Sandwiches – Page 28

Sunday Sandwiches: Mama’s Grill

June 29, 2014 mmm-yoso Sandwiches

I keep finding little sandwich places I never knew existed…….this shop is pretty close to work, in the same strip mall as Jersey Mike's and Sieu Sieu BBQ. I'm not quite sure why I missed this place, I guess it's overshadowed by the chains….Carl's Jr, Rubio's Test Kitchen, Jersey Mike's…..not places I usually frequent.

If I recall, this place used to be Sima's Grill? Which sadly, I never had the chance to try either.

I wasn't going to let this place go without checking it out. I'd finished up some meetings and had a late lunch…late for me is like 130pm, I usually like to eat at 11….things are less crazy on "the Mesa" at 11.

The placed looked like any of a number of sandwich shops scattered throughout San Diego. The meat is Boar's Head…and like I said in my post on Crossroads Deli; Boar's Head, is Boar's Head. I like to see what interesting items are on the menu. Well, there's no shortage of that here, some of it, like the 1 pound "T-Rex" is a bit over-the-top.

I decided on the "Surf and Turf"($9.95). I didn't expect the hefty sandwich that I got.

This was a two-fisted sandwich. In fact, i only finished half of it. The beef, as expected was on the chewy side and kind of bland. I was surprised how many shrimp were in the sandwich. I like the finely shredded lettuce on this….it gave even more texture to sandwich. For me, what really made this thing tick was the cilantro pesto and the chipotle (I know it's everywhere – but it worked here) sauce. It just gave everything that little umph it needed.

I couple of days later I tried Ma's Muffuletta ($8.95). This I was less impressed with.

The sandwich was basically a pressed panini, the bread toasted a bit too hard. There was a generous portion of capicola, prosciutto (low grad and very salty), and supposedly mortadella…which I couldn't make out. The pressing had rendered a lot of the fat making this kind of greasy…..there wasn't enough bread or anything to balance out the amount of salt in the olive spread and meat. Again, I could only finish half the sandwich, but for a different reason……

Another day of meetings, another late lunch. I decided to stop at Mama's and take something back to the office. I quickly ordered Ma's Veggie ($7.55).

First off, I like the way the bread was "pressed/griddles", it really provided some nice texture. I was also surprised at the amount of avocado in this sandwich. For some reason, the cream cheese seemed like overkill…perhaps if the sandwich also had some sprouts and shredded lettuce to add more contrasting textures and interest.

Still, this wasn't a bad sandwich by any means….in fact I was told they'd make anything anyway I want it….sounds like a veggie minus the cream cheese with lettuce, cilantro and chipotle sauce, doesn't it?

Mama’s Grill
7420 Clairemont Mesa Blvd
San Diego, CA 92111
Hours:
Mon – Fri 830am – 5pm
Sat 9am – 330pm
Sun 1030am – 230pm

Sunday Sandwiches: V Bakery

June 15, 2014 mmm-yoso Bakery, Sandwiches

*** V Bakery has closed

I was driving on Comvoy the day after returning from our trip. For some reason I glanced on over to the strip mall that houses Izakaya Sakura, Tsuruhashi, and Koubou and noticed that Viet Bakery and Pho had loss a couple of letters and was now just V Bakery. I wondered if this was just another iteration of the legacy shop which changed and morphed and in the end just couldn't gain any traction.

I saw "sandwiches" on the grand opening sign….and based on the history immediately thought Banh Mi.

I could not have been more wrong. I returned during the work week for lunch….the name of this shop is V French Bakery & Cafe.

Ah yes, another bakery in Kearney Mesa…. with the ubiquitous selection of macaroons and such. I did like the spartan set-up and the folks running the place were very friendly.

So I decided to stick around and get a panini……a Turkey and Avocado Panini ($7.95).

The bread was pressed and toasted well; crisp and light. The turkey seemed like tpyical processed stuff and the cheese really didn't have enough milkiness or umph, to really make a difference. I would have appreciated a bit more avocado, the slices I did run into added a nice creaminess to the sandwich.

