Tally Ho’s roast beef sandwiches are not, I repeat, not
just for drunken McMaster students returning from a bar somewhere in the West
end. Located at 1536 Main West in Hamilton, Tally Ho’s is something of a magical
food happy place legend. While I admit that I first learned of Tally Ho’s
while I was attending McMaster as a student, I recently returned and was
pleasantly surprised to taste the exact same incredible sandwich that I had
eaten some 5 years ago.
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| Roast Beef Sandwich |
It all starts with a soft, warm sesame seed bun. The bun
is sliced and gets a spoonful of their hot, savoury gravy. (side note: my mouth
is already watering as I type this). A generous portion of the most tender and
thinly sliced roast beef is placed in a special warmer. Picture a hot plate
with a lid that allows the meat to heat up while staying moist and flavourful.
This gets piled onto the gravied bun and then more gravy is added on top.
Ordering the Roast Beef Basket means that you also get fries and coleslaw, which I highly recommend, and you necessarily need to get extra
gravy for the fries. The gravy isn’t anything fancy but it is always hot and
just the right consistency to dunk your sandwich in if you feel the need for a
bit more sauce. The coleslaw provides the perfect crunchy, creamy contrast in
between mouthfuls of meat and gravy. Basically, this sandwich is amazing. (side note: I am
about to get into my car to go get two one two).
Yes – if you go after 11 pm on any given night, you will
be surrounded by drunk students (and if you go at lunch time on a weekday and
see a young woman in a business suit shamelessly going HAM on a sandwich in a
corner, it is me) – but it is oh, so very worth it.
