breadxbread

summer sandwiches: hello again to meat cheese bread, goodybe again to portland

2011-10-01T11:57:00.000-07:00

1406 Southeast Stark Street, Portland, OR 97214

http://www.meatcheesebread.com/

Two trips to Portland in as many months and I still feel like there's a ton of places there left to explore. Els and I wrapped up our trip with a quick stop at Meat, Cheese & Bread for some sandwiches for the drive home. I was going to pick a cold sandwich because I figured that would keep better during the drive, but the guy behind the counter recommended the pulled pork, which is also what my pal Rob rated highly. How could I say no? "Pulled Pork: Roasted pork shoulder, grilled broccolini, salsa verde and aioli on a rustic baguette". The broccolini was a great touch, adding some texture and a somewhat sour contrast to the mushy savoryness of the pulled pork. The thing is, though, that this sandwich was so wet and greasy that it was pretty soaked through by the time I got around to eating it. Not that it was a big problem, just that the physical integrity of the sandwich would likely be preserved by eating it soon after it was prepared. Still tasty later on, just sloppy. All in all, I got to try some great sandwiches during this visit- maybe not as many as my first trip- but a good number nonetheless. I didn't go to any food carts, and wish that I had. But then, I did try a number of non-sandwich options, including some reaaaaally good pizza from Sizzle Pie ("Steve Caballero: vegan pepperoni, seitan italian sausage, green peppers, white onion and shredded daiya mozzarella 'cheese'") and Hammy's ("Cheeseburger Pizza: ground beef, bacon, tomatoes and onions, topped with yellow mustard"), not to mention the required stop at Voodoo Donuts:

Portland, I'll be back again soon! Don't eat all the sandwiches before I get back.

summer sandwiches: fish sandwich and a scotch egg at horse brass in portland

2011-10-01T10:30:00.000-07:00

4534 Southeast Belmont Street, Portland, OR

http://www.horsebrass.com/

It didn't even dawn on me until just now that this was the second "Brass" place Els and I went to in Portland. We dropped into this British-styled pub for a late lunch with our hosts Nic and Andrew on Monday afternoon. Looking now at their website, it seems like Horse Brass Pub takes their authentic presentation pretty seriously, but frankly I really wouldn't even know the difference between real and fake pubs. This one certainly seemed pretty legit while we were there, and I was impressed with their (weekly?) rotating beer list. The food wasn't bad either, although I definitely wasn't as blown away as I was at other Portland locales. Maybe it's because Horse Brass focuses on authenticity and tradition, and so therefore their sandwiches are MEANT to be kinda plain and unadventurous. At any rate, I didn't really have any problems with my fish sandwich, but I did try adding every sauce on the table to it in order to wrangle a little extra flavor out of my lunch. And, I will add, that Horse Brass afforded me an opportunity to finally try a scotch egg, which I'd been wanting to try for years- actually the fact that Horse Brass has scotch eggs is the reason we went in the first place! It was pretty interesting, but somehow drier and colder than I'd imagined scotch eggs would be.

summer sandwiches: breakfast at city state in portland

2011-09-30T21:33:00.000-07:00

126 Northeast 28th Avenue, Portland, OR

http://citystatediner.com/

I am an idiot. At this particular moment I'm ruminating on that fact because I believed all day that I was scheduled to work tonight, got all showered and dressed and caffeinated and ready to head out the door only to realize, with the slow burning onset of embarrassment, that I was wrong about today's date and in fact am not scheduled to work. And I even turned down a coworker's request to cover his shift (which would have paid even better than my regular shift) cuz I thought I was working. I am a man with some regrets. Which makes it appropriate that this is the sandwich review I am writing now, because I have some regrets about this sandwich. See that sandwich up top? That's the "Cuban", a "flat grilled french baguette with ham, capicola, house pickles, swiss, strawberry jam, and garlic dijon mayo". Sounds insane and delicious right??? That's not what I ordered. I ordered the breakfast sausage sandwich, which was "house sausage, egg, muenster". Don't get me wrong, it was for sure a tasty sandwich. The house sausage was peppery and not too greasy and the muenster was a great and unexpected choice for a breakfast sandwich. But for some reason I thought, since it was only breakfast time and I'd surely be eating more epic sandwiches later in the day (in my duties as a Sandwich Journalist of course), that I should take it easy on breakfast. Get something not too crazy. Something a little smaller (and this sandwich, served all on its lonesome, was indeed pretty small). I let the waitress talk me out of getting eggs benedict with "pork belly, apricot jam and arugula". WTF is wrong with me??? When my reckless devourment of sandwiches finally catches up with me and does me in, it's not the horribly unhealthy feasts that lead to my demise that I'll regret. I will regret the times I went to an awesome restaurant in a city far away from where I live and ordered something more modest instead of going for the good stuff. You'd think a dude would Carpe Diem in a place called City State. Ah, but who ordered the Cuban then, you ask? Actually in a funny twist of fate, both of my younger brothers happened to be passing through Portland at the same time Els and I were there! So while I'm bummed that I missed out on the Cuban or Pork Belly Eggs Benedict (or "The Count - hazelnut challah french toast, smoked turkey, prosciutto, havarti, brie, apricot jam", god why didn't I order that??), I am still gonna have fond memories of getting to have breakfast with my brothers and my special lady friend at a Portland diner with a wide and very appealing menu. But maybe next time I'll order something as memorable as the occasion. Maybe if I'm not an IDIOT, jeez.

summer sandwiches: ham sandwich from brass tacks

2011-09-28T20:04:00.000-07:00

We got into Portland Saturday evening and met our pal Rob at the weird/run down/honestly kinda scary house he is subletting a room in. It was being guarded by this cat which didn't seem all that friendly. We had dinner at Ned Ludd around the corner, but we didn't eat any sandwiches there. Not that it mattered, because the food was not very good for how much it cost to eat there. Whatever.

This little fellow lives at the house where we crashed during our trip. She noticed me eating a piece of bread and got curious. Then she took a bite. Then, seconds after this photo was taken, she clawed me and stole it! I tell you there was something satanic about this cat. Did I mention it uses the toilet? Like, the human toilet? IT USES THE TOILET. UNNATURAL.

3535 N Vancouver Ave, Portland, OR

http://brasstackssandwichesllc.blogspot.com/

We were supposed to go to the river with our host and her friends on Sunday morning. but due to a breakdown in communication we would have had to skip out on coffee and our first meal of the day to do so. "Nuts to that!" we said. I didn't come Portland to eat snacks bought at Safeway en route to the river. Els and I took off on our own and decided to check out a spot called Brass Tacks. The sandwich gods clearly approved of our decision- their first sign of approval was that I recognized one of the owners of Brass Tacks was someone I knew from several years ago in San Francisco! It was an unexpected and funny coincidence. Our second sign from the sandwich gods came when we asked for iced coffees to start our hot sunny Portland day off right. At first they were like "oh we don't serve iced coffee sorry" but THEN it was all "oh hey I guess we have actually exactly two cups of iced coffee that were sent to us as a sample". So we got delicious, chocolately iced coffee and when the woman behind us in line was like "I'll have an iced coffee too" she got DENIED. Bummer for her. I decided to get a ham sandwich, because I reasoned that I frequently see pork sandwiches on offer, but rarely ham. Few people want to attempt ham sandwiches. I think ham sandwiches just aren't sexy enough. Actually, ok, Rhea's has a pretty good ham sandwich and Tartine does those insane ham and gruyere melty things. But all the same you'll see a dozen fancy turkey sandwiches for every ham sandwich you come across. I liked this ham sandwich a lot, and what I liked about it was that it was so straight forward. Maple-glazed ham, cheddar cheese, mayo, mustard, pickles, onions, something leafy and green on a fluffy... ciabatta or something. It tasted like a ham sandwich and I like ham sandwiches.

What, was that a really boring description of a sandwich? How about another crazy-ass Portland animal then? This guy is named Dude, and he is a shy and sweet rescue dog, at least until anyone lights a fire or starts smoking around him. For some reason Dude loves smoke and spent almost this entire time we were at this backyard BBQ jumping up in the air and biting at the smoke. Portland animals are weird.

summer sandwiches: portland again! or in this case, grant's pass

2011-09-20T12:34:00.000-07:00

1533 Northeast F Street, Grants Pass, OR
http://parkwayvillagellc.com/gooseberries.php

I had so much fun the last time I was in Portland, I turned around and went straight back! Actually, Els and I had been talking about going to Portland for a long, long time, and my last trip there was a hastily thrown together journey that didn't include Els. It was a bro/road trip. I wanted to say broad trip, but that doesn't quite work. At any rate, it was time, once again, to drive through hours and hours of mountains to get to that rad city perched in the middle of the cultural desolation of Oregon. Last time I went, I left San Francisco at something like seven in the morning in order to get to Portland before too late in the day (if you've never done it, the drive from SF to Portland is somewhere between 10 and 12 hours long..... be sure to stock up yr mp3 player before leaving...). In order to make this drive a little less insane, we left Friday night and stayed in a hotel halfway. Well it was supposed to be halfway, except Friday night traffic was gnarly and so we only got as far as Willows, which is only a few hours north of SF. That meant a fair amount of driving left for Saturday, which actually ended up taking up most of the day. We had a late breakfast (I had Burger King.... don't get the breakfast burrito there, it's awful and small and full of runny salsa, stick to the totally passable breakfast biscuit sandwich), so imagine my dismay when we passed signs indicating a MR PICKLES franchise just south of Shasta! We were too full to stop already. I blew it with my breakfast choice! We would have to stop again for food before getting to Portland though, and by mid-afternoon we were deep in Oregon's mountains and our stomachs were grumbling. We got off the 5 at ~~Hood River~~ Grant's Pass and contemplated the assortment of fast food options, before spotting a grocery called ~~Huckleberry's Natural Market~~ Gooseberries Real Food & Deli (I couldn't remember the name of the market when I was writing this, just that it had berry in the name- hence my mistaken first assumption based on google results that we had stopped at a chain grocery called Huckleberry's). Els, being a granola eating hippie, wanting to stop there for lunch, and I, being a junk-food loving carnivore who is smart enough to let his girlfriend get her way, acquiesced. Reluctantly. I steeled myself for a bland meal of fake meat products and foods advertising their lack of whatever we aren't supposed to be eating these days. But inside we discovered a deli offering a variety of sandwiches, wraps, and burgers, and I'll be damned if they didn't actually sound pretty tasty (and pretty bad for you!! awww yeeaaaah). I went with the "~~Huckleberry~~ Gooseberry Special" or something like that, which was I think turkey, bacon, melted cheese (jack?) and honey mustard. And pesto aioli, or avocado? What's that green stuff up there? I didn't write down the ingredients because I stupidly believed that a natural food store would have a modern website with a menu available. Idiot. Anyway whatever it was it was great and undoubtedly bad for me, which I appreciate, ~~Huckleberry's Natural Market~~ Gooseberries Natural Food & Deli. Els got a wrap, which in my professional sandwich blogger opinion is not a sandwich, but we got photos of it anyway and here it is. It was bacon, tomato, avocado, lettuce, dressing (caesar or thousand island?) and I'm pretty sure it had turkey or chicken. Maybe Els remembers. I'd ask her, but she's back in Portland! Again! We can't get enough of that city, apparently. Also, she just sent me a text about a toothless man trying to trade weed for two machetes at a garage sale. Oregon!

After filling our bodies with this horribly unhealthy food from the health market, we got back on the road and saw some RIDICULOUS clouds. Look at these dang clouds! It's hard to get a sense of scale, but this was a massive cloudbank with a really weird shape. Good stuff, Oregon!

Tofu Bahn Mi at Eternal Springs

2011-09-07T14:26:00.000-07:00

Eternal Springs, 750 Clement St. (Between 8th and 7th Ave.), San Francisco

I order this sandwich a lot. Despite it being one of my favorites, I have low expectations of each sandwich wrapped and cut in half and wrapped again. It's too simple to not be good. Eternal Springs serves gelato and other desserts and sandwiches. The guy behind the counter was very nice and friendly. The place is very narrow and everything is to-go. They have an large open window along the street and pictures of their food. It looks pretty awesome.

I strolled home and was very excited to unwrap this sandwich. It was a perfect addition to a clear afternoon. The bread was flakey and fluffy. There was an added pickled vegetables that wasn't an important addition to the sandwich. I could have done without it. I was feeling pretty underwhelmed by this sandwich when everything started to shake. I froze with food in my mouth and sandwich in hand. I surveyed the room. Just as I was about to get up, it stopped. I finished chewing, swallowed, and finished the other half. That was the most exciting part of this sandwich. Maybe their meat sandwiches are better or their desserts are their main thing but I haven't returned.

Monday Fish Sandwich at Home

2011-09-01T02:20:00.000-07:00

This has been the most delicious sandwich I have made at home. I found a pair of fish patties at while shopping for food on Sunday and just had to try them out. I love fish but have never had fish in patty form. I just took out the garbage so I can't find the package but it had garlic and parsley and not that many more ingredients. (This kind of thing is important to me when buying mystery meat). I knew I would be cooking this for lunch the next day so it got me so excited. The sandwich counter was set!

I got the bread loaded in the toaster and in the oven. I put chedder on the bread in the oven and toasted it slowly. I cooked the fish patties on an iron skillet that I buttered up. I cooked it slow and made sure to not keep my eyes off of it. I flipped it when it was ready and even held them on their side to make sure everything was cooked just right. I like keeping my patties neat. If you cook it too long it can get dry and unpleasant and become have a messy clean up. I did add some lemon juice to make sure they weren't too fishy. I only had to do one taste test before it was ready.

I set out some basic mayo, dijon mustard, capers, and TS cut up a fresh avocado (YES!), and tomatoes. I don't have any excuse for using Texas Toast when I live so close to a Boudin but It's a nice oversized bread that is up for whatever. I love capers and, as of now, there are no pickles in my fridge. I poured out some (original) sunchips on my plate.

I piled everything on, poured myself a tall glass of lemonade, got my napkin ready, and luckily remembered to take a photo of it. I paired this sandwich with an episode of The A-Team and it was the perfect Monday sandwich. The fish was cooked just right and the flavors knocked my socks off. I didn't want to overdo anything with this sandwich and, aside from the patties, didn't use anything I didn't already have at home.

I was about to write that it felt amazing instead of tasted but it really did feel amazing. I love fish because it's light but very hearty without being heavy. I can't wait to make this sandwich again with different bread and fish!

encouraging everyone to play with their weiners

2011-08-23T11:55:00.000-07:00

via boing boing
I'd be lying if I said I didn't kinda want the ketchup critter and mustard monster...

complimentary fresh cut fruit

2011-08-18T16:40:00.000-07:00

Awhile ago I was talking about comfort sandwiches and peanut butter and jelly seems to be the one everyone agrees on. Now this person I was talking to said that she had gotten one that had strawberries cut up and added on and thought this mind blowing!

Now it's been months... maybe in fact a year since I was told to try this out, yet every time I've made a PB&J since I have neglected to take the extra step, pretty lame I know. However, today when I returned home from running errands all over the city and was super hungry I walked into the kitchen to find a bowl of strawberries I had left out to snack on and decided today was the day to do this.

