The Chikche'weinerger

Imagine back to college
it's nearly the end of finals
you haven't gone grocery shopping in weeks...
you open the fridge and find the same old boring conventional food.
what to do.
variety is much needed to make up for the mundane essay writing.
sigh. what to do.
you got chik'n patties, onion flavor hamburger buns, cheddar cheese
but still, more is needed to make this dinner something exciting.
wait, remember those turkey dogs in the back of the fridge? and the lack of hot dog buns?
you DID keep those weiners for a good reason...

to make a Chikche'weinerger!

fake chicken patty, cheddar cheese, dijon mustard, pickle chips, red onion, turkey dog (which is essential), and an onion hamburger bun - this sucker is a flavor bombardment with slippery cheese that just wont quit. I suggest EVERYONE start putting hot dogs on their hamburgers. It's time these two meat mediums combine forces and attack our insides with deliciousness. Mmm hmm.

the cheeseburger of my dreams

st francis diner, 24th & york, san francisco

as I mentioned in the last post, my inability to obtain a cheeseburger had been haunting both my dreams and my waking life. the first time I tried to go to St Francis, I was thwarted by their winter hours, and so this time I made sure to call ahead. I was heading out even later than I had the last time, because I had forgotten my keys at a friends house the night before, and didn't want to leave the house as I would be locked out. so I waited all day in my (foodless) house for my roommate to get home, finally heading out for the first meal of the day around seven. so yeah, I was pretty much starving by the time I got to the diner. usually I try to take a bunch of pictures of my meal so that I can pick the best one, but this time I only managed to snap a few before devouring the burger. and devour I did- this was exactly the cheeseburger I wanted. it came with everything, and was grilled perfectly. sometimes I prefer American cheese to cheddar, since cheddar doesn't melt as well, but this cheese was practically dripping off the patty. I think the burger lasted all of about a minute and a half, and the fries not that longer.

carnitas torta

la torta gorda, 24th & york, san francisco

the night before eating this sandwich, I had a dream that I met some friends for dinner at a restaurant. I had arrived late, and everyone else had already ordered. I ordered a cheeseburger and fries, and although my friend's food came, mine never did. I tried to flag down waiters, but to no avail. and I woke up knowing that my mission for that day was to get that cheeseburger that had been denied me. well, the waking world proved just as cruel to me as my dream world. after weighing my options (Big Mouth Burgers? nah. Jay's Cheesesteak? no. Whiz Burger? nnnno.) I walked all the way to St Francis, only to discover that they had closed at three because of their "winter hours". fie on that! I don't even eat before three on most days. well, not all was lost, because I had heard good things about La Torta Gorda, practically next door to St Francis. they even had a counter to eat at, which was something I had been looking forward to. I decided to try the carnitas, which is almost always a sure bet in taquerias (chicken can be too dry, carne asada too fatty, but carnitas.... mmmmm). the tortas were available in "junior" and "regular" sizes, so I opted for the regular. I don't regret the decision, but man it was a lot of food! as you can see, they really piled the meat high on this one. some other taquerias, like Farolito or Can Cun tend to use a lot of beans on their tortas, but here, it was a relatively thin spread of refried beans. I didn't mind though, because the carnitas tasted so good that the occasional bursts of beans, or avocado, or jalapeños were welcome but not necessary. also, the red salsa pictured was pretty strange- much sweeter than most salsa. it almost tasted like ketchup with chili flakes in it. I decided to use it sparingly, as it had such an unusual taste that the sandwich was a completely different experience depending on whether the sauce was used or not.

