Gobbler season is upon us
Before Thanksgiving and after, Philly restaurants tailgate with gobbler sandwiches.
The rest of the country may know gobblers as Thanksgiving leftover sandwiches, but here in Philly, they’re far more than that. Philly restaurants start serving gobblers long before Thanksgiving leftovers are on the horizon. The sandwiches are both a form of sculptural art — some of them defying gravity — as well as a month-long (or even two-month-long) Thanksgiving tailgate. Here are some places to explore Philly’s devotion to the sandwich.
Mercifully lighter than one might expect from the king of sandwiches, Porco’s Turketta Sammie, aka their riff on a gobbler, has its abundant fillings stuffed into a soft, slim brioche bun. It’s layered with slices of herbaceous smoked turkey breast, savory bread pudding (a fluffy take on stuffing), a thick slice of heirloom tomato, and a touch of green lettuce. It’s painted with a thin lacquer of cranberry mostarda and gently sauced with turkey gravy. Add Cooper Sharp and one of their aiolis (I love the roasted garlic aioli in the sandwich) for even more flavor. Pickup or delivery is available from their Washington Avenue window. The $16 gobbler is on the menu all November long; add-ons are $1 extra each.
Small Oven Pastry Shop & Porco’s Porchetteria, 2204 Washington Ave., 215-545-2939, smallovenpastryshop.com
Liberty Kitchen may be located in Fishtown (and Chestnut Hill and University City), but their LK Gobbler ($23) tastes so very South Philly. It’s served on a crusty foot-long seeded hoagie roll and comes with a side of turkey gravy for dipping. It’s filled with sliced deli turkey and a sage stuffing speckled with spicy — but not too spicy — long hots and fried shallots. Instead of cranberry sauce, Liberty Kitchen’s version relies on a sour cherry spread for citrusy sparkle and dijonnaise for creaminess. It’s the perfect marriage of Thanksgiving dinner and a hoagie. I appreciate that it’s not piled too high — I’m never a fan of an unwieldy sandwich — and that its crusty roll squishes down nicely upon each bite.
Liberty Kitchen, 1400 N. Front St., 215-309-2241, libertykitchenphl.com
Triangle Tavern’s gobbler ($17.50) truly tastes as if I had gone to my mother-in-law Phyllis’ for Thanksgiving dinner, fallen asleep, then woken up and made myself a sandwich with all the leftovers, including mashed potatoes. The Baker Street hoagie roll (barely) contains those potatoes, plus cranberry sauce, stuffing, and either vegan seitan turkey or actual roasted turkey. It is sealed in a generous layer of thick mushroom gravy and served with a pickle spear.
Triangle Tavern, 1338 S. 10th St., 215-800-1992, triangletavernphilly.com
The Gobble Til’ You Wobble Hoagie ($17) — made up of smoked turkey, cranberry mayo, sweet potato casserole, roasted Brussels sprouts, turkey gravy, crispy shallots, and balsamic reduction — is one of my absolute favorites on this list and more than any other, really makes me long for it to be Thanksgiving. Also the work of Porco’s owner Chad Durkin, who opened Breezy’s last year, the sandwich was piping hot and heavy when I picked it up. The sweet potato bound everything together beautifully, the sprouts are roasted until they’re wilted. The hoagie is creamy, hot, well-balanced, and you can really discern the different layers between the crusty seeded roll. There are some choices here: Select a 10-inch seeded long roll or a 4-inch wrap (regular or gluten-free); you can also add various meats, from roast beef to mortadella, as well as an array of cheeses.
Breezy’s Deli and Market, 2235 Washington Ave., 215-305-4090, breezysdeli.com
Dreamworld’s savory croissant riff on a gobbler, the I Should Call Her ($9) is a whole pastry stuffed with turkey, dashi gravy, cranberry sauce, and crowned with a handful of pancetta-flecked stuffing. It’s impossibly flaky and buttery on the outside, with the best bites of Thanksgiving dinner woven together inside.
Dreamworld Bakes, 2400 Coral St., 856-390-0502, dreamworldbakes.com
This gobbler ($18) is the most classic of gobblers, and really one for the stuffing lovers. It’s basic and straightforward and very, very hefty but done well, with large, succulent chunks of roasted turkey on a hoagie roll with cornbread sausage stuffing and cranberry aioli, plus a creamy gravy for dipping both sandwich and the accompanying fries.
McCrossen’s Tavern, 529 N. 20th St., 215-854-0923, mccrossens.com
Other gobblers recommended by gobbler scholars
It was no small feat, running around Philadelphia collecting gobblers. Admittedly, some gobblers eluded me. Middle Child Clubhouse only serves its Turkey Dip during the day (though it’s available at both locations). There are several others that I did not try firsthand, but came recommended by other gobbler scholars.
Inquirer reporter Tommy Rowan said that Dolores’ 2Street “hits every major food group, and then it hits the spot.” Theirs is a deli-style sandwich, served mostly cold, with thick slices of roasted turkey and cheddar cheese.
“The little bit of warmth (and crunch) comes from the house-made stuffing, carefully crafted by owner Peter Miglino’s mother, Maria. It’s coupled with a nice tang from cranberry mayo and complemented by rings of raw white onion, a confetti of lettuce, and small slices of tomato on a Sarcone’s roll,” Rowan writes.
Two years ago, Inquirer columnist Stephanie Farr sampled seven Philly-area Thanksgiving hoagies and sandwiches in a single day in the name of journalism. “I felt like a stuffed turkey afterward but I did waddle away with two favorites: the ‘Finksgiving’ from Fink’s Hoagies in Tacony and ‘The Bobbie’ from Capriotti’s, a Wilmington-based hoagie chain with locations in the Philly suburbs. Both hoagies had shredded turkey, tasty rolls that held up in the face of impossible odds, and the perfect ratio of turkey, cranberry sauce, and stuffing. The Finksgiving hoagie more fully intertwined the turkey and stuffing, whereas ‘The Bobbie’ layered them as separate ingredients.”
Philly-based food influencer Amanda Barr recently went on her own gobbler crawl and was entranced by Zig Zag BBQ’s Gooblerr ($16), made of the “same smoked turkey that Zig Zag has year-round. It’s moist and delicious and a massive portion. It comes on a sesame-seeded burger bun with a base of sweet potato that contrasts with cranberry and savory turkey without making it sweet.” Barr also reports that the sandwich is cohesive, rather than unwieldy, and “you would definitely get everything in one bite.”