Now I don't know how the rest of you make your PB&J's but I like to lightly toast my bread, that way the peanut butter melts into the warm toast and you get a great texture with the crisped outside and soft inside (the toast, by the way, was made with Semifreddi's sliced sourdough, yum). And while the bread was toasting I cut up a few strawberries and that addition was just as awesome as I had been promised! I'm not one for super sweet things and tend to go light on the jelly so the natural sweetness and juices from the berries was a perfect compliment to the entirety of the PB&J.

summer sandwiches: turkey from meat cheese bread in portland

2011-08-16T12:00:00.000-07:00

Meat Cheese Bread, 1406 Southeast Stark Street, Portland OR

www.meatcheesebread.com/

Even before I went to Meat Cheese Bread in Portland, I knew I'd love the place. There just something undeniably appealing about the simplicity of the name, that really captures the basic essence of sandwiches.... its perfect. Unless there's no meat or cheese, but rather some sort of.... unnamed "x" variable...... and then, bread only appears in the name once, which might mistakenly cause people to envision open-faced sandwiches. Still, "Meat Cheese Bread" is ALMOST the perfect name for a sandwich shop, and when showed up on my last day in Portland, the delicious sounding sandwiches on the menu reaffirmed my expectation that this place had a good take on sandwiches. I went for the turkey sandwich, feeling like my sandwich choices over the last few days had been slightly insane, and wanting to see how this place treated one of the all-time classic sandwiches. I even put on my "sandwich journalism hat" (not a literal hat) and tried to get some answers to questions I had about the menu, especially why pickles cost $2.5??? It seemed like a lot of money for one pickle, and the guy behind the counter said something about them being hand-crafted and made in the river(??). Actually I didn't do a very good job of getting answers because I know how rude it is to complain about prices and so I just sort of awkwardly said "uh huh, oh wow, made in the river you say" and shuffled out with my sandwich. THEN I did a pretty lousy job of paying attention to the sandwich as I ate it, because I was really hungry and the sandwich was really good. I really liked how soft the bread was, and the turkey was appropriately mild in combination with the salty and crispy bacon. Also featured were havarti and a sweet onion aioli. What can I say, the sandwich was good! I was hungry! Its not like I'm getting payed for this, is what I'm getting at here. Fortunately I will be returning to Portland in just a few weeks, this time with my trusty co-reviewer Els, so doubtlessly I will be able to return to this shop and do a proper job of verbalizing what makes their sandwiches so good. Some of your sandwiches might have evaded me last time, Portland.... next time will be a different story.

summer sandwiches: chicken sandwich & pork sliders at XV in portland

2011-08-15T11:35:00.000-07:00

XV, 15 Southwest 2nd Avenue, Portland OR

http://www.xvpdx.com/

Most of the places I ate while in Portland I picked based on the recommendation of a friend. One night, however, I decided to not pick a place in advance of going out and to just see where I ended up. As I mentioned before, all bars in Portland serve food, which RULES. Well, they are supposed to anyway. We were hanging out in one of the bars that kinda sorta doesn't really obey that particular law, but the bartender suggested a nearby bar called XV ("fifteen") as a possibility. According to their website, XV is a Caribbean tapas bar, but I didn't really pick up on either the Caribbean or tapas vibe while I was there. It was a Sunday night, so it was pretty empty inside the bar, but there was a DJ spinning hip hop hits and the kitchen had put out a tray of strawberries and pineapple with chocolate and caramel dipping sauces in spite of the relative lack of customers in the club. I got a chicken sandwich (I think the herb-encrusted one on the menu, rather than the jerk chicken) and Rob got pork sliders. Because this was a place we had just sort of happened upon and I wasn't really in HARD HITTING SANDWICH JOURNALISM mode, I didn't really pay too much attention to the intricate details of either of these. BUT I will say that they were both really, really good! The pork sliders had a sweet and smoky flavor that was especially delicious, but the chicken sandwich was tasty too and even the side salads had character. I was glad that my suspicion that one could just blindly head out on the town and end up with great food was rewarded, and this bolstered my growing belief that Portland is tightly packed with excellent food options. This might not be one of the more memorable meals I ate during my visit but it was still very good.

summer sandwiches: reggie deluxe & regina from pine state in portland

2011-08-10T19:33:00.000-07:00

Pine State Biscuits, 3640 Southeast Belmont Street, Portland

www.pinestatebiscuits.com/

I'm just going to get this out of the way and spoil the ending of the review: this was the best sandwich I ate in Portland and one of the best sandwiches I've had in a good long time. How could it not be?? The Reggie Deluxe (above) was my pick, and it was fried chicken, a fried egg, bacon, cheddar cheese, and gravy, on a biscuit. I don't need to tell you that it was AMAZING. The biscuits were very good, light and fluffy and not at all dry and clinging to your teeth and filling up your mouth with dense dough like biscuits usually are. I almost chickened out and ordered something less likely to cause me to die the second I'd finished eating, but then I gave in to LIFE and BEING ALIVE and ate this ridiculously delicious sandwich. My pal (occasional breadxbread correspondent and new Portland resident Rob) got the Regina, since he isn't as suicidally devoted to sandwiches as I am. His sandwich consisted of a fried egg, collard greens, and hot sauce, on a biscuit. It was very, very good, and if you don't want something that will shorten your lifespan by years in one shot, it is just as good a choice as the Reggie Deluxe. I'm impatient to go back and try the McIsley (fried chicken, pickles, mustard & honey) the next time I'm in Portland. I'm sure my arteries are less excited. Many thanks to (occasional breadxbread correspondent) Jen for the recommendation!

summer sandwiches: chorizo verde at bunk bar in portland

2011-08-05T16:51:00.000-07:00

1028 SE Water Ave, Portland Oregon

http://bunkbar.com/

"chorizo verde with roasted corn, tomatoes, avocado, queso, salsa rojo"

Usually when Portland comes up in conversation, the consensus around these parts generally seems to be "yeah Portland is pretty sweet, you just have to be able to put up with the rainy/miserable weather". Well I was lucky enough to be able to pay a visit to Portland last weekend, my first in a number of years, and it was hot and sunny there- unlike this foggy stink-town. It's possible I caught the one sunny weekend a year that they get, but that's still more sun than I've seen here! Not only was the weather perfect, and not only did I experience the beauty of not having to pay sales tax, but I discovered (with pure, unmitigated joy) that bars in Portland are legally obligated to serve food- an obligation that many bars take up with enthusiasm. Bunk Bar is a good example of this (although they cheat a little bit by actually being connected to a sandwich shop). On the recommendation of my old friend and PDX resident Kendall, I made Bunk Bar my first stop after arriving in town and getting settled at my friend Mike's place in the SE part of town. Bunk Bar turned out to be quite close to where I was staying, located in what seemed to be a formerly industrial part of town but now appeared to be full of restaurants and wine bars. Feel free to correct me if I'm wrong about any of this, Portlanders- I was only in your town for three days and didn't really get too deep an understanding of the town during my short visit. Anyway, Bunk Bar seemed like a pretty cool spot, open and sunny and with high ceilings. They had a bunch of great beers on tap (another thing I loved about Portland- tons of local pale ales!), a pinball machine (I want to say... Sopranos?), some cool shows coming up, and rad sandwiches. Kendall had recommended the Cubano, but unfortunately they weren't serving it the day I came in (the menu, or parts of it, changes daily). I opted for the chorizo verde sandwich, which I had envisioned as being a sort of Mexican sloppy joe style torta. To my surprise, the chorizo was actually a firm, grey patty, served on a roll with cheese and avocado and salsa. The sandwich was drier than I had expected, but that's not to say it was very dry, just that I had expected it to be, well, sloppy. It was midly spicy and I definitely enjoyed eating it, although $9 seemed slightly steep for a sandwich that was on the smaller side. That won't stop me from returning to Bunk Bar to get the Cubano next time I'm in town, though. Not a bad place to start my Portland trip!

summer sandwiches: chicken sandwich at the russian river pub

2011-07-12T14:40:00.000-07:00

11829 River Rd, Forestville CA

russianriverpub.com

If you are in San Francisco right now, you know that despite being THE MIDDLE OF JULY, the weather is crap. I love summer more than any other time of the year, and it's killing me that the weather has been so awful this year. I want HEAT and SUN and BEING OUTSIDE and believing that summer will never end and I'll never have to do anything other than bask in the sun with a cold drink and a delicious sandwich. As it is, I'm starting to believe that summer is never going to start. We have had spots of good weather here and there, though, and in those brief windows I've been able to snatch just the barest taste of summer. Maybe by relieving these moments, I'll forget that it's overcast outside IN THE THE MIDDLE OF JULY.

Here's a sandwich from an excellent outing that Els and I took a few weeks back. We wanted to spend an evening camping near the Russian River, so we drove up to the Armstrong Redwoods State Park, jamming the very Fleetwood-Mac-esque new Vetiver album on the way. Of course, this summer being the way it is, we got there only to discover that the campground was closed due to budget cuts (and by the way, to the person who scrawled "we have money to fund wars but not for state parks??" in the bathroom, funds for the military don't come out of the state budget..... but money to clean up graffiti in park bathrooms does. Nice one dude!). At any rate, we didn't let the closed campground kill the fun, and went on a nice and fairly short hike instead up a ridge and then down through some giant redwoods (and by the way, not only was the hike nice, but I'm pretty sure the campgrounds have re-opened since Els and I were there). After our hike we were hungry, and decided to stop at the Russian River Pub on the way home.

I had been wanting to try this small & rustic roadside pub for a long while, and we had even tried to eat there on the Fourth of July last year- but the wait was too long. At any rate, it was nice and quiet when we arrived this time. I ordered one of the daily specials, a chicken sandwich with guacamole, sriracha oil, pickled onions (supposedly- I don't think the sandwich actually had these) and I want to say.... blue cheese? I could be wrong about that. At any rate, the sandwich was delicious, an excellent take on a classic that was comforting but slightly adventurous at the same time- exactly what I would ideally want from a roadside pub like this one. Els confounded my desire for her to order a sandwich for herself (so that I could try that one too) by ordering fish and chips, but it was a good decision because they were some of the best fish and chip's I've ever had (much better than, say, the Fish Market in Palo Alto where I last ate fish and chips). Even the salad we started our meal displayed thought and care on the part of the kitchen. Add in the fact that they have Damnation on tap.... and you have a very good reason to spend the day across the Golden Gate Bridge. Next time I head up there, I'm looking forward to spending some time lounging in the Russian River and then trying some more of the Russian River Pub's sandwiches!

By the way, this place was featured on the show "Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives" (a fact that is loudly proclaimed in the pub), so if you don't like my review and want Guy Fieri's amped-up obnoxiousness instead, knock yrself out:

Lee's Sandwiches

2011-05-22T18:00:00.000-07:00

Lee's Sandwiches, Larkin @ Willow (Between Eddy and Ellis), San Francisco

This post is about another...bánh mì sandwich! Surprised? What makes this different is that I got this sandwich at Lee's Sandwiches in the Tenderloin (or Little Saigon?) which is a chain store! That is impressive and maybe even a little suspect to some. The store is big and they sell bread and other food items which is handy especially since this place is open until nine in the evening. Most places in the neighborhood that make bánh mì close earlier so this gives Lee's an upper hand.

I got this sandwich in a hurry. I got off the bus and walked straight for this place. I knew it'd be open and I knew I could get what I want and be able to sit down, too. Huge plus. I've been to this place once before and I remember the bread being flaky. This time I didn't notice it as much. What struck me was how long the sandwich is even though it is narrow. They sell the same or similar baguettes in the store. I have a soft spot for baguettes and being able to buy them so conveniently. I got a pennywort drink to go with it and it was refreshing. The sandwich was basic, nothing was too surprising about this sandwich but it was filling and delicious. Maybe I am just biased because I prefer bánh mì under any circumstances.

What stands out most to me about Lee's is it's convenience. I don't want to wait in line for a sandwich to go and eat it on the street. Sometimes I just want a little tray with my sandwich, neon lights, and a floor to ceiling window seat where I can people watch and be watched as I eat.

Y & Y Vietnamese Deli (Closed)

2011-05-21T19:00:00.000-07:00

Y & Y Vietnamese Deli, Clement between Seventh and Eighth, San Francisco

The deli is in a store so there is a lot going on. They sell produce, dry food, phone cards, and maybe more. It may be easy to miss. There are two high tables with chairs tucked along with a refrigerator and the window that faces Clement street and piles of produce. The lighting varies within the store but isn't overwhelming. It can feel busy but it can feel cozy for just a minute. I've had a couple of their sandwiches and have only eaten there once. I usually take it to go but wouldn't be against eating in the deli again if need be. The staff are nice, too.

I got this sandwich after missing lunch so I was starving at this point. I got bánh mì. This photo really captures what makes this sandwich awesome to me. It feels like a surprise every time I unwrap it. It's filling and it's light. I get this sandwich a lot for a reason. It keeps me going without keeping me down. This sandwich was rich with flavor and really satisfying. It's definitely different from other sandwiches I had which is why I love coming back to this place.

Darby Dan's

2011-05-20T18:53:00.000-07:00

Darby Dan's Sandwiches Co, South San Francisco

Darby Dan's is along the freeway in South San Francisco. They have plenty of seating and serve entrees and full meals. There is a wheelchair entrance, too. It's long and divided in two parts. The one facing the highway has the deli and usually a long line. The largest pan on windows face the parking lot. It was bright in the middle of the day. The other side doesn't have deli and is less busy though it is not any quieter. There are televisions so it can get overwhelming with such enthusiastic clients. I was very happy to take this to go.

I had this sandwich about a year ago. I can't remember what it's called or the specific ingredients. They serve certain sandwiches on specific days. Most of it's a lot of fresh meat that smells amazing. The sandwiches are big so I didn't want to get something that would make me dull. I happily chose this eggplant sandwich. It was very hearty and rich. These are the sandwiches that you have to undo a notch in your belt. I could only eat one half. This sandwich was delicious! I was very happy to have leftovers. It smells amazing, too!

I would love to find a place that does such a tasty sandwich as this. I heard other people talking about this place and they do for a reason. I haven't been back since because I never have business in South San Francisco but the next time I do I am heading straight for this place. It's that good!

pluto's french dip

2011-05-18T19:32:00.000-07:00

pluto's, university & cowper, palo alto

Here's another restaurant that you can find in the Inner Sunset, actually just a block or two away from Yellow Submarine (which I wrote about yesterday, remember??). Although in this particular case, I was eating at the Pluto's in Palo Alto. I remember being pretty excited when Pluto's opened in downtown Palo Alto in the 90's. I liked the space theme, I thought the sandwiches were good, and I loved the curly fries. My views haven't changed much since then, although these days I can usually find a more interesting place to eat and so rarely go to Pluto's anymore. And that's really all you can say about the place. Passable, not that interesting. Pluto's!

Btw, I think it took me six months to actually write this.

yellow submarine cheesesteak & pastrami subs

2011-05-17T11:46:00.000-07:00

the yellow submarine, irving & 6th ave, san francisco

The Yellow Submarine, in the Inner Sunset neighborhood of SF, is a sandwich shop that I've meant to write about numerous times, yet somehow I've never actually followed through on it. The first time I went, several years ago, I got the italian cold cuts sub that they make, and I wasn't terribly impressed. I remember thinking that the bread was too dry, which is a reaction I often have to submarine style sandwiches- the sweet rolls that are typically used are very fluffy and insubstantial, leaving me wanting something more to sink my teeth into. I don't go to the Inner Sunset too often, so it was a long time before I had a chance to reevaluate my opinion of the Yellow Submarine. But when I finally returned, I decided to follow the advice of online reviews I'd read and try one of the hot sandwiches. I'm glad I did, because I thought this cheesesteak was great, and definitely good enough to change my opinion of the Yellow Submarine. The roll was still very light, but it mattered less when paired with hot and flavorful beef and melted cheese.

