#39 – GRILLED FLANK STEAK SANDWICH at BLUEBIRD SKY

For the third year in a row, I’m going to attempt to eat every single item on Time Out New York’s annual 100 Best Dishes list. In no particular order, here’s my take on their Top 100. Let the gluttony continue…

Chinatown is not normally the neighborhood I would suggest for grabbing a sandwich. Unless you’re looking specifically for a Vietnamese banh mi (in that case, check out Saigon Banh Mi) or a sesame pancake sandwich (definitely hit up Vanessa’s). Except now there’s a wonderful little café on the outskirts of Chinatown that is serving fresh and affordable sandwiches with ingredients that American tourists might be a little more familiar with than pickled daikon.

Bluebird Sky feels like it belongs somewhere in Brooklyn (the room has a classic old-time feel to it, the servers all have tattoos up the wazoo, and they serve cold brewed coffee!) but it’s nestled on Baxter Street just steps away from both Chinatown and Little Italy. It’s a warm and welcoming spot and we stopped in late on a lazy Saturday afternoon.

The Flank Steak sandwich is what Time Out chose as one of the best dishes of the year, but the menu items (which all hover right around $10) all sounded appetizing from Southern influenced appetizers (shrimp and grits) to salads and hearty sandwiches. The dinner menu is just slightly more expensive with a selection of promising small plates.

We tried their classic Egg Sandwich, which was basically a giant gruyere omelet with avocado and smoky bacon, nestled between a crusty baguette. It was rich, creamy, and a great start to the weekend.

The Flank Steak sandwich was served with their awesome homemade potato chips and a dipping sauce that reminded me of a sour cream and onion dip (I think they were for the chips). The beautiful pink flank steak was perfectly cooked – you could see the color change from the dark exterior char to the red medium rare center. The meat was also bursting with juicy flavor and tenderness, which was helped by the addition of tangy pickled shallots and melted gruyere cheese. I don’t know where else you can get this much quality steak on a sandwich for $10.

My only complaint was that it was a bit difficult to keep the steak in the sandwich. The tender bread had a chew which caused the meat to often fall on the plate. As long as I didn’t lose any of that meat completely, there wasn’t too much trouble.

So now I have another spot to send people when they want a delicious, affordable sandwich in a comfortable atmosphere. But will they believe me when I tell them it’s in Chinatown?

Would Bluebird Sky’s Grilled Flank Steak Sandwich make my Top 100 of the year? 9 out of 10 since it’s a surprisingly affordable and delicious steak sandwich that I am so happy to have discovered, even if it is in the most unexpected part of town.