"The Dry Rub": Villains Wicked Heroes- Midtown Atlanta

Warning: The following may be inappropriate for children under the age of 13 or people that are looking for a healthy sandwich alternative

Sandwiches are to lunch what The Captain is to Tennille. In other words, sandwiches are the backbone of lunch. And as you may know, lunch is very important to me. So when a new restaurant names itself "Villains" and they introduce "Evil Themed Sandwiches?" I'm all in.

They have sandwiches named "Clubber Lang" and "Odd Job" and their sides include "Henchman" and "Flunkies!" In truth they had me at "Colonel Kurtz." Kurtz always gets overlooked as one of the most iconic characters in cinematography history.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3OTB8WdGro0

I don't think anyone but Marlon Brando could have played this character. He nails the subtle insanity perfectly, which wasn't much of a stretch for him.

But when a establishment goes so strong to push a theme, the quality of the food often suffers for the image. Yea, I'm talking to you Hard Rock Cafe and Hooters. Thankfully, Villains doesn't fix that profile. The sandwiches we had were good and unique in both quality and presentation.

The Clubber Lang was my favorite. On it was slow cooked Italian beef, au jus pickled giardiniera and (Ivan) Drago sauce on a hoagie roll. LOT's of flavor. The au jus very very tasty.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CeFMxy4QPMc&safety_mode=true&persist_safety_mode=1&safe=active

Only if they opened two months ago, The Clubber Lang would have been in the "Best Sandwich in Atlanta" tournament.

The Bugsy Siegel had one of my favorite combinations. Pastrami and Swiss cheese as well as braised cabbage and Russian caviar dressing on a hoagie roll. It was pretty good. The cabbage made it a little too tart for my taste and I would have preferred it on rye, but overall I enjoyed it.

TDR contributor Matt G had the Megatron with breaded pork cutlet, anise pickled, radish, cabbage and Stinger sauce. The meat portion was a little small, but it was still tasty.

On trip #2, I had the "Kingpig of Crime" which had porchetta (rosemary stuffed pork), crispy skin, arugula and garlic aioli. It was really good and tasty, though I could have used a weed whacker for all of the arugula they put on there.

The sides or "Henchmen" as they call them were delicious. I also loved the presentation in the Chinese to go boxes. We ordered both the soba noodle & kale salad and the roasted mushroom & whipped brie. The roasted mushroom and whipped brie was incredible, though it may be a day or two before my breath is tolerable.

The aesthetics were pretty cool. Each wall had a different theme that stayed true to character.

And the open air bar is a great touch.

My one complaint? How could we leave out the #1 Villain of All Time, Darth Vader? It could very well be a copyright issue, but would "The Lord Vader" not work?

"Luke, do not order the veggie Zartan sandwich, becoming a vegetarian will lead you to The Dark Side."

Or Dr Evil? He had the greatest Villain Monologue since Colonel Kurtz!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pYwgIQaq9qY&safety_mode=true&persist_safety_mode=1&safe=active

Or how about one Buffalo Bill? He may also go by Jame or Jamie Gumb. I know Hannibal Lechter is the obvious "villain" choice from "Silence of the Lambs," but nobody blends the darkness of evil with the unintentional comedy of one Jame Gumb. Poor Ted Levine, he never really escaped the shadow of this character. Levine is actually of Russian Jew, Native American and Welsh descent. Does his Indian name translate to "Dances with Drunk CPA?"