El's pastrami sub was delicious as well, although the saltiness was much more present than in the cheesesteak. We also thought the fries were good, but felt like the potato salad was pretty bland. I wish I remembered more about these sandwiches, but it was months and months ago that Els and I ate them. Fortunately for me, we have an errand to run in the Inner Sunset this afternoon, giving me a good excuse to write this review, and to visit the Yellow Submarine to refresh my memory!

the preferred sandwiches of san francisco's upperclass

2011-05-16T12:40:00.000-07:00

Staging a Sandwich Intervention on SFist

This is the kind of hard-hitting journalism I rely on SFist for: an analysis of former San Francisco mayor Willie Brown's column that reveals a suspicious enthusiasm for Subway sandwiches. Is Willie Brown hanging with Jared and raking in cash and free footlongs from the world's new #1 fast food chain? Or maybe he just knows a $5 footlong value when he sees one? I'm actually kind of fond of Subway (you guys know at this point that I don't have snobby tastes in sandwiches, right ???) although I rate Togo's higher. And at least he's not shilling for Quizno's, that place is straight garbage.

the beach hut cafe at crissy field

2011-05-14T17:26:00.000-07:00

the beach hut cafe, crissy field center, san francisco

"Park Club - natural turkey breast, ham, bacon, avocado, cheese and greens on whole wheat sourdough with mustard and mayo"
"Honey Dijon Turkey - natural turkey breast, jack cheese, honey spice Dijon and mayo with greens on whole wheat sourdough"

Els and I took advantage of a mid-week day off this week to go for a little bike ride, which was actually my first bike ride in several months. My gears were a little creaky, so were my legs, but we successfully made it from our starting point in the Mission to the buffalo enclosure at Golden Gate Park (despite being a resident of SF for close to a decade, I'd never actually seen the buffalo before!). Since we were so close to the beach, Els suggested that we continue on, and we did; upon arriving there, she mentioned a time that she and a friend had made the same bike ride, only to decide to continue up Ocean Beach and around the point to the Golden Gate Bridge. So of course then she and I took that route to the bridge, which led to us biking over the bridge and back. Not only is that a significantly longer bike ride than I'd anticipated, but it also included several very steep hills and even a long dirt staircase that we had to carry our bikes up and over. Needless to say I was pretty destroyed by the time we got to Crissy Field. I also hadn't eaten anything since breakfast, which was hours and miles behind me. Els, too, seemed like she was ready to eat anything that stopped long enough for her to catch. Fortunately there was the Beach Hut Cafe waiting for us on the East end of Crissy Field, offering sandwiches, smoothies, and a bunch of really strange gourmet snacks, like fancy marshmallows, steak strips, and wheat-free dog treats. It was a little small inside and the assortment of snacks as well as Alcatraz and Golden Gate Bridge souvenirs made it feel like a museum gift shop inside, but it was sunny and sheltered from the wind that was coming off the bay. We ordered the first two sandwiches on the menu, as well as what we thought was a blood orange and cranberry juice drink but turned out to be a smoothie. The sandwiches were the "Park Club" (pictured at top) and the "Honey Dijon Turkey" (the third and fourth pictures above). Keeping with the museum gift shop vibe of the place (and therefore in line with museum food), the sandwiches were both overpriced yet competently prepared. Neither sandwich was especially interesting or noteworthy, but the "Park Club" edged out the "Honey Dijon Turkey" by offering a more diverse set of ingredients. The whole wheat sourdough was pretty bland and tasted like your standard store-bought bread, and the toppings were somewhat skimpy on both sandwiches in my opinion, but I enjoyed eating them. I wouldn't suggest that anyone go out of their way to find the Beach Hut Cafe, but if you want a picnic lunch at Crissy Field and don't mind paying a little more for somewhat generic sandwiches, this place really isn't a bad option. I would certainly consider returning the next time I'm out there, although I'm hoping that next time I will not have just unexpectedly biked for hours across the city. After devouring our sandwiches, Els and I hopped back on our bikes and headed back home, pausing only for a moment when my legs seized up and I couldn't move them for a few minutes (I have since regained the full use of my legs). When we got home I didn't move from the couch for the rest of the evening, except to go to the front door to get the pizza we had delivered.

PS- the steak strips were pretty good (I got the "Cajun"), the gourmet marshmallows (we tried "Caramel" and "Chocolate") tasted like marshmallows. Go figure. We didn't try the wheat-free dog treats.

a tribute to cinema's greatest sandwiches

2011-05-14T12:21:00.000-07:00

via insanewiches and also my friend Brita

First off, I love that more thought was put into this than just assembling a collection of movie clips. But is it me though or does this guy have kind of weird taste in movies? I've seen fewer than half of the movies featured in this, and I think with the exception of "Spanglish" (2004)(wait 2004?? Spanglish came out seven years ago??), the most recent film is "Copland" from 1997! I am definitely (and unwillingly) going to be wasting all of my brain power today trying to remember other examples of movie sandwiches.

ox cafe's cochinita pibil torta

2011-05-07T16:04:00.000-07:00

ox cafe, 19th & south van ness, san francisco

Ox Cafe is a new family owned/operated hole-in-the-wall coffee shop at 19th & South Van Ness (if you've been to Bender's in the last few months you've likely noticed this popped up across the street). This location means that Ox Cafe is now the closest coffee shop to my house, and since I am a supremely lazy person (hello first blog update in 2 1/2 months!), I was very hopeful that I would have a new place to go when I don't want to travel more than two blocks to get food. The menu seemed interesting: in addition to standard ham+cheese style sandwiches, there were a few very intriguing tortas on their sandwich board. Since I'd run out of coffee at home and wanted to spend the morning (read: afternoon) lazing around my apartment playing New Super Mario Brothers on the ol' Wii (thanks Nicole!), I figured today was the day I'd pop over to Ox Cafe, grab some coffee and a sandwich, and get back home with a minimum of human interaction. I decided to start at the top of their menu and picked the Cochinita Pibil torta, a sandwich made with slow-roasted pork made in the Yucutan style. I think. I didn't write down any info from their menu, so I'm going by memory (or what "sounds about right"). At any rate the pork was cooked in banana leaves or something and had a bunch of spices. Also on the sandwich were pickled onions, and that's it. And honestly, with the exception of perhaps some avocado, this sandwich really didn't need anything else. It was delicate, flavorful, unique, and very satisfying. Even the side salad, despite its sparsity of ingredients, was tasty when submerged in the surprisingly vinegary dressing. The coffee was (as I had anticipated) bitter and burned and terrible, but I wasn't expecting Blue Bottle or anything. Maybe next time I'll try a Mayan Mocha instead of their regular coffee, because I definitely see myself returning to try the rest of their tortas in the future.

#26

2011-03-06T21:55:00.000-08:00

as aw has recently pointed out the mr pickle's on 20th and south van ness has expanded their menu and today i thought i'd try something from it. normally, my go to is #2, the vegi, on a wheat roll with avocado, no pickles and no pepperocinis (i don't like them). but today i thought i'd go for something that i wouldn't normally get, it wasn't bad but it wasn't great, it was really just a new thing to try that i don't think i'd get again. i'm not bummed out i got it though because it was interesting. #26 is also known as "sweet pea" it features both provolone and pepper jack cheese, pickled hot and sweet peppers and for a dollar more you can add tofu, which i got. i was expecting a light and mild sandwich and this was anything but. rather it was sorta intense, the heat from the peppers made me sweat a little, i ended up having to take some of the jalapeno's off.

i think that there are people out there that will love this sandwich, i was maybe not one of them but i wanted to let you all know that this existed and that some of you may want to get this.

mr. pickle's new boilermaker!

2011-02-23T19:38:00.000-08:00

mr. pickle's, 19th & south van ness, san francisco

Boilermaker: Chicken breast, ranch dressing, bacon and cheddar
Remember when I was all excited about Mr. Pickle's new menu, but said that their new sandwiches (particularly the Hipster) seemed like clumsy attempts to compete with other more exotic sandwich places, then said I was going back for another sandwich? Remember? No? Come on, it was only like last week. HERE. Alright, so now that we're all caught up, I have to admit that I was wrong about something. I went back to Mr. Pickle's for another sandwich, and talked a little to the guys who were making the sandwiches, including that one guy that's been there forever. And when I mentioned that I'd tried the Hipster, he was all excited and told me that it was his creation and that he'd been making it for years as an occasional daily special and that it always sold like hotcakes. So my unnecessarily cynical theory about the origins of that sandwich was wrong, and now I feel kind of like a jerk. Sorry Mr. Pickle's! Of course, that doesn't really change the fact that the Hipster seems like an odd fit for Mr. Pickle's. The Boilermaker, on the other hand, is basically the prototypical Mr. Pickle's sandwich and fits on their menu like a glove. Um.... a menu-shaped glove, I guess. There's nothing weird or wild about the Boilermaker: chicken, bacon, cheddar, ranch. Plus pesto and the works, like all of Mr. Pickle's sandwiches. Makes sense, right? A total crowd-pleaser, just a lot of things that are pretty bad for you but that you know you want to eat. The ranch that Mr. Pickle's uses has a pretty mild flavor, and gave the chicken a nice creamy texture. The bacon was subtle and I actually forgot it was on the sandwich for the first half, and was pleasantly reminded when I got a bit with a lot of it. So that was cool. All in all, this is pretty much the kind of sandwich that Mr. Pickle's excels in making. It just feels so right! Next time, however, I'm going for another one of their weirder new sandwiches- but this time I'll give them the benefit of the doubt.

kitchenette's corned beef

2011-02-22T14:15:00.000-08:00

kitchenette, illinois btw 22nd & 21st, san francisco
http://www.kitchenettesf.com/
"house corned beef sandwich caraway-braised cabbage, stoneground mustard"

Els recently won lunch for two in Kitchenette's business card drawing, and yesterday she invited me as her lunch date (lucky me!!!!). As if the idea of free Kitchenette with Els wasn't enough already, Kitchenette was serving their corned beef sandwich, and I love corned beef. In fact, I've been planning a feature on various reubens in SF, and last Saturday Els and I had even tried to get some corned beef at the new Wise Sons Deli (to no avail: Wise Sons had run out of meat by the time we got there, boooooooo). So I was excited that I'd be able to get my hands on some good corned beef like I'd been wanting. This sandwich didn't just fulfill my craving for corned beef, it absolutely obliterated that craving in an explosion of fatty beefy flavor. Just look at that thing!!! It was so dripping with grease that squeezing the roll caused oil to drip out of the soggy bottom of the sandwich. This was easily one of the most decadent things I've ever eaten, and I savored every bite of it. Of course, afterwards I felt a deep, burning shame and a desire for confession (and a strange tingling in my left arm....). This sandwich was so epically delicious and overwhelmingly destructive to my body that I found myself making promises to myself about how I was going to eat healthy from now on and get more exercise, how I needed to be more responsible about my diet, etc. Any sandwich that makes you question your lifestyle after you eat it is a crazy good sandwich. It wasn't a reuben like I had been wanting, but I can't imagine what this sandwich would have been like if it had Russian or Thousand Island dressing and cheese on it- I think I would have died on the spot. But the caraway-braised cabbage was a nice substitute for sauerkraut, and helped create the illusion that this sandwich was more than a nuclear missile of meat and fat. And the stoneground mustard held its own on the sandwich, and rounded out the sweet fattiness of the beef with a spicy bite. But in the end it was the corned beef that was the centerpiece of this deadly and delicious creation, and it is the corned beef that will haunt my dreams (and arteries). I'm only eating salads for the rest of the week.

mr. pickle's welcomes "the hipster"

2011-02-15T12:41:00.000-08:00

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

As I mentioned yesterday, I noticed the other day that Mr. Pickle's in the Mission had recently introduced a number of new menu items. If you are a regular reader of this blog, you'll probably understand why this is THE BIGGEST SANDWICH NEWS OF 2011 THUS FAR. My love for Mr. Pickle's and their unpretentious & deeply satisfying sandwiches is extensively documented. So it was with great excitement that I arrived yesterday at lunch time to get a peek at the new menu. How does it rate? Well, there are 11 new menu items, bringing the total number of sandwiches on the menu up to 31 (the new menu items also brought an increase in price of most of their sandwiches by about a dollar, but I'd say Mr. Pickle's remains totally affordable). Most of the 11 new menu items are fairly unadventurous- there's now a grilled cheese, a PB&J (& PB&J variation with honey, nutella and marshmallows), a cheesesteak, and a couple of different chicken sandwiches that feature teriyaki sauce. If I had to guess, I'd say that Mr. Pickle's was attempting (in a dorky and pretty endearing way) to compete with Rhea's and their domination of the Dolores Park picnic crowd. This theory is supported by the fact that Mr. Pickle's now offers tofu as a substitute for chicken, as well as veggie meatballs and veggie bacon. But perhaps the strongest evidence in support of my theory is the most interesting new sandwich on the menu, unfortunately named "The Hipster". The fact that they named this sandwich "The Hipster" pretty much says it all about how uncool (and therefore awesome) Mr. Pickle's is: no hipster wants to proclaim their hipsterness, and so naming a sandwich "The Hipster" is like the exact opposite of what you'd want to do to try and steal away Rhea's clientele. The composition of this sandwich is also a clumsy attempt at imitating the creativeness of the more conceptual sandwich shops in the neighborhood: "The Hipster" features chicken, teriyaki, peanut sauce, pepper jack, sprouts, red onion, tomato and mayo ("Recommended as is", proclaims the menu). As you can imagine, this crazy combination of ingredients resulted in an appropriately crazy flavor. The most prominent taste was the peanut sauce, which was nice and nutty. The teriyaki wasn't obvious, but between the teriyaki and mayo, and lack of any counter flavors, this was an extremely sweet sandwich. I thought there was maybe more cheese on this than the usual for Mr. Pickle's sandwiches, and the pepper jack melted nicely into the gooey mass of the sandwich, bring a nice little bit of spiciness. I wouldn't call this sandwich a total success, and probably won't be ordering it too often, but it wasn't a disaster either. I doubt Mr. Pickle's will succeed in convincing anyone that their attempt at Asian-inspired sandwiches compares to the Korean Steak at Rhea's, but die-hard Mr. Pickle's fans like myself ought to be pretty happy with the new menu. And now that I've finished this review, I'm going for day 2 in a row of Mr. Pickle's, because life is too short not to (and life is especially short if you eat at Mr. Pickle's multiple days in a row!).

a new mr. pickles!

2011-02-14T10:57:00.000-08:00

mr. pickle's, lombard & buchanon, san francisco

Mr. Pickle's! I just can't get enough of you and your goofy pickle mascot. I've eaten your sandwiches countless times, and probably written about Mr. Pickle's on this site more than other sandwich shop. And yet until now, all of my Mr. Pickle's experiences have been at the 20st & South Van Ness location- just one shop in a franchise that allows a surprising amount of variation between stores. Over the past few weeks, I've noticed that a new SF location has opened up on Lombard Street, as you head out of SF towards the Golden Gate Bridge. On a whim, I decided to stop and grab a sandwich on my way to work this week and see what this Mr. Pickle's had to offer. Good call! I'd been getting a little tired of the same old Mr. Pickle's menu over and over, and now there is a whole new menu of awesomeness to choose from! I didn't have much time to contemplate the menu, so I got the sandwich that was most like my favorite sandwich (the Tony Soprano) at my local Mr. Pickle's. The Lombard Mr. Pickle's italian sub was called the Italian Stallion, and there were some slight differences from the Tony Soprano. For one, unlike the South Van Ness Mr. Pickle's which garnishes all sandwiches with pesto, the Lombard Mr. Pickle's uses garlic sauce. The other main difference was that the Italian Stallion lacked mortadella, but substituted pastrami. Honestly it is hard for me to say if that is an improvement or not, because mortadella and pastrami are both completely delicious and a welcome addition on any sandwich. So basically this was similar but different to the Tony Soprano, but in my opinion just as good- which is to say, it was GREAT. The older man behind the counter at this Mr. Pickle's claimed to have helped opened the OG Mr. Pickle's locations in San Bruno and Millbrae, and he shared some pretty funny light smack talk about some of the other Mr. Pickle's franchises. He definitely seemed to take pride in the quality of the ingredients used at this location, and that their menu is the original menu (with some names changed). The other guy behind the counter who made my sandwich actually held it up to show me it when he was done putting it together because he thought it looked so good! If that ain't pride in your work, I don't know what is. I'm looking forward to trying more of the new and different sandwiches from this Mr. Pickle's on Lombard!