ham and swiss on rye

delano's market, 23rd & south van ness, san francisco

I was feeling pretty mellow today, and felt like eating a mellow sandwich. in recent weeks, I've enjoyed an embarassment of fancy, high-concept sandwiches, nearly all of which have been great. but today I wanted something a little more old school. not a sandwich with a funny name or some kind of crazy sauce. just, you know, meat and cheese and some produce. and it occured to me that I had noticed that delano's market (RIP cala foods) had a pretty humble looking deli tucked away in the corner, and I had a bucket of change to feed to the coinstar machine at the front of the store. so after getting rid of my change, I stopped by the deli and got this sandwich. the woman behind the counter seemed like she was kind of bored, but she was really nice and I think did a pretty good job putting this sandwich together. and it ended up being exactly what I wanted- nothing fancy, just a really tasty sandwich. neither the meat nor the cheese were exceptional, just good, and there was plenty of tomato, which I appreciated. also, the sandwich had pickles and jalapeños and pepperoncinis, so it was pleasantly vinegary and a little spicy. I think maybe I'll go back and try a roast beef with muenster.

bacondog

bacondog vendor cart, 22nd & mission, san francisco

ahhh, one of the finest delicacies of the Mission. to be honest, it had been quite a while since I last had one of these- I used to usually eat them when I was running late for work and had to grab a quick bite. but today I decided I wanted one, and so like Toucan Sam, I followed my nose. the smell from the carts, of bacon and grilled onions, is one of my favorite things about walking down Mission street. the availability of these has fluctuated quite a bit recently, in part I would guess because of winter and the weather, but then I also seem to recall an article in the Guardian or Weekly a couple months back about beat cops cracking down on the carts. while I understand that they aren't the most hygenic food purveyors in the neighborhood and that they may represent a health risk, there is a very simple way to not get sick eating street food, which is to not eat street food. anyway, I decided to check one of the usual spots for a cart, and got lucky. they were just setting up for the friday night rush, and so I ended up with what I assume was one of the first dogs they had cooked today. usually its a little bit better if the hotdogs and onions have grilled a little longer, soaking up the flavor of the bacon grease, but this bacondog still got the job done. I like them with everything, including loads of pickled jalapeños. if you go out looking for these, they can usually be found (starting in the late afternoon/early evening, and frequently only on weekends) at:

-22nd & mission
-23rd & mission
-22nd & capp
-16th & mission (is this cart still there? I avoid 16th & mission like the plague on weekends)
-16th & valencia (same question applies here)

i've also seen them, though not recently, at:

-25th & mission
-17th & valencia near the Elbo Room

if anyone knows any more locations, I'll add them to the post.

ACTUAL SIZE SANDWICH

i ate this fake meat on my floor
with a bowl of canned soup.
None of that
in any way
felt odd,
although
the bread was slightly dry...

so, then, just mustard, fmeat, and dairy-cured-cheese
on some sour dough wheat

not a sandwich (UPDATED- now a sandwich!)

...but this stuff is now available at Mike's liquor store on 21st & mission, and I do love cactus cooler.

UPDATE: it was pointed out that the above soda is not, in fact, a sandwich. and so to remedy this situation, I present you:

10-YEAR-OLD AW's 5-STAR SANDWICH

heck yes!

now, this is beyond a shadow of a doubt one of the finest sandwiches ever crafted. it is the ultimate fuel for trading Pogs or series-two Marvel cards, or playing Killer Instinct on your cousin's SNES. if you find yourself doing any of these things, I heartily recommend this sandwich. some day I will pass this recipe on to my children, and them to their children. truly, a sandwich for the ages.

the necessary ingredients

I should mention that the above ingredients are not quite right. the Buddig brand ham does not need to be honey ham; the Kraft cheese should be "Old English", which as I understand has been discontinued; and the bread should be the brand of Buttermilk-style bread that my grandmother buys. I do not know the brand. nevertheless, this is close enough. I will now divulge the secret ingredients, please use discretion with whom you choose to share this knowledge with.

mayonnaise and seasoning salt

the secret ingredients are mayonnaise and seasoning salt. Lawry's is preferred, but McCormick's is acceptable. please note that this sandwich does not contain any produce. it is simply ham, cheese, pickles, mayonnaise and seasoning salt. mustard is allowed but not recommended. if you have anything else on this sandwich, you are doing it wrong.

