A Closer Look at the “Chicken Special”

Part of the key to Tiny’s sandwiches is construction.  The placement of flavors and textures can alter deliciousness immensely.  The hearty amount of tender grilled chicken inside the “Chicken Special” is carefully placed to guarantee chicken in every bite.

The melted cheddar is the glue to this sandwich, holding the sliced onion, grilled chicken and bacon in place.  The sliced tomato marries flavor with the surprisingly spicy chipotle mayo, which covers the inside of the top bun.   The heat of the mayo infiltrates every delicious bite while leaving a smokey spice lingering behind.   A handful of generic potato chips accompanies each sandwich.

The “Chicken Special” is technically an off-the-menu item, but if you switch the grilled chicken for sliced turkey, you create one of Tiny’s most popular sandwiches, “The Spicy Rizzak.”

A Vegetarian Vision & the Other Off-The-Menu Sandwich

A lot of notable sandwich places in NYC don’t offer many options for vegetarians, but this is just another area for Tiny’s to excel in.   Every one of their sandwiches can be “Tofu-ized.” Tofu chicken, tofu bacon and tofu turkey can turn a carnivore’s delight into a vegetarian vision.  The “Big Mack Daddy ($6.50)” has a strong vegetarian following, a tofu-based veggie burger is topped with mild cheddar, tofu bacon, lettuce, tomato, pickle, ketchup, and special sauce and served on a brioche bun. Even NYC Food Guy is now intrigued to try a veggie burger.

The second off-the-menu item is the “Turkey Special”, oven roasted turkey covered in mozzarella cheese and Swiss cheese, lettuce, tomato and a brightly flavored herb mayo.  Although it sounds like a nice, lighter alternative to the “Spicy Rizzak”, it couldn’t hurt to add some bacon to this sandwich, could it?

Beverages, Anyone?

In addition to a full menu of GuS Sodas, you’ll smile at the balance between spicy and sweet in the ” Olde Brooklyn Root Beer”, served in a glass bottle ($1.50).  Next on my list is the Brooklyn Cream Soda, the Black Cherry and the Orange soda.

Tiny’s Giant Sandwich Shop (website/menu)

Owned by a vegetarian and known for their Big Mack Daddy, a beast of a veggie burger, (any sandwich can be tofu-ized) Tiny’s doesn’t forget about the carnivores and puts a delicious spin on some traditional sandwiches like the Spicy Rizzak: Sliced turkey, crisp bacon, melted cheddar, tomato, onion, and some seriously delicious Chipotle mayo with a real bite:

More delicious sandwich pics and a word on the Veggie Burger after the jump.

I’d read about Tiny’s a while back on nymag.com and was immediately intrigued. The thought of turkey, melted cheddar, bacon, and spicy chipotle mayo sounded pretty close to sandwich perfection. I finally made the pilgrimage from the UWS to the LES and wasn’t surprised that my sandwich yearnings were satisfied.

The Spicy Rizzak ($8.00 on a semolina hero, $5.00 on a roll) was damn tasty, save the over-toasted and bready semolina hero. Next time I will probably get this on a brioche roll, one of the many bread options at Tiny’s (Large: Semolina hero, 7-grain hero, 7-grain sliced, sliced white & Small: Semolina Roll, Brioche Roll, Sliced 7-grain). As you can see below the sandwich came served steaming hot with a small handful of generic wavy potato chips:

The real star of the show turned out to be the Southwestern Chicken, a breaded chicken cutlet with bacon, melted cheddar, onion, and BBQ sauce.

The BBQ sauce was too sweet and tangy. It would have benefited from some heat. Strangely red, it reminded me of the sauce that comes with Chinese sweet and sour chicken, just not as sweet and thick. The cutlet, however, was fresh, thick, and delicious, swathed in thoroughly melted cheddar and fresh, crisp bacon.

The semolina hero was again over-toasted, but all in all, I’d be all about the chicken cutlet next time I hit Tiny’s.

Now as far as Veggie Burgers go, NYC Food Guy is not a participant, but after chatting with Tiny’s owner Kevin and seeing how serious he is about sandwiches, I would definitely get the Big Mack Daddy next time I go. A veggie burger topped with mild cheddar, tofu bacon, lettuce, tomato, pickle, ketchup, and special sauce all served on a brioche bun, vegetarian or not, that sounds delicious.

You can also create your own sandwich choosing a bread, a main, some basic or premium add-ons, and a spread.

Tiny’s premium mains ($4.25 small/$6.50 large) include Grilled and Breaded Chicken Cutlets, Roast Beef, Smoked Ham, Crab Cakes, Portobello Mushrooms, Tofu Chicken. Lesser mains ($3.75/$5.50) include Tuna, Bacon, Veggie Burgers (large only), Tofu Bacon, Tofu Turkey, Veggie Meatballs, Avocado, Hummus, and Cheese.

You can get up to 3 basic add-ons for free ($0.25 each after): Lettuce, tomato, onions, spinach, pickles, shredded carrots, and sprouts.

Here’s a link to a PDF version of their menu, look on the right side to see the rest of your options.

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Places like Tiny’s are hard to come by, especially when you live in neighborhoods where you can only get sandwiches at chains and bodegas. Tiny’s is great because quality ingredients combined with innovative recipes makes eating sandwiches an adventure again. So next time you’ve got time to spare, head down to the corner of Norfolk and Rivington and satisfy the urge that your corner store never does.

For more delicious sandwiches click here.

Tiny’s Giant Sandwich Shop

129 Rivington St., New York, NY 10002
at Norfolk St

212-982-1690

Mon. – Fri. Noon to 10PM