Even though we've moved offices; one thing remains the same. I still eat lunch at my desk more often than I prefer. And with the latest move, the variety I have close access to has also declined. There is one item that will often have other folks in the office walking by my cubicle (yes, I no longer have an office either), often just to say "hello"…..hmmm…..quite suspicious that it's when I have one of these.
The folks around know that there's no way I can finish this sandwich up AND eat all those truffle-parmesan fries. So I'll often give most of the fries away.
Where is this from? Well, one morning after moving offices, it was around 10 am and I was hungry. Having meetings starting at noon, I headed over to Supernatural since on my previous visit they were serving breakfast from 9. Unfortunately, they were closed and I had to wait to get my fix. I noticed this shop in the old location of Supernatural.
It's like the ultimate hipster wood-paneling guy went a bit crazy here. I did like the menu though; fairly tight, burgers, salads, flatbreads, and a few odd and end items that seemed a bit out of place…..Buffalo Chicken Wings???
On my first visit, I got the Prosciutto Sandwich and it's been my usual order since. At first I thought it to be bit pricey at ten bucks. Until I saw all those fries you can get a salad instead, but why?).
And while meat lovers might complain that there's not a whole lotta meat in this….well, it's prosciutto, not the best quality, but quite decent….it has a good amount of flavor and the burrata and arugula does quite well too. It does edge on the "too much bread" end of things; but I like that it's toasted and still rather crisp. My one complaint is that the sandwich has both mayo and pesto making quite rich. I've asked for the easy on the mayo; and both times they left off the pesto. So now I ask for it on the side.
And those fries usually stand up real well to the 10 minutes or so back to the office. Being thin they stay crisp for a whole and you get a whole lot more cheese/truffle oil to potato. Those who like wedges and dinner fries may not care for these. The folks in the office never complain. As an aside; my favorite panini on the press we have at home is prosciutto, fresh mozzarella, tomato, arugula, and pesto….go figure.
Over time I've tried a couple other sandwiches like the Vegetable ($9).
Roasted eggplant sounds like a good ingredient for a veggie sandwich; but it wasn't enough on it's own to do the trick. There wasn't enough salt or acid…..even the Balsamic Dressing was too weak and not enough roasted red peppers. This is when you really notice the "too much bread to fillings" ratio is off.
The Turkey Panini ($9) was decent.
Again it was the case of nice textures; crisp lettuce, creamy avocado, without enough flavors to stand up to the bread. The tomatoes weren't ripe enough and on this occasion, the sandwich could have used more pesto. I did order this once with Garlic Aioli which did make a difference; but I think it still needs some umph….
The Italian Sub ($9) was also decent, I'd have it again.
Though again, the sandwich just edges on that meat-to-bread cliff. Also, I thought the Swiss Cheese wasn't a good match for this sandwich. This and the prosciutto sandwiches do remind me of lunch sandwiches in France, though a little lighter in filling than Italy. 
Some of the folks in the office mentioned that the sandwiches didn't have enough meat for them. Fair enough…..I've always been about a balance of textures, flavors, and bread. And I've never been able to finish the entire sandwich and fries without some (convenient) help.
Things sometime take a while to make at Gourmet Artisan, so if you're in a hurry you might want to call in your order.
The folks are quite friendly and they write nice little notes on my take-out package.
Gourmet Artisan
7094 Miramar Rd. Suite 105
San Diego, CA 92121
Hours:
Mon – Fri 10am – 6pm
Sat – Sun 10am – 4pm