Readers' favorite sandwiches reflect variety of tastes and the creativity of local restaurants

Sandwich-lovers have spoken.

We asked the public to let us know their favorite sandwich being served by a local restaurant. Today, The Post and Courier presents the top five chosen by readers as the tastiest sandwiches in town.

The poll revealed: You like meat, but you like variety, too. Beef, pork, duck and chicken all are represented. You like seafood, as in crab cakes. There's even a vegetarian fave: meatless protein in the form of falafel, Middle Eastern bean cakes.

You also like melted white cheeses, specialty breads such as focaccia and housemade sauces such as aioli.

And apparently you are fond of "umami" flavor. Umami, a Japanese word meaning "delicious," represents savoriness and is recognized as the fifth basic human taste along with sweet, sour, salty and bitter.

Ingredients: 4-ounce filet mignon with baby Swiss cheese and onion aioli on grilled focaccia bread with au jus for dipping.

Where: Sunflower Cafe, 2366 Ashley River Road.

About: Jennifer McGee, who co-owns this family-oriented spot with mother Jenny Hooker, combined the best elements of two other sandwiches to come up with this popular creation. The housemade onion aioli sauce is a blend of mayonnaise with caramelized red onions, garlic, onion powder, chives, salt and Worcestershire. "I think that makes it," she says. "That and the au jus. I'm big on sauces to take them (sandwiches) up a bit."

Sample reader comment: "Delicious, juicy, perfection, tender, scrumptious."

Price: $9.25.

Ingredients: Italian pork sausage, mozzarella cheese, housemade tomato sauce and hot cherry peppers on grilled focaccia bread.

Where: Il Cortile del Re, 193 King St.

About: Owner Kim Green was inspired by a beloved sausage and peppers dish from her past to come up with this sandwich. "It is spicy. All those ingredients I like. I thought it would be good." Hints of fennel, oregano, basil, dried red pepper and rosemary flavor the sausage and sauce.

Sample reader comment: "It is hot, spicy, unique and delicious. It goes great with a glass of sparkling wine."

Price: $8.50.

Ingredients: 6-ounce grilled chicken breast topped with a crab cake and Swiss cheese on a toasted pretzel roll. Housemade Dijonnaise served on the side.

Where: King Street Grille (multiple locations).

About: Executive chef Eric Frank and Scott Keir married the flavors of the Maryland seashore with a Southern favorite: grilled chicken. The crab cakes are made fresh daily, and the bun tastes like a soft-baked pretzel.

Sample reader comment: "Da Chicken Chesapeake is DA BOMB!"

Price: $9.99.

Ingredients: Duck leg and thigh are cured 24 hours with salt, pepper, garlic and thyme, cooked "low and slow" in their own juices, then shredded. The meat is topped with aged gouda, black pepper mayo, fig preserves and pickled red onion on sourdough bread.

Where: Caviar & Bananas, 51 George St.

About: The savory-sweet Duck Confit is one of the shop's most popular sandwiches. "People who understand food get the Duck Confit." says executive chef Todd Mazurek. The wow factor? Black pepper mayo, he says.

Sample reader comment: "This sandwich is like crack. Try it once and you're hooked for life."

Price: $9.

Ingredients: A fried or grilled cake of ground chickpeas and fava beans flavored with cumin, sea salt, garlic, onion, fresh parsley, mint and cilantro and served in a pita. Twenty-seven fresh, Mediterranean-style toppings available, including cucumber yogurt, hummus, Israeli salad and pickled cabbage.

Where: Patat Spot Friet & Falafel, 41-B George St.

About: Phillis Kalinsky-Mair, who owns the restaurant with husband Jeff Mair, says their falafel is unique because it has no breading and is gluten-free. (A gluten-free pita also is available.) The herbs make it "green and vibrant," and she's proud of using local produce as much as possible.

Sample reader comment: "Love that sandwich with all the garden spot trimmings ... the best!"

Price: $7.95 (regular) and $4.95 (junior).