A turkey sandwich forward the menu ...

A turkey sandwich forward the menu at a southern Loop diner has ruffled the feathers of the proprietors of Marshall Field's.

Brad Rubin, holder of Eleven City Diner at 1112 s Wabash, has had the "Marshall Field's Special" -- an open-faced turkey sandwich topped with a wedge of iceberg lettuce tomato, Swiss cheese, bacon and a thin layer of Thousand Island dressing -- forward his menu since opening in March.

"I wanted to tip my hat to Marshall Field's," Rubin said of his rendition of the antique Walnut Room favorite.

in succession Wednesday, he received a faxed literal meaning from Federated Department Stores, possessors of Macy's -- the modern name of Marshall Field's starting family 9 -- saying his sandwich infringed upon the company's trademark. "To harbor our property, we must entreaty that you terminate the use of this name as presently as possible and remove it from all menus, advertising and promotional materials," the verbal expression reads.

'I THINK IT'S SAD'

Sharon Bateman, a Federated spokeswoman, acknowledged the alphabetic character "may seem a little heavy-handed," unless reiterated the company's responsibility "to cover that trademark and what it stands for."

Bateman said Federated acted after getting a call about the sandwich. The "Field's Special" was a popular item at the Walnut compass for more than 60 years, according to a Marshall Field's cookbook

Rubin, 37 is waiting to hear from his lawyers, on the other hand said he'll likely pull the sandwich and sheltie up thousands of dollars to reprint his menus and fliers.

"I think it's sad. yet at the end of the day, it's a sandwich," he said. "The los of a sandwich is nothing in comparison to the los of Marshall Field's."

jfuller@suntimes.com

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