aw yeah lets bust out the Atari and play Joust

as you can see in the picture above, the serving suggestions for this sandwich are Cactus Cooler and BBQ-flavored chips. you could drink a different soda (perhaps Coke or Root Beer), but if you have access to Cactus Cooler....why would you? and that my friends is how to make a 5-star sandwich. eat it quickly before your grandmother makes you water the garden.

seitan pepper cheesesteak

jay's cheesesteak, 21st & valencia, san francisco

after all of those crazy meat sandwiches I ate, I felt like I needed to eat something not quite as heavy. fortunately for me, you can substitute seitan for beef in any of the cheesesteaks from Jay's, and I honestly think that it doesn't really affect the taste of the cheesesteak all that much. in part, this is because the seitan has a pretty good flavor, and a good texture too. but it is also in part because the "steak" isn't really the centerpiece of cheesesteaks at Jay's. as you can see from the pics above, the average cheesesteak at Jay's features mustard and mayonnaise (actually, a very sweet and tasty mayonnaise), as well as shredded lettuce and other ingredients that make this closer to a sub sandwich than an actual cheesesteak. but that was fine with me, because in reality I wanted something like a sub sandwich.

around the web

not a sandwich

this great post on one of the most important issues of our time (and the amazing analysis by BJN in the comments section) led me to unbreaded.com, a fantastic sandwich blog in Philadelphia. on the topic of burritos vs. sandwiches, I should note that my personal opinion is that burritos are not sandwiches, but hotdogs and hamburgers are close enough.
another great sandwich website, which has been floating around the internet for a little bit, is scanwiches, a beautiful and moving tribute to sandwiches, one that I am still trying to figure out how to rip off without ruining my scanner.
anyone else know of some good sandwich websites?

edit: after I had published this, I found this gizmodo interview with the man behind scanwiches (via this burritojustice post). amazing!

guest review - phat philly cheesesteak

phat philly, 24th & valencia, san francisco

I’m pretty sure that this was my first cheese steak ever, so I went for the “classic”. Just the basics this time. I gotta give this sandwich introduction a big thumbs up. It was like eating a cloud. A delicious cloud filled with meat, onions, and cheese. The rolls they use are crazy soft! It’s big enough to hold everything in, but you don’t feel like you’re eating a whole loaf of bread.

Also anywhere with garlic mayo is worth going back to.

guest review by Katie Roquet

first guest reviews!!!!

vegan phil'er up kc bbq

veggie napoleon complex

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

first off, let me thank mark and katie roquet for contributing breadxbread's very first guest reviews! thank you both for the contributions. and curse you for thinking to take a shot of the sandwich with the SF skyline in the background, before I thought of it. you bastards. let's get to the reviews!

Vegan Phil'er Up's KC BBQ

I'm not usually big on fake meat vegan sandwiches. There are so many things you can grill or roast or fry or slice and stack that usually taste better between two slices of bread. Also, there is something sad and disingenuous about a bunch of tofu, wheat gluten and chemicals masquerading around as meat and cheese.

On the other hand, you know, all things in moderation. Don't be so uptight. Sometimes you want something that tastes like meat, except for whatever reason you don't eat meat. Fair enough. And you want this meat-like product slathered in barbecue sauce and also, hey, throw on some fake cheese (you don't eat cheese either, see). Is there something wrong with that? No, there is not. When you want these things, go to Ike's. Actually call them first because it takes maybe an hour for them to prepare these things for you. They will reward your patience with a lollipop.

Ike's does the fake meat thing right, because the phony meat and cheese are not the point of this sandwich. Nonetheless, they are both really good. The fake turkey is sliced thin, which gives it a nice texture. I expected a fake cheddar cheese but it is more like fake ricotta or mozzarella and is nicely subtle. Neither the cheese nor meat is starchy and heavy (like some of the fake meat at Love N Haight is) or tastes too much like chemicals and soy (like a lot of retail brands do). Both have great texture, but not a lot of flavor, which is actually ideal for a vegan sandwich, at least when you're going to pour a delicious sauce all over it.

