Revisits – Philadelphia Sandwich Company and Tadian Cafe

Just another "Sunday Sandwiches" post.

Philadelphia Sandwich Company:

In my last cheesesteak post on the Wise Ox and Evan's Deli & Brew FOY "ST" mentioned that the Philadelphia Sandwich Company had changed ownership. So, a couple of weeks back, I decided to head on over.

The place looked a bit more "spiffed up" then I recalled. The women working here have always been nice and friendly to me. So, I did pose a question regarding ownership. Apparently, Joe Creszenzo the long time owner of PSC sold the place early last year to the folks that run Abbey's BBQ next door. Wow, so I guess I hadn't been back here in nearly 4 years!

Anyway, I went with the usual, the Joe's Special with Provolone (regular size, now $12.50). Back at the office I opened it up and my goodness, it looked totally different from what I'd had here before. There was a lot more meat in this.

First off, there wasn't enough cheese on this, thus it was lacking that nice milkiness I enjoy. The meat was a lot darker and carmelized but really chewy and salty. The roll was really bready and soaked, falling apart, I think they've changed bread and no longer use Amoroso rolls. Not enough onions in relationship to the meat. As with a good banh mi, proportion of ingredients do matter.

Now granted PSC has never been a favorite of mine, but I don't think this is an improvement at all.

The Philadelphia Sandwich Company
6904 Miramar Rd. Suite 207
San Diego, CA 92121
Current Hours:
Mon – Sat 10am – 8pm
Closed on Sundays

Tadian Cafe:

I was wondering how Tadian Cafe was doing. It had been about 10 months since my last visit. Being that Tadian does not do an upcharge for online ordering, I took a look at the menu and was pleasantly surprised to see that a favorite of mine was back on the menu. So, I went right ahead and placed an order. Another good thing about Tadian is that they open at 9am, so it's a good option for picking up an early lunch.

So, I drove on over and as always, my sandwich was waiting on the counter when I arrived.

So, what did I get?

   Well, my favorite sandwich here is the Chinese Sausage Sandwich ($9.99), I get it with a fried egg ($1.50), easy on the mayo, extra toasted. While it's on the "bready" side, getting the roll extra toasted enhances the crustiness and diminishes the potential for sogginess as Tadian, even when I ask for easy on the mayo will have too much of it. I enjoy the meaty lup cheong, which has a nice salty-porky-sweetness. The egg adds more savory tones and the avocado tempers things down. To me, the onions add a good pungency and is necessary, as is the mild sweet acidity of the tomato. Everything has a part to play here.

I do wish they had an option for cucumber, but I did enjoy this sandwich. I need to drop by more often.

Tadian Cafe
5955 Mira Mesa Blvd. Suite K
San Diego, CA 92121
Current Hours:
Mon – Fri 9am – 3pm

Hope everyone has a wonderful week!