hellcat

bender's, 19th & south van ness, san francisco

Speaking of hangovers, Bender's is the perfect place to fight off today's hangover, while ensuring tomorrow's. JoJoJoJo and I were rolling deep when we went to Bender's this time- there were seven of us in all, including breadxbread writers Mark, Katie and JP- and I think at least four of us ended up ordering this sandwich. But how can you resist fried fish and buffalo sauce? Last time we went to Bender's, if you'll recall, I ate the BBQ pork sandwich, which was incredibly filling and delicious. This sandwich didn't quite match that one, but that has more to do with how amazing the BBQ pork sandwich was. The Hellcat is definitely a great sandwich, a perfect match of spiciness and, um, friedness. But afterwards I was still hungry. I think I pretty easily could have eaten two of these (and I almost did, but thought better of it). But its still a good, lighter alternative to some of the heavier fare on Bender's menu.

Progrssive Grounds Tuna Melt Lavash Wrap

So yeah I'm supposed to be a vegetarian, but you know what sometimes I wanna eat so goddamn fish, so back off, I'm so sick of people complaining. Jesus Fuck!

So yeah, I ate some fucking fish whatever, are you happy? It wasn't that good ok! It was like shit canned tuna or something and some cheese, I dunno. Does that make you meat eaters happy? God! And it was all wrapped in some weird bread or something, like all flat and shit, but not a tortilla, what the fuck, I was gonna tell them to make it on some white bread, but ya know what, I'm just so sick of people bitching about everything, being in my face all the time, whatever.

They didn't even put stuff in it, just bullshit tuna, and it was like 7 bucks, I could get a chick to sleep with me for that, why would I pay that much for a fucking sandwich!

There's no fucking picture so just shut up ok, go do something useful with your life instead of wasting my time!

Otherwise progressive grounds is a really nice cafe. It's less crowded then Atlus (which is nearby), and there's always room on the sofa. The staff are also super nice, and it's fun to see the regualrs. So, nice atmosphere, bad sandwiches.

tom tom

mr. pickle's, 20th & south van ness, san francisco

The second day that JoJoJoJo and I were in SF, I had a gnarly hangover. The kind where you are certain that the sun is shining specifically because it hates you and wants you to suffer. So JoJoJoJo and I decided to tackle our mental impairments head on, pulling out every weapon in our arsenal to counteract the misery in our souls with positivity. We decided that old reliable stand-by, Mr. Pickle's, was in order. I practiced a little free-style walking on the way, stopping only to buy a little Animal Crossing charm outside the liquor store on 23rd and Capp. When we got to Mr. Pickle's, I decided I needed to try something new- and remarkably, this sandwich, the Tom Tom, was something I had never eaten. There are a number of factors behind this- I usually feel guilty about ordering anything with bacon (or I used to, anyway); and the menu at Mr. Pickle's has so many strange combinations that a turkey club just didn't seem exotic enough. But it turned out to be a great sandwich, much less intense than some of the other sandwiches at Mr. Pickle's, but certainly a worthy turkey club. We ate in the little park (Alioto? it has one of those old-timey SF names) that is usually full of drunks and hobos, but it wasn't too bad that day. The sunshine felt good and the sandwich elevated my feeble state from "critical" to "tolerable".

st. francis reuben

st. francis diner, 24th & york, san francisco

This was the first sandwich I got upon returning to SF for the first time since moving to LA. It wasn't the first time I'd gotten a reuben at St. Francis, but St. Francis makes awesome reubens. In fact, I could eat nothing but reubens every time I went to here, and I'd be pretty happy. The corned beef is very salty and good, there is plenty of dressing and sauerkraut, and the rye bread is always buttery and delicious. My only complaint is that this time that I went, I was told that they don't serve potato salad anymore!! What kind of self-respecting diner doesn't serve potato salad?!? St. Francis had particularly good potato salad too, so this is quite disappointing. At least their fries are good.

