet and added just a hint of bitterness from the char.

Well, if that one's considered "taken", there's my mother's Inside-Out Cheeseburgers, made with the griddle (flat) sides of a convertible waffle iron.

For four sandwiches, start with eight slices of a farily dense and firm bread: say a salt-rising bread or a sourdough. Spread half the slices with raw ground beef. Press chopped onions into the beef. Add pepper. Place these slices meat-side-down on the heated waffle iron. Spread the remaining slices with butter, or brush with olive oil (depending on your iron, you may need a more heat-tolerant fat). Flip the meaty slices. Add a slice of cheese to each. Top with the buttered slices, buttered side up. Close the iron, and in a few minutes you have a little taste of heaven. The next time I make these, I might add a sprig of cilantro or a sorrel leaf. They can also include a beefsteak tomato slice, but only when the tomatoes are seasonally plentiful and good.

Enjoy!

[MB Truman]

Herbed goat cheese, roasted red peppers, red onions and pesto mayonnaise on herbed foccacia bread and roasted to a warm, savory Nirvana...

[Niki]

OMG, Insect Warfare from Kuma's Corner is DELICIOUS!!!!!!

[Miss T]

Nothing beats a classic BLT in late summer, when the tomatoes are perfect.

[Table Scraps]

Y'bor Grille's (in Ruskin, FL) Pork Sandwich. They slow roast the pork in sour oranges and garlic and serve it on FRESH Cuban Bread with mojo for dipping. Out of this world juicy, tender, and flavorful! My mouth is watering just thinking about it.

[Steve E]

Favorite sandwich...Rare, thinly sliced prime rib on roasted garlic rubbed sour dough bread (part of center removed); smothered in sliced onions, red, yellow and jalapeno peppers; topped with homemade tomato sauce and shredded mozzarella. Bake at 350 degrees until cheese is completely melted. Cut into quarters. Accompanied by a pint of Guinness...heaven

[Sarah]

The Cuban sandwich at a tiny little Lebanese deli/bakery in, of all places, Peoria. IL. The best part is, my boyfriend at the time would call to put in the order for pickup, so when our order was ready, they would always say, "Two cubans for Castro!" We laughed every time....

[Marge]

Best sandwich ever - The Caputo. http://www.caputosdeli.com/lunchmenu/ mostly it's because of the bread but the finest ingredients don't do any harm either. Thanks for the giveaway opp.

[Carmen]

Pretty much anything with roast beef and horseradish in it. Om nom nom

[Stephanie]

My favorite is a chacerero (sp?). Marinated beef, muenster cheese, tomatoes, green beans, and an avocado spread. Delicious.

[Cori]

My all time favorite sandwich that someone else makes would have to be a "Manhattan" from Booeymonger in Washington, DC. It's grilled roast beef, fresh spinach, bacon and cheddar cheese served hot on a French baguette with a touch of house dressing. Yum!

If I have to make a sandwich myself, a grilled cheese will almost always win as favorite.

[Pattie Tierney]

Dull, I know, but my favorite sandwich is a cheeseburger. Angus beef, lots of melty cheese, and topped with those stringy fried onions.

[allison]

So hard to choose a favorite, but the key for me is meat, cheese, something bright (tangy mustard or pickled vegetables), and added fat (an egg or avocado). A recent amazing sandwich experience: Torta at Mike and Patty's in Boston: pulled pork shoulder with avocado, refritos, jicama slaw, and goat cheese on a roll.

[nicki]

Burrito! or Fred's chicken sandwich at freds in Berkeley

[laura]

fried green tomato sandwich with bacon... yum!

[Adam Fields]

I think the best sandwich I've ever had was off the street in Amsterdam during the Queen's Day festival. From a grizzled vendor, I bought a raw herring sandwich with onion on a rough equivalent of a hot dog roll. It tasted like the ocean mixed with the future.

[Daniel DiStefano]

The best sandwich I've ever eaten was from a deli named Parma in Perugia, Italy. It was fresh prosciutto cotto, cacciotto cheese,(which I still can't find in the states), and their homemade pesto. Still haunts my dreams.

[Ness]

MMmmm.. A juicy pastrami sandwich with pickles and mustard.

[Heather]

It's a guilty pleasure, but one of my favorite sandwiches is The Grinder, which is served at the Minnesota State Fair. You take a long chunk of French bread and hollow it out. Then you stuff it with meatballs, shredded mozzarella and marinara sauce. Layer upon layer, until the thing is heavy as a club, until you could beat a robber with it. When you bite into the thing, the cheese is all gooey and the flavors blend like magic. Perfection.

[Tami Brass]

Tuna salad w/alfalfa sprouts, cucumbers, tomato, and bacon on grainy whole wheat roll (w thin layer of butter on each side)... MMM!

[Matt Wenrich]

Well… I don't know if it counts but, a steamed bun with smoked pork belly, pickled daikon and carrots, slivered green onions, and a spicy hoi son. I mean phenomenal but if not a rueben all homemade obviously.

[alyce d.]

frenchie french dip. with roasted beef, provalone and garlic herb butter on sourdough... served with hot jus for dipping. mmmm...

[aspires2b]

Warm chicken breast, a robust, sharp blue cheese, bacon, avocado, cucumbers, and something cool, crisp and green for texture and crunch, on a dense, full-bodied roll.

[Madmselle]

Rare roast beef, lotsa tasty tomato & alfalfa sprouts with mayo on thick sliced egg bread!