BREAKING NEWS UPDATE: After I had written a draft of this review, Els and I walked past the South Van Ness Mr. Pickle's and noticed through the window that they had added about a dozen new menu items!!! Holy crap!! I can only assume that the wise and all-knowing Señor Pepino who stands watch outside the store sensed that I had become tired of their menu options, and wanted to stop me from leaving them for another Mr. Pickle's. Well it worked, cuz I'm going to the South Van Ness store to try the new sandwiches today!!! It's a Mr. Pickle's miracle!

saigon sandwiches bánh mì at the KUSF rally

2011-02-01T10:55:00.000-08:00

saigon sandwiches, larkin & eddy, san francisco

Two weeks ago, KUSF was abruptly and unexpectedly taken off the air by USF, who had arranged to sell the frequency 90.3 to USC in a deal that would result in 90.3 turning into a classical station. Being a former KUSF volunteer and DJ, I found this turn of events shocking and deeply saddening. I can say that over the last two weeks I've felt like the geography of the city has changed- I have a constant and nagging sense that something is missing, like a persistent phantom limb. So last week, I attended my first ever Board of Supervisors meeting at City Hall, where Supervisor Mirkarimi introduced a (symbolic) measure condemning the sale of 90.3 (he was backed by Supervisor Mar, who had some great things to say about the value of community radio). There was a rally with a fantastic and spirited turnout in front of City Hall before the meeting, and it was amazing to see how much vocal protest exists against the sale. And of course, if there's any upside to having to protest in front of City Hall, it's that Saigon Sandwiches is a mere two blocks away- so before the rally, I made sure to stop by for a couple bánh mì. I went with the chicken (delicious) and the combination (even better!), and I was stuffed! The combination in particular seems hearty enough that only one sandwich would get the job done- otherwise, bánh mì usually just isn't filling enough that I can be satisfied with just one. There's another KUSF rally TODAY (2/1/11) at 1 PM, and in today's Board of Supervisor's meeting there will hopefully be a vote on Supervisor Mirkarimi's resolution. If you want to show your support for community radio (or just want an excuse to get some bánh mì), please come out and join me! Your taste buds and ear drums will thank you. And be sure to check out SAVEKUSF.ORG to see what else can be done to stop this sale and get KUSF back on 90.3!

a.g. ferrari's val d'aosta

2011-01-27T17:36:00.000-08:00

A.G. Ferrari's, town center mall, corte madera

Val D'Aosta: honey smoked ham, fontina, sauerkraut, and dijon mustard on pugliese

As I mentioned in my last post, I've been spending a lot of time in malls lately due to my new line of work. That sucks about as hard as you might imagine it would. Food options have been slim, and I honestly had never considered stepping foot inside of an A.G. Ferrari's before. It's not that I have anything in particular against them, just that it seemed like they were sort of a chain version of an expensive import grocery store, and a) I got no $$$ for expensive imports and b) if I did I wouldn't be going to a chain store to get stocked up. Anyway after a couple months of staring blankly across the way at A.G. Ferrari's storefront and seeing folks meander out with sandwiches in hand, I decided to give it a shot. It turns out that my impression of A.G. Ferrari's was correct, but that I had not anticipated the possibility that they would make decent sandwiches. This sandwich wasn't bad! Based on the ingredients list, I hadn't really anticipated that it would be a panini- I would have guessed that sauerkraut would make for a very soggy sandwich- but somehow that wasn't the case. The cheese was nice and melty, the ham tasted sweet and delicate, and although I only had minutes to scarf this down before work started, I was definitely glad that I got lunch from A.G. Ferrari's instead of World Wrapps or Baja Fresh.

andersen's turkey, avocado & swiss

2011-01-24T11:21:00.000-08:00

andersen's bakery, crocker galleria, market & new montgomery

Due to recent work obligations, I've been spending a fair amount of time in the Crocker Galleria, an exceptionally boring mall in San Francisco- its small size and lack of interesting shops make it more or less a glorified food court. And being a glorified food court, the options for a good meal are pretty slim. So when I went to Andersen's Bakery for lunch the other day, my expectations were low. But there were already a few signs indicating that this might be one of the better lunch options in the mall: for one, they bake their own bread, and two, there were only about five sandwiches offered. The small size of the sandwich menu gave me hope that there would be a few well thought-out sandwiches, unlike shops that try to offer everything but don't manage to do anything very well. My hopes turned out to be well founded, because this was a very good sandwich. It wasn't great by any means, but certainly better than I expected from mall food. I went with the turkey, avocado & swiss on sourdough, one of the all-time classic sandwiches and fairly easy to do right. Andersen's version was definitely enjoyable. Curiously, both halves of the sandwich came individually wrapped- I don't know why, except perhaps because the slices of bread were long enough to make the sandwich too large to fit into the bag as a whole? As for the bread, the sourdough was soft in the crumb, tough on the crust, and had a pleasant albeit unexceptional sour flavor. The rest of the ingredients were able to pass muster as well; the turkey was tasty and somewhat dry (and not slimy like you might expect from cheaper sandwiches), the avocado was delicious in spite of it not being avocado season, and the swiss cheese had enough flavor to be noticeable (unlike other sandwiches we've had lately where the cheese was too subtle and got lost in the mix). One aspect of this sandwich that I liked best was the sweet mayonnaise, a staple of deli sandwiches that is frequently omitted from the high-concept sandwiches I mostly eat these days. All around, this was a comforting sandwich that definitely defied my low expectations for food from Crocker Galleria.

schmidt's sausage pretzel roll

2011-01-17T16:39:00.000-08:00

shotwell's, 20th & shotwell, san francisco

Shotwell's has long been one of my favorite local bars, since the days when it was known as the Inner Mission. It's a cozy little spot with two pool tables, two great pinball machines, and a lot of fantastic beer. Recently, Shotwell's has started doing a little cross-promotion with another neighborhood favorite of mine (located at the other end of the block from Shotwell's), Schmidt's. Schmidt's is the newish German restaurant that moved into the spot once occupied by the El Farito convenience store, and it's a welcome addition to the hood (despite what certain neighbors of theirs would have you believe). Schmidt's has a great happy hour special where you can get a sausage (served with sauerkraut, potato salad and mustard) and a small beer for $10. Not bad! Not a sandwich, either. But when I saw a notice in Shotwell's that you could order a sausage on pretzel bread to go from Schmidt's for only $5, I was stoked. It seemed too good to be true! And a little confusing. It was a deal Shotwell's had with Schmidt's, but you had to call Schmidt's yourself and place the order... and then go to Schmidt's to pick it up.... and then go back to Shotwell's, I guess? Or not? It seems like Shotwell's really doesn't factor in except they are the ones advertising this sandwich. At any rate, Els and I had been looking forward to trying this out for weeks and last night we finally hit Shotwell's with our stomachs rumbling. We ordered some beers, settled in, and called Schmidt's to place our order. I called from inside the bar cuz it sort of seemed like you were meant to, but it probably would have been easier if I had stepped outside. There were three different sausages available, and three different sauces; we decided on chicken apple with hot mustard, and bratwust with sweet mustard. Fifteen minutes later, I hopped over to Schmidt's, forked over a mere $10, and returned to Shotwell's with our dinner. Upon opening our to-go boxes however, it turned out that the too-good-to-be-true deal was just that. The pretzel rolls were tiny, fitting only half a sausage on each. Taste-wise, these sandwiches were fantastic- the sweetness of the chicken apple paired nicely with the hot mustard, although the hot mustard was MUCH hotter than we were expecting (not that I'm complaining!). And the bratwurst tasted great with the sweet mustard (which was much sweeter than we were expecting). Schmidt's excellent sauerkraut was piled high on both sandwiches, and the sourness added a fantastic bite. But then, that's pretty much what these sandwiches were- just a fantastic bite. And then, hunger pangs. If you want some tasty bar snacks in Shotwell's and don't mind having to travel down the block to pick it up, then these are a great option. But if you want something substantial, don't make the mistake we made- you're better off getting the happy hour meal at Schmidt's before going to Shotwell's. Even if it isn't a sandwich.

molinari's combo

2010-12-28T19:00:00.000-08:00

molinari's, columbus & vallejo, san francisco

Els and I had some business to attend to in the Marina/North Beach area (specifically, going to a "world market" of sorts to buy some German mustard) and decided to take the opportunity to try a sandwich destination in North Beach. We hardly ever make it out that way, so I did a little research on the google and the fiery depths of that digital hellhole that shall not be named but rhymes with "kelp", and we settled on Molinari's after reading some high praise. Now, maybe its just that I'm not 100% into the whole Italian deli counter style, but I couldn't really tell what the fuss was about this place. It was a pretty straightforward sandwich, but the bread had apparently been sitting out all day and was pretty dry and chewy. Apart from that, there wasn't anything wrong with the sandwich per se- just not really anything worth travelling out to North Beach for. I bet if I lived nearby I might be way more into this sandwich shop (and I should add that I'm a fan of Lucca's, who offer a comparable experience), but for non-locals, it wasn't evident what the big deal was.

driftwood market in Palo Alto

2010-12-28T17:00:00.000-08:00

driftwood market, el camino & fernando, palo alto

There aren't a whole lot of good sandwich options in Palo Alto, but when I was trying to find new places to go, I heard a lot of good things about Driftwood Market. I decided to try it out one day when I was in the area, and see what the fuss was about. Firstly, I was impressed by the friendliness of the people there- I was greeted as soon as I walked in, asked if it was my first time there, and asked if I wanted help making a selection. I admire a sandwich shop that takes pride in their presentation and service! As for the sandwich, it was very satisfying. A turkey club is a pretty traditional and comforting sandwich, and this was pretty faultless. The bacon was perfectly crunchy, and the mayo and sourdough were sweet and sour in a very complimentary way. There maybe wasn't anything very original about this sandwich, but then that's what I was hoping for so it wasn't a problem. I'm looking forward to trying out more of their menu soon.

Ubrun Burger cheeseburger

2010-12-28T15:00:00.000-08:00

urbun burger, 17th & valencia, san francisco

Urban Burger, while delicious and certainly on of the best places to get a burger in the Mission, are not really the most wallet-friendly establishment. They also offer a wide variety of burgers with various toppings (although for some weird reasons like half of their burgers have blue cheese on them). Anyway, this particular time I went to Urban Burger I opted for just a straight up cheeseburger, and what I'm trying to say is, if you are going to spend the money to get something from Urban Burger, you might as well go crazy and get some BBQ and bacon or avocado or whatever cuz although this was tasty, I think there are better places for just a regular cheeseburger. PS watching all of Twin Peaks for the first time was one of the best experiences I had this year. I know that isn't a sandwich, but it's in the background of these photos. If you haven't seen it, I highly recommend that you take the time to do so. And get one of the fancier burgers from Urbun Burger.

saigon sandwiches' bánh mì

2010-12-28T12:00:00.000-08:00

saigon sandwiches, larkin & eddy, san francisco

I miss summer! I miss bánh mì! I guess that I don't really have to wait until the weather gets better to have bánh mì again, but it seems like such a perfect sunny day food- the jalapeno and cilantro give it such a bright flavor, and the meat and dressing are so sweet. And of course, Saigon Sandwiches have a well earned reputation of being THE place to go when you want bánh mì. Although there may be some places closer to where I live that serve these tasty little Vietnamese sandwiches, none compare to getting one (or two or three) from Saigon Sandwiches. Come back sunny days, I want to eat bánh mì in a park!

Roxie Special @ Roxie Food Center

2010-12-28T09:51:00.000-08:00

roxie food center, san jose & havelock, san francisco

As much as I love places like Kitchenette/Pal's/Rhea's/etc, who make finely crafted artisan sandwiches with inspired yet unconventional recipes and (often) with organic and locally sourced ingredients (and I do love those sandwiches), the fact remains that sandwiches are by nature not meant to be fancy. They are an everyday food, a comfort food, meant to be enjoyed by everyone regardless of economic status and financial resources. While its great to take the concept of a humble sandwich and elevate it to something more extravagant, to me the archetypal sandwich is the kind that is done perfectly at Roxie Food Center. I don't know the brand of meat they use or the farm where they get their produce. This is a sandwich that has iceburg lettuce and American cheese on it. Basically, it's not the kind of sandwich that you will typically see being feted in the pages of a NY Times feature on San Francisco or whatever. No one waits in line for 3 hours to buy one of these sandwiches, and they aren't going to try to sell you a t-shirt at the register. Instead, you are just going to get a simple and delicious sandwich, on a really good sourdough with jalapenos if you want them and American cheese. Of course, in the end it doesn't really matter if a place is hyped to the heavens or under the radar, if the sandwiches aren't any good. But Roxie Food Center seems to have it down pat, where it seems less like an art and more just natural. Sometimes simple is best.

2010 in review!

2010-12-27T14:50:00.000-08:00

2010 was a good year for sandwiches, I think we can all agree. Will 2011 be able to top 2010, and perhaps garnish it with a pickle on the side? We will have to find out.

Top sandwiches in 2010:

12. rosamunde hungarian sausage

11. outerlands ham and cheese

10. croque madame at la boulange

09. chicken fajita at the sandwich place

08. mr pickles tony soprano

07. mission burger

06. piccollo pete's

05. pal's lao sausage

04. rhea's korean steak sandwich

03. kitchenette millionaire

02. tartine grilled ham and cheese

01. roxie food center

Top sandwiches made by Els in 2010:

05. chicken, fig & goat cheese

04. roast beef and apple

03. eggplant sandwich

02. grilled cheese, apple and spinach

01. portobello mushroom and gouda burgers

Top sandwiches made by me in 2010:

01. bologna and doritos

My favorite reviews by my friends in 2010:

05. RIP 33 revolutions by Jen

04. father's office burger by R.A.Williams

03. bánh mì CHALLENGE! by Catherine Soto

02. homemade vegan cheesesteak! by Mark

01. rainy day at the beach by Els

Thanks everyone who participated this year, and thanks everyone for reading!

paxton gate holiday party

2010-12-07T16:09:00.000-08:00

paxton gate, valencia btw 19th & 20th, san francisco

Els and I hit the Paxton Gate holiday party over the weekend and had fun deciding exactly which terrifying taxidermy animal we (hypothetically) wanted in our apartment. When we attended last year's party, there was a delicious assortment of cheeses to accompany the ~~free booze~~ complementary spirits, but this year's offering was even better: appetizers made by neighborhood newbie (well, relatively speaking) & purveyors of artisan pizzas, Flour and Water! I really enjoyed their food the one time I was able to eat there (read: the one time my parents were in town and treating us to dinner), and these snacks appropriately fancy. The finger sandwiches were comprised of smoked prosciutto, delicata squash & arugala on focaccia with pumpkin seeds and.... something else (I meant to snap a photo of the ingredients but got distracted by the ~~free booze~~ festive beverages). I thought they were pretty delicious and ate maaaaaybe more than would be considered appropriate, but since Els only had one, let's just say I ate her share too. And then a few more. Also on hand, though not exactly sandwiches, were crustini with a ricotta dip and a mushroom spread. But if you combine the two onto one crustini it's like an open face sandwich, right? I liked this maybe even more than the sandwiches. And, although DEFINITELY not a sandwich, the squash soup was CRAZY good and creamy and claimed to be vegetarian although I thought their must have been chicken stock or something in there. Maybe just loads of butter and cream. But well done all around to Flour and Water and big thanks to Paxton Gate for hosting their annual holiday party with delicious snacks and ~~free booze~~ classy refreshments!

rainy day at the beach

2010-12-04T11:42:00.000-08:00

outerlands, 25th & judah, san francisco

as the weather has gotten colder and the days shorter i've been hunkering down, bundling up in blankets and surfing the waves of the net. and i came across this video one morning...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r5kKeKSfyOE

i don't have to say it twice, i really love tartine! i used to live two blocks away and on the mornings i was too cold tired and or lazy to ride my bike to work i'd have to walk past the bakery on my way to the bus. it would be when they were just opening, things were just coming out of the ovens and best of all there would be no lines! i'd get a croissant that had the best hot crisp flaky exterior and the most melty doughy buttery inside. their bread is the same when it comes out of the oven. walking home after buying a loaf i could easily eat half in that two block distance.

before having watched the video above, i had heard outerlands mentioned by friends before, but the sunset district just always seems so far, i had never really thought to make the trek before until learning about their connection to tartine.

it was awesome! it's a tiny little hole in the wall, with walls tiled by spiraling wood and hanging hoyas tangled over the counter. the food is rustic and hearty, which was a perfect match for the rainy day. i got the grilled cheese with a bowl of lentil soup. the bread was cut thick, leaving the grilled exterior toasted and crisp while the center was softer and lighter and pleasantly warm with soft melted cheese. also, the soup was some of the best lentil soup i've ever had! not heavy on the salt, full of fresh cut vegi's and perfect for dipping a sandwich into! i could eat this every day and be happy!

another perk, a few doors down was this great shop, the general store, where i purchased a new blanket to add to the nest of blankets i've been burrowing under during this very cold winter.

http://outerlandssf.com/

outerlands' open-faced ham and cheese

2010-11-30T11:13:00.000-08:00

outerlands, 25th & judah, san francisco

Els recently bought herself a copy of Tartine Bread (even though SOMEONE was planning on buying it for her as a present, jeez), and has been obsessed with since. So in addition to eating a delicious special-occasion dinner at Bar Tartine (no sandwiches for me that night sadly), and her preparing a rad kale caesar salad from one of the recipes in the book, we also had to venture out to Outerlands to try their Tartine-style bread. The typically omnipresent fog of the Sunset district was gone for the day, replaced by overcast skies and a violently dark looking ocean. It was cold and gorgeous, and made me think I should spend more time out in the Sunset (note to self: no, you should not). We managed to get to Outerlands just before lunch hours ended (Outerlands closes at 3 after lunch every day and then re-opens for dinner). Their particular hours had prevented us from making this trek before, but time was on our side this day. We found a nice table, ordered at the counter, and enjoyed a terrifically bitter pot of coffee between the two of us while waiting for our sandwiches to arrive. Now, Outerlands isn't a cheap meal, but you get what you pay for both in quality and quantity- we got two sandwiches, but honestly one would have probably been enough for the both of us. Els had the grilled cheese with some lentil soup (review forthcoming, no doubt), while I decided to go for the open-faced ham and cheese. Growing up, grilled ham and cheese was one of my all-time favorite comfort foods (ESPECIALLY with honey ham) and so this definitely lit up the pleasure centers of my brain. Don't be fooled by the large salad leaf in the first picture there, which makes this sandwich seem smaller than it was- the two huge pieces of bread, topped with honey ham, cheddar, caramelized onions and honey mustard were very filling. The bread was cut thick, standing out as the main draw of the sandwich, and appropriately so: it was so full of flavor and character, and definitely lived up to the Tartine name. The side salad was great too, as was the chocolate chip cookie we had after lunch. Throw in a trip to the General Store and then spend some time gazing at the ocean, and you've got a great Saturday afternoon excursion.

