Scottsdale is pretty sterile city. This is not inherently a bad thing, but it is a thing that seems to preclude the concept of hidden gems. And, yet, I heard word of not just a hidden gem, but one right around the corner from me. Plus, it could only have had a more apt name if it was right next door. It’s called Convenient Corner Market and it dishes out sandwiches with bread baked in-house every day.

While most of the sandwiches had veggies included, I eyed one that I expected would satisfy me. It was called the Beefstrami Sandwich, with roast beef and pastrami as its meaty base. I ordered it without the pickles, onions, mayo and mustard, but kept the cheddar cheese it came with. I also asked for some thousand island in there to keep it all moist.

I wanted to love this sandwich. I wanted to so badly. In each bite I took there was an innate desire to fall in love, get married, have children and settle down in some suburbia with this sandwich. But wanting to love and loving are two different things. It packed the flavor one should expect from a hot roast beef and pastrami sandwich, yet the texture was oddly rubbery and gave off the impression of boiled meat.

I am, however, undaunted. This deli is truly convenient and I do not take such convenience lightly. I also owe a place like this a second chance, and you might be wondering why. The reason is none other than the fact that it is run by Wolverines and I do not take a variable such as that lightly.

Beef on Weck may sound like some sort of disgusting mistake, but it’s really just roast beef on a roll with salt and carraway seed. Despite its relative simplicity, it’s a huge deal up here in Western New York. One of the supposed best is Charlie the Butcher, which has more than a few locations around town, including one in East Aurora. The East Aurora location, though, is is an express and resides within a gas station.

Despite the odd choice of location, I got to watch as the lady behind the counter sliced off some beef, cut the kummelweck roll in half and dipped the top half into au jus and put the pieces together. It came with a side of horseradish for my own personal spreading on the sandwich. It turned out to be by far the best beef on weck I have had. Granted, it was only my second outing, but the beef was just made for a sandwich like this, without too much flavor so that the salt and carraway could add to it, while the au jus kept it all just moist enough. The beef itself could have been a little more moist, but wasn’t dry enough to complain. Plus, the option of adding my own horseradish was pretty great.

After this, I am eager to get out and try one of the full-on Charlie the Butchers. Yet even if I don’t make it, I know Charlie can make one damn good sandwich.

Having kids must be tough. You raise them, do the best you can and at some point you let them go and hope for the best. Such was the feeling I had when leaving LA, knowing that I had played a vital role in the emergence of a pretty amazing food culture in just under five years of food blogging. But when I left, I have to admit I feared at least a small amount of anarchy to foment. Upon my return, however, I learned there was nothing to fear and I had clearly done a good job of setting the city up for the future. Case in point: Top Round.

Just up the street from the now-defunct original Umami Burger location in a strange part of town either known as Mid-Wilshire or the Miracle Mile resides Top Round. Seemingly inspired by Arby’s, Top Round is all about roast beef sandwiches and curly fries. Except this ain’t no fast food (well it is fast, but you know what I mean). As the name implies, the beef is tops, and the fries are fried up in beef fat as opposed to something silly like vegetable oil.

I ordered the Beef & Cheese, which was topped with homemade “wizz” and Round Sauce in an onion bun. Like onion rings, somehow onion buns also get a pass in my book. In addition I got a side of curly fries. The result was damn delicious. The meat was all at once moist, flavorful and bountiful, while the cheese wizz and Round Sauce intermingled like old friends. Even the bun seemed to have been perfectly chosen, handling the contents while deftly handing the sandwich a bit of its own flavor. A bit of the Beef on Weck (atomic horseradish on a caraway and sea salt bun) sandwich taught me that Top Round wasn’t just a one sandwich pony. Then, there were the fries, which played a great companion role to the sandwich.

Perhaps the only downside of the journey was that there was no room left for one of their custard shakes. I had my eye on the pistachio, but the stomach can only contain so much. The LA food scene is still alive and kicking, but perhaps more importantly, I will never be able to look at an Arby’s sandwich the same again.