Story by Charlie Crowley, Sports Editor
Photo courtesy of Michigan 360 Tours 

Let’s just get one thing straight here before I delve into another plate of deliciousness: a hot dog is not a sandwich. There. I said it. Anyone who thinks differently and wants to fight me, note that the National Hot Dog and Sausage Council declared in November of last year that it isn’t. That’s right: the hot dog hierarchy said no. Also, ketchup on a hot dog should be illegal. If I ever run for president, I’m making that my main focus, which means I’ll get votes from everyone in Chicago. #MakeMustardGreatAgain. Alright, rant over. Let us proceed.

Nov. 3 marked National Sandwich Day, yet another chance for corporate America to lure us into buying their product. However, there is a way to fight that: don’t eat a sandwich. Simple. For today’s food follies, I decided to go the route of not eating a sandwich, but, rather, eating some of their cousins: the gyro and the hot dog.

To begin my tour de taste, I headed down to a place that I love with a passion—Sami’s Gyros in Eastown. For those of you who have been living under a rock and haven’t experienced euphoria via Greek food, a gyro is “a Greek dish made of meat cooked on a vertical rotisserie, normally pork, chicken, beef, veal, lamb or mutton, or other alternatives such as feta or haloumi cheese, and usually served wrapped in a flatbread such as pita, with cucumber, tomato, onion, and tzatziki sauce.” First rule: always get lamb. Always. The best way to picture a gyro is like a taco on steroids in terms of size, but still has some of the same characteristics in terms of toppings. I chose to go with lamb, feta, tomato, onion, and tzatziki sauce. Tzatziki sauce has this weird kind of taste to it, but it really ties the whole thing together. It’s like a Greek version of mayo but better tasting. The first bit was to die for—an absolute wonderment of taste hit my mouth as the tears of joy hit my face. The feta crumbles were astounding, almost as astounding as the crumble the Cleveland Indians had when they blew a three-to-one lead in the World Series.  It was an electric meal and one that keeps me going back every chance I get. For those of you looking to try something interesting, Sami’s is the spot.

For my second stop, I headed across the street (but not before looking both ways) to the staple of Eastown—Yesterdog. There’s something about the place that puts a pit in my stomach, but I still somehow have a soft spot for it, especially when it means I get to produce content. I had to go with my main meal there, the Ultradog, a hot dog with chili, cheese, onion, pickles, and mustard—hold the ketchup. The thing about Yesterdog is that it can be extremely hard to approach; there is no easy way to bite into one. You kind of have to bite the bullet and dive in. A little concerning if you’re a first timer, but you get the hang of it. Expect toppings to fall out of the bun left and right, but know that either way there’s enough combined slop on there to feed a whole pig farm, so it’s not too concerning. Overall I enjoyed it, as it was ultra filling and a quick bite.

Overall, these two places and their funky food impressed me, and they reminded me that sandwiches can be kept in the bullpen sometimes. I would definitely recommend both of these places to my friends…if I had any. Until next time, keep reading and keep eating.

About the writer…

Charlie Crowley is a senior studying communication and journalism.He is The Saint‘s Sports Editor. He spends most of his time playing hockey, sleeping, eating, and on Reddit. He’s also a Hoosier, and proud of it, but can’t hit the open three to save his life.