The Critics Ate So Many Sandwiches This Week

Meat Mecca

Nestor Ramos of the Boston Globe “make[s] a pilgrimage to Sturbridge’s meat mecca” to tuck into some barbecue at B.T.’s Smokehouse for his latest review. “It’s quite possible — likely, even — that the best barbecue in the region is coming out of a tiny, homespun corner lot next to a gas station in a town of about 10,000,” he writes. The brisket that graces a Reuben sandwich is “tender enough to pull apart easily with your fingers,” while the pulled pork is “deeply smoky,” and the chicken is a “milder substitute for pulled pork.” The sides stand out as well, Ramos writes, including the tart slaw and collard greens that “serve as perfect accompaniments to the rich, fatty meats.” He also recommends the spare ribs, hush puppies, and cucumber salad.

Perfect Corn Muffins

Kendall Square’s Catalyst Cafe receives a visit from the Globe’s Sheryl Julian this week. The sandwiches are “generous and well made,” she writes, recommending the roast beef sandwich, the Reuben, and the classic ham and cheese, which is “golden and crusty, with a perfect sweet-salt balance.” The salads are large, but they can be overdressed, she writes. She recommends a beet and quinoa bowl, along with the breakfast veggie bowl, and she writes that the pastries are “delicious and made in house,” calling the cafe’s New England corn muffin “perfect.”

Subs in a Market

For the DIG, Marc Hurwitz heads out to Revere’s New Deal Fruit market to find some tasty sandwiches amid the Italian retail goods sold within the store. The Italian subs at the market are “indescribably great,” he writes, and the simple classics like prosciutto and provolone, chicken parm, and meatball deliver satisfaction. The Grand Slam sandwich is just that, Hurwitz writes: It’s filled with roast beef, chicken cutlets, french fries, onion rings, mozzarella sticks, cheese, and barbecue sauce, and it will “most likely be the last thing you eat all day (or maybe even for two days).” Most subs are well under $10, he notes, with the specialty sandwiches hovering around $10.

• Is This New England’s Best Barbecue? [BG]
• Catalyst Cafe: Come for the Sandwiches, Stay for the Staff [BG]
• New Deal Fruit, Revere [DIG]