saturday night horror

2010-11-29T10:19:00.000-08:00

I'm only willing to accept partial blame for this one. Ok, yes, I was the one that came home from the corner store with a package of bologna and a bag of "flamas" (Mexican chili-lime) Doritos. But when I sat down at the couch with my late night snack, it was a simple bologna and cheddar sandwich with a bowl of chips on the side. It was only at the prompting of Els did the two combine, against the will of GOD, in unholy matrimony. I therefor suggest that any hate mail/picketings/prayers for eternal souls be directed at her, and not me. Even though I'm the one that ate this.... and thought it was GREAT. Does it make it any less trashy that it was on nice German Farm bread, with imported German mustard and a good sharp cheddar bought at the local co-op? No, it only makes it that much worse. What a horribly trashy and shameful sandwich. But, I think I have some chips and bologna left over in the kitchen right now...... and I do need to eat lunch..... don't judge me!

pommard's chicken sandwich

2010-11-20T11:37:00.000-08:00

pommard deli, middlefield & loma verde, palo alto

Pommard's: the best Palo Alto deli that refuses to admit it is a deli and instead tries to convince you it is a pizzeria for some awful reason. I don't care about their pizza, I don't want their rotisserie chicken, the fries they serve with every sandwich are pretty terrible, but man I do very much enjoy their sandwiches. This one here was chicken with pepper jack, salsa and avocado. WAY BETTER THAN PIZZA, POMMARD'S.

grilled ham and cheese from tartine

2010-11-19T18:29:00.000-08:00

tartine, 18th & guererro, san francisco

"Jambon Royale & Gruyere: Niman Ranch cured and smoked ham with Dijon on country bread"

I started writing a review of this waaaaaaay long ago, but never posted it. Which is good, because my first review sucked. This sandwich speaks for itself- tartine bread, hella good ham and cheese, and AWESOME spicy mustard. And spicy pickled carrots on the side. This thing is like fifteen bucks, but I'm telling you, ITS WORTH IT. That is how good this sandwich is. I might only get to eat it whenever I have a birthday or cure AIDS or whatever, but I'm impatiently waiting for an excuse to pay top dime for one of these again.

pink's

2010-11-15T20:22:00.000-08:00

pink's, melrose & la brea, los angeles

1."THE OZZY SPICY DOG - Spicy Polish Dog, nacho cheese, American cheese, grilled onions, guacamole & chopped tomatoes"
2. "PASTRAMI REUBEN DOG - Pastrami, mustard, swiss cheese & sauerkraut"

I'd heard so much about Pink's famous hot dogs when I was living in LA, I knew I had to eat there before I moved. But I had also heard it was popular among tourists, and that there was frequently a long line. So, after putting it off for a long time, I made it a point to at least go ONCE before I moved- that was over a year ago. I got some nice pics of my dogs, but then during Halloween of last year I lost my bag that had my digital camera in it (still pretty mad about this). Since I didn't have the photos anymore, I decided to draw the hot dogs I had eaten, along with a little representation of it. The first one is the Ozzy Dog- I did that Ozzy from memory and I think it turned out to be a pretty good caricature. The second is the Pastrami Reuben Dog, and yes, I really did hear a dude walking down 16th Street in San Francisco loudly saying this to his friend, in the middle of the day. Although I ate these over a year ago, I remember liking them both quite a bit. The Ozzy Dog was bigger- more like a sausage- and the Pastrami Reuben was thinner like a hot dog. I only ordered two because I knew it was likely to be the last time I'd go to Pink's in a long time. The Ozzy Dog was crazy and indulgent (guacamole AND nacho cheese AND american cheese!!). The Pastrami Reuben was indulgent too, but not quite in the overwhelming way that the Ozzy was. The lines weren't TOO bad, either- I'd say I waited about 15-20 minutes to order. I'd definitely go back to Pink's for a special treat next time I'm down south.

croque madam at la boulange

2010-11-09T11:33:00.000-08:00

la boulange, fillmore & california, san francisco

Els and I hit up the Fillmore Farmer's Market last weekend to speak to a man about some smoked fish, and we brought our appetites with us. The farmer's market itself was on the smaller side, and the booths we hoped would be offering bountiful breakfasts and pots of hot coffee did not actually exist. So, we decided to take advantage of being outside of our neighborhood and stroll around in search of something to get our day started right. When we first walked past this place, I mistook it for the chain store with a very similar name (you know the one), and didn't bother to investigate any further. Fortunately, Els cleared up my confusion shortly thereafter, and we returned for a second look. I'm glad we did, because this was a pretty charming little cafe. The menu offered perhaps fewer choices than expected, but what was available all sounded inspired and delicious. I settled on a croque madam, a sandwich I had never tried before (I did, however, try a croque monsieur for the first time earlier this year). I should at this point make note of the fact that this was set up like a cafe and not a restaurant: you have to wait in line to order at the counter, then take a number, find a seat and wait for your food. Personally I think this makes the experience a little more chaotic than it needed to be- there were customers loitering around everywhere, making navigating the inside of the shop frustratingly difficult. However, Els and I managed to find some pretty decent seats in the upstairs area, and we both enjoyed the low-key decor of the place. As you may note in the top photo above, large coffees at La Boulange are served in bowls, which I thought was pretty neat (although I have to say that the coffee was pretty bad). As for the sandwich, this was a pretty great first experience with a croque madam! Like a croque monsieur, a croque madam has ham, swiss and bechemel- but the main difference is that it is topped with an egg (sometimes there are further variations, like the addition of vegetables, but not here). As you might imagine, it was a rich, salty and indulgent sandwich. It was messy, too, and Els took the only napkin we were given even though she was eating oats with a spoon and I had buttery cheesy grease all over my fingers. Jeez. I'd also like to mention that the salad was quite good, too, with a slightly sweet vinaigrette topping the mixed greens. And although it was not a sandwich, Els swore that the warm oats with brown sugar and fruit served in milk that she got was the best she'd ever had. I'm definitely looking forward to coming back here again to try out some of their other offerings.

it tastes like earthy mousse

2010-11-06T16:47:00.000-07:00

description read as follows:
"open-faced 5-spice duck liver & fatted calf bacon “banh mi” pickled squash, cilantro, jalapeno"

It looks really good huh!? but it really kinda wasn't... i've had foie gras, i've had pate, i've had chicken liver, but this was intense! there wasn't a lot to balance out the rich earth flavor of the duck liver. aw and i don't recall having any of the fatted calf bacon, there were only two slivers of the pickled squash, and two tiny pieces of sliced jalapeno, a lot of cilantro, a thin slice of toast and four huge chunks of gag-reflex inducing duck liver.

sometimes i order things that sound cool and adventurous but in the end it turns out to be a huge mistake, this was one of them...

fried chicken kaarage sandwich

2010-11-03T15:30:00.000-07:00

kitchenette, illinois btw 22nd & 21st, san francisco

I've written about Kitchenette many times before, but the beauty of their ever-changing menu is that there's always a new experience to be had. Els and I had two sandwiches today, one delicious, one crazy. The crazy one Els will be sharing with you later- this one was the delicious one. It wasn't until I got home and had some time for research that I learned what Kaarage is, which is a Chinese/Japanese method of deep-frying. It was one of those "oh, of course" moments when I found that out, because as ate this sandwich I couldn't quite figure out what it reminded me of; in retrospect, it made complete sense that it was a Chinese fried chicken sandwich. The bean sprouts were a nice crunchy touch, and the sandwich was topped with umeboshi-bonito (a cursory google search leads me to believe this means plum) mayonnaise and shichimi made for an excellently sweet experience. Els thought the fried chicken tasted very light (kaarage frying doesn't use breading like American-style fried chicken), and I was struck by how moist the chicken was (I am thinking this is because it was fatty dark meat). This sandwich was definitely another success for Kitchenette!

sunday brunch at the alcove

2010-09-28T10:59:00.000-07:00

the alcove, hillhurst & franklin, los angeles

Its been a busy few weeks for me! Signing a new lease, emptying out two apartments and getting a new apartment set up... and then this weekend, spending some time in Los Angeles! It can really work up a dude's appetite. I have to admit to you that I was mostly chowing down on tacos while I was in LA, and that my devotion to sandwiches was perhaps temporarily set aside. What can I say? Tacos aren't really a thing in SF and I can't pass up an opportunity to eat at my favorite LA taco spots. I did, however, manage to get this gigantic sandwich on Sunday before we left LA. This is from The Alcove, a cafe on Hillhurst which is quite near where I used to live. Despite the proximity to my previous address, I never ate at The Alcove while I lived in LA. They have a very nice patio dining area, but it always seemed busy, the prices seemed high and frankly the clientele seemed snooty to me. Having finally eaten here, I can say that my prejudgments were warranted- seating was absurdly crowded, it wasn't a cheap brunch, and most of the patrons seemed hilariously full of themselves. However, I was very pleasantly surprised by the food itself. Everything we ordered came in huge quantities, and was chock full of indulgent ingredients. I had anticipated that the food at The Alcove was targeted at customers for whom healthiness was a priority, so these giant servings of fatty, creamy, buttery and sugary dishes pleasantly defied my expectations. My meal was one of the daily specials, a breakfast sandwich (the name of which I've forgotten). It consisted of a massive (ciabatta?) bun, absolutely stuffed with fried eggs, bacon, sauteed frisee, and melted blue cheese. Although I usually chafe at paying over 10 dollars for a plate of food, I mind less when I receive as excessively rich a dish as this one. Everything about it was greasy and filling, and I devoured it with relish. However, I didn't really care for the blue cheese on it- it was simply too strong and sharp, and made what would have otherwise been a very comforting sandwich into one that was instead kind of aggressive. That's probably my fault though- I didn't really think about the fact that I was ordering a sandwich with blue cheese on it, and the implications of that decision. Overall, The Alcove proved to be a great place to get a casually extravagant brunch.

rosamunde!

2010-09-12T09:00:00.000-07:00

rosamunde, 24th & mission, san francisco

Okay, so I have to admit that I started this entry several months ago and don't really remember all that much about it today. This one was, I believe, a lamb sausage. I probably didn't need to load this sausage up with so many condiments, but they all sounded so good! What I DO remember that this tasted great, that I had an excellent beer with it, and that Els and I had a nice night out. I guess I'll have to go back and get another sausage so refresh my memory....

chicken fajita sandwich - the sandwich place

2010-09-11T09:00:00.000-07:00

the sandwich place, 16th & mission, san francisco

Wow, I can't believe that I haven't reviewed The Sandwich Place on 16th and Mission before! I've only been a few times, but I am definitely super impressed by their humble and excellent shop. I assumed that I had already publicly proclaimed my fondness for this shop, but I guess I hadn't! Let's fix that. The first time I went to The Sandwich Shop, I had been bemoaning the fact that quality $5 sandwiches didn't seem to exist in the Mission... so I was stoked to see that the prices at The Sandwich Place were totally reasonable. If you want just a straight-ahead sandwich, you can get one for $5 bux there! That being said, I decided to go for one of their (slightly pricier) daily specials- in this case, it was a chicken fajita sandwich. You can get regular or large sandwiches- I was hungry and went for the large- and it turns out that the large sandwiches are indeed fairly gigantic. The chicken and roasted veggies were savory and tasted fresh, and the bread was high quality. I was very satisfied (and FULL) after eating this. Although it's easy to overlook this tiny shop as you dodge traffic on Mission, its well worth stopping in to try out one of their sandwiches.

chicken, fig and goat cheese

2010-09-10T11:57:00.000-07:00

Here's a sandwich Els whipped up for lunch today! One of the things that most impresses me about her cooking is that before last night, she had never cooked with fig before. Yet somehow we ended up coming home from the store with figs and now today I had before me a chicken sandwich topped with fig. I thought the combination of flavors in the sandwich was amazing. The very first taste I noticed was the sweetness of the fig, which was very sugary and gooey. The sweetness gave way to the sour sharp flavor of the goat cheese, the creamy texture of which melted together nicely with the fig. Finally, there was a very surprising spicy bite from the mustard Els used- surprising because the mustard has such a strong and typically overwhelming flavor, but was used in moderation and so it didn't become noticeable until after the other flavors. I think the only drawback to this sandwich was that we ran out of roast chicken- the various flavors of this sandwich were so strong that I think they could have used a more neutral flavor at the center, and big chunks of chicken would have done nicely. Still! This was such a good lunch.... I think Els is some kind of sandwich savant.

cajun turkey at Tasty's

2010-09-10T09:00:00.000-07:00

Tasty's, 24th & utah, san francisco

The consensus between Els and I is that this is the best po'boy we've tried at Tasty's. The turkey was moist and topped with capers, and best of all, it held together much better than the shrimp or fried fish, which tended to tumble out of the sandwich. The meat really is the centerpiece of these sandwiches; the bread and veggies don't really add that much, so it's important to find a meat that can stand alone. Thus far we think this is the best of the options at Tasty's.

shrimp po'boy at Tasty's

2010-09-09T18:26:00.000-07:00

tasty's, 24th & utah, san francisco

This sandwich is actually from my first trip to Tasty's, before Els and I went got the french fry po'boy. I liked this shrimp po'boy quite a bit- more, I think, than Els did- but it was a pretty sloppy sandwich. The shrimp had a tendency to spill out with every bit, and the sandwich was so hefty it was hard to pick up. I always thought that the name po'boy came from the fact that these were fairly small and plain sandwiches- but at Tasty's they are rather stacked. If you want a po'boy, this is better than your other Mission options (that is, Popeye's).

veggie burger with spicy pickled peppers

2010-09-08T14:54:00.000-07:00

Speaking of Tartine bread, here's a little homemade veggie burger on a loaf from Tartine, topped with Wildly Spicy Pickled Peppers from the Happy Girl Kitchen Company. There's some spicy honey mustard on there too. What can I say, some times I like my flavors LOUD.

veggies and tartine bread

2010-08-17T22:00:00.000-07:00

I was given a loaf a bread from Tartine this week. This bread is the best! When I've gotten it fresh outa the oven I can't even make it home without inhaling half the loaf, it's super fluffy and moist and when it's fresh it seems to just melt in the mouth.

One of the best things about great bread (well good ingredients in general) is that you don't have to do much to make a great tasting meal. With the weird summer fog San Francisco has been experiencing I've been very lazy in the mornings this week. I've been staying in bed longer, not wanting to put a lot of effort into prepping food for the day and also I've been running out the door late. So lunch has been thrown together rather haphazardly.

This sandwich features Tartine's Country Bread, sliced pink lady apple, spinach, sharp cheddar, dijon burgundy mustard, spinach, and red onion. I tend to eat some version of this a lot and I really like how balanced all the flavors tend to be, sweet and savory with a hint of heat.

RUMBLE AT 24TH AND HAMPSHIRE, PT 4: THE WINNER

2010-08-08T19:26:00.001-07:00

This is the final sandwich in this epic competition, and it was far and away the best: Pal's "home cured and coffee smoked" pulled pork, served with buttermilk slaw, house made pickles and bbq sauce on a poppyseed kaiser roll. The thing that struck me most about this sandwich was how well balanced it was- for a bbq sandwich, none of the flavors were especially strong. I liked this fact- I could taste the tender and smoky flavor of the pork, which was complemented by the sweet flavors of the pickles and bbq sauce, and tangy crunch of the slaw. Even though I love pickles, I normally despise bread and butter pickles. But even though the house made pickles were very sweet like bread and butter pickles, I thought they were perfect in this sandwich. I don't often get pulled pork sandwiches, because they need to be done right- but when they are done right, like this instance, they are fantastic! My only complaint was that this sandwich was on the smaller side, and I would have been happy to eat more.
So now that all of the sandwiches have been accounted for, which shop reigns supreme at the intersection of 24th and Hampshire? Dagwood and Scoops has the advantage of better hours, and a much, much larger menu. Pal's may not necessarily be serving the sandwich you want on a given day, and might not even be open when you want it. Dagwood's does not have these drawbacks, but despite offering creative and appealing sandwiches, their actual product is underwhelming, especially given their prices. So although Pal's offerings are much more limited, I defintely would pick their sandwiches as the superior lunch. WINNER: PAL'S (VICTORY BY BBQ)

RUMBLE AT 24TH AND HAMPSHIRE, PT 3: PAL'S

2010-08-08T18:02:00.001-07:00

...And here's the first contender from Pal's! This was not one of the sandwiches that was advertised on the menu online, making this the second time I've gone to Pal's only to descover they weren't serving the sandwich I wanted- only this time, the necessary ingredients hadn't yet arrived, whereas last time they had sold out. I guess, even given Pal's already limited hours, it's best not to show up too early or too late if you have your heart set on a particular sandwich. So, instead of a shrimp sandwich, this was local (?) albacore, with olives, capers, parsely, compound butter, tomato and cucumber. The guy behind the counter said there was no mayo, but you'd never know it because it tasted quite a bit like tuna salad. That's not such a bad thing though, because it did taste really good- although I wish the flavor of the olives and capers had been stronger. Also, seven dollars seems like a lot for such a small tuna fish sandwich. But then, Pal's takes a lot of pride in telling you where their ingredients come from, so you know what you are paying for- so this seven dollar sandwich didn't seem like as much as a rip-off as our seven dollar sandwich from Dagwood's. Next up is the last sandwich in this face-off: Pal's pulled pork!