urbun burger: portobello burger

urbun burger, valencia and 17th, san francisco

When I first saw the shiny new "Urbun Burger" sign go up on Valencia, I made a bad joke about it sounding like "the rural juror," and apparently I was not the only person this occurred to. It's an awkward name. Their menu looked pretty good though, especially the build-your-own setup, with lots of different choices (5 meats/meat substitutes, 9 sauces, different toppings). It's definitely not the cheapest burger or sandwich you can buy, but given how shiny and "loft-y" the restaurant looks, and the re-inventing-the-burger-as-gourmet-food sound of the name, $7.75 for a basic burger (including fries) didn't seem so bad.

I got a portobello mushroom patty with grilled onions and barbecue sauce. The portobello was cooked just right, grilled through but not too soft. The barbecue sauce was pretty standard, but that's fine by me - "gourmet" "barbecue sauce" is often neither. The grilled onions were plentiful and delicious. Lettuce, tomato and (fresh) onion come on the side with a pickle spear. The bun was one of the best parts of this burger, huge and soft but not soggy, although my portobello kept trying to slide out of it.

Overall, this was a great portobello burger. Their regular vegetarian burgers are made with orginal gardenburger patties, which are not vegan and are also nowhere near as tasty as wildwood burgers (or a lot of other veggie patties). Also I'm pretty sure their top secret "urbun sauce" is the same sauce that's on big macs. But the food was good. I want to go back and try the sweet potato fries.

pesto turkey burger pt 2

After making my last sandwich too strongly flavored, I tried to make this one a little more reserved. And it was more mild, both in flavor and in appearance. As you can tell, this wasn't the most colorful or appetizing sandwich to look at. Still, it tasted pretty good. You can't really go wrong with a combination of turkey, cheese and avocado.

pesto turkey burger pt 1

Once again, I decided to try out something new from the grocery store. This time, I bought frozen pesto turkey patties, which I believed to be fully cooked and in the shape of a normal burger. However, when I got home I discovered that that they were uncooked, as well as being rectangle in shape. Because the patties were greenish-grey, it was kind of hard to tell when one was done cooking. But I decided to take a risk and call it done. I threw on some of the sharp provolone I had from before, some tomato and red onion, and put the whole mess on a burger bun. It tasted pretty good, but a lot of the flavors were really sharp and acidic and it gave me a little of a stomach ache. I decided the next patty I cooked would be paired with more mild flavors.

grilled ham & cheese

This was the last of the rosemary ham that I bought at Trader Joe's. I think that I used mozzarella on this sandwich, rather than sharp provolone, in order not to be overwhelmed by strong flavors. But then, I don't really recall too much about this sandwich, which was sort of a late night snack.

wow!

sandwichist

Londonist asked some local bloggers about their favorite sandwiches, and the results are pretty spectacular. I think the toasted cheese & beef with horseradish sandwiches were my favorites. Be sure to read the entry about the Pan Bagnat! This is making me reconsider my "never travel to the horrible police state that is England" policy.

rosemary ham & sharp provolone

As I mentioned in my last post, I've recently been buying products at the grocery store that I've never tried or wouldn't usually get. But the items in this sandwich- rosemary ham and sharp provolone cheese- put an end to that practice, at least for a little while. The rosemary ham was interesting to me- I wasn't really sure what to expect from it. But it was good, and I realized eating it that rosemary must be one of the main ingredients in the herbed turkey breast that you can get at a lot of delis. The sharp provolone on the other hand.... I was not prepared for. When I saw it in the store, it struck me as odd, because I didn't really consider provolone to be a very sharp tasting cheese and wondered what a sharp version of provolone would taste like. In retrospect, it seems obvious- it tasted like a really, really strongly flavored provolone. It was fairly pungent too. I've always loved cheese, and keep falling into the logical fallacy of "I like this flavor -> sharp means more flavor -> the sharp cheese must taste even better!". As I age, I'm starting to appreciate the value of subtlety a little more. I wish I had that frame of mind before making this sandwich, because the result was an intense flavor explosion that baffled my mouth. Each bite was an attack on my senses, leaving me reeling and wary of the next bite. Its good trying new flavors and all, but I think I over-did the experimentation on this one.

