Robyn Tenenbaum, Contributing Writer, Food Culture
A sandwich filled with cheesesteak, grilled chicken, mozzarella sticks, french fries and honey mustard? If there is any city in which such an eccentric hodgepodge of ingredients exist, it is the city of weirdness itself, Austin, Texas. Could this unlikely combo of fixin’s be the next big thing, or just a night spent in the bathroom with a bottle of Maalox?
Open until 4am, “Big Bite Pizza and Grill” offers thirty-four of these bizarre sandwiches to its customer base consisting largely of college students. While the night owls who eat at this joint probably can’t soberly read the menu anyways, its unique list of options is what keeps everyone coming…and talking.
If you were to mention the name “Big Bite” on the UT campus, you would probably get a respoe like “isn’t that the place where they have weird sandwiches?” Customers of all kind flock to this restaurant to dive into these cleverly named, “Phat Sandwiches.” The buzz about Big Bite is highly overwhelming – and with a menu as entertaining as theirs, there is no surprise.
My roommate has actually walked in on me sitting on our couch reading the Big Bite menu (for fun) and highlighting the craziest sandwiches I can find. If you don’t think your stomach can handle some of the combinations, I suggest you at least read through the menu, just for kicks.
Try the “Phat Mouse”: Chicken fingers, mozzarella sticks, jalapeno poppers, French fries, mayo and ketchup. How about the “Phat Elvis”: Gyro meat, mozzarella sticks, French fries and statziki sauce. Or a personal favorite, the “Phat Soprano”: grilled chicken, bacon, French fries and pesto sauce. Not only are such concoctions popular, they are surprisingly tasty. To its more conservative customers (those with the weaker stomachs), Big Bite also has other items in its expansive menu. Pizza, burgers, wraps, buffalo wings, paninis, and subs are among the other tame item choices on the menu.
When dissected, the ingredients that comprise a classic Big Bite sandwich, aren’t too abnormal by themselves. In fact, mozzarella sticks and French-fries happen to be two very common staple foods in most young people’s diets, and not to mention, two of my favorite comfort foods. The beauty that Big Bite gives to its customers is the sense of youth and joy provided by a sandwich comprised of such unlikely ingredients put together. Have you ever thought about how PB&J originated? I am almost positive that there had to have been people that considered the team of peanut butter and jelly to be a disagreeable duo for a sandwich. Now look how far PB&J has come. Furthermore, eating at Big Bite is almost like reliving those kitchen adventures we all had as kids. If my mother only had a penny for every time I bounced around the kitchen creating my own kooky dishes…
Big Bite offers more than just a “Phat Sandwich” to its consumers. It stirs up some lost sense of nostalgia from childhood that has long been tucked away. If you think about it, the restaurant ingeniously took everyone’s favorite foods (I call them happy foods) and fused them all together to create one big happy sandwich. No one should feel intimidated to try these menu items, but rather feel excited to explore a whole new realm of unique dining. I don’t think any professional chefs will be feasting there anytime soon, but for the average food lover, who could ask for more?
