Welcome to Food/Drink Week at Milwaukee Record, brought to you by Third Space Brewing. From May 13 through May 20, belly up and enjoy adventurous, odd, and elaborate coverage of all things edible and drinkable in Milwaukee and beyond.
The search for incredible food tends to lead to two extremes: upscale five-star restaurants where the menus don’t use dollar signs, and out-of-the-way mom-and-pop shops where everything is served on paper plates. Lost in this search is an unassuming middle ground. You wouldn’t, for instance, expect to find your favorite sandwich at a regional coffee shop chain with a dozen locations in the area and a few more in other cities, now would you?
But readers, I’m here to say that I HAVE found my favorite sandwich at a regional coffee shop chain with a dozen locations in the area and a few more in other cities. Or rather, I’ve come to recognize that the sandwich in question is indeed my favorite. I’m talking about Colectivo‘s divine Turkey Club—specifically a Turkey Club on sourdough bread—available now and forever at your friendly neighborhood Colectivo.
Let the arguments commence, I guess.
What is it about this sandwich that makes it so GOOD? On paper, the Colectivo Turkey Club comes off as rather ordinary. “Baked turkey, Jones Dairy Farm bacon, swiss cheese, lettuce, tomatoes, pesto mayo, on Troubadour bread,” reads the description. Sounds like a turkey sandwich to me! But in practice, this breaded beauty SOARS. Is it the turkey? The bacon? The in-house Troubadour bread? (Once again, the sourdough bread is where it’s at.) WHAT IS IT?
I don’t know, but I love this sandwich to death. Oh, and notice that I’m using the words “I,” “me,” and “favorite.” I am not claiming the Colectivo Turkey Club is objectively the “best” sandwich in Milwaukee. (I’ll let the true sandwich hounds hash THAT issue out in the comments.) I’m not even claiming that it’s the best local sandwich I’ve ever tucked into. I’m simply saying that it’s a reliable personal standby that never disappoints. I get it every time I eat at a Colectivo. It’s always good.
And that’s another thing that makes it great: it’s available at all Colectivo cafés! One of the best things about following local music is that I can see my favorite bands and artists virtually every week, at intimate venues and at affordable prices; one of the best things about having a favorite sandwich made by a local chain is that I can find it in virtually every neighborhood in town, in cozy cafés and for about $10.75 a pop. (Complain about the high prices of everything…NOW!)
Colectivo (Walker’s Point)
Colectivo (Prospect Avenue)
Issues of reliability and availability aside, I find myself returning to this question: What is it about this sandwich that makes it so GOOD? It’s definitely more elevated than a turkey sandwich you could make at home, but not so elevated that it requires exotic ingredients and an arcane knowledge of sandwich lore. It’s a turkey sandwich! A really, really good turkey sandwich! Like I said before, is it the turkey? The bacon? The in-house Troubadour bread? (Gotta have it on sourdough!) WHAT IS IT?
Okay, it’s probably the pesto mayo. I’m a sucker for that stuff.
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