what was i thinking about

Dinner tonight resembles
the quantity and quality
of an after school, home alone,
throw things together and hope
for the best sort of meal.
i used love,
first and foremost,
followed by the ready-sliced
honey smoked
turkey breast, paired with
middle sharp cheddar.
Add a little beer 'n brat
horseradish mustard,
though just a little, it's spicy...
and slap two fresh-cut
sides of sourdough
infused
with rosemary and olive oil.
grill it panini-style,
al la george forman
and pair it with your favorite
fritos flavor (mine being
chili cheese)

fried plantain sandwich

This was a really good sandwich. Fried plantains, sitting on a homemade spread made of black beans and roasted poblano and yellow gypsy peppers, topped with vegan crema with fake bacon bits. Warm, rich, creamy.

grilled pastrami & cheese

My new neighborhood- Los Feliz- puts me in pretty close proximity to Trader Joe's, whereas in the Mission, Trader Joe's was always a long walk there and then a long bus ride back. So I've recently been shopping at TJ's more, and since their lunchmeats are all pretty close in price, I thought I'd experiment with new meats I wouldn't normally buy. In this case, that meant uncured pastrami. Price wasn't the only barrier that prevented me from normally buying pastrami- I also tend to be more self-controlled in the grocery store (more than I do in restaurants), and rarely buy red meat. But I thought I would give it a shot. Man, what an intense flavor this had! It was really, really salty and delicious. In fact, it was so flavorful that I probably ate about have the pack of meat on its own, without even putting it in sandwiches. This sandwich here was grilled pastrami and mozarella, with tomatoes and a garlic mustard aioli sauce that I also bought at Trader Joe's. It tasted great, but the flavor was so strong that I think I'd only be able to eat this particular pastrami every once in a while.

Domilise's Louisiana shrimp po' boy: the definition of delicious.

Tucked away in the side streets of the garden district in New Orleans is a small, family-owned po' boy shop called Domilise's. this is where we found the holy grail of po' boys.

the defining qualities of a delicious po' boy are this: nice and fresh, soft french bread with a slightly crispy exterior. lettuce, mayo, and tomato also at a level of maximum freshness, and the crux of it or course being the quality of meat or seafood and the sauce that goes with it.

generally, as far as sauces for the go, seafood usually gets a helping of some slightly spicy, tangy, and sweet marinara. roast beef is served with a heaping helping of gravy. and corned beef gets topped with some spicy creole mustard.

on this particular outing we decided to share the meal. and since the girlfriend only eats seafood and veggies we stuck with the former, which was not by any means a burden. not to mention the fact that the cooks suggested the shrimp po' boy anyways. we decided that sounded best, and soon learned that it was a choice we would cherish for the rest of our lives.

everything hit the mark. see above for a description of all the ingredients that worked out so well... but what really deserves a more detailed description is the shrimp and it's sauce.

holy crap, what utter perfection! i couldn't have dreamed up a more perfectly fried helping of shrimp. it met that perfect balance between crispy and tender. they were juicy, fresh, and full of flavor. and the sauce, well, it clearly decided to marry the shrimp at some point while it was in my grip and have children in my mouth upon entry. The most delicious children to have ever lived! The way in which the sauce was able to enhance the flavor of the shrimp was otherworldly. Complimentary to the utmost degree.

Without a doubt, this is a sandwich for the ages. if you ever find yourself in New Orleans take a cab directly there from wherever you happen to be in the city. Deny yourself this pleasure, and you will be doomed to a life of regret. Reward yourself with this sandwich though, and you can look forward to a long, fulfilling life. A life that will consist mostly of either sitting and remembering what you had experienced that day, or going back and returning for more. The sad (or beautiful depending on how you want to look at it) thing is, I'm not even exaggerating...

