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By John Darling For the Tidings February 17. 2015 7:07PM Sammich does it Chicago-style Melissa McMillan, at right, serves Peter and Susan Brown at Sammich in Ashland. All are originally from Chicago. Photo by John Darling Sammich, 424 Bridge St., just north off Siskiyou. Call-in, take-out, deliveries, bulk meats and bacon to go. Beer and wine. Hours: 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily, except 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday. Dining inside or at tables out in the sun. Phone: 541-708-6055. Menu: sammichashland.com. “Any old schmuck can throw lunch meat between two slices of bread and have a sandwich. But no. A sammich is not just a sandwich, it is not just a meal. Sammich is a term reserved for only the holiest and mightiest of all sandwiches. A sammich is a true work of culinary art; a feast on a bun, if you will. A sammich is not made of the best ingredients; it is made of the 'right' ingredients. It needs the right meats, and the right cheese(s), the right sauce, the right veggies, and the right kind of bread.” — Urban Dictionary The idea of "sammich" was Melissa McMillan’s inspiration for her Chicago-themed restaurant, a place which opened in 2013 and spares no pains to replicate her beloved Breezy Burg (or, if you prefer, Windy City). It’s where sammiches take days to make because she literally “makes” the meat — using brine, smoke and steam — and adds all the condiments (and the attitudes) loved by the City of the Big Shoulders. Chicagoans Peter and Susan Brown drive down often from Central Point. “It’s real authentic Chicago,” she says. “It’s fantastic. We love coming here for the heckling because it feels like home, very different from the other gentrified Ashland places.” As she fed us some amazing pastrami, we asked owner Melissa McMillian: What makes Sammich run? It takes DAYS to make a sammich? How? Why? It takes three days for some, six for others. We smoke it outside. The giardiniera takes three days to make. It’s the most famous condiment in Chicago. What are your favorite sammiches here? The pastrami, for sure. It takes six days to make. Starting from the brisket, we brine it four days, smoke it three to six hours, then steam it for three to six hours. Very few restaurants on the West Coast make their own pastrami. It will make us famous. People drive three hours for it. (Double R brisket on light rye, served hot with Swiss, slaw, Russian dressing or mustard. $12.) The Burg (burger) is my next favorite. People go nuts for it. It’s the best burger in town. (Ranier natural beef with Swiss and American on an Italian bun with sammich sauce, lettuce and onion. $10.) Then the Timbo, named after my brother. (House-roasted Double R sirloin, sliced thin, toasted baguette, mayo, cheese, lettuce, onion, $10.) And the tuna (albacore Oregon coast tuna, poached and made into tuna salad, Italian bun, avacado, sprouts, $14.) How did you end up here since you love Chicago and the Cubs so much? Your walls are festooned with photos of Wrigley Field and your sammiches are named after Mike Ditka and other sports stars and you named your dogs Cubby and Wrigley. I came here 10 years ago and fell in love with the place. I've coached Little League baseball for six years now. These kids are like sponges and soak it all up. I coach them just like the major leagues. They were 17-3 last year. The atmosphere clearly seems to be a big part of the attraction, the shouting, nicknames, the spunky team spirit of the employees. Do Ashlanders get it?   They do. It may take a few visits before they figure out how they like it and I get their names (she calls one “Stretch”). I love my customers. They’re the best. They learn to take our advice on the specials, though we want them to try the straight menu first, before they find their ideal sammich. We post the specials every day on our Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. It’s exciting, finding your Holy Grail. My staff are awesome hard-workers. We definitely have fun, bust butt and we all love food. We source everything local, provide jobs by all our ingredients and have a big heart and love community. Reach Ashland freelance writer John Darling at [email protected].   http://www.dailytidings.com/article/20150217/News/150219833 © 2015 Copyright © 1995-2011 Crain Communications Inc. All Rights Reserved. Terms of Use Privacy Statement -->