mysterious sandwich

I've got a bit of a backlog of sandwiches right now, which is why the last several entries have been sandwiches I've eaten more than a month ago. Unfortunately, I'm so far behind, that I don't even recall some of the sandwiches I've eaten. Take this one, for example- it appears to be chicken and maybe jack cheese. I have no recollection of this sandwich, whatsoever. I don't recognize the plate or that table it appears to be sitting on. Where did it come from? Where did I eat it? Was I with anyone at the time? Frankly, I have no idea. It's a sandwich mystery.

bologna sandwich

canter's delicatessen, north fairfax avenue, los angeles

I like bologna. That might gross out some people or maybe just seem like a weird thing to say. Yeah, I know processed food in general is gross and grinding up a bunch of meat and pressing it back together is a pretty gross concept. I also like hot dogs and American cheese. If you've been reading this blog you probably know that I am not too picky about what goes into my stomach, and none of this should surprise you. So I'd love to be able to stand tall and say "I LOVE CANTER'S!" and "I LOVE BOLOGNA!" and "THIS SANDWICH WAS GREAT!". But sadly this sandwich was not great, this bologna was not great, and I really regretted not getting another reuben. The meal wasn't a total loss though, because it introduced me to the awesomeness that is Beaver mustard (both dijon and sweet-hot varieties). Can't win them all, I guess.

chili cheeseburger

tommy's original world famous, beverly blvd and rampart blvd, los angeles

When I covered the rivalry between In-N-Out and Fatburger, I ignored another one of Southern California's famous burger joints- Tommy's Original. If you've never been to Tommy's before, the concept is simple- chili on everything. Lots and lots of greasy, greasy chili. There are no beans in the chili either; this is all beef chili we are talking about. And if you want to give your stomach a more severe pounding, peppers are offered on the side. As you can see from the picture above, the last time I went to Tommy's I opted for this route. This was a few months ago- my brother was in town visiting me before he departed for a foreign land, and he wanted to grab some Tommy's before he left. We set out for the Beverly location, which is the original location, and lined up with the lunch crowd to order some grub. Its a very popular spot- I believe that there are two separate kitchens to order from, and the line was fairly long for both (although it moved quickly). Once you've obtained your chili-topped goodness, you have to mosey up to one of the counters lining the sides of the parking lot and eat standing up. Pretty old school! I don't eat Tommy's too often, but when I want some greasy fast food its definitely one of my top choices.

fountain burger

peninsula creamery, high st & channing ave, palo alto

The Peninsula Creamery was my favorite restaurant when I was growing up, and is more or less solely responsible for my love of diners. While these days their 50's throwback style seems overly kitschy to me, I fully bought into it when I was a child and used to love staring at their posters, one avertising "green river", another depicting cows making donuts. Although they no longer serve my favorite milkshake (marble fudge ripple), I still enjoy eating at the Creamery with my family on special occasions. My longstanding favorite at the Creamery is grilled ham and cheese, but this time I went with the "Fountain Burger", which is like a patty melt. Served on toasted rye, the burger comes topped with melted swiss cheese, grilled onions, bacon, and dijon mustard. I think that this particular example had less dijon on it than it normally does, or that perhaps the dijon used to be served on the side? I cannot recall. But it tasted great, of course, and the fries were good too. And the milkshake, while not "marble fudge ripple" good, was great as well.

oh no!

Two of bender's cooks have quit!
Arrrggghhh I only got to eat there a couple of times! I hope the guy responsible for the pulled pork sandwich wasn't one of the ones that quit. And hopefully the new folks will be just as good. I know where I'm going first next time I'm in SF, to investigate this turn of events.

older Bender's coverage:
Hellcat
Seitan Cheesesteak
Pulled Pork Sandwich

aw dang

rubik's cube sandwich

I gotta step my game up! Also, that website RULES.