Bonus Tip:
add Lousiana's Crystal brand hot sauce (I am not a stealth marketer) to your bites for an extra kick that fits in perfectly. Or to every alternate bite like I do because I'm neurotic.

this painting inside, too good to not share...

fatburger vs in-n-out verdict

There are a number of criteria with which you could compare Fatburger to In-N-Out. For example, you could compare the appearance of the restaurants- Fatburger has a pretty normal fast food restaurant vibe, whereas In-N-Out has that weird thing they do where every restaurant looks exactly the same and kind of gives me the willies. Or you could compare the variety of the two menus- Fatburger offers fried chicken with buffalo sauce, turkeyburgers, veggieburgers, and breakfast burgers, and In-N-Out offers burgers only (yeah you can get "grilled cheese" off of the "secret menu" but that hardly counts). There are also the fries- Fatburger has fat or skinny fries, and you can get chili on them! In-N-Out has those dry, starchy and flavorless fries. Finally, you might consider celebrity endorsements- Fatburger has Ice Cube, and In-N-Out throws its lot in with Jesus. In any of the above categories, I'd pick Fatburger over In-N-Out. But this comparison was about the burgers, and in the end, I'd say In-N-Out can't be beat in that category. Still, either restaurant is a good choice if you are short on time and money and want a cheeseburger.

intro
part 1 - fatburger
part 2 - in-n-out

fatburger vs in-n-out, round 2

In-N-Out burger, kettleman city

I have to admit, I wasn't always a fan of In-N-Out. I remember when the first one opened up in my hometown, everyone was so excited. I think I was in middle school at the time, and since I was such a Non-Conformist (you can't tell me what to eat!), I was skeptical. In-N-Out seemed to me to be putting on airs- "look at them, with their fresh ingredients and limited menu! Think they're too good to be fast food, eh?". I was a weird kid. Anyway, my opinion on In-N-Out has mellowed over the years, and now I enjoy eating their burgers from time to time (still don't enjoy eating their fries though- those are terrible). This time JoJoJoJo and I stopped at the In-N-Out off of the 5, at the Kettleman City exit. I got the same thing I always get, which is the double-double animal style. Should I assume everyone knows what that means? Maybe not? If you aren't familiar with the In-N-Out menu, a double double is a double cheeseburger, and animal style means extra grilled onions, extra pickles and extra sauce (I think its thousand island dressing). The result is a greasy, salty, dripping mess that is incredibly tasty. I'm sure its terrible for you but man it is a good burger.

Verdict - coming up next.

intro
part 1 - fatburger
verdict

fatburger vs in-n-out, round 1

fatburger, north vermont & hollywood, los angeles

This was actually my second visit to Fatburger- the first time was when my pal (and potential breadxbread contributor, if he ever responds to the invite) Dan was in town. But that time I got a spicy chicken sandwich (which was great), and this contest is about burgers. Speaking of contests, if you eat a triple "kingburger" (kingburgers = 1/2 lb patties, so a triple king = 1.5 lbs of meat) in one sitting, they'll put your photo on the wall at Fatburger. I am going to do this, as soon as I run a marathon or save someone from drowning or some other accomplishment that would justify eating a triple kingburger. So anyway, this is the first fatburger I'd ever had. I opted to get the regular size burger, with a 1/3 lb patty, and that ended up being plenty of food. I don't think I was able to finish my fries, even. I'd say it was a pretty good burger- I see why this place gets comparisons to In-N-Out. The ingredients all seemed fresh and I didn't have the same sense of having eaten industrial products that I get from going to McDonald's. The burger had both pickles and pickle relish, and being a fan of all things pickled, I appreciated that. By fast food standards, this was a pretty great burger.

tomorrow - In-N-Out!