RUMBLE AT 24TH AND HAMPSHIRE, PT 2: DAGWOOD'S CONTINUED

2010-08-07T15:44:00.000-07:00

Called "The Billy", this was the second sandwhich Els and I picked up at Dagwood's. The sandwich is advertised as featuring goat cheese, olive spread, tomato, cucumber and sprouts. We opted for toasted sliced wheat bread. While the Holy Molé was fine if perhaps underwhelming, this sandwich was pretty much just bad. The goat cheese and olive spread were both extemely salty, hiding the other flavors of the sandwich. There wasn't really that much else to hide, however; the sandwich-maker had opted to substitute shredded iceberg lettuce for the sprouts, and hadn't included any tomatos at all. Also, this sandwich cost seven dollars!! This basically sums up my impression of Dagwood's: they have some pretty good-sounding sandwiches, and it seems like a fair amount of thought and creativity went into the menu, but the execution is totally lacking. I'm always rooting for new sandwich shops to be great, but Dagwood's doesn't really seem to have it together yet. Next up: Pal's Takeaway!

RUMBLE AT 24TH AND HAMPSHIRE, PT 1: DAGWOOD'S

2010-08-07T15:17:00.000-07:00

Both relative newcomers to the block, Dagwood and Scoops and Pal's Takeaway offer the Eastern edge of 24th street different takes on deli sandwiches. Pal's only exists for part of the week, crammed into a tiny corner of a liquor store during weekday (and now Saturday) lunch hours. Dagwood's, kitty-corner from Pal's, is a full-time sandwich shop, but with some assorted groceries and an ice cream counter awkwardly shoe-horned in. Although we had tried both shops before, the fact that we ate at both this week means that a showdown was inevitable! Kicking off this battle is the Holy Mole sandwich from Dagwood's. This chicken sandwich featured chicken, molé sauce, queso oaxaca, slaw, and avocado. The guy behind the counter asked what kind of bread, and if we wanted it toasted. This is a minus to me, because I think that if they came up with the recipe, they should know which bread is best- or at least make a suggestion. It's not a huge drawback, however. We went with toasted sweet roll, which seemed like the most appropriate choice. The end results, unfortunately, were mixed. The molé sauce was very creamy, almost mayo-like, and had a very subtly sweet flavor. In fact, the taste of the molé was so subdued that it was virtually overpower by the slaw. On top of that, the chicken was not chunks of roasted chicken in molé sauce, but rather deli slices of packaged chicken (like Boar's Head or Primo Taglio). In effect, this was not a chicken molé sandwich, but more accurately a sandwich inspired by chicken molé. It wasn't bad, but it certainly fell short of our expectations, and given the fact that it cost eight dollars, seemed very overpriced. Still, it we both agreed it was better the other sandwich we got from Dagwood's that day...

french fry po'boy

2010-08-01T23:20:00.000-07:00

I decided yesterday, while eating a ham and swiss from the deli at 19th and Guerrero, that I was failing in my journalistic obligation to discover new and interesting sandwiches. Would anyone really be that interested in my ham and swiss (it was pretty good btw)? Probably not, but what if I had ordered the salmon BLT that was on the menu? Perhaps moreso! And so, with my renewed dedication to finding less boring sandwiches, I got this french fry sandwich from Tasty's (in the kitchen formerly occupied by Yat's, in the bar Jack's). The menu claimed that this sandwich was a New Orleans tradition- basically, it was a po'boy with fries and gravy as the main substance. I like poutine, and was hoping this might be a little like the Canadian dish. It didn't end up being too similar, but it was very tasty. The mound of fries on top was gigantic, which made eating the sandwich challenging.
I wish there had been more gravy, but otherwise i'd say it was good. Next time Els and I are going earlier, to order off the brunch menu... there's a fried egg sandwich that sounds crazy good.

the valencia

2010-07-25T17:52:00.001-07:00

Like I promised, a quicker turn-around on sandwich reviews! This tasty little number is the Valencia from Rhea's, a sandwich best described as "creamy". Turkey, havarti, avocado and mayo get together for a real chill time in your mouth. But then bacon, pickles and pickled onion show up and bring some crunch to the happenings. It works out pretty well I would say. Rhea's is definitely becoming more and more my go-to sandwich shop- they have ordering sorted out in a more organized manner, and the seating makes for some good Valencia people-watching. I felt like I was being adventurous by ordering a Turkey sandwich when there are so many more interesting sandwiches on the menu, but if yr folks are in town and the idea of a spicy korean steak sandwich sounds like too much for them, try suggesting this sandwich. Maybe they will even dig the pickled onions.

technological advancement

2010-07-24T14:03:00.001-07:00

It still lives!! I know there's been a lot of downtime at this blog lately and rumors have been running rampant- I developed a severe wheat allergy, I joined a strict Atkins-diet cult, I renounced sandwiches and proclaimed I would from now on eat only tacos and burritos. Not true! I've just been working 2 jobs and have been more focused on EATING sandwiches rather than writing about them. But now i've set up this nifty mobile-blogging deal and can write up and post reviews mere moments after eating them! In fact, i'm doing that right now! See that killer salami, cheddar and heirloom tomato sandwich up there? Els fixed that up only minutes ago! It was delicious. Stick around, there's a bunch of new and great sandwich shops in San Francisco and we intend to eat at all of them or get fat trying!

camping!!

2010-06-16T12:05:00.000-07:00

Els and I spent the weekend enjoying the woods and delicious camp-cooking with some good friends. For dinner on Friday, Els made some crazy-delicious portabello burgers with smoked gouda, grilled green onions and Inglehoffer's stone-ground dijon mustard. For a meal made on a little two-burner Coleman campstove, this was fine gourmet. What is it about cooking in the great outdoors that makes food so extra-satisfying? Is it the smell of the trees, the gentle sound of the river and songbirds? Is it the primal satisfaction of escaping the soul-crushing, unnatural grind of city life? Is it because Els used almost an entire stick of butter cooking these? Truly, a question for the ages.

it's a pretty good place

2010-06-06T16:53:00.000-07:00

After learning of a 3+ hour long wait for Ike's the other day, AW decided to take me to the Sandwich Place on Mission between 16th and 17th. It's a fairly unassuming lil shop, not much sets it apart from the outside and inside it's pretty tiny. A large vegetarian menu covers one wall while a meat menu covers the other, both have hot and cold options. We showed up a little after 2pm on a Saturday and the women running the shop were starting to close up but said if we ordered cold sandwiches they would make them. I ordered the Vegi Vegi which featured mixed greens, avocado, red onion, swiss cheese and sun-dried tomato mayo.

We walked over to Dolores Park and chowed down! The two things that really set this sandwich apart from most others was that the ratio of fillings to bread was on the smaller side and that the bread was amazing!!! Mildly sweet, super fluffy and soft. While we were waiting at the deli, one woman was tearing a loaf up for bread pudding - I defiantly want to go back to try that!

The prices were great too! It's hard to find a decent sandwich that's satisfying for under $7. So what I'm saying is, y'all gots ta go! great veggi and meat selections for not a lot and it doesn't seem to be as well known as some of the other places in the neighborhood where you'd likely have to wait an epic amount of time to get lunch.

hello old friend

2010-05-31T13:14:00.000-07:00

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

There's little I can say about Mr. Pickle's that I haven't already! My love for the home of Señor Pepino has been extensively documented on this website. But when I got this Tony Soprano sub, it had been a long, long time since I had eaten there. In my quest to find new and different places to buy sandwiches, I had neglected my first love. So I would like to take this opportunity to apologize to Mr. Pickle's. I promise I will never go so long without one of your sandwiches again!

last chance for mission burger!

2010-05-24T11:40:00.000-07:00

mission burger @ duc loi market, 18th & mission, san francisco

Mission Burger is CLOSING! Saturday, May 29th is your last chance to get in on this greasy, salty, granulated beef heartstopper!! In fact, they aren't even making fried chicken or vegan burgers anymore, so its just burgers and fries left. This pains me immensely, because I heard great things about the chicken sandwich and never got one. But at least I got to eat a burger before they closed! I suggest that you make your way to Duc Loi post-haste. Don't forget, they are closed Thursday! Don't miss out on yr last chance for Mission Burger!

summer's here, time for lots of sunny day sandwich eatin

2010-05-02T22:59:00.000-07:00

As you've maybe noticed, Aw and I try a lot of sandwich places together, yet we never really have co-reviews of our sandwich adventures. And while I sorta want to review Submarine Center, I don't think I could add much more to what Aw has said. It seemed like a good idea, we found the place on Facebook's Secret San Francisco and a whole bunch of people had talked it up. But the amount of attitude we received followed by ho-hum lunches really killed it.Yada yada yada... What I'm saying is, even though this could be a negative review about Submarine Center, it's not. Instead, this is a review of my first po-boy!

Aw and I staggered over to Yat's (the kitchen inside Jack's) one weekend morning recently and it was fantastic!!!!!! The menu was a little overwhelming only because it all looked so good, so much so that I had to play mental rock-paper-scissors to decide my order. The above image is of the pulled turkey po-boy. So perfect, tender and mildly tangy from the kapers (I removed the pickles and handed them over to Aw). The most impressive part was the size of the kitchen the cook was working in. It was tiny, someone could stand in the center of it and touch everything around him/her, and the tastes that he was jammin' out were huge and killer good! I can't really add much more because, sadly, what I remember mostly is how much I enjoyed it rather than little details... Oh well, guess I'm just gonna have to go back and sample some more....

bummer sandwich

2010-05-02T15:42:00.000-07:00

submarine center, ulloa & west portal, san francisco

There's a pretty strict rule regarding negative reviews here at bxb, which is that we don't write them. Everyone has different things that they like, and talking trash about someone's hard work never appealed to me. So far, in the year and a half that this blog has been going, following this rule hasn't been difficult. Sure, I've had a few disappointing sandwiches, but nothing so awful I wasn't willing to give the sandwich makers the benefit of the doubt. So it's not lightly that I say that Submarine Center sucks and that no one should eat there. But-

Submarine Center sucks and no one should eat there! God, what a bunch of jerks these guys were. Els and I made a special trek out to West Portal yesterday, because we'd heard so many good things about Submarine Center and wanted to try it out. When we arrived, the line stretched from the counter in the front of the long, narrow shop, out to the front door. Looking over the enjoyably old-fashioned menu, we decided to try their home-roasted turkey on one sandwich, and pastrami on the other. We reached the counter and placed our order, and then followed the couple that had ordered ahead of us to a second line leading to the cashier. While it seemed like this line wasn't very formal- some people moved up to the front of the line when their order was called- we nevertheless waited patiently for our turn to pay. When we reached the front of the second line, the man at the cashier gazed vacantly at me as I tried to explain what I was paying for. I told him what we had ordered, asked for a potato salad, and pointed to the sandwiches on the counter that Els and I had been watching from the line. "We ordered two sandwiches.... I think those ones are ours" I said, indicating the wrapped sandwiches. At this point the man who made the sandwiches glared at us and asked, voice dripping with hostility, "You mean the ones I've been calling for the last ten minutes?" I should point out that A) I wasn't talking to the sandwich maker, I was talking to the guy at the register, and B) I wasn't complaining, nor did I have any kind of attitude or frustration in my voice; I was just trying to communicate to the cashier which sandwiches I was paying for. So the guy making sandwiches went out of his way to give us shit, for no reason. I can understand that maybe there is a system at Submarine Center for paying for your sandwiches as they are called, but there's nothing to communicate this system to the customers, and neither Els nor I heard him calling our orders (we were standing in line basically in front of him, and he certainly didn't make any effort to make eye contact or communicate directly with us). And we weren't complaining about how long the order had taken or anything else; we simply waited to order sandwiches, ordered, waited to pay for the sandwiches, and then got a load of this guy's shitty attitude for no reason. By the way, I work a service job and have to put up with needy and rude customers all day, so don't think I don't know what it feels like to have to deal with a high volume of demanding customers. In fact, I go out of my way to be polite to people working service jobs because I know that some customers can be a handful. So in this case, the sandwich maker was being an asshole to us simply because he was an asshole and apparently it's totally OK to treat customers that way at Submarine Center.

Now I know that, if you are like me, you are thinking "So you had a crappy experience but what about the SANDWICH". The sandwich was boring and plain and devoid of anything noteworthy. The bread was dry and flavorless, the turkey was forgettable, the "secret sauce" tasted like the Submarine Sauce you can buy at Safeway (which in turn tastes more or less like Italian dressing). If Submarine Center had charm I would have given the sandwich credit for being just an old-fashioned sub from a unpretentious sandwich vendor, but do you want to put up with people giving you shit just so that you can buy a bland sub? I don't. Els and I had made plans to come back and try out different subs while we were waiting to pay, but after experiencing their terrible brand of customer service, why would I ever go out of my way to go back to this place?

Oh yeah their potato salad sucked too. Screw this place.

PB+J

2010-04-28T20:19:00.000-07:00

These signature sandwiches were made by John Williams and were quite tasty! He toasted the bread then put the right amount of peanut butter, strawberry jelly, and apricot jelly. When I make sandwiches I tend to put on too much sauce until the bread gets soft but he made them just right! It's good to enjoy the textures of the sandwich rather than get overwhelmed. He also cut them up into cute little triangles for easy munching. To add to this happy snack was a cup of douglas fir tip tea! One of my favorite teas ever. What a delightful afternoon snack!

Hospital food BATTLE! Turkey burger vs Veggie burger!

2010-04-28T19:20:00.000-07:00

This tasty battle took place at Kaiser Hospital in San Francisco. I was a little surprised to see a decent looking cafeteria with a grill, deli, and salad bar. The grill is open from 11am until 7:30pm Monday through Thursday and has a modified schedule Friday through Sunday that I can't remember. They have daily specials like any cafeteria but I was drawn to the grill.

It seems that every time I eat a sandwich I seem to be starving like no other. Above is the turkey burger which everyone around me was ordering and the cook had multiple patties on the grill. It smelled so good and I wanted to see what the whole fuss was about. I felt a little skeptical about the fries as I enjoy mine crispy and smaller cut or large wedges fried to perfection. I figured I would skip on the fries when a woman in scrubs encouraged me to get the fries. What the hell? I was hungry! I sat down and sliced the burger in half and popped open my can on coke. I normally avoid soda but I can't drink anything else but if I am having a burger. It's the American way!

I have to admit I was disappointed in the turkey burger. It was dry, as turkey often is, and I couldn't eat it with ketchup. I should have put more mustard and mayo on my burger but even then I don't know if it would have saved it. I usually avoid turkey just because eating it without stuffing feels blasphemous and brings back memories of painful Thanksgiving dinners I wish I could forget. The fries, too, were too soft for my liking. I sadly have to admit that I forced myself to eat this. I would not eat this turkey burger again!

Now this veggie burger was a delight! What I like about veggie burgers is that they can be very filling if the patty is made right. This one definitely is! I put on a generous amount of mayo and mustard on top to make sure it didn't get dry like the turkey burger and when I sliced my burger a little squeezed out on the side. It was very filling and satisfying and hit the spot (as I seem to say often) and is on the cheaper side at $3.25 before taxes. I didn't miss the fries (though I have yet to have the curly fries) and was really happy with what I ordered.