I really enjoyed the acid from the tomatoes and especially the sun dried tomato dressing used for the sandwich. The price seemed a bit on the high side, but the addition of a free drink brought it back into balance.

I returned a few days later and decided to try the Meat Lover's Panini ($8.95), which in retrospect is a dubious choice on my part. Add to the fact that the bacon that was supposed to be on the sandwich was "not ready", this ham-turkey combination, even with the addition of the tomato and onion missed the mark for me. It probably would have been better with bacon.

I totally like the approach of going simple with these type of sandwiches. Last year, during our stay in Malta, the Missus and I ran into a little shop that did just salads and pressed flat bread sandwiches called "Piadina". All the piadina were just three ingredients; but all those items were of decent quality and went well together; like prosciutto – grana padano cheese – arugula…… It looked like this:

And at 4 Euroes ($5.40), was a bargain as well as being both satisfying and delicious…..

That's kind of what I'm looking for…..

Though I'm guessing the folks here are really pushing the bakery angle from the looks of the "sample" wedding cakes and such. Seeing that I don't have much of a sweet tooth, I'll let other folks tell me how the bakery items are.

The folks here are very friendly, just nice folks overall. I hope they find their niche and do well.

V French Bakery & Cafe
3904 Convoy St
San Diego, CA 92111
Hours:
Mon – Fri 1000am – 2pm
5pm – 9pm
Sat – Sun 7am – 9pm

Señor Mango-fruiteria (University Heights)

May 29, 2014 Cathy Breakfast/Brunch, Desserts, Fruiterias, Mexican Restaurants, Sandwiches, What Cathy Eats!

mmm-yoso!!! is the name of this food-centric blog. Today, Kirk is relaxing and looking for sunshine, Ed(from Yuma) is indoors, seeking air conditioned comfort and Cathy is trying to find a way to achieve satisfaction from the current San Diego heat wave.

It's been beautiful outdoors the past week, slowly inching to the edge of being a bit too warm. The Mister and I found ourselves on 30th near Adams Avenue the other day, and decided to stop for a quick lunch. Señor Mango's has been in this small non-air conditioned shop, in the middle of a block of homes and small businesses, for more than ten years. When you walk in, to your right is a glass case displaying most of the fresh fruits available today.

To your left is a wall painted with the menu. Prices and menus are in clear plastic pocket folders at the cash register (straight ahead) where you order, pay and wait for your number to be called. There are five tables inside and five tables out in front. Many people call in orders to pick up and many others order their items "To Go". We like to eat "here", so while one of us is ordering, the other is seeking a table. Beverages available here are Smoothies (fruit plus ice plus sugar and OJ, blended), Licuados (fruit plus low fat milk plus sugar plus ice cream, blended), Aguas frescas (fruit plus water, sugar and ice, blended) or Juices. Above, a small Vampire juice ($3.75); squeezed and/or pressed to order, served at room temperature; not watered down. It's made with beets, carrots, celery and orange. Always good; you can taste each item.Above photograph- half a Lomo (grilled pork tenderloin seasoned with guajilla peppers) Torta ($5.50) (The Mister had grabbed his half before I could take a photo of the whole thing). Fresh, toasted bolillo roll, topped with lettuce, tomato, cheese, onion, avocado, some mayonnaise and plenty of still warm lomo. A perfect sandwich and enough to share.Above, a small "Fruity Mix"($5.50) bowl-seasonal fruits topped with cottage cheese (or you could choose yogurt), raisins, granola, shreds of coconut and honey. Seasonal fruits in the bowl this day were banana, apple, orange, cantaloupe, strawberries, honeydew, papaya, mango and pineapple.

Always fresh and delicious, I enjoy the availability of so many Fruiterias in our great County. Hope you're staying cool!