intro
part 2 - in-n-out
verdict

fatburger vs in-n-out

VS

One of my new experiences living here in LA is access to Fatburger, which I'd never eaten at previously. I'd sort of heard rumblings on tv and on the internet about comparisons between Fatburger and In-N-Out, and I think maybe at least one local news show and maybe one of the weeklies were comparing the two fast food joints. So I figured this was a good excuse to eat some greasy food, and I set out to determine which place has the better cheeseburger. First up- Fatburger!

part 1 - fatburger
part 2 - in-n-out
verdict

Korso / Sunrise Cafe

I walk out of the garage, would the garage door stop if someone was under it? I'm excited enough to run, but I'd rather take my time walking. Just one block. Chunky condos, empty lots, that old guy, those mechanics. Early in the morning, but no jacket needed. When someone locks their bike in the same spot every day; that means it'll get stolen right? Who would I tell even if I was right?

Inside. Someone already sitting, hamburger for breakfast. I don't need to look at the menu, I'm sure he recognizes me, it's hard to tell.
"Hi, could I uhm have an egg and cheese sandwich..", hand motions, "..uhm, but like on a croissant."
"OK, yeah. That's ham in egg in cheese in croissant." Does he recognize me? Sometimes he gets it right.
"Oh, uhm, no, no ham, just egg and cheese"
"Oh OK. Egg in cheese in croissant."
"Yeah perfect."
"Ok, thats $4.25, and tax, $5.09." Do you actually tax this stuff? Which foods aren't taxed? Like fruit of something? He always hands me the change with two hands.

Back at my desk. Grilling a croissant compensates for it not being fresh. And there's that extra spicy, greasy flavor it always has. Too much egg and bread, but still good. God I love American cheese, I'd get the croissants from the other place but they don't use American cheese. Should I give them a suggestion?


Koro / Sunrise Cafe

mr. pickle?

missionmission finds mr. pickle

He has a new bandana! The photo is taken from the flickr photostream of one of the main Hamburger Eyes contributors, which makes me pretty sad because when it seemed like Mr. Pickle had been taken by schoolkids, that seemed sort of ok to me. That doesn't really seem like the case anymore. I mean, I don't know how much of a connection the photographer has to the thief in this case, but at the very least it seems pretty crappy for Hamburger Eyes to be celebrating theft from local businesses.

pasta salad sandwich

pasta salad sandwich

I've been thinking about making this sandwich for a couple weeks, and this Sunday I did it. Macaroni pasta with cabbage, carrots, tomatoes, and "bac-un" bits, tossed with italian dressing, on a bun with fake cheese and real barbecue sauce. I figured keeping this sandwich structurally intact would be the main obstacle, so I got a big rounded Semifreddi's roll and hollowed out one side so the bread would hold everything in, like a salad hat.

Sweet and starchy.

sandwich over-stimulation pt 2

Veggie chiken patty with potato salad

alexander's brite spot, west sunset & glendale, los angeles

Chicken breast on focaccia


veggie chicken patty with fixins

sandwich over-stimulation pt 1

fromin's deli, wilshire & 19th, santa monica

Open-faced turkey with gravy

the fix burgers, hyperion & tracy, los angeles

Ostrich burger with cheddar

fromin's deli, wilshire & 19th, santa monica

Pastrami on rye

fromin's deli, wilshire & 19th, santa monica

Turkey pastrami on rye

new writers!

some changes are going down here at breadxbread! in addition to some cosmetic modifications to the the tagging system, we also have a bunch of new writers! as you can tell from the last few entries, things just got extra awesome. welcome jp, daniel pennypcker and mark roquet! keep up the good work! there should also be updates from the rest of the gang (who can be seen at the bottom of the page under "tasters") as time and sandwich-supply allow.

veggie torta el primo

tortas el primo, folsom and 21st, san francisco

This veggie torta had lettuce, onions, tomato, guacamole and pickled jalapeño on a nice big soft roll. Normally it comes with queso fresco and mayo, which may have made this sandwich a little tastier (if you eat that stuff), but are by no means necessary, because this was a really nice torta without them. They grill the sandwich after constructing it, enough to warm the bread and crisp up the crust a little bit, but it's not grilled through like a panini. The ingredients were fresh and crisp, and the mellow, cool flavor of the bread and veggies was pleasantly interrupted now and then by nice big pieces of jalapeño. This sandwich was like summer on a bun.

