Welcome to Eat Like a Local! From late-night burgers in Nashville to a life-changing date shake in Palm Springs, we traveled across the U.S. to find the spots that are really hitting home.
Sandwiches aren’t supposed to crackle. But when you bite into Arcade Bakery’s ham-and-cheese baguette, the thing is audible. The brittle crust shatters, yielding to a marriage of thinly sliced ham, tidy planks of Comté cheese, and a schmear of quality salted butter. That’s correct: no mustard, no mayo, none of that lettuce and tomato nonsense. The French solved sandwich math long ago, and Roger Gural, who runs this beautiful bakery wedged into the lobby of an office building in Tribeca, has taken precise notes. I make the 15-minute walk from my office to Arcade whenever the jambon-fromage urge arises (which it does often, without warning). And if you’re in New York any time soon, I recommend the detour. Trying to pull off this sandwich-making feat at home? Just remember, quality not quantity: good shaved ham bought from a specialty market, sliced-to-order cheese, high-fat butter, and the best baguette your town has to offer. It’s that simple. Except we all know it’s not really. Here's how to do it:
Bread - Gural uses a third of a baguette. Heel optional.
Ham - Try thinly sliced rosemary ham from Fra'Mani.
Cheese - Two or three slices of Comté cheese. Gruyère could also work.
Butter - Get the best salted butter you can afford.
Assembly - Generously butter the insides of the bread, then layer on ham and Comté.