The two heavyweights of this sandwich, awkwardly called the "Vegan Phil'er Up's KC BBQ" (no sandwich should need two apostrophes) are the bread and the barbecue sauce. The just-baked french bread is warm and soft and flavorful. It smells great. I could easily eat it on its own. The sauce is a straightforward, classic barbecue sauce - tangy and sweet, a little more on the sweet side, but with enough flavor you can eat a lot of it. And there is a whole lot of it. Bread and sauce together are delicious. Throw in fake meat and fake cheese and some veggies and it is really really great.

This place also has a great drink selection, including cel-ray and banana soda!

guest review by Mark Roquet

Veggie Napoleon Complex

Mark and I called in orders, scootered around the mission enjoying a break in the rain, picked up the sandwiches about an hour later and took ‘em to Dolores Park.

I ordered the veggie napoleon complex on baked-to-order sourdough. It’s got vegan turkey, honey poppy seed French sauce, avocado, and havarti. I’m not sure what kind of fake meat they use but it’s good, not too soy-ish. The highlight by far is the sauce, it’s fantastic and there’s tons of it. I think that the half sandwich that I saved for later got even better because the sauce soaked through the sourdough making it this delicious crusty sauce sponge.

They also give you lollipops.

guest review by Katie Roquet

tony soprano vs tony soprano verdict

so how did the two sandwiches compare? on the one hand, the Tony Soprano from Mr. Pickle's is a bigger sandwich than the Ike's Place version. it's got mortadella, which is a meat I like a lot and isn't frequently used in sandwiches. it also has pesto, the signature Mr. Pickle's spread. finally, you'll never have to wait an hour for someone to prepare one of these. all in all, its an amazing sandwich. on the other had- the Ike's Place version of the Tony Soprano is an fantastic sandwich too. in place of pesto, it has "dirty sauce"- I have no idea what that is, and I'm not sure I could actually taste it on my sandwich, but if it was there, it was great. and the selection of ingredients, while maybe a little more boring than the Mr. Pickle's version, was buoyed by the high quality of the meats. I'd also give an edge to Ike's Place on the bread front- I really, really liked the sourdough I got. one final distinction- the Ike's Place version is served hot, and although you can order the Mr. Pickle's version hot, it's much better served cold. so who wins?

WINNER: me! these sandwiches are both among the best sandwiches I've ever eaten. I'd recommend either in a heartbeat. I'm still curious as to why the two nearby sandwich shops both serve a sandwich with the same name, but in the end, who cares when they are both so good?

intro
round one - Mr. Pickle's
round two - Ike's Place

tony soprano vs tony soprano, pt 2

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

I have to admit, I approched this sandwich with a fair bit of trepidation. on the one hand, I had never eaten a sandwich from Ike's Place before, and had heard praise of the shop from all corners. their menu looked amazing, and the fact that you have to call in a sandwich order an hour in advance on the weekends certainly testified to the popularity of the place. and yet, on the other hand, here was a sandwich they were serving called the Tony Soprano- the same as my favorite sandwich from Mr. Pickle's! how could it possibly compare to my all-time favorite? well it turns out that it actually compares quite well. this sandwich was really, really good. it was doused in salad dressing and sloppy to eat, but worth the mess. rather than the more "italian" (in my mind) ingredients of the Mr. Pickle's Tony Soprano, this sandwich has turkey, ham, and pepperoni. but man oh man are their ingredients good! the turkey was light, flakey and moist, and so so good. the ham was salty and delicious, almost close to canadian bacon in flavor, and along with the pepperoni, mixed well with the turkey. and the bread was great too- really fresh sourdough, strongly sour tasting, with a thin, chewy crust, not crunchy or dry. oh man this was a great sandwich! I'm definitely eager to go back to Ike's Place.