They didn't seem to have a whole lot of other vegan-friendly options, but their menu is pretty big for the meat eaters. I never made it to their second location on 22nd, which recently closed, but their original location on Folsom and 21st is a nice big airy space, with a giant-sized plasma tv and giant-sized mexican sodas.

Kasa San Francisco

image from thrillist.com. go here for more

Kasa's Kati Roll
A kati roll is reminiscent of a gyro, which shares many qualities with a sandwich. In this instance, I have broadened the definition of 'sandwich' for the sake of multiculturalism.

The bread, or analogous edible container, is a piece of roti. The fillings are common Indian dishes; aloo, paneer, tikka masala. The chosen dish is garnished with grilled onion and a mysterious sauce.

Merits Awarded for
- The side of raita (savory yogurt) is excellent, the Maharajahs could do no better!
- The chewy thick roti bread is the Kati roll's salient feature!
- Air of good health. Lightly greased contents, whole wheat bread.
- 1 Roll = $5, 2 = $9, 3 = $12. Relatively cheap for the homosexual village of San Francisco.

Merits Detracted for:
- The establishment also sells meal platers, which leave me yearning for a variety of sides. I feel that I am entitled to these items free of charge, seeing as many a sandwich shop provide complimentary barbeque sauce and pickles. Alas no chutney for my kati roll.
- The Indian food that fills the roll is unimpressive.
- I find a single Kati Roll satiates my hunger, yet I feel 2 would be required to fill the swollen
bellies of most eaters. A per person price point of $9 sheds doubt upon the validity of Kasa as a thrifty option.

Final Verdict
Sampling a roll is worth the effort. I often frequent this restaurant after a private encounter with one of the Castro's inhabitants. I find it excels at filling my stomach's hunger after my other hungers have been fulfilled.

http://www.kasaindian.com/

Postscript
I apologize for my lack of reference photograph.

Lamb Sandwich of God

pal's take away, 24th and hampshire, san francisco

Though I'm neither a seasoned eater of eccentric meats nor a purveyor of sandwiches on the level of aw or jojojojo, I know an intense sandwich when I see one. The lamb and spring-pea hummus sandwich, with its odd combination of ingredients nestled between two large slices of rye bread, definitely constitutes an intense eating experience. It's kind of at once beautiful and intimidating, forcing you to undergo the rigorous process of tearing through two layers of thick and unforgiving crust before making it to the tender land of moroccan spiced lamb. And there is a lot of lamb in this sandwich, but the greens and hummus do a pretty good job of mellowing it out, as does the rye. Also, what I think really makes this sandwich special, besides how pretty it looks, is how fresh everything feels. Maybe I'm just a psychosomatic victim of Pal's mission statement, which sits upright on the counter and touts their deconstructivist and eco-food philosophies, but I felt even kind of healthy after ingesting the better part of a small mammal.

italian sub at peanut's

peanuts, centre & aspen, lake forest

I had a couple of midday beers at this strip-mall pub in Lake Forest while JoJoJoJo was getting gussied up at the salon next door. As the name might imply, the shtick of this place was that they had buckets of peanuts at every table, and shells littering the floors. Sadly, my table was deficient in this respect, and so I had to make do with my domestic beer in a plastic cup. It was a Friday, and the crowd seemed to be regulars who were on their lunch breaks or skipping work altogether. Although I felt distinctly out of place (everyone else seemed to be on a first-name basis), the vibe was friendly and the woman behind the bar was pretty nice. When JoJoJoJo finally arrived, looking fresh and clean, we ordered up a couple of sandwiches. As might be inferred from "the battle of the tony sopranos", I really love italian subs and enjoy trying out new variations whenever I can. This one was no disappointment- it was especially oily and messy, and interestingly, the vegetables on it seemed to simply be an italian salad that had been thrown on. I didn't have any problem with that though, and it was kind of interesting to be eating these tiny slices of onion and such. For pub fare, this was a very satisfying sandwich.

