From mash-ups to classics, here are some standouts for the season

It’s been nearly three years since the COVID pandemic encouraged us to love sandwiches again: There’s nothing better for outdoor dining in all kinds of weather. And as inflation picks our pockets today — sandwiches have retained their utility and affordability.

We’ve kept up with sandwiches the whole time, rounding them up like stray dogies on a ranch every three months or so, staying abreast of innovations and revealing new finds after extensive fieldwork. Today we present a collection of irresistible sandwiches.

Fried chicken sandwich at Baby’s Buns & Buckets

What do you do about a fried chicken sandwich that’s too hard to pick up? Deconstruct, or grab a knife and fork. I tried both and neither was quite satisfactory — but that didn’t interfere with my extreme enjoyment of this sandwich ($8). Yes, it comes on a small brioche bun, but that bun is piled so high with fried chicken and greenery that it’s more vertical rather than horizontal. A hot sandwich that starts with chicken fried to order finishes with papaya slaw and garlic mayo that adds a creamy tartness — with some pickled purple onions in there, somewhere. DeKalb Market Hall, 445 Albee Square West, Downtown Brooklyn