[Emmett Brady]

Grilled cheese with white cheddar and caramelized onions. Also, it gets even better when you crisp up some cheese on the outside of the sandwich. So is it really a bread sandwich or a cheese sandwich? A paradox for the ages.

[Sharon H.]

A Caprese Panini - its heaven and can be Waffled!!

Tomato, fresh mozzerella, a little fresh basil or spinach, a little oil olive / balsamic vinagrette. Heaven in a sandwich - crispy on the outside, creamy and tender on the inside....lovely.

[annalene]

I love anything with veggies and avocado.. my favorite is probably nutrional yeast crusted tofu, avocado, sprouts, lettuce and tomato!

[Kate]

PBJ - Teddy's crunchy peanut butter with Hero strawberry jam. Slather too much of both on some multi-grain bread from When Pigs Fly Bakery so the filling drips over the sides. Best consumed at an old picnic table after a long hike.

[JT]

There are a lot of good sandwiches that were mentioned here, but I guess a sandwich that stands out in my mind is the one I haven't had in years.

It's a katsu on Japanese-style butter toast with mayo. A katsu is a piece of breaded, deep-fried pork cutlet. Butter toast is perfectly square, white colored but much more creamy tasting the conventional white. In addition, the crust creates a nearly perfect square, 90 degrees at every angle.

It's extremely unhealthy, and extremely good. As a hot sandwich that was just made has a layered texture: Soft bread, crunchy breaded portion, and tender, juicy pork. When cold, it's just a hearty sandwich with a solid piece of pork in the center.

Obviously, haven't had it in a while because it's a hear attack.

[Clevo]

so many sandwiches to choose from, but I always go back to the Radcliffe from Cardullo's in Harvard Square. Country pate and fig jam and dijon on a baguette.

[Roxanne]

My favorite sandwich is one I made based on a recipe in Gourmet magazine, Moroccan Carrot and Goat Cheese with (Green) Olive Tapenade -- I make my own black olive tapenade. Divine on whole grain or toasted sourdough bread. http://www.gourmet.com/recipes/2000s/2002/08/moroccan-carrot-goat-cheese-sandwiches

[M.M.]

The Bobbie from Capriotti's of course...homemade turkey, cranberry sauce, stuffing and mayo.

[elena]

When the Sunday Dinner Club chefs were working the Logan Square market, they once had an amazing spin on a BLT: Nueske pepper bacon, heirloom tomatoes and pea sprouts with aioli on multigrain bread. I sat down on the sidewalk and ate the entire thing in about 4 minutes.

[Judy Becker]

Ohhhh...after reading everybody's entries my mouth is watering. There's a lot of Dagwood's out there! I'm gonna hafta make myself something grand from the fridge.

Today my favorites are Peanut butter, sliced bananas, crispy bacon & a drizzle of honey on whole grain bread. Great for breakfast. And, I'm torn between my homemade tacos on flour tortillas fried golden on both sides, or really good rueben. Yummmm.

[Mary]

My favorite sandwich of all time was the 3-D burger from Howard Johnson's - the precursor to the Big Mac but incomparably better. This original was made with toast, not some gummy bun, and dressed with the best thousand-island style sauce. The burgers had to square, of course, to fit the bread. As children, my brothers and sisters and I experienced this yummy sandwich but once a year on our return trip from a summer vacation in Maine. Mmmmm, I can still taste it!

[Brie]

The Godmother with everything at Bay City Subs!!

[Catherine]

My absolute favorite sandwich is the Pork Loin Milanesa Cemitas !!

It is a Mexican sandwich served on a toasted sesame seed egg roll with black beans, chipotles en adobo, avocado, Oaxaca cheese & cilantro, and Pork loin!

I'm drooling just thinking about it!

Also I'm surprised no one has mentioned a Fluffernutter!! Definitely one of my top 5 sandwiches! White bread with fluff and peanut butter.

[Grace]

A chicken salad with everything on wheat from Cafe Kiraz.

[Thomas Lenz]

Fried green tomatoes with shrimp roumelade??? Brilliant!! Still I would be remiss not to mention the New Oreans classic Muffalata. Ham, mortadella, salami, and a thin slice of sharp aged provolone ala Central Grogery (not a plug) on the special bread with olive salad (make your own, and don't skimp) and a drizzle of real good extra virgin olive oil. Legendary.

The Amazing Thomaso

[Cristen]

Bari Italian Deli in Chicago makes a brilliant turkey swiss w/ giardinara!

[Kelsey]

I had an Italian Panini the other day at my local food Co-op...definitely one of my favorite sandwiches! It had mozzerella and provalone cheeses with pesto and sun dried tomatoes on a grilled panini. yuuumm!

[Terren]

Beef on Weck - a Buffalo classic

[sara]

vegetarian pulled-pork sandwich with coleslaw and hot peppers.

[Lin]

Freshly baked focaccia bread spread with hummus and filled with tomatoes, mixed greens, grilled onions, fresh mozzarella, and sliced avocados. Optional: grilled chicken.

[hannah.schulman@temple.edu]

i would say tofu bahn mi from a place in philly but you've already done that, so here's a home made one that deserves a portait:

sun-dried tomatoes, alfalfa sprouts, goat cheese and avocado with mustard and mayo on a ciabatta roll!

[Amanda Elkohen]

My friend Kristin makes the most divine rustic bruschetta. Fresh home-made french bread, toasted and rubbed with garlic and drizzled with olive oil, a basil leaf, ripe tomato, and a slice of fresh mozzarella. She also puts panchetta on hers, which isn't kosher for me.