Señor Mango's 4607 30th (between Adams and Madison) San Diego 92116 (619) 584-0041 Open Mon-Sat 8-8, Sun 9-7 link to website, which is horribly out of date (Escondido location is closed, hours are different and menu is "404 not found"

Sunday Sandwiches: SuperNatural Sandwiches – the brick and mortar shop

April 20, 2014 mmm-yoso Sandwiches, Seafood

**** SuperNatural Sandwiches is under new ownership

**** SuperNatural Sandwiches has closed

No one was happier than I was when I heard that SuperNatural Sandwiches finally had a brick and mortar locaton pinned down. I've had my share of their sandwiches, seen them at Catalina Offshore, gotten to know Anthony(the Talking Head) and Tony(the Food Geek) a bit, since I'm kind of a regular customer and they're friends of friends….as I noted in my previous post. Which is a two-edged sword…..but in this case, I can be fairly brutally honest, it helps that they have a good product, they're nice guys, and that I run very fast when folks throw stuff at me.

I really love the fact that their location is pretty much in the pathway of one of the sites I visit in the course of work, so stopping by once in a while for lunch is great.

There is of course, the entire Nautical/Seafood theme…..a bit over-the-top for me, but so are the sandwiches. The current shop is relatively tiny and I've seen it get packed quickly…..

The two different folks I've run into manning the counter have been great….very friendly.

They've expanded the menu to include what they call the "Sinister Seven", more land based sandwiches. The original sandwiches, which have been served at Farmer's Markets and events around the county is known as the "SuperNatural 7". See kids, this is what happens when you grow up reading too many comic books.

I decided to have one of my favorites, the "Siren" on my first visit. I've had this sandwich a couple of times and love the interplay of the Mexican White Shrimp, sweet and plump, the rich aioli, the crunchy, buttery, mildly sweet, brioche type lobster roll. that shrimp is delish…..it's good stuff…I know because they cut in front me in the shrimp line at Catalina Offshore once before….

My other favorite is the bacon-scallop combo called the "Neptune".

Loved the sweet-smokey flavors, the interplay of textures, there was a mild zip from the sauces,

And while the amount of shrimp in the Siren seemed to be a bit less than what I recalled, this was exactly the sandwich that even the Missus….who is not fond of buttery-sweet brioche and aioli style sauces, enjoyed.

A couple of weeks later I returned….Anthony told me in passing, "why don't you try some of our newer sandwiches?" To translate, "we heard you're a really boring guy, but why don't you live on the edge for once and try something different?" Sheeesh, sounds like the Missus.

So I went with the Chimera, a combination of Bulgogi like beef and shrimp.

For me this was a textbook example of "too much of a good thing". You could barely make out the flavors of the Korean BBQ style beef, you could not make out any of the shrimp, either in flavor or texture….all the sauces and the buttery toast cancelled each other out. I'm sure there are folks who love this, but it was a bit too much for me.

On my most recent visit, Tony suggested the Encantado, a "Baja influenced" fish sandwich.

I had my doubts, the fish was corvina, not one of my favorites, but in terms of flavor, I enjoyed this. The escabeche really made the sandwich for me, adding just the right amount of acid-zip that it needed. I'm really not a fan of the bollilo they used, it's too much bread and too crumbly, like really cheap banh mi. I'd prefer something more crusty. Still, I'm glad they didn't use the regular brioche style roll/bread for this as I feel it would have over-powered the other flavors.

So in the end, just like in the comic books, the good guys (the SuperNatural 7) were victorious over the bad guys (the Sinister 7)….until next time, of course!

I'm happy for this really nice bunch of guys. Since I'm more of a quality/flavor over quantity kind of guy this works for me. I even think those togarashi shrimp chips aren't bad either….though I don't think I've met a shrimp chip I didn't like.

There's one last little critical item I have….please remove this somewhat embarrassing eyesore from your front door…please….

Why don't you replace it with Blogged about by "This Tasty Life"?

SuperNatural Sandwiches
7094 Miramar Rd
San Diego, CA 92121
Hours:
Mon – Fri 11am – 7pm

The Missus latest protein obsession – Beef Flap

April 19, 2014 mmm-yoso Cooking, Sandwiches

Are you the kind of person that can eat the same thing for days on end? I'm not, but the Missus is. Once She finds something She really enjoys we can have it for days on end. Case in point; the Missus has found She really enjoys beef flap….grilled. To the point where we had this for 4 out of six days recently.

