As someone who is always busy and traveling around the tri-state area, I often need to find a meal that’s delicious, convenient and affordable. Considering most adult residents of Pelham commute to work either in New York City or around Westchester County, they also find themselves in need of a quick grab-and-go meal that’s tasty and fairly priced. If you like chicken sandwiches, I’m here to help. I ordered from four quick-serve and sit-down restaurants in Pelham and compiled a list of which sandwiches to consider, based on a three-tier grading system, which measured the sandwiches by taste and price and the restaurants by how long it took to fill my pick-up order. Each category was worth 10 points, so the perfect sandwich for the best price made in the fastest time would rate 30 points.
4. The sandwich I liked least was from Lenny’s Bagels in Pelham Manor. I ordered the “New Rochelle” for $13.99 off of their specialty sandwiches menu. From what I have seen and heard from friends, Lenny’s has lots of great sandwiches. Unfortunately, the one I ordered on the day of this review wasn’t one of them. I found the sandwich–which consisted of a kaiser roll, bacon, chicken, and avocado–disappointing. To start off with the positive, the bacon was deliciously cooked and crispy, something that most bagel shops don’t prioritize, even though it can make or break a sandwich. The chicken was also tasty. Unfortunately, the same cannot be said about the avocado. By the time I had un-wrapped the sandwich, I found the avocado entirely oxidized making for an unappetizing appearance. On top of that, the roll was soggy, probably because of the avocado. While most elements of the sandwich were good, the whole turned out to be less than the sum of its parts. Being generous, I rate the taste as a 7 out of 10. Given an 8 in each of the other two categories, this sandwich scores a 23/30 making it a B- as a letter grade.
3. I ordered the buffalo chicken finger wrap at Rockwells for $20, making this sandwich somewhat expensive. The ingredients in this wrap are buffalo chicken fingers, lettuce, tomatoes and blue cheese, although I substituted ranch for the blue cheese. It was delicious with great flavor, and the lettuce/tomato/ranch combo balanced the spice of the buffalo sauce perfectly. The one thing I noticed was that when my friends ordered the same wrap, theirs were prepared differently. For taste, the chicken wrap gets an 8/10. If it weren’t for my friends’ variations, it could easily be a 9/10. For convenience, Rockwells gets a 9/10, as it generally takes 15-20 minutes for the order to be ready. However I would allot more time if ordering on Sundays during football season or anytime there’s a major sporting event on. The $20 price tag is a bit of a stumbling block, at least for my wallet, resulting in a 7/10, for a total score of 24, which translates into a solid B.
2. The second best sandwich was the dosa wrap from JCafe. In my opinion it’s the best item on the menu at JCafe, both nutritious and yummy. The green sauce, served on the side, really makes the wrap. Make sure to order extra, as its flavor complements the grilled chicken and avocado combo. The ingredients in this sandwich are arugula, avocado, monterey jack cheese, tomato, and a protein of your choice, such as shrimp or lox. I chose the grilled chicken of course. The taste of this sandwich rated a perfect 10, and it helped that all of the ingredients are super healthy. In terms of convenience the sandwich was ready in about 15-20 minutes, so I would give it a 9/10. In terms of cost the dosa starts off at $15, which is a little more pricier than what I was looking for. If you add a protein the price breaks through the $20 barrier. My specific order was about $21.50, which translates into a 6/10. This overall makes brings the dosa score to 25, which is a B+ in my book.
1. At number one, for the best chicken-based sandwich in Pelham, I recommend the chicken parmigiana roll from Pelham Pizza. Full disclosure: this sandwich has been my family’s favorite for years. It’s the perfect meal for long road trips. The ingredients, as you can probably guess, consist of a breaded chicken breast, marinara sauce and melted parmesan and mozzarella cheese, all on a classic submarine roll. The taste of the sandwich is spectacular. The chicken is always delicious, but what sets this sub apart from the others is that the ratio of marinara sauce-to-cheese is perfect, just enough sauce to sell the sandwich as a true chicken parm, without drowning it in a sea of red. For these reasons, I give this sandwich a 9/10 on taste. As for the price, $7, it was no contest, especially for such a large sandwich. On road trips, my 12-year-old brother, my mom and I could be perfectly full after eating just half of this sub, saving the rest for the next day. With this in mind, the pricing rates a perfect 10. In terms of convenience, the sandwich is always ready within 10-15 minutes. Considering that Pelham Pizza is a popular place for a sit-down slice and for pick-up, it is impressive how time-efficient the restaurant is with their customers. In this area I would give it a 10, making the overall grade of the sandwich to be 29/30, or an A.
