Mason Dixon American Sandwich Bar

In the US the Mason-Dixon line is considered the boundary between the North and the South. In Melbourne it is a yummy place to have lunch. Justin and I finally managed to escape the office to try out the Mason Dixon American Sandwich Bar, which is located in a food plaza along Collins Street. It has a range of sandwiches to choose from on the menu, including different types of reubens, cubanos, pulled pork and hoagies.

Justin decided to eat "South" and ordered the Carolina Pulled Pork sandwich, which contains slow-roasted pork, coleslaw, dill pickles and Carolina BBQ sauce on a brioche bun. He thought the pulled pork was super tender and that the flavors were subtle yet tasty.

I chose to order "North" and had The MD Reuben, which contains the classic ingredients of corned beef, sauerkraut, Swiss cheese and Russian dressing on toasted rye bread. It was very tasty with its high quality corned beef, and the dill pickle and pretzels really emphasized the New York deli flavors.

For dessert I couldn't resist the peanut butter pie (complete with whipped cream). It was really good with a chocolate top, crumb base and peanut butter filling that wasn't too rich.

While we were eating the American owner Garrett Huston came over to say hello and check on how we were finding the food. I really appreciated that level of customer service and the obvious pride he takes in the food he is making. I look forward to returning and trying out more of the sandwiches on the menu (I already have my eye on The Rachel).

Mason Dixon American Sandwich Bar
7/480 Collins Street, Food Plaza, Melbourne
Open from 9:00 am - 3:30 pm Monday to Friday

Trailer Park Melbourne- North America

Food trucks are hugely popular in the States, and Melbourne's stable is slowly growing with a range of trucks serving food from all over the world. Trailer Park Melbourne is back with a cuisine of origin battle going on each weekend in August. This week's food was themed around North America, so we had to make the trip down to Village Melbourne to check it out.

Our first food truck was Smokin' Barrys with their slow cooked BBQ. We tried the chili cheese fries, nachos with pulled pork, and pork ribs with coleslaw. Of the three dishes the nachos were our favorite, and while the ribs were good they could have used some more BBQ sauce.

Our next truck was Mr Burger, who serve my favorite burgers in Melbourne. You can't go wrong with the classic Mr Burger cheeseburger and fries. Yummy as usual.

Our favorite dish of the day came from the Toasta food truck. You wouldn't have thought that a grilled sandwich would grab your imagination, but you've never had the Mack, which contains pulled pork, mac and cheese, and BBQ sauce. It was decadent and really delicious.

After a bit of a break we were ready for some dessert, which we got from Jay's Yogurt. The guys in the truck were super friendly, and you get to choose your flavors and they will blend them into the frozen yogurt for you. We tried out two of the specials from their winter menu. The Hot Apple Cup contained hot apple crumble, a frozen yogurt blend with rose water and pistachio, and was topped with Persian fairy floss. It was like a Middle Eastern apple pie. We also had the Coffee & Cookie with frozen yogurt blended with cold brew coffee and Charlies cookies. Both provided a refreshing end to our afternoon at Trailer Park Melbourne.

Trailer Park Melbourne at Village Melbourne
557 St Kilda Road, Melbourne
Open from 12-8 pm each weekend in August

Ike's Rack Shack at The Beaufort Hotel

Walk into the Beaufort Hotel and you're transported to an dive bar in the Deep South. You can't escape the feeling you're sitting out on the porch on the Bayou. The nautical themed bar is known for its world class cocktails and Ike's Rack Shack has the food to pair with it.

Ike's has pork, beef, lamb, and even vegan ribs, but on this occasion we went with the pork ribs. The maple syrup and bourbon rib sauce had all the sticky goodness you could ask for.

We moved on to the 'Prince's Biscuit', a burger with fried chicken, bacon, cheddar cheese, and BBQ sauce in a bun made of a buttermilk biscuit. The chicken hit the spot, but the biscuit was a little dry. The fries were well seasoned and were gone quick.

The sides were intriguing. We tried the truffled mac and cheese, which was a little fancy with gruyere cheese, and they added a Twistie crumble crust that brought back that childhood memory of the cheese powder from a Kraft mac and cheese box.

The other was the cornbread doughnut with a bacon and maple glaze. The cornbread was moist and soft with a little crunch from the bacon - it's listed as a side, but it felt like a sweet/savoury dessert.

Dinner is a nice way to start an off an evening - then you can stay at the bar, order an Old Fashioned, and sing old sea shanties with the locals.

Ike's Rack Shack (The Beaufort Hotel)
421 Rathdowne St, Carlton
Open for lunch from 1pm Friday, Saturday and Sunday, and dinner from 5pm 7 nights a week

Bowery To Williamsburg

Bowery to Williamsburg brings a bit of New York deli to the Melbourne CBD. It is one of the spots my work colleagues and I occasionally visit for lunch, especially around American holidays when they sometimes feature a special dish that will remind me of home. The Oliver Lane restaurant has both outdoor and indoor seating, and the interior is styled a bit like a New York subway station.

The main feature of the lunch menu is the variety of sandwiches that are available for $13, or for $17 you can add a side of your choice, pretzels and a pickle. Sides include different types of salads, but really, you can't go wrong with the mac & cheese (I honestly don't know why you would want to order anything else).

On this visit I ordered what I consider to be their best sandwich - the Reuben. It contains pastrami, sauerkraut, Russian dressing, melted Swiss cheese and pickle on rye bread. No matter how many other sandwiches I try this is the one I always come back to. My work colleague John decided to order the Lechon Asado, which contains Cuban braised pork, pickled zucchini, fennel and celeriac slaw, and garlic aioli on a brioche bun. It was good, but I thought it had a bit too much aioli on it, which took away from the taste of the pork. I am a big fan of the pickle, but for some reason we were served a sweet pickle instead of a dill one on the tray, which for a New York deli place is unacceptable (I'm hoping it was just an oversight).

If you still have room to eat after such a filling lunch, there are several dessert options, including pies, cakes and brownies (yes, you can get it as take away). I grabbed a piece of the baked N.Y. cheesecake ($7) to go for my afternoon tea, and it was a decent sized slice.

There aren't that many New York style deli places in Melbourne, so it's good that Bowery to Williamsburg meets the brief for the most part.

Bowery to Williamsburg
16 Oliver Lane and 123 Hardware Street, Melbourne
Open for breakfast and lunch 7 days a week

Happy 4th Of July

The 4th of July conjures up images of summer, parades, fireworks, swimming, sunshine and lots of food. When you are living in the opposite hemisphere though, you are lucky to find something authentic to eat. Welcome to the life of the American expat in Australia, where you have to celebrate Independence Day in the middle of winter.

Today is a fitting day to officially launch Eagle vs Roo, and what better way to do it than to have a 4th of July BBQ. We headed out in the freezing cold to cook our meat on a public barbecue at a local park. We considered having an outdoor picnic for about 5 seconds, but quickly headed back to the warmth and heating of the indoors. It was so cold and windy outside that we couldn't even light a sparkler!

Since we don't have access to summer foods at the moment (e.g. watermelon, corn) we went with a classic potato salad side to go along with our burgers, sausages and lamb. For dessert, you can't go wrong with a homemade apple pie.

A plethora of American restaurants have popped up in Melbourne over the past few years. Eagle vs Roo will be checking them out in an attempt to find the best ones in town.