She had salads; I ended up with sandwiches which basically looked about the same.

Basically, weeknight grilling, which is an exercise in prep….. start the charcoal; prep, get it going, eat, then clean, I've had a bit of practice with this now, so with a thin, lean, but ultra-flavorful cut like the flap, it's pretty easy.

Seasoned with Ghost pepper-salt, cumin, granulated garlic, Spanish Paprika, sea salt, pepper, and Mexican oregano. A couple of squeezes of lime while grilling over a very hot grill….this is an easy one.

On the fifth day I got a break…..on the sixth, She said "it's time for a change of pace….."

So we had tacos…..sigh…..

Since this was a weekend, I did a quick brine with some air-chilled chicken thighs and used almost the same seasoning, except this one had ground Chipotle. I soaked some of the random, small wood chips, then threw on the coals after the beef was done. I covered the grill and did a quick hot smoke of the chicken….it turned out very moist and full of flavor……

So what have you been eating lately?

LW’s SD BBQ

April 8, 2014 mmm-yoso American/New American Restaurants, BBQ, Sandwiches

**** LW's has closed

Back in September, I shuddered at the thought of what a place with "SD BBQ" in its name was going to make. Well, it turns out I was wrong…….LW's, which opened a couple of months back in the old (and tired) Chinese Garden spot, does BBQ….not something par baked or boiled then slapped over some mesquite and sauced……well, for you hard core BBQ folks, you won't see an ash pile out back….I don't think the owners of the strip mall would take too kindly to that.

Still they actually smoke over hardwood and could easily be the best restaurant within a half mile radius….

OK, before you get to excited, let's hold on there Jethro! There's a couple of things you need to understand, the competition in the area are places like Hometown Buffet, Roberto's, Mountain Mike's Pizza…it's Bay Park, not North Park.

They claim to smoke over hickory….for up to 14 hours. Personally, find that Hickory is a bit too strong to use for some proteins, too much of it can give off a bitter flavor, so I wasn't sold.

I'm also not a fan of the sauces here, kind of powdery, on the bitter side, even though there are 6 varieties all taste like they were made from the same base. The fact that they refuse to serve anything without sauce on it kind of makes me think they may have problems holding their product. When I asked why, I wasn't given an answer.

Still, it's in my neighborhood…….

I first visited when they first opened and decided to get a Beef Brisket Plate ($13.50), no it ain't cheap, but the portion size is generous.

Since I couldn't get this without the sauce, I asked them to go easy. Decent smoke flavor, the beef was a bit too fatty, though this wasn't bad at all. I'd like a bit more bark, but there was a nice smoke ring.

The sides were mediocre, mass produced rolls, bland coleslaw, the beans being the best of the bunch.

Overall, ok……not terrible, there was some potential here.

The same week I smoked a tri-tip, I decided to try the Beef Tri-Tip Sandwich Combo ($8.95).

No, this won't make forget Firestone Grill, but the flavor of the beef was decent (I'm glad they went real easy on the sauce), the beef adequately moist though on the chewy side. It was served a bit too cold (especially with sauce on it) for me.

The potato salad was decent, it had some nice flavor, perhaps a bit too sour and I didn't care for the vegetable mix in the coleslaw.

One night, after getting off from work late, the Missus having already eaten, I decided to drop by and grab a half rack of ribs to go ($15.95). I quietly asked the young man working the counter if I could get it with the sauce on the side….I was pleasantly surprised when he said, "no problem"…… And then I got home.

A bit too "falling off the bone" for me…though the Missus loved it. I ate one piece and that was enough, decent smoke flavor but a bit on the dry side, and too much sauce. I also noticed that it looks like they didn't remove the membrane from the back of the ribs.

Strange thing was, that during this visit I was told that the owner's were from North Carolina….funny, but the sauces didn't seem like any Carolina style sauce I've had. I tried all of them, from the bottles on the table and they are all too sweet for that style. The "KC" style sauce here would make Arthur Bryant roll over in his grave….take my word for it; I've been there.

