Junior Three Way Please

It took me a while to figure out a forum that interested me enough to participate in by posting questions and reacting to others. As I sat at my computer sipping a chai latte and waiting for my everything bagel to toast, who knew that what I was looking for was right under my nose.

As my bagel completed the toasting process and went, "ding!" it came to me. Food. I discovered CHOW.com after an intense web search and haven't stopped posting and reacting to others since.

According to the About section of CHOW-For those who love to eat-CHOW is a new kind of food media. Not only is our subject matter different—about the parties you really want to go to, the meals you really want to eat, the gear you really want to have—but we deliver it to you in audio, video, and everything else the Web’s got to offer. Come to us for recipes, instruction, news, entertainment, discussion, and advice. And come often—we update the site daily.

This site, in a nutshell, is a food support system for those who love to dine out in different regions of the country. Being a Massachusetts resident, I couldn't resist inquiring about Boston and New England eateries to hear what other members of the Commonwealth had to say about some of my favorite hot spots.

The reaction to some posts is tremendous. Being a "forum virgin," I never expected the dedication that people put in to answering other's questions, let alone questions about where to find the best egg and cheese in town or places for good fondue.

After reading several posts and reacting to the best of my entree ability, I was ready to take a stab at it.

Being the North Shore Massachusetts girl that I am, I couldn't resist an entry about something many residents of Salem, Beverly, Danvers, Revere or Peabody enjoy at any time of the day, when it comes to quick and tasty eats. The roast beef sandwich.

There are so many possible ways and places to enjoy a roast beef, that I was curious just exactly how people across the state went about eating their beef and where.

I got just the answers I was looking for, some I did not expect, photos of sandwich favorites and actually learned the history of the North Shore's fascination with beef!

Original Post:

What's Your Ideal Beef? Please indulge us with your favorite way to eat a roast beef sandwich. I am simple North Shore beef-eater and stick with a "Junior 3 way"-mayo, sauce and cheese. How about you? Any new topping suggestions?

Favorite Responses:

-I like it the way Harrison's in North Andover does it: Roast beef, sauce, and cheese on a buttered onion roll. Simple, basic, and delicious!
BTW, why is it that so many towns north of Boston have food joints with signs out front that say "roast beef and seafood"? You don't see that very much west or south of Boston, but go to Malden, Wakefield, Melrose, Stoneham, etc., and every other block has a roast beef and seafood place.

-I love Mike's Roast Beef in Everett - lettuce, mayo, and extra sauce

-There are a couple of "histories" of Roast Beef on the North Shore that have been published and tell some of the story. I wouldn't be entirely surprised if someone pops up and says there is an oral history (which would be interesting), but for a starting place here is an article from the Globe: http://www.boston.com/ae/food/articles/2005/11/02/bull_market/

-I like Billy's Roast Beef & Seafood in Wakefield- barbecue sauce and american cheese.

-Nick's Famous Roast Beef in Beverly is absolutely perfect. Warm, shaved, rare roast beef, with the perfect sauce, a little bit of mayo, and a slice of slightly melted American cheese all on a toasted bun-- it doesn't get much better. LoGrasso's restaurant in Rockport, MA used to do gourmet sandwiches for lunch, but they have unfortunately stopped serving lunch. Anyway, their "Ragin' Cajun" sandwich was an enormous bulkie roll with the best warm, Italian roast beef with a hot sauce/barbecue sauce mixture, blue cheese dressing, lettuce, sliced tomato, and red onion. I would dissect the sandwich and add some Cape Cod chips for a nice crunch--- I'm getting hungry just thinking about all this food!

How and where do you like your roast beef sandwich? Check out the forum: What's Your Ideal Beef? at CHOW.com and post a delicious response.