intro
part one - Mr. Pickle's
the verdict

tony soprano vs tony soprano, pt 1

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

a king among sandwiches! the first time I ate this sandwich, years ago, I was in disbelief. this is definitely one of the sandwiches that falls into the "everything-but-the-kitchen-sink" category of Mr. Pickle's sandwiches (see also the Station 7 and the Gaucho). it's got salami, ham, mortadella and provolone, and salad dressing, in addition to the requisite pesto that is a feature of every Mr. Pickle's sandwich. this thing is a beast. this time I got it on sourdough, which is probably the appropriate choice, although I also like it on dutch crunch quite a bit. as you can imagine, the flavor is intense- salty, oily, vinegary. it's like eating a great salad on top of a great sandwich. it's also intensely delicious. this sandwich is what started my Mr. Pickle love, which played a large role in the decision to start this blog.

intro
round two - Ike's Place
the verdict

tony soprano vs. tony soprano

recently I went to Ike's Place for the first time, having heard great things about them from seemingly everyone. as I stood contemplating their amazingly long and diverse menu, one item stood out- a sub with italian dressing called the Tony Soprano. it stood out because my favorite sandwich happens to be a sub with italian dressing called the Tony Soprano- from Mr. Pickle's, which really isn't all that far from Ike's Place. how did the two sandwich shops end up with nearly identical sandwiches with the same (strange) name? couldn't one of the shops called the sub "the godfather" or something? which shop had the sandwich first? and which of the two sandwiches was the best Tony Soprano? well, that last question was really the only question I had the resources to answer, and so I set out to answer it. up first, the Tony Soprano from Mr. Pickle's.

round one - Mr. Pickle's
round two - Ike's Place
the verdict

meatball sub

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

I had such success with trying new menu items recently at Mr. Pickle's that I thought I'd keep it up. this sandwich as came recommended to me by my roommate, so I was pretty excited to try it out. but it ended up not being as amazing as the Dog House had been, perhaps it was because I ate this sandwich just after finding out about the disappearance of Mr. Pickle. the meatballs were the small, grayish kind, and I didn't really like the texture... kinda... rubbery? also, the cheese on this was supposedly provolone (UPDATE: my mistake, it was actually pepper jack), but I could have sworn it tasted an awful lot like ricotta. anyway, it wasn't a bad sandwich, but there are other sandwiches I'd definitely order over this one.

MR PICKLE HAS BEEN KIDNAPPED

you barbarians! you monsters!! there is no punishment severe enough for the atrocity you have committed! this is like the time hitler killed buddy holly, richie valens and the big bopper at pearl harbor on 9/11.... TIMES A MILLION. whoever stole mr. pickle, you sicken me. i hope when the police finally corner you and lock you away for the rest of your miserable life, that your every waking moment is haunted by the look of innocent joy on mr. pickle's face. a look that you have stolen from all of us.


image taken from octoferret's flickr

mortadella and salami

lucca ravioli company, 22nd & valencia, san francisco

I'd heard good things about the sandwiches from this deli, and I'd even wandered in once to try one. however, there is no menu, you have to take a number and wait when you arrive, and the place was packed. I got too self conscious about not knowing what to order, and so I left without buying anything. yesterday I decided to work up the nerve and just ask the guy behind the counter what was available. it turns out that, well pretty much everything is available. they have a wide variety of high-quality meats at the deli, and so thats exactly what their sandwiches are about. there is no produce, and the only condiment offered is pesto (packets of mustard and mayonnaise are included on the side). I decided to go with mortadella (since its basically like eating bologna without feeling all trashy, and I do enjoy some bologna), and when the guy asked if I wanted a second meat, salami was the first thing that sprung to mind. the roll that this came on was quite good, very cripsy on the outside but not so hard that it tore up my mouth. and the meats were very tasty as well. I thought perhaps that this sandwich would be too dry, and so I used the mustard and mayonnaise on the first half, but it seemed like they weren't very necessary, and so the second half went unadorned. I think the next time I go I will think a little more carefully about the meat selection, and probably go without pesto, as it gave me a little bit of a stomach ache (for some reason, pesto sometimes does this to me- usually the stronger flavored varieties). I wonder if Lucca's has good ham- I've been wanting a good ham sandwich for a while, and I'm not sure where to get one around here.