My most recent visit was a couple of weeks ago.

It was nice to see the place doing some pretty good business.

I went with a Pulled Pork Sandwich which was nicely priced at $6.25.

Tired of begging for no sauce, I just asked them to go easy, which they thankfully did. This was a decent sandwich, though nothing special; the pork was quite cold and a bit tougher than I like, but this wasn't bad. The coleslaw added a nice textural counter-point and being on the mild side, didn't interfere with the flavor of the pork.

I did make one mistake….curious, I ordered the Chicken Wings (6 pieces – $6.95).

Rubbery skin, bitter smoke flavor, lacking in seasoning….'nuff said. I ate two and pitched it…I hate to waste food, but this was terrible.

The folks here are nice, though sometimes a bit confused. I'm glad places like this are finally opening in this area. Though I'm not a "just happy to have something like xxx in my neighborhood" kind of guy. In terms of portion versus price, I think it's a good value. Is it good BBQ? check them out and let me know what you think……….

LW’s SD BBQ
3057 Clairemont Dr
San Diego, CA 92117

Sunday Sandwiches – the Condiment Edition: Balsamic – Mirin Onion Jam

March 23, 2014 mmm-yoso Cooking, Recipes, Sandwiches

Nothing takes a sandwich beyond the level of being just something between two slices of bread, then a nice complimentary condiment…..mustard, ketchup……"secret sauce", sweet onions……

Or perhaps something like this…..

Recently, I had to smoked some chicken for the Missus to take to work.

After the chicken was done, I decided to take advantage of the smoke and try some of these really cheap thin cut shoulder chops….

In what seems a lifetime ago…well, at least the mid-90's would be for some of the folks who read the blog, I was in Atlanta, off and on, for over a year. I usually stayed near Emory University and right up the street, past the CDC was a place called Dusty's BBQ (which sadly closed down in 1999 after 27 years). I remember having lunch there one day and striking up a conversation with a very nice gentleman who it turned out was a professor at Emory. The one thing I recall him saying was, "it's amazing what smoke can do to the cheapest, simplest, cuts of meat." So I decided to smoke the cheapest ($1.09/lb) cut of meat I could find.

I also wanted to raise things a bit….not by adding BBQ sauce or anything, but just by adding one thing…..I love making Mirin Caramelized Onions, so I went for Balsamic Onion Jam.

I used some of my pork rub to tie the flavors together…….I don't use much salt in my rub, so that's why I will adjust the salt at the end. Don't use the good balsamic for this, the cheap stuff you get from Trader Joe's will do…… I do something kind of different, I start in the dry pan….yes, you do lose liquid this, but you also get more of a stronger flavor. It does seem like a lot of sweet stuff, but it really tastes great with, say, pulled pork? But what doesn't taste great with pulled pork?

Balsamic – Mirin Onion Jam:

2 large onions sliced thin
2-3 Tb Extra Virgin Olive Oil
2 Tb pork rub (optional – you can use a combination of smoked paprika, oregano, granulated garlic, etc)
2 Tb turbinado sugar
1/4 cup mirin
2 Tb grated or minced garlic
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
salt and pepper to taste

– Head a thick bottom pan over medium heat.

– Add the onions, let caramelize for 20-30 seconds, stir and let sit for another 10-2o seconds. Stir once more.

– Added olive oil, turbinado sugar and seasonings (pork rub), lower the heat and stir occasionally until the onions start to color.

– Add the mirin and garlic. Keep stirring periodically until most of the liquid has been absorbed by the onions or burnt off.

– Add the balsamic vinegar and repeat.

– One reduced, taste and adjust salt and pepper.

Will keep for a least a week stored in an air-tight container in the fridge……

Porto: Sé do Porto and meeting a “Little Frenchie” (Francesinha) at Cafe Santiago

March 22, 2014 mmm-yoso Porto, Portugal, Portuguese Food, Sandwiches, Travel, yoso-silly

After lunch at A Grade, the Missus decided that we should take a walk along the Ribeira, the scenic waterfront….though She didn't quite have the usual walk in mind.

