The recent spate of spin-off sandwich shops from great chefs proves that everyone can be charmed by the joys of a well-made, handheld meal. Here are three leading the trend:

Birchwood Kitchen At his Wicker Park café, Daniel Sirko--a former fromager--shoves fine cheeses into his sandwiches. There's Comté in the grilled cheese, and Zingerman Creamery goat cheese tangoing with pickled beets and walnut pesto in a toasted baguette. Sirko also sources as many local ingredients as possible; his French dip's beer-braised lamb is reared only a few hours away. 2211 W. North Ave., Chicago; 773-276-2100

Num Pang The unsung Cambodian cousins of Vietnamese banh mi finally have a worthy missionary at Kampuchea chef Ratha Chau's just-opened New York deli (pictured). His modern interpretations of the genre pair crusty rolls with a rotating selection of nearby Greenmarket-influenced fillings like pulled Duroc pork, peppercorn-spiced catfish and grilled ramps with chicken livers. 21 E. 12th St., New York; 212-255-3271 or numpangnyc.com

The Sentinel At this downtown San Francisco restaurant, Dennis Leary (chef at local favorite Canteen) has created a brilliant sandwich menu, which is available weekdays during lunch. For spring, there's roasted asparagus with mushrooms and Parmesan mayo, roast beef with pickled vegetables, and the blessedly all-season corned beef with melted Gruyère. 37 New Montgomery St., San Francisco; 415-284-9960 or thesentinelsf.com