ariel's great idea

pommard deli, middlefield & loma verde, palo alto

Referred to by my family as simply "The Deli", Pommard is I think sadly overlooked by many Palo Alto residents. I've never really seen a busy day there before. It has changed a lot since I was a kid; previously, it was connected to the next door liquor store, and they didn't used to sell pizza. Nor, I think, did sandwiches used to come with french fries. But despite the changes they've gone through over the years, the sandwiches are still as great as they've ever been (my little brother, in particular, swears religiously by this deli, but I haven't been able to coax him into writing for the blog yet). Despite the availability of a wide variety of tasty sandwich options, I can never bring myself to order anything but "Ariel's Great Idea". It is a grilled chicken sandwich, topped with ham, melted swiss cheese, avocado, and a really good sweet mustard. As you can imagine, it's not the healthiest sandwich in the world, but then again, that's also why it's one of the tastiest. I'd really like to know what kind of mustard it is they put on this, because it kind of straddles the line between being dijon and being honey mustard. At any rate, it really ties the whole thing together, adding a necessary sweetness and balancing out the salty flavor of the ham and the savory flavor of the chicken. Perhaps the next time I go back I'll try something new, or coerce other members my family into writing about their favorites (my mom likes the roasted Mediterranean vegetable sandwich, my brother is particular to, I think, turkey and bacon). Pommard's also serves pizza, as I mentioned above, as well as roasted chicken and a full array of deli salads (although their deviled eggs aren't so hot). And one additional reason to check them out, if you are in the area, is that there is a Philz Coffee(!?) that recently opened next door.

fred's steak sandwich

This lovely little number here is something I ate a couple of months back at my parents' house (yeah, I got a little bit of a backlog going on right now). The meat is leftover steak from the previous night's dinner, a celebration of my little brother's graduation from high school. On special occasions, my family likes to cook "Fred's Steak", which is a blackened and marinated steak sold at Schaub's Market at the Stanford Shopping Center. Probably my favorite meal in the whole world is barbecued Fred's Steak and my mom's homemade potato salad, eaten outside on a warm night. But! That is not a sandwich. And so, thanks to the remarkable self-control of everyone in my family, allowing there to be any leftover steak at all, I was able to throw together a steak sandwich the next day. As far as I can tell, the primary flavor in Fred's Steak is "salty". I'm sure there's more to it than that, but I couldn't tell you what. Just that it tastes salty, and really, really good. And the leftovers are just as good as when it is freshly grilled. I do like cold steak very much; although I lack the technical know-how to properly understand it, I guess the fat coagulates, and the meat becomes firm and somehow easier to bite through. I didn't add too much to this sandwhich, so as not to distract from the meat, but the sourdough bread was quite good, the muenster cheese was not overly flavorful, the dijon mustard added a little spice and the mayonnaise added a little sweetness. It was a tasty sandwich- but (between you and me)- if it weren't for the sake of the sandwich blog, I would've just eaten the leftover steak plain.

Bill's Place

bill's place, clement & 24th ave, san francisco

An old favorite of mine, located in the OUTER RICHMOND where everyone else in san francisco says is too far away...boo hoo hoo...

I at one time lived 2 blocks from Bills, which has been on Clement St. forever and is still full of middle-aged locals with their toddler kids and elderly parents, where people recollect the dusty chandelier shaking during the '89 quake, and the knotted waiters who've been there 30 years still have problems remembering the menu.

All their burgers are named after celebrities but none of those are beef free, so instead of being a lame-o and ordering a turkey burger or veggie patty, I went with the chicken melt. I love a good melt.

rye, pickles, chicken breast and cheddar cheese
toasted to perfection, of course
paired with freshly made fries, like how In and Out wishes they could get their's
downed with a huge glass of coke
and some sips of peanut butter shake (regretfully not pictured).

I have to admit, this golden grease spectacular was the best hangover food I'd had in a long time. Happy sandwiches.

forgive

dear sandwich radicals of the world:

I have not eaten a note worthy blend of breads, meats, and produce in some time. I promise, by the end of next Wednesday, this all will change. Enough with the static dietary encounters I have put myself through, it is Summer, gosh dangit, and I intend to picnic!!! or at least eat like I am.

So beloved blog of the food substance I love most, I am sorry to have strayed for so long...by this time next week, I will again be present in the all-delicious sandwich moments of our lives.