I really loved the vibe that Porto gave off……

There was a no nonsense feel to things, a wholesomeness, hard working, honest, "from the gut", in that way, it strangely reminded me of QingDao.

Anyway, instead of the usual walk along the waterfront, the Missus decided we should head up to the the Porto Cathedral….but not in the usual manner….nooooo. Instead, we headed to the end of Rua Infante Dom Henrique and through the tunnel…

Ending up under the iconic Dom Luís Bridge.

Here the Missus ordered me up stairs…..after marching up and down the hills of Coimbra, my walking legs had gotten into shape. Still, I had on idea where we were exactly, but we kept heading up those steps, under windows with hanging laundry and some buildings that had been….well…modified to accommodate the bridge.

I'm wondering when this "modification" was done since the bridge opened in 1886……surely when the brisge was perhaps retrofitted?

Eventually….after "heading to the light" we made it top side, and found our way to the Porto Cathedral.

Much like the Cathedrals (Sé) in Lisbon and Coimbra, the Cathedral of Porto was an imposing Romanesque structure, almost fortress like in appearance. Like its counterpart in Lisbon, construction of the structure began in the 12th century and features the classic "Rose Window".

As intimidating as this building might be, for some reason I really took to it…perhaps because there was a wedding ceremony taking place at the time of our visit. I really wanted to leave….because who wants their wedding ceremony viewed by a bunch of uninvited tourists?

We quickly made for the ticket station, paid, and headed to the cloister. Like much of Porto, there's so much wonderful Azulejo work. I was told that much of it depicted the "Song of Solomon".

This is worth the price of admission.

In many ways. the medium is binary….blue and white. and yet, the textures, the shading, the expression, never ceases to amaze me.

The Sacristy was a sudden shift to what seemed an almost baroque theme, but no less impressive.

If you needed any other reason for heading to the Sé in Porto, how about the view?

And then there was the wedding….I'm not sure how I'd feel about having my vows done in front of an audience of perhaps a hundred tourists, but this couple didn't seem to mind.

And the Missus took these adorable shots…….

As we walked away from the Cathedral, I saw São Bento Station and suddenly realized….Porto was now getting a bit smaller for us.

Within the area Northeast of São Bento Station is Rua Catarina, the main shopping area in Porto…pedestrian only streets; with iconic locales like Cafe Majestic.

Fairly close to this area was the shop that João told us would make a good Francesinha, the local specialty sandwich. It seemed to me that Portugal was full of these wonderful "sandes" from the Bifana in Lisbon to the Leitao Sandes it just seemed that there was a knack for pork based sandwiches.

So we ended up at this shop called Cafe Santiago….which looked more like some fast-casual restaurant. The place was empty except for a couple of "old-timers" having espresso in the corner, watching the television.

I'd read a bit about the history of the Francesinha; which is based on the Croque-monsieur. There are three versions at Cafe Santiago; I went with the basic version.

Not much more to say……until you see what this thing looks like.

It almost looks artificial……I was told that many people judge the sandwich on the sauce, which in this case was a light, thin, tomato-beer based, with mild spice. I thought it tasted like tomato soup….the Missus hated it.

Cutting the samdwich in half reveals the true evil that is the Francesinha, in the meat department; salsicha fresca – a hot dog like sausage, linguica, bife – sliced roasted beef, mortadela, and fiambre – ham.Two types of cheese were used , melted inside and melted over the thing.

I kinda liked it in a "calorie-bomb" kind of way. The Missus was totally disgusted, She wouldn't let me have another during out time in Porto…even though I wanted one. I should have ordered the "Francesinha a Santiago", which had fries and was topped with an easy-over egg!

The service was kind of gruff, but the place was clean, and I don't recall ever having a sandwich quite like this….this is definitely not a Croque-monsieur!

Cafe Santiago
Rua Passos Manuel 226
Porto, Portugal

Well, here's another dish to cross off my list!

