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

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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

...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!

pal's veggie of the day (on january fifteenth)

 pal's takeaway, 24th and hampshire, san francisco

 Friday's veggie sandwich at Pal's Takeaway wasn't too fancy- broccoli, hard-boiled egg, cucumber and gruyere cheese on two slices of poppy seed-wheat bread.  Yet perhaps due in part to the sandwiches simplicity, it was very flavorful and fulfilling.  Each ingredient stood out, and the sharp, fresh flavors worked well together.  My favorite part of the sandwich was the subtle flavor of the poppy seeds, which added some sweetness to the otherwise somewhat sour sandwich.  The sausage sandwich was greasy and decadent, and this sandwich was a perfect counterbalance- healthy, light and refreshing.

lao sausage from pal's takeaway

 

pal's takeaway, 24th and hampshire, san francisco

"Fuck Leno...me and the staff ain't goin nowhere without our Pal's sandwiches!"

-Conan O'Brien, on today's Pal's menu

After multiple failed attempts to get a sandwich from these gourmet-liquor-store-sandwich innovators, today was the day I finally managed to stop by during Pal's limited hours of operation (M-F, 11-2:30 PM).  The Friday menu consisted of a thai chili-marinated chicken sandwich, a Lao sausage sandwich, and the veggie sandwich of the day (more on this one tomorrow!).  Since I came for two sandwiches, and had already decided that one was going to be the veggie, it was either the chicken or the sausage.  But what was the Lao sausage?  Chicken?  Pork?  I asked the dude behind the counter, and he explained all about how his Laotian neighbors made this homemade pork sausages with rendered fat and.... and.... I was spacing out.  But now that he had gone through the effort of telling me all about the sausage, it would be rude to then not order it, so sausage sandwich it was!  Fortunately, this turned out to be a great decision.  The sausage itself was black-peppery, greasy and crumbly; reminiscent of breakfast sausage, but not dry and crappy like Jimmy Dean or whatever.  It was salty and very, very spicy.  Balancing out the sandwich was a kimchi mayo (which I think was also spicy, as well as very creamy) and a cucumber-cilantro relish which cut the saltiness and spiciness somewhat (but not too much!) and added a little crispness.  The bread was a delicious crusty sour roll, and given the greasy sausage and creamy mayo, I'm frankly amazed at how well the sandwich held together!  I also picked up some of the "Full Belly Farm yellow creamer potato salad", because I'm a sucker for potato salad and can't say no to trying a new type.  This also turned out to be a great decision- the potatoes were cut in generous chunks, mixed with hard-boiled egg, edemame and celery in a Dijon-mustard vinaigrette.  It was an excellent take on the old deli standby.  Even Els liked it, and she claims to not like potato salad (yeah right)!  I can't believe I didn't try Pal's sooner, and if this sandwich was any indication of their typical quality, I'll be back soon.

Lamb Sandwich of God

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

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