Everyone's feeling the financial pinch these days, even the New York Times (and we're not talking about their stock): The paper ran separate articles in today's "Dining & Wine" section on both soup and sandwiches. Okay, so technically the articles were really a recipe for chicken soup and a $25-and-Under roundup of the city's newest downtown sandwich emporiums (and though they missed Swich's recession special, Porchetta is rightly singled out for praise). Nevertheless, there was a certain penny-saver vibe about all this that made us ready for a fireside chat from FDR. Of course, the Times isn't the only one thinking about getting back to basics: McDonald's may remove a slice of cheese from their $1 Double Cheeseburger, transforming it into a McDouble and bumping their "real" Double Cheeseburger to a pricey $1.19. Really? Removing a slice of cheese? Hard times all around! Let's just hope that the lines at all these establishments are a result of their popularity and not because people are waiting for rationed bread.

The Sandwich Run, Downtown [NYT]
McDouble likely to join McDonald's Dollar Menu [Chicago Tribune]
Earlier: Swich Offers 67-Cent Sandwiches