roast turkey sandwich

arguello's deli, arguello & cabrillo, san francisco

when the circumstances are just right, a roast turkey sandwich from the deli counter at the Arguello Market can be one of the best turkey sandwiches in the world. this is because they roast their own turkeys, in a giant rotating roaster. JoJoJoJo prefers the cracked pepper turkey breast (the kind that arrives at the deli packaged), but frankly I'm a little baffled by that, since that meat is available at pretty much every deli and there's nothing that special about the way Arguello's prepares their sandwiches. but to each their own sanwich.
the first time I tried this sandwich, JoJoJoJo had picked it up for me while I was doing my radio show at nearby KUSF. it was one of the most incredible sandwiches I had ever eaten- hot, freshly roasted turkey! on a sourdough roll, with all the right condiments!
but today, the circumstances were not quite right. I think perhaps I had arrived shortly after their lunch rush, because when I glanced at the preparation area behind the counter, I saw a sad, gristly looking pile of dark meat. like all of the fatty discards that were left over after everyone had gotten the good stuff. and that's what ended up on my sandwich. see, the thing is that when the meat is coming off of a freshly roasted turkey, timing is of the esssence, and today my timing was poor.
thats not to say this was a bad sandwich- it was pretty good. I could have used a stronger mustard, or sharper swiss cheese, but I understand that the turkey is meant to be the centerpiece of the sandwich. unfortunately for me, the turkey I ended up with today was not quite the best of the bird.

dog house

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

awwww yeah this was a good sandwich. I had just come back from a great run, it was sunny and warm in SF for a change, and there are really only two options for a reward after a great run: Mr. Pickle's or Farolito, and this isn't a taqueria blog (that one is forthcoming).
so Mr. Pickle's it was! now, a couple of notes before I talk about this sandwich: one, is that I am a creature of habit. risk-adverse. I have my favorite sandwiches at Mr. Pickle's, and I don't usually mess with the ones I don't know. but this one came recommend by the fine folks at missionmission, and the idea of a great sandwich at Mr. Pickle's being uneaten by me was maddening. if I knew the latin for "let no great sandwich go uneaten", it would probably be tattooed on my body somewhere. so that's one. two, is that the last few sandwiches i've bought have kind of been a disappointment. and since this blog is all about sandwich appreciation, this worried me. was I getting burned out on sandwiches? was this the end of my sandwich love?
thankfully, this sandwich eased my worries. what an awesome sandwich! missionmission were right in pointing out that pastrami and bacon, the two main ingredients of this particular sandwich, are an odd combination. but they go so well together! in fact, the difference in flavor between the two salty red meats is subtle, and it wasn't clear in any given bite where the pastrami ended and the bacon began. also, since the meat was relatively similar in flavor, this sandwich was far less wild in taste than the station 7 or the gaucho. the result was that I was more clearly able to taste the flavor of the pesto, and the swiss cheese, and the sourdough roll- all of which were nice balances in flavor to the meat. sandwich love = restored.

ps- did you know that there is a variant of the reuben called the rachel, which substitutes pastrami and coleslaw for the corned beef and sauerkraut? I didn't until just now.