Now, I don't know why you would eat at a hospital over any other places in the neighborhood but there is plenty of good people watching to be had. There are the doctors, nurses, construction workers, security, patients, family, and friends of patients, too. I can also see as how this would be a total bummer place to eat since I have seen a couple people just sit around and stare at their food sadly. The fluorescent lighting isn't exactly mood lighting, either. If you're in the area, though, and don't feel like venturing to the Fillmore, Japantown, or the Inner Richmond or anywhere else in the area it's worth a shot just to say you have done it. It's located on the first floor to the right.

Also, how do you eat your burger? I learned to cut my burger in half by my friend Ciaron who learned this during a visit to Texas. I eat my burgers this way now and put a generous amount of ketchup on the side to dip the burger half into. It makes for a lot less messiness and it's good for the times when you're eyes are bigger than your stomach and you need to take the rest to go.

So, how do you eat a burger?

this little piggy

2010-04-27T22:04:00.000-07:00

kitchenette, illinois & 20th, san francisco

I say I'm a bad girlfriend when I don't have food to make for lunch, but really I just want an excuse to try a new sandwich...

Monday came around and I knew I had to have Kitchenette, it had been awhile. Nevertheless, I did have to confirm that Kitchenette was what I truly wanted, as there are two other places I enjoy grabbing a sandwich from in the Dogpatch. 10am came around and their site hadn't been updated... 11am same... finally, the moment before walking out of the office for lunch my options were posted and yes! Kitchenette was what I wanted. The tough desision fell between the choice of the "Grilled Berkshire Pork Sandwhich" and the "Spring Veggie Baguette" and after eating at Rosamunde's the night before, I felt I needed to be nice to my body by going with the veg option.

But that's always what I tell myself and once I was standing there about to recite my order my mind changed and even though I'm positive the baguette was dee-lish, I'm really glad I went with the pork sandwich! This meal was all about featuring the curried onions and cabbage. Everything else, though entirely perfect and delicious in it's own way took second stage and only served to compliment the earthy mild spice of the curry.

That being said, the entirety of it was sublime! The pork was tender and dissolved in the mouth and had the lightest sweet flavor. The rustic deli roll I was afraid of being too crisp and large to bite into to but the mixed juices of the curry and pork softened the bread making it not soggy but spongy and easy to eat.

I have to admit that sometimes I eat at Kitchenette and even though the food is almost always wonderful, it isn't always savored the same in memory as it is at the moment of consumption. I've eaten a good handful of sandwiches that are forgotten by the end of the day, however, I was ready to go back for seconds today!

Bánh mì CHALLENGE!

2010-04-20T06:18:00.000-07:00

Wrap Delight, Tenderloin, San Francisco

As I was walking towards a more popular sandwich joint I saw this cute little spot with seating. The weather was overcast and it was about to rain and I didn't feel like eating outside or taking anything to go. I stepped in and it was empty but the woman behind the counter greeted me immediately. I had no reluctance at this point and happily ordered. There are also a lot of other good looking prepared foods wrapped up and ready to go. I wanted to eat it all! I took a seat closest to the window and the door facing the street. The woman called me in a couple minutes and my sandwich was ready. She was really nice and has a warm smile. I'd be happy, too, if I made tasty sandwiches all day.

I sit back down, settle in, and open up the wrapping to get this. I have to admit, the whole time I was thinking of Viking's tofu and how I feel like everything pales in comparison now. This was a great sandwich and I have yet to have one made poorly. A couple of people came in and were very talkative with the woman behind the counter. I ate the whole sandwich and it was very satisfying. I handed my tray over to the woman when I was done and she thanked me.

This place has a nice atmosphere. It's not exactly the cleanest place but it comes with the territory. It was nice to be able to sit down in a spacious setting versus being crammed into a store and taking it to go. I would recommend this place to people who haven't been here before because it's a calm atmosphere and the prices are a little cheaper than most places. I will definitely go back.

---

Saigon Sandwich, Tenderloin, San Francisco

I'm sure every knows and loves this place. It almost feels like overkill for me to review this place again since Mark has already reviewed the same sandwich before. Of course, when I got there it was crowded with a line outside the door. Everyone was very quiet and some people were taking photos while the two ladies behind the counter made each sandwich. It's really hypnotizing to watch even if your stomach is grumbling. I got to order after ten minutes of waiting. They were very quick and you can tell everyone is just waiting in anticipation that their sandwich is coming up. After ten minutes more (and another person claiming my sandwich was theirs) I finally got the yummy bundle in my hands! And then I'm out the door...

I took a seat on the street just a block away where it seems a lot of other people enjoy their lunches, too. It was a nice, warm sunny Friday and I was ready to chow down. I unwrapped it and immediately had buyer's remorse. Don't get me wrong, I loved this sandwich but I felt like I should have ordered something other than the tofu since I get it all the time and I've never had bánh mì with real meat. What delicious meats have I been missing out on all these years?! Either way, I enjoyed my sandwich and was able to enjoy a good show of the people, cars, and bikes going about their merry ways. I wonder if anyone was going to get a sandwich just up the road?

Either way, yes, this place is awesome. Of course, I will be back to taste more of their sandwiches. Everyone loves this place and rightly so but I think it's time for me to expand my boundaries in the sandwich area.

---

Since this was a challenge between Wrap Delight and Saigon Sandwich I'd have to say that...both were really good for what they are. I still think it's difficult to screw up this sandwich. It is almost delicious by default. Both places can make the sandwich in a reasonable amount of time but it depends if you would want to sit in or take it to go. I'd also like to point out that they are also on the same street, too. If you haven't been to Wrap Delight it's worth checking out but if you don't want to, well, you can't go wrong with Saigon Sandwiches.

breakfast sausage sandwich at Rosamunde

2010-04-16T12:37:00.000-07:00

Rosamunde, 24th and Mission, San Francisco

Mission mission recently echoed this sex pigeon post about Rosamunde's breakfast options, which reminded me a) that I still hadn't eaten at the Mission location, and b) that I'd seen their sign offering FREE FOUR BARREL COFFEE with a breakfast sandwich and wanted to get in on that- because I love sandwiches, I love Four Barrel coffee, and I really love things that are FREE. The missionmission post also reminded me that all of the lame-ass haters I avoid in the real world love to populate the comment sections of websites, but that's neither here nor there. What IS here, is this breakfast sandwich. Funny enough, just yesterday I was thinking to myself "Breakfast sandwiches are lame. You don't need to eat a sandwich for breakfast. Restaurants should not make breakfast sandwiches, they shouldn't get distracted from making REAL and TRUE sandwiches". And yet here I was today ordering up a breakfast sandwich. I can't deny the lure of a sandwich, breakfast or no. Eating this made me wonder what exactly I had been thinking yesterday with my anti-breakfast-sandwich idea (seriously, not sure where that train of thought came from). Why, you ask? First off, I loooooove melted cheddar on a sourdough roll. I can't get enough of it, and so this sandwich immediately won points for that alone. But that was just the beginning! The egg was light and fluffy, the sausage was salty and greasy and peppery like a good breakfast sausage should be, and the roasted red pepper and garlic aioli was delicious. The lady that made this sandwich warned me it was a bit messy as she handed it to me, and it sure was, dripping sauce and grease and egg all over. It was piping hot, too. There's even arugula on it, so you can pretend its healthy! For under six bucks, with (did I mention) FREE FOUR BARREL COFFEE this is basically the best breakfast deal around IMO. As sex pigeon noted, it was pretty empty inside when my pal Dan and I showed up around 10:30, just us and a handful of folks, so plenty of elbow room for all. Get on it!

The Oinkster's BBQ Pulled Pork Sandwich

2010-04-13T17:19:00.000-07:00

The Oinkster, Eagle Rock, Los Angeles, CA

I guess the story here is that there's suburban good, and then there's city good. I would definitely argue that food is generally better in city areas. The clientele are pickier, have more money, and there's something about it just being in a proper city that gives it an edge. The suburbs aren't lacking in quality establishments by any means, but sometimes it's like comparing major and minor leagues.

LAist put the Oinkster burger in their top 5 burgers of LA, and while I haven't tried that one specifically, the pulled pork BBQ sandwich I had was solid, but not comparable to the stuff I've tried in LA proper. Father's Office, Canter's, and even a couple random downtown joints all rank higher. Maybe the guy at LAist got a little too excited before putting them in the top 5, but definitely not in the same league as the other 4.

The bread was good, soft and fresh, but not super high quality. The pulled pork was tender and juicy to just the right degree but the quality of the meat wasn't super awesome, and it had black pepper on it which is kind of unnecessary in my book. The lettuce was alright, pretty standard fair. And the BBQ sauce tasted extremely similar to Arby's BBQ sauce. I had to sit there for a few moments to recall where I had experienced that flavor. Luckily, I actually kind of like Arby's BBQ sauce, so it was actually pretty good; watery and vinegary. The fries can be ordered just like In-N-Outs 'animal style' fries, with grilled onions, thousand islands dressing, and cheese piled on top (best eaten with a fork). They were good, but In-N-Outs are definitely better (and heavier).

So, pretty good. I guess this review was negatively affected by the hype of LAist, so definitely take that into account. It was still pretty damn tasty. I wouldn't go out of my way to come back here, but I would definitely go there again if I were in Eagle Rock. Seems like it might be the best place on a scale of relatively average suburban joints, but doesn't compare to the legends in the city.

hard knox cafe - spicy chicken sandwich

2010-04-09T16:00:00.000-07:00

Hard Knox Cafe, 22nd & 3rd, San Francisco

It was a beautifully warm and sunny day in SF today, and a fantastic day to eat some southern food in the little park around the corner from Hard Knox Cafe. I ordered online before biking over to the Dogpatch, and sure enough, my food was ready and hot when I got there. Els had the garden burger and cabbage, which she'll tell you about later no doubt. I got the spicy chicken sandwich with a side of red beans and rice. This was basically the perfect meal to eat outside on a warm day. The slightly burnt texture of the sweet and hot chicken reminded me of eating at carnivals or street fairs, definitely in a good way. The sandwich was topped with green peppers and grilled onions, and I thought it was nearly perfect. Not too small, not to big, not too heavy, just light and really flavorful. The red beans and rice were good, too. I'd also like to mention that you can get packets of Crystal hot sauce with your order, which is awesome! This was my first visit to Hard Knox, but I'm looking forward to going back soon.

Father's Office.

2010-04-07T15:04:00.000-07:00

Father's Office, Culver City, Los Angeles, CA

Hooooly crap! This might be the best burger I've ever had! It really was that good...

Now let me be clear: this isn't a traditional burger. What I consider to be a traditional burger is one with lettuce, tomato, pickles, maybe thousand islands sauce... you know, and all the other usual ingredients. The Office Burger they sell here is more of a gourmet burger. The regular fries are a-ma-zing! And apparently their sweet potato fries are even better...

here are the ingredients for the burger:

The Office Burger (Dry Aged Beef) caramelized onion, applewood bacon compote, gruyere, matag blue cheese and arugula.

The gruyere cheese was perfectly mild and tasty, though i didn't really get too much of a blue cheese flavor. I'm pretty sure it was obscured by the strong flavor of the caramelized onions and deliciously sweet applewood bacon compote. The applewood bacon compote was basically like a BBQ sauce that tasted completely organic and just sweet enough. The arugula was kind of a odd surprise at first, me being used to watery ice-berg lettuce and all, but not in a bad way. It was super fresh just like everything else.

And of course with all burgers (and possibly all sandwiches for that matter) the most important thing was the quality of the meat (for all you meat-eaters out there). This patty was pretty mind-blowingly good. I asked for mine medium rare, and they delivered it just right. Juicy, flavorful, completely fresh and organic without a hint of artificial flavor. Ridiculously good.

and the fries:

Basket of Frites "A La Cart" garlic parsley aioli

Just delicious little thin fries with a hint of garlic and bits of parsley. Very excellent tartar-like dipping sauce as well. Apparently you have to bring your own ketchup if that's what you want on your fries, but I didn't really mind the fact that they don't have it.

Basically, this is just a frickin' awesome burger. The ONLY negative I'd have to give it is the price: 12.50 for the burger and 2.50 for the fries. But to it's credit, there are a ton of places that charge that much and deliver considerably less. I would absolutely say that it's worth it, maybe just not all the time if your as impoverished as I am. But seriously though, this burger is 12 dollars good. It really is.

Vegetarian Vietnamese Sandwich!

2010-03-30T03:23:00.000-07:00

Viking's Giant Submarines, Glen Park, San Francisco

Lately I have been craving a big vegetarian Vietnamese sandwich. I've convinced myself to wait to go to my favorite spot in the Tenderloin for sandwiches but today I really couldn't resist any longer. I've been keeping an eye out for tasty spots for a sandwich in and around Glen Park. While I found a couple that I wanna check out I felt like going someplace I knew first instead. I can't remember the first time I went to Viking's but it wasn't memorable.

I stepped in and was immediately underwhelmed. It seemed they had a lot of food that I wasn't in the mood for and was about to step out when I see a piece of paper stuck onto the menu that said they were now serving Vietnamese sandwiches! Score!

Just looking at this gets me all hungry again. When I got it I thought the woman got the order wrong because I never seen tofu look so damn tasty! I finished the first half and felt amazing. I debated saving the other half but I was just too hungry and the sandwich was too good. Everything was just right. It's a fairly simple sandwich and I have yet to eat one that was done wrong. I was also starving so my appetite may be an unfair bias. A lot of people come and go at this place and it seems most take their orders to go.

It's really convenient because it's right across from the Glen Park bart station. Either way, if you're in the area and not feeling like taking a risk just cross the street and enjoy looking out the window, munching on a tasty sandwich and people watching.

Canter's Patty Melt on Rye

2010-03-28T00:29:00.000-07:00

canter's delicatessen, north fairfax avenue, los angeles

Canter's, oh how i love thee. One of the top deli restaurants in LA, Canter's very rarely gets it wrong. While their Reubens for the most part are the superior sandwich choice, this patty melt on rye was certainly a worthy contender. The first thing I look for with any meal is always the quality of the individual ingredients. And in this case they were pretty solid. The bread was tasty, but honestly could have been slightly fresher. I really couldn't tell if it was over-toasted of maybe a little unfresh (not stale by any means). But overall i'm a big fan of the somewhat soft on the inside, toasty and crispy on the outside bread, and it succeeded in that for the most part. The quality of the beef: pretty good, pretty good, but not stellar. I would say that hamburgers are probably not Canter's forte. The grilled onions, the cheese, and the sauce that i can't define were all great though and that made it a very solid sandwich overall. Little bag of ruffles came with it, which was fine. If i had this sandwich at any other place i would think it was pretty damn great, but coming from a place like Canter's, it gets a solid B.

shana's pulled pork sliders @ the KO

2010-03-23T10:13:00.000-07:00

the knockout, mission & valencia, san francisco

The Knockout, at Mission and Valencia in the Outer Mission, used to be my employer and still is one of my favorite bars in the city. So imagine how dumbstruck I was to learn that, for the last few months, bartender-extraordinaire Shana had been cooking up some slow-roasted pork and serving sliders during her Tuesday happy hour shift? It was if some cosmic entity had gone through a checklist of things I think are rad and decided to put them all together in one night. So last week Els and I walked out to the KO, enjoying the newly extended hours of daylight. We arrived shortly after the bar opened at 6 and sidled up to the bar. Thin Lizzy on the stereo? Check. Metallica: Behind the Music on the TV? Check. Delicious pork sliders? Check, check and check. Shana's got a serve-yourself type situation going on: there's a crockpot full of sweet, soft and savory pork, and a bag of buns. Each slider will set you back a mere dollar; they go great with a cold beer, or if you have a sweet tooth, one of Shana's sorority-shots. I ate something like six of these, I think. Definitely a great way to wind down a warm spring day. Tonight's Tuesday, so head out and get yrself some!

sunny vibrations in time for the sunny weekend

2010-03-19T18:18:00.000-07:00

In the case some of you find yourself at Dolores Park I might have to recommend the Sunny Vibrations food truck.

