SandwichesRule kicks off Olympics with a meal at The Cheese Course

THE WOODLANDS, Texas — It's Olympic Kickoff week so I decided that I should find a world-class caprese sandwich here in The Woodlands; plus, I've been craving fresh mozzarella and since it's peak tomato season right now, it seemed that all signs were favorable, so off I went!

On a separate but related topic, don't you love when you strike gold on your first try? That what's happened with me when I chose The Cheese Course as my destination. My rationale was sound (but that hasn't always led me to the sandwich "promised land"): 1) I love cheese; 2) I was craving it; and 3) I figured that if they knew how to do only one thing well, it would have to be cheese, right?

What I didn't know, though, was just how many sandwich offerings were up for grabs when I walked in. Well let me assure you -- that sandwich board of theirs is a blessing and a curse. There are simply too many delicious sounding sandwiches to choose from...sigh...(I suppose in the grand scheme of things, there are worse problems for an opportunistic sandwich lover like myself)...

Oh yeah...the order: I chose the Prosciutto with fresh mozzarella, tomatoes, fresh basil, basil pesto, extra virgin olive oil, and balsamic vinegar. Sandwich Bonus: the prosciutto was cut think, not thin-sliced like I'm used to...big points for that!

Side note: it turns out, you can order a half or full sandwich but half-orders seem cruel to me and since I'm not a cruel guy, I went full.

With my sandwich in hand, I headed toward the waterway outside of the restaurant to enjoy lunch before the thermometer hit 100. Found a nice shaded spot above the waterfall and began to "judge" this Olympic-quality sandwich. As I expected, the fresh mozzarella led strong out of the gate. Summer tomatoes rounded the corner, ripe and delicious. And down the backstretch, a white Baguette, crisp on the outside, soft in the middle, brought the win home in record fashion. I declare this "A great picnic sandwich in The Woodlands." Gold medal indeed!

For my next event, I've heard the Chicken Salad sandwich is addictive. Can't wait for that to begin...could be that The Cheese Course double-medals this year.