• Bar Americain

  152 W. 52nd St., 212-265-9700

  Normally, we wouldn’t even entertain the idea of an open-faced, knife-and-fork deal as best-sandwich material. We are hands-on when it comes to our sandwiches. But we’ll make an exception for Bar Americain’s Kentucky hot brown—an ingenious Louisville concoction of roast turkey served on a hunk of egg-dipped toast, smothered in Mornay sauce, and topped with grilled tomato and a crisscross of bacon. Chef Bobby Flay, devoted as he is to America’s regional specialties, does it proud. The turkey’s better than Thanksgiving turkey, the fat-streaked bacon just crisp enough, some of the rich and cheesy sauce is browned to a bubbly crust under the broiler, and even the politically incorrect out-of-season tomato is ripe and juicy. Do we dare say it’s as good as any you’re likely to find in Louisville? We do.

From the 2006 Best of New York issue of New York Magazine