grilled cheese

l'keg gallery, glendale & court, los angeles

JoJoJoJo and I went to a concert at this little art space in....uh.... Echo Park, I'd guess. The sandwiches were fifty cents.

me: "what kind of cheese is this?"
dude behind counter: "I dunno, she made them" (points at girl)
me: "it's really cheesy!"
dude, with no emotion in his voice: "that's because there's two slices."

secret to super-cheesy sandwiches: obtained!

sucka free city

JoJoJoJo and I are going to be in SF for a couple of days... does anyone have any sandwiches that they feel we are missing out on? I know there are a couple new shops in the Mission I have yet to try!

paradise found

ike's place, 16th & sanchez, san francisco

The process of getting this sandwich ended up being something of a misadventure. For starters, you never can quite tell how long a sandwich will take at Ike's, and in this case, it was less time than it was going to take me to walk there. JoJoJoJo and I set out with the intention that we would take our sandwiches to Dolores and enjoy a picnic there, but it started drizzling as we approached Ike's. So we picked up our sandwiches, turned around, and walked back to my apartment, where these pictures were finally taken. By that time, the sandwich was a soggy mess, and not as hot as its probably meant to be served. I had the bright idea of borrowing my roommate's digital camera, hoping to get better pics than on my phone camera, but the resulting pictures were as indistinct and messy as the sandwich itself. Oh well. The concept behind the sandwich was not bad- ham, pineapple, marinara sauce and provolone cheese. "Like an hawaiian pizza! I love hawaiian pizza!" I thought as I ordered. Well, it turned out to be not quite the same as an hawaiian pizza, because the balance of ingredients was so much different. It seemed to me that there was an awful lot of ham in the sandwich, and although I do love ham, the taste of the meat was more predominant than I had anticipated. Still, though, I suspect that this sandwich would have been much better if I had been able to eat it sooner, while it was still hot and not as mushy. I'd try another one, but frankly there's enough interesting sounding sandwiches on Ike's menu that you'd never have to eat the same sandwich twice.

patty melt

alexander's brite spot, west sunset & glendale, los angeles

After spending some time wandering around Echo Park, looking for a place to eat, some friends and I settled on this diner. I vaguely recalled hearing good things about it, and I'm a sucker for diners in general, so I was excited for this meal. Inside, it turned out to be pretty quiet- only one other table was filled, despite the fact that this was around eight on a saturday night. A waitress who must have been well into her seventies was wandering around, intently focused on making sure each table had ketchup and napkins! Awesome! She was probably the best part of the restaurant, although the food was good too. I went with the patty melt, one of my diner favorites, and was pleased with the Brite Spot's version- really buttery bread, grease all over my fingers, gooey cheese smothering grilled onions. Yes! The serving size was somewhat small, especially in comparison to the sandwich that JoJoJoJo got, but it was filling and I left contented.

fried chicken sandwich

fromin's deli, wilshire & 19th, santa monica

Not long after my experience with Sherman's reuben in Palm Springs, JoJoJoJo and I ate at this Santa Monica restaurant. I decided that I needed to explore my options, stretch my wings, and order something than the usual reuben. So I settled on the fried chicken sandwich, having eaten a fair amount of soy "fried chicken" lately, and hungering for the real thing. The chicken portion of the sandwich was great, very flavorful and not too dry. But in addition to the tasty chicken patty, the sandwich came loaded with toppings, including a plentiful helping of avocado. This made the sandwich fairly slippery and hard to contain, but a little bit of a mess is worth it for a good lunch.