I stopped by last weekend and got the vegan sausage with peppers. I know it looks pretty basic, especially considering all the gourmondo options surrounding the park, and it is... Sliced wheat bread, peppers, onions, marinara and Tofurky sausage was the total sum of this sandwich... but the idea behind this truck is pretty rad. Everything is cooked fresh and the energy supplying the whole operation is the solar panels on the roof of the truck.
Also, a great perk, while waiting for your food there is a hand-held massager - which my park-going cohorts took full advantage of. I can't think of any other place I've been to that offers massages while you wait!

pork torta from kitchenette

2010-03-19T10:44:00.000-07:00

kitchenette, illinois & 20th, san francisco

Here's Kitchenette's version of a carnitas torta- I have to admit that I ate this one a few weeks ago, and my recollection of it is somewhat hazy. But that's not to say that the sandwich wasn't noteworthy- the pork was tender and delicious, and it was served with cabbage slaw, jalapenos and dried chile salsa. It was a really spicy sandwich! I definitely have yet to be let down by anything from Kitchenette. I might quibble that a torta without beans isn't really a torta, but I'm not the sandwich police so whatever. Today's Kitchenette menu looks pretty fantastic, so expect a new (and more specifically recalled) Kitchenette review soon!

sandwich opinion

2010-03-18T10:00:00.000-07:00

Hey, remember that Ike's survey a while back? This is the coupon they're mailing out. It's fantastic. It's like half coupon, half self affirmation.

No word yet on the sandwich vending machines. By the way, it's printed on a postcard and there's a backside, so it won't work if you print it out. Sorry.

homemade vegan cheesesteak!

2010-03-17T10:00:00.000-07:00

Here's a vegan cheesesteak sandwich I made!

A cross section:

bread
(veg.)mayo
homemade vegan cheese*
carmelized onion
grilled bell pepper
trader joes meatless beef strips
a little bbq sauce
bread

Ah, so good. It would have been better on a roll, but the SOMA trader joes didn't have any.

*I'm pretty down on gross fake cheeses, but a couple months ago I made a macaroni and cheese recipe from Vegansaurus and it turned out really well, so I did a similar thing here: earth balance melted in a pan, a little water, lots of nutritional yeast, tamari, tumeric, smoked paprika, garlic powder and salt and then some corn starch whisked in to thicken it. This would be a little weird on a cold sandwich, but for melty vegan cheese uses, it's way better than packaged soy/rice cheeses.

Pack Sand Maker

2010-03-16T14:44:00.000-07:00

Barely sandwich related, but awwwww. My housemate bought this in Japan. It's for his little sister so I can't open it and make apple-shaped sandwiches with it, but if I could I would.

Avocado + Tomato @ Langer's Delicatessen

2010-03-16T13:52:00.000-07:00

So a friend was visiting me in LA and we were invited to lunch at Langer's Deli. For those unfamiliar, Langer's is often spoken of in the same breath as Canter's, which AW has written about several times. True enough, there were a lot of compare and contrast discussions going on at the table, with this group of people leaning toward Langer's mainly. Normally I wouldn't go out of my way to eat an $10 sandwich, and secondly, these places aren't known for their veggie options, but I figured, why not?

There were two veggie options, "Veggie" and "Avocado and Tomato". I picked the latter, and boy they were not kidding, it really was just avocado and tomato with a little lettuce and mayo on top. It was still, like, 5-inches-tall, but there wasn't a lot of sandwich to celebrate. I can't say I was disappointed because I wasn't expecting much, but it was pretty underwhelming for a $10 sandwich. It wasn't even $5 sandwich good. Maybe $2. No hate for the place, just stating facts: This sandwich was bland.

On the flip-side, everyone who ordered meat sandwiches really really liked theirs. I was never the best candidate to review Langer's, but if any other breadxbread contributors want to give it a shot sometime, the pastrami and corned beef come highly recommended. Myself, I actually ended up going to a different sandwich shop later that day to right this wrong. Review for that forthcoming...

bold yam statement

2010-03-13T17:46:00.000-08:00

With the return of Spring, I recently started thinking of all the things I enjoy doing during the warmer days in the city. One of the activities I am most excited about is popping off to the Atlas Cafe to leaf through their great selection of magazines and eat their fantastic sandwiches... this sandwich in particular.

It's a pretty bold statement, but the yam sandwich at Atlas is my FAVORITE sandwich. Roasted yam, chevre goat cheese, thinly sliced red onion, parsley, and cherry tomatoes are served on a lightly toasted fresh sourdough baguette. Why I claim this as my favorite sandwich is one, the flavors and two, the textures. Texture is a huge thing for me when I'm eating. The sweet yam is sooooooo soft, melts in the mouth and blends so well with the chevre, the tomatoes burst with juicy bright tang, the red onion adds a hint of crisp spice and the toasted baguette gives the teeth something to rip into. Most of this I have no trouble re-creating on my own at home, however, the roasted yam is perfected at Atlas. I have tried countless times, different marinades, cut widths, cook times, cast iron skillet, baking sheet pirex dish but its just not the same. Maybe it's the way they cook the yam, maybe it's the act of eating this sandwich with the combination of the back patio and the fashion magazines, but for me this is one of the most comforting and satisfying sandwich experiences I have yet to have and am excited for the return of Spring and Summer when I look forward to lazy afternoons at Atlas.

whoops

2010-03-13T09:11:00.000-08:00

roxie food center, san jose & havelock, san francisco

"Oh man oh man oh man..... that was a GREAT sandwich. The kid who loudly proclaimed 'best sandwiches in San Francisco!' when I walked into Roxie Food Center might have been right. That sandwich was tremendous, both in size and quality. Maybe the best dutch crunch I've ever eaten in my life? And the pastrami! So peppery, so unique. God I can't wait to tell all of my friends on the internet about how AW CRAP I FORGOT TO TAKE A PHOTO

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO"

eggs benedict

2010-03-12T14:30:00.000-08:00

the phoenix bar, valencia & 19th, san francisco

Eggs Benedict, a sandwich? It's not typically referred to as a sandwich, but then, it is basically an open face breakfast sandwich, right? I figure its because Eggs Benedict is typically eaten by rich people for brunch who don't want to consider they might be eating something as low-class as a sandwich. Of course, Eggs Benedict isn't always eaten by rich people; sometimes hungover sandwich bloggers eat them too. This was my first time at the Phoenix Bar, and it was an interesting experience. Served on really thick and tasty soda bread, this was almost an example of great Eggs Benedict. The Irish bacon was hearty and flavorful, and the Hollandaise sauce was fine if not particularly memorable. Unfortunately it was served lukewarm (it didn't help that the potatos on the side were totally bland). Maybe the kitchen staff was as hungover as I was? Irish pub food sounds pretty great to me and I think this may be the place to get it, but luck was not with us that day. Also, taking photos of food in a bar isn't easy!

croque monsieur

2010-03-11T16:00:00.000-08:00

tartine, 18th & guererro, san francisco

I admit I was a little bit confused when Els told me she had brought "croque monsieur" home from Tartine. Monsieur who?? I'm as open-minded as the next guy, but not that open-minded, you know? But as I was much relieved to learn, a croque monsieur is a grilled ham and cheese- but with a silly french name (it means "mister crunchy"!!!). I was also glad to learn that croque monsieurs are AWESOME. First off, if you've never been to Tartine, I gotta warn you that it is straight up for rich-ass yuppies and their bizarrely fashionable offspring, so you have to be prepared to pay out the ass for your food. That being said, if you are willing to spend yr hard earned pennies, you will get some CRAZY delicious food. This sandwich was like a loaf of french bread sliced lengthwise, drenched in butter and topped with really good ham and cheese and tomato and who knows what else because I basically demolished this thing. It could easily be split between two people, but Els was kind enough to let me have Mister Crunchy here all to myself.

more from on the road

2010-03-09T22:19:00.000-08:00

As my stomach started to grumble while out snowshoeing, the knowledge of the exsisting left-over half piece of steak back at the cabin gave me the extra endurance to finish the hike and I crossed my fingers Aw wouldn't want it for his lunch.

The thing that gives this basic left-over meat sandwich it's edge is the greens. Fresh chinese broccoli from a farmer's market in Oakland added a mild bitter flavor cut with a hint of sweetness.

The proportions of flavors in total were well balanced, mild cheddar cheese, grilled steak, fresh tomato, red onion, chinese broccoli, brown mustard and mayo all on sliced wheat. Each ingredient could be identified as well as subtly complimenting the others.

Just woke up and I need a sandwich

2010-03-09T07:23:00.000-08:00

I woke up very early this morning and I knew just what I was gonna make. The ultimate breakfast sandwich! Ciabatta sandwich round two!

It was rather similar than the last sandwich I made previously but I planned to make it with a bit more care. I put avocado on both sides of the bread (not too much) and a slice of muenster cheese. I put the bread in the oven to get it all nice, warm, and crunchy

Then I sliced up some mushrooms with an egg. (No need to admire my cooking skills, folks)

Then the meat! I was really ready to make the ultimate breakfast sandwich! Too bad when I grabbed the sausage it wasn't there! It was in the freezer and hard as a rock! It would have taken forever to thaw so I had to settle for a less appropriate meat: Salmon. (Again). I put it all together and added a couple slices of tomato, lemon, and dash of salt. Final product: Some sorry mess.

I actually did manage to take a photo before the bite but I think the bite really shows the contents of the sandwich well. It was a really nicely put together sandwich except for the salmon. The taste of egg and salmon kinda grossed me out. I felt like I was guilt tripped into this sandwich. It would have been so much more amazing without the salmon and tomatoes! It should've been Italian sausage! Then it would have been the ultimate, roll out of bed sandwich to enjoy before the sun rises.

Ah, well. It was hearty and it hit a spot but not the spot. Next time...

"let's stop there on the way back down"

2010-03-08T22:22:00.000-08:00

Aw and I took a weekend warrior's trip to the snow this weekend and without making a point to sample sandwiches, actually ended up eating a fair amount of 'em!

This fancy striped cheezie goodness became a goal for the end of the trip. While driving on the CA-120, we passed through Oakdale, CA. As a kid I remember stopping at a park in Oakdale and eating out pre-packed lunches and taking awhile to run around before continuing on, yet, we never stopped anywhere else. I told Aw before we left the city that he would likely have to accommodate my whims and make stops when I wanted - thank goodness we ended up wanting to go to the same places! Anywho, I digress... On the way to our destination we drove by a cheese making, gift shop, farm-petting zoo, lunch spot, Oakdale Cheese & Specialties. At the time, however, we were anything but hungry after having finished sandwiches procured in the city, so we promised to not fill up before returning in order to test out this spot.

Walking into a small gift shop, we saw a woman at the counter with a hoard of people sampling gouda cheese. We ordered, she stepped into a room tucked in the far corner with a sign reading "bakery," and a few moments later she returned with our grilled cheese sandwiches (Aw asked for ham on his while mine was straight up cheezie goodness).

After finding a decent pick-nick table in the sun we chomped down. The flavor and texture of fluffy sliced sourdough crisped with melted butter on the outside and held together with gooey sweet gouda satisfied every taste bud with simple childhood comfort.

Now, I would be remiss in my sandwich journalist duties if I did not admit Aw and I shared, he had half of mine and vise-versa. The addition of ham put a bit of a damper on relishing childhood simplicity. All I could think about was what else I could add, and soon the sandwich I was creating in my head became as complicated as adulthood.

Nevertheless, I highly recommend making a point to stop at Oakdale Cheese & Specialties if you ever find yourself driving on the 120.

EAT cafe, North Hollywood

2010-03-06T18:25:00.000-08:00

I went up to North Hollywood this morning to visit some friends. They live around the corner from this place, EAT, a pretty good breakfast/brunch diner place. I hadn't gotten much sleep the night before, and I just drove 45 min. and walked in the rain to get here so I wasn't feeling very adventurous. I got the standard veggie sandwich, even though there was another, more interesting veggie sandwich option on the specials menu. No shenanigans today.

I forgot to take a photo at the place so this is actually after I got home and it got kinda soggy and deflated. But it hit the spot! It had the standard veggie ingredients but I'm pretty sure they added honey too [add. I was not wrong, I reread the ingredients and they are such: Lettuce, Tomato, Cucumber, Avocado, Sprouts, Jack Cheese & Honey Mustard Spread on Whole Grain Bread.]. I ended up taking a nap later and waking up wishing I had a 3rd half of sandwich waiting in the fridge. Would do again!

vegan curtis r.i.p.

2010-03-05T19:00:00.000-08:00

here's a picture of the vegan curtis i got at ike's on thursday. it kind of looks like a murder scene photo, i think.

i guess breadxbread has taken an editorial stance critical of ike's, but this sandwich was very tasty, if very very messy.

I'm not proud but I am hungry

2010-03-05T04:27:00.000-08:00

I am also impatient. The proof is in the bite I took before taking the photo. Either way, it was around midnight when I made this. I just saw some ciabatta bread, salmon, and avocados and decided to make a sandwich.. There wasn't much thought put into this sandwich. I toasted the bread and prepared an avocado (isn't cutting one open the best thing in the world?), cut several slices of tomato, and put a bit of cream cheese with herbs on one side. I went pretty wild with the avocado, though, and it overwhelmed the sandwich. I couldn't taste the salmon and could only feel the texture of the tomatoes. It could have used a dash of spices and a little bit of lemon but I only realized this after I devoured this. Despite being only able to taste the avocado and ciabatta it was still satisfying even if it was carelessly put together. For a midnight snack this hit the spot.

it's all in the timing ("the goodfella")

2010-03-03T09:00:00.000-08:00

the willows market, middlefield & willow, menlo park

A couple of weeks back I was looking for a place to grab Saturday night dinner before going to work in Menlo Park, and I scouted out this little market not far from Menlo-Atherton High School. It was already fairly late in the day, and I wasn't sure if the deli counter would really still be open for service. However, the dude behind the counter said he could make me a sandwich, so I decided to go with the Goodfella- Willows Market's version of the classic Italian sub. I love Italian subs, and its pretty hard to screw one up. Salty deli meats and all the fixings, what's not to like? Bad news part one struck when deli dude informed me that they were out of all of the rolls except sesame. Not the ideal roll for an Italian sub, but, not terrible either, right? Bad news part two started creeping in when deli dude asked me if I wanted everything on it. "Yeah, everything please!" sez I. "Um......like, what it says there?" he asked uncertainly, indicating the menu. What he was pointing at were the ingredients of the Goodfella: salami, mortadella, capicola, and mortadella. And that's all that the guy ended up putting on my sandwich, despite the fact that elsewhere on the menu sandwiches were said to be served with lettuce, tomato, onion, etc. In and of itself, an Italian sub devoid of veggies is not such a bad thing (although I'd probably omit the mayo and just go with mustard). However, the dude also heated up my sandwich, which I'm almost certain was not supposed to occur. COLD CUTS, dude!! Warm mortadella tastes funny. Also, the sandwich was advertised as having "New York Deli Mustard", but I'm pretty sure I got just regular yellow mustard. Basically, this sandwich was a huge let down. I don't really blame Willows Market, nor do I blame the guy behind the deli counter on a Saturday night- but I don't think the guy really had any idea what he was doing. Still, I'm gonna go back and give this place a second shot. I bet with someone knowledgeable behind the counter I could get a pretty solid sandwich.

grilled cheese, apple & spinach

2010-03-02T09:00:00.000-08:00

I mentioned in my last entry Atlas' grilled cheese with apple- this is a homemade version that Els made recently. The cheese, however, was Cowgirl Creamery cheese (I got a bunch as an excellent Christmas present). What else is there to say but that this sandwich ruled?

too popular for their own good

2010-03-01T14:07:00.000-08:00

NY Times on Ike's, via SFist

So I guess Ike's is so popular that they've had to cut down on their hours. My mentality when it comes to purveyors of fine sandwiches is all positivity, so I'm a little hesitant to say this.... but doesn't anyone else think Ike's is overrated? Like, not BAD, definitely GOOD, but man people are losing their shit over this place and frankly I think there are better places to get sandwiches in the area without having to wait half an hour. ANYWAY Ike's is great, don't get me wrong, but the secret ingredient in their sandwiches is hype.

atlas turkey sandwich

2010-03-01T09:00:00.000-08:00

atlas cafe, 20th & alabama, san francisco

Although this is my first review of a sandwich from Atlas (bxb contributor Katie reviewed their grilled cheese and apple sandwich last year), its certainly not my first sandwich from the Mission coffee shop. While I've very much enjoyed the beetloaf sandwich in the past, and Els swears by the roasted yam sandwich, I've also had sandwiches at Atlas that didn't impress me much. So my hopes for this turkey sandwich were rather subdued when I ordered. It didn't help that I was HUNGRY and I recalled Atlas' sandwiches as being on the smaller side. As it turns out, my worries were for naught- this tasted hella good and was pretty filling too. The turkey was fresh and flavorful, and of course turkey on sourdough is basically the most classic combo of all time. But, this wasn't yr average turkey sandwich. Sharp cheddar and red onions bit at the taste buds, and a sweet chipotle-fig chutney balanced out the stronger sour and savory flavors. Get this, a ginger lemonade, and enjoy the backyard patio if it isn't too packed.