I have been vegetarian since I was 11 (although i was never much of a meat person) so I am pretty accustomed to having portobello mushrooms in lieu of steak. I have done so many variations...steak seasoning, Italian seasoning...garlic.. all wonderful ways to make an already delicious fungi into a better one.
but this one, this is THE one.

in a large baggie combine
2 portobello mushrooms
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
a couple tablespoons olive oil (just enough to coat the mushrooms, really you want more vinegar than oil)
3 finely minced cloves of garlic
1/4 of an onion sliced. 
salt and pepper.

Smush around and toss in the fridge (it's better to do in the morning and let it marinade all day but a couple of hours will do.)
now you can either:

• throw them on a grill (get some foil out! those onions are the second best part, grill them on foil for balsamic glazed onions on your shroom)

or

• Throw them in a pan on medium high heat with the onions (save the marinade!). Towards the end when they are getting soft get out another pan and smash down the mushrooms. This will remove the excess water and make it more meaty.

Put the onions and mushrooms (and in this version provolone for the boy) between thick slices of ciabatta bread (this one is from grand central bakery) and throw it back in the pan (or grill) until its crispy and the cheese is melted.
One last (highly important) step, take the balsamic marinade and put it in the pan on high heat and start stirring. reduce it to half its volume and drizzle it over the sandwich.

The potato salad is a recipe I have liberally stolen from The Post Punk Kitchen . I have now made it 4 times in the last 2 weeks, once for over 15 people for a potluck picnic (that I didn't even go to!) with rave reviews. So you  really need to try it. Add whatever veggies you have in the fridge, I've done radishes or red bell pepper... it will make your friends think you are some sort of creative genius.

Next up: a fail post in two forms.