tabouli hot dogs

JoJoJoJo and I were eating some hot dogs the other night, and she offered me some tabouli (which honestly, I had never eaten before) on the side. I tried a bite of it, liked it, and lacking pickle relish, decided to try some on my hot dog. now, I don't know if this is an offensive use of the salad- perhaps my brother, who is more knowledgable about Greek culture can tell me- but I thought it tasted great. a couple of days later I tried it again, and the result are the photos above. lacking feta, I added some queso fresco on top, but that turned out to be a mistake, as it was a particularly strong flavored queso fresco and I wanted more to enjoy the flavor of the hot dog and tabouli. also, I didn't use ketchup or mustard this time around, although I thought they worked well the first time, and I would probably use them if I made this again. one last note: we were using turkey dogs, which were tasty, although pretty puny. I'd be interested to try this again with a different hot dog.

the italian combo

valencia whole foods, 20th & valencia, san francisco

I had really enjoyed the turkey panini that I bought the other week from Valencia Whole Foods, and was eager to go back and try their other paninis. unfortunately, my experience with this sandwich was not as pleasant as the last time. for starters, I don't really know that much about prosciutto- i've only had it maybe a handful of times in my life- but it doesn't seem well suited for being part of a "combo". it was particularly fatty, and so I often ended up pulling away long pieces of fat when I bit into the sandwich. secondly, I don't think any of the meats involved are better served hot, and so getting a mouthful of warm salami and mortadella was somewhat off putting. and lastly, this was a really greasy sandwich. the guy making it used a liberal amount of grease on the outside of the bread, and all the meats were salty and fatty to begin with, so I ended up with a pretty gnarly stomach ache after eating this. I kind of get the impression that whoever came up with this sandwich was more trying to show what an upscale shop Valencia Whole Foods is, rather than create a really good sandwich.

western burger w/ bacon

jay's cheesesteak, 21st & valencia, san francisco

well..... it was a BBQ bacon cheeseburger. its pretty hard to screw that up. and I ate this thing pretty quickly. but to be honest, it kind of made me want to search out other BBQ cheeseburgers. Jay's isn't bad, but there's something about the place that is just kinda.... middle-of-the-road. next time I think i'll get the seitan cheesesteak. also, their "grilled onions" are strange, stringy things. still, it was a pretty decent burger.

turkey and brie panini

valencia whole foods, 20th & valencia, san francisco

Valencia Whole Foods is a nice little market on the corner of 20th, one that i would love to shop at more often, if it were not for the astronomically high prices. still, they have some great products and recently they started offering a selection of sandwiches. it was grey and windy the day I went, and the streets were wet from rain. I wanted something warm, but not too heavy, and this sandwich turned out to be exactly what I was looking for. all of the flavors in this sandwich were mild; the turkey had a slight smokey flavor, the pesto was not overwhelming as some can be, and the bites that had big pieces of tomato were almost dominated by the flavor of the vegetable. but the best was the gooey brie, and it tasted so good that I ate this sandwich almost too quickly!

bbq beef cheesesteak

phat philly, 24th and valencia, san francisco

originally this lunch was supposed to be from Ike's Place, but it turned out that waiting an hour for a sandwich didn't fit my eating companions' schedule, so we instead went to Phat Philly. this was my second visit to the shop, since it opened at the end of december in a spot once occupied by a middle eastern food shop. the first time I went, I got a cheesesteak with their homemade cheddar beer sauce, and so this time I thought I would try the BBQ beef. first off, I made the mistake of ordering the big (12") cheesesteak instead of the smaller (7"). if you look at the picture at the top of the post, thats actually only half of the sandwich. this was a lot of food, and considering that it was pretty much just beef and bread, the smaller size would have been filling enough. but although it was overwhelming in size, it was also very delicious. the beef is american kobe beef, and was very tender. and the bbq sauce was great- homemade, and aparantly made with mr. pibb! it was sweet and i little spicy, just enough to make my mouth tingly. a fork was necessary to tackle the mountain of BBQ sauce drenched beef and grilled onions, and many napkins were required as well. we all split some of the crosscut fries, which were great, and tasty good dipped in the garlic mayonaisse pictured up top.