Sunday Sandwich’s, the “Say Cheese” Edition: Gaglione Brothers versus…Gaglione Brothers

March 2, 2014 mmm-yoso Cheesesteaks, Sandwiches

Since I've been waving the Cheesesteak flag again, here's the next logical post of a series that I began in 2010. I had first gone to Gaglione Brothers in 2005 and had revisited several times over the years. I've always found their sandwiches to be decent, if not the best, though it could be the garlic fries were the main reason for my visits. Since then, Gaglione Brothers has expanded, opening another location in Mission Gorge.

One evening, I was in the area….and thought, "why not"…..

Gaglione Brothers – Mission Gorge:

My how time flies, the last time I was here it was still Pisa's Chicago Deli, which didn't last very long. Now it's Gaglione Brothers second location….business must be good.

They were pretty busy when I arrived, though thing cleared out quickly. I went with my usual, the 8" Mushroom Steak.

This was kind of interesting. I've always thought the cheesesteaks at Gaglione's were moist with the provolone giving the whole mess a light milky, creaminess. It seemed to lack a sufficient amount of cheese. This was on the dry side and pretty salty. The roll was nice and warm, but I found some of the meat tough.

It's not quite what I expected from a Gaglione Brother's Cheesesteak.

Gaglione Brothers
10450 Friars Rd
San Diego, CA 92120

I was wondering if this was something to do with perhaps timing, or the location….or has GB changed the way they make their sandwiches? Which means that a couple of days later, after a couple of years, I finally revisited the Point Loma location.

Gaglione Brother's – Point Loma/Midway:

**** This location of Gaglione Brothers has closed

I've done a couple of posts on Gaglione Brother's over the years, though I've visited way more times. Still, it's been at least 2 years since I've ben here.

Not much has changed except the price………

I ordered my mushroom steak and had a seat. While waiting for my sandwich I stared off into the parking lot; and quickly noticed that one could easily tell which folks were coming to have something from GB, versus who was heading to the fitness center next door…..just by physique! It was quite entertaining as I was 10 for 10 in guesses. Of course, if one were playing the same game and saw me exiting my vehicle, I'm thinking they'd be able to tell where I was headed to……

And this turned out to be the typical, lovely, "hot mess" that is a GB cheesesteak. Gooey, gloppy, with hot cheese napalm burning your lips…… The beef didn't seem as well incorporated into the cheese as on previous visits, but it was decent. Because of the milky mildness, onions are a must on this sandwich…. It is still a bit lacking in terms of beef flavor, but it does fine by me.

Gaglione Brothers
3944 West Point Loma Blvd
San Diego, CA 92110

I did find it kind of strange that the two shops served up cheesesteaks that had very little in common….except for the name on the sign…..

Sunday Sandwiches: The Sandwich Place

February 23, 2014 mmm-yoso Sandwiches

So how many people have passed this place on Convoy Court and thought it was some office's al fresco dining area?

I must have passed this place a st least a thousand times and thought exactly that. I'm not sure why the sign with "Deli" on it never registered. But I was working on a recent holiday and noticed the signs for the first time….and they were open too!

It's a tiny shop, very mom-and-pop. The owners are Korean I believe, quiet, but very nice. The prices are good, just about everything under six bucks.

The offerings seemed very routine and it turned out my Clubhouse Special ($5.70) met those expectations.

It's as advertised, turkey, bacon, ham, swiss, with a bit too much mayo on decently toasted bread.

Man, what a boring post huh?

Well, I decided to see what else they had on the menu a couple of days later; it was a Thursday, a lo' and behold, a Teriyaki Steak Sandwich ($6.30):

You know, the meat could have used a bit more marinade time; it was obviously pre-cooked and microwaved, and it was, as expected not the most tender version I've had. But, like I've mentioned before, this is totally comfort food for me.

I grew up eating stuff like this; teri beef sandwiches……

And it was the mayo and the onion on it, followed by a couple of breath mints that really did the trick for me…..for a short moment, I was 10 years old again, eating a teriyaki sandwich on a table in front of some non-descript shop. The sun was shining and it seemed the rest of the day was going to be just fine. It was just good timing I guess…..

But who's going to complain about that?

The Sandwich Place
7112 Convoy Ct
San Diego, CA 92111