The Vintage Open-Faced Sandwich That Used To Rule Pittsburgh Diners

If there is a sandwich connected to the great city of Pittsburgh today, it's the Primanti Brothers sandwich, an iconic beast of a dish that piles meat, french fries, and coleslaw between slices of Italian bread. But even many Pittsburghers might not be aware that another locally-founded sandwich once reigned supreme in the City of Bridges: Turkey Devonshire. In 1934, restaurateur Frank Blandi created the warm, open-faced sandwich at his eatery called the Stratford Club. Despite the name, Turkey Devonshire has nothing to do with British roots, rather, Blandi wanted the title to mimic the English-sounding "Stratford" in the restaurant's name.

Throughout the 1960s and '70s, Turkey Devonshire was considered the hottest dish in town, so to speak. Restaurants all over Pittsburgh had caught onto the rib-sticking sandwich and were making versions of their own. Turkey Devonshire begins with toasted bread, which is topped with slices of turkey, crispy strips of bacon (these often are placed on top of the other ingredients), occasionally tomato slices, a gravy-like sauce made with chicken stock and cheese, plus grated parmesan cheese which turns golden brown when placed under the broiler before presentation. It resembles the Hot Brown from Louisville (which is Kentucky's signature sandwich) and Welsh rarebit, but many experts and those close to Blandi agree that he probably came up with Turkey Devonshire on his own.

Frank Blandi died in 1999, never having given many details on how he came up with Turkey Devonshire, although he did tell the Pittsburgh Press in 1983, "When we first started working on the Devonshire, it didn't look like it does now. It was flat" (via Rust Belt Magazine). From this, we can only presume other chefs and restaurateurs built upon and morphed Blandi's original creation. This is likely one of the reasons that the sandwich largely diminished in availability over time. Due to demand, oven roasted turkey on the bone became pre-sliced deli lunch meat, freshly baked bread became generic sandwich slices, and mediocre bacon became the norm because it was cheaper. Eventually, people lost interest, and many eateries that were making Turkey Devonshire closed.

The way people ate lunch also undoubtedly affected the demand for the sandwich. Turkey Devonshire was a popular option for lunch, when people still went out for sit-down lunches, away from their desks and offices. It isn't the kind of sandwich one eats on the go, as it's not meant to be eaten with your hands like a ham and cheese on wheat. But none of this means that Turkey Devonshire should become obsolete. It's a great lunch or dinner option in the days after Thanksgiving when you can't stand to eat another plain turkey sandwich. Just remember you'll need a knife and fork, and you'll need to slow down to enjoy it, which isn't a bad thing at all.