Ca, c'est la vie de château ! Mais du ketchup sur un club sandwich, n'est-ce pas un crime ?

ah! the classic club sandwich. while the sandwich may have been invented by an englishman, the club sandwich seems to have spontaneously manifested around the turn of the last century in america. it's origin is credited to everywhere from posh men's clubs, fashionable new york hotels and after theatre eateries to dining cars of trains. a marvel of sandwich engineering. always the best bet on any roomservice menu and the prefect introduction to the ups and downs of the in-room dining experience. i consider this sandwich a ray of hope wherever i encounter it. yes, i take my club sandwiches quite seriously. allow me to share with you my closely guarded secret about assuring the optimal club sandwich experience. order the mayo on the side and if they have it, ask for a couple of slices of, dare i say it, avocado. you will be glad you did.

I must say that I agree with monkey about the avocado. They are one of my favorite additions.

Egads, ketchup on a club sandwich? Your mom's right!

ah..tradition and food! checking club stories on the net..seems the club was the favourite of former King Edward VII and his wife, Wallis Simpson. Can't you just imagine her, in Mainbocher!, preparing the classic for her king.

Must say Clotilde, never has a club sandwich looked as pretty as your photo..I'm imagining how van Gogh would have depicted it ~ all those luscious brush strokes.

a memorable quote from the joyous journey?

I agree with Maman about the ketchup (heresy!), and others about the avocado. Otherwise that is one fine lookin' sandwich!

A local cafe has what it calls the California Club: Turkey, bacon, tomato, and avocado (or guacamole) on toasted sliced sourdough. Yum.

I don't know, I can't remember ever having a club sandwich *not* served and enjoyed with ketchup : it certainly adds to my inner kid's pleasure, and anything bacon calls for ketchup in my book! I also have a personal fondness for ketchup, which thus benefits from a complete and absolute immunity to any accusation of heresy... To each his own club sandwich, no?

i am quite disturbed over the ketchup controversy. i think we must look deeper into the club sandwich's presentation to find the truth. the delectable sandwich was served with salad and not the traditional accompaniment of frites (aka french fries). that is where the true problem lies. a large luxurious pool of ketchup would be the natural accompaniment to the fries. it would not be unusual for a corner of the yummy club sandwich to "accidentally" come in contact with the ketchup and who would dare hesitate to nibble that ketchup drenched delight? i know i wouldn't hesitate for a moment. but, would i be so determined as to intentionally dip? i don't know. yet, some find fault in the fact that clotilde boldly and with great joy knowingly dipped the tantalizing triangles of her classic club in ketchup. i say, dip away my friend! dip away! it is such bold unapologetic dipping that brought civilization out of the stone age and into the golden age of the sandwich that we know today.

Beware of the club sandwich if you are in Madrid. A recent visit found me at the hotel bar, ordering a club sandwich. Similar to what was expected only in the double decker toast construction and the presence of mayo and lettuce. The 'bottom' layer of this contained the lettuce, plenty of mayo and ... tuna! (and not albacore either). The 'top' layer started out with a slice of ham, then cheese then .... a fried egg! The top peice of toast had a circle cut into it to accomodate the yoke.
The locals seemed to enjoy. I make no judgement.

Never mind the ketchup and the avocado. Were there fries? Crisp, fat sticks of potato, golden brown on the outside, steamy and soft on the inside? Over here we call them French fries. As far as I am concerned, a club sandwich (or any other sandwich or burger) is just a foil for perfect fries. The best ones are hand-cut and leave your fingers coated with grease.