Nawlins in Hayes Valley

Shrimp Po Boy: French roll, breaded shrimp, cheese, lettuce, tomato, and a caper remoulade

11 bucks with a side salad or fries


Where:
Arlequin
Neighborhood: Hayes Valley
384 Hayes St
(between Franklin St & Gough St)
San Francisco, CA 94102

Review:

Although I have lived in Hayes Valley for the past 3 years, I only recently discovered Arlequin. It has become one of my go to neighborhood spots because I know the food will always be very fresh and they use the best seasonal ingredients. On this day, I decided to go with the Shrimp Po Boy. Overall, I thought the sando was pretty good. I appreciated how simple it was prepared, and how it allowed the Shrimp to really take main stage. The lettuce and tomatoes were cold and crisp, and the roll was nice and soft. The topper was definitely the caper remoulade, which had a nice kick to it and stepped up the flavor. It was a little difficult to eat, and one of my pet peeves is when you are eating a sando and the ingredients slip out the side. The side salad was good, but who cares, this is not Earl of Salad we are talking about.


3.5/5 sandos

The Bread Winner

Cheese Plus Tastiness

Where:
Cheese Plus
2001 Polk St
San Francisco, CA 94109
(415) 921-2001

What:
French Roll baguette, deli turkey, fresh arugual, Fig Spread, goat cheese, and pickled Onion

Review:
Cheese Plus is a cheese lovers dream! All ingredients are fresh and everything is prepared with care.

The sandwich is the perfect combination of sweet and savory. The hint of the fig and goat cheese creates a taste explosion unlike any other. All ingredients perfectly compliment each other. The sandwich is lightly toasted which creates a gooiness of goat cheese. I will give this sandwich and cheese plus 5 out of 5 stars!

Witch Doctor

Greatest sandwich conversation of all time?

Perhaps....

A discussion on Tortas

A few grind contemporaries ventured to the Mission during the lunch hour. This conversation occured upon the return to work.

Sandwich Destruction: Let the torta discussion commence!!!!
Sir Grindsalot: torta, how do I describe thee
Sir Grindsalot: ?
Cabbage: i think add avocado was a great topper
Cabbage: i would go no hot dog next time tho
Sandwich Destruction: And that it is inluded sans cost is a great treat
Sir Grindsalot: A base of queso fresca, creamy avocado, delicious bun platform and authentic tortan meats make for sure fire samwich satisfaction
Sir Grindsalot: but with so many slippery ingredients, it was high danger samwich fault zone - especially under the pressure of my hungry hands
Sandwich Destruction: I was plesantly surprised by the jalapenos, fresh condiments, and bread selection
Sir Grindsalot: everyone in there was latino as well, a good sign of latino eats
Cabbage: from an initial lack of customers we witness'd a rush of open border proportions
Sir Grindsalot: samwich immigrants risking their hunger
Sir Grindsalot: for better tortas
Sir Grindsalot: and how bout those breaded meats?!!!
Sandwich Destruction: breaded chicken was a revelation
Sandwich Destruction: but next time I need to try the breaded beef
Sandwich Destruction: BREADED BEEF!!!!
Sir Grindsalot: basically there is the bun bread....and then there is a meat bread - thin layer of casa-style cooking
Sandwich Destruction: What a concept!
Cabbage: Tortas Los Picudos
Sir Grindsalot: i think it is best to let them decide what they want to put on your torta
Sir Grindsalot: they are the experts
Sir Grindsalot: no mas pregunatas
Sir Grindsalot: unless they are calling a hot dog weiner a mexican sausage
Sandwich Destruction: I was impressed by the food and will be returning for a future grind but I am going to give this 3/5 chubby chicle saleschildren
Sir Grindsalot: I think I would give them the 4 - authentic torta grind in pleasant location
Cabbage: 3/5
Sandwich Destruction: then it has been settled
Cabbage: random hot dog knocked em down
Sir Grindsalot: excellente
Sir Grindsalot: haha
Sandwich Destruction: what was the name of the place again?
Sir Grindsalot: you love hot dogs though!? whats the problem senor
Sir Grindsalot: Tortas Los Picudos
Sir Grindsalot: 24th n Alabama
Cabbage: didnt mix with the rest of it
Cabbage: but not hard to remove
Cabbage: rest was gr8
Cabbage: name your sando
Cabbage: i had the cubana
Cabbage: mexican sausage is actualyl a hot dog
Sandwich Destruction: I had the breaded chicken
Sir Grindsalot: I had the Res/Milanesa aka Breaded Beef Torta

Just like Ed's

Toaster Oven
145 2nd St
(between Minna St & Natoma St)
Tastes almost exactly like Ed's Subs from san mateo back in the day, way back apparently cuz the interweb has no record of ed's...
oh well, ed's took forever, barely time to get baked before u have to be in 5th period.....

The team at toasties work it like Henry Ford and the boys before evil robots took our jobs on that working mans paradise they call an assembly line....Seriously, they can handle 20 people in 8 minutes! Everybody has a job, spreads/breads, meats, toastiermeister, vegg additions, cash n bag man. Solid performance guarantees a delectable bite each and every time....could be a tad bit bigger for your hard earned but they are not short on flavor fellow grindlers....whatever u get, get it with jalapenos, shit is nice son.

3.5/5 toaster jovens

Cabbage

In the anals of an office building

SNACK DEPOT: HOT CHICKEN CLUB
Riddle me this: Have you ever had an orgasm in your mouth? Well I most certainly have… Courtesy of the Hot Chicken Club from the Snack Mother Fucking Depot. Nestled in a large office building in SOMA, you have to be in the “know” to know what’s up. Or just know how to operate the interwebs. But in all seriousness, who would think to put pickles, pesto, AND jalapeños on a toasted Dutch Crunch piled high with Chicken, HAM, and everyone’s favorite: BACON. I will tell you who, a true sandwich jedi, that’s who. Top that shit with lettuce, tomatoes, red onions, a wads of melted cheese and you are in euphoric sando bliss. Believe me when I say that this sando is the best in Soma. George & his wife have been slinging these football size monsters since ’91 and have recently been inducted into the Sandwich Hall of Fame. These babies are a heart attack waiting to happen. And if I were to die because of it, I would be more than happy to have this as my last meal.

5/5 Hunger Medallions

ketch masta flash

Sandwich Assassin vs Avocado Ninja – A Review of Marina Submarine (2299 Union St)

The Avocado Ninja rules the Union Street sandwich kingdom with an iron fist. He alone commands this bastion of culinary excellence except for whatever 17 year old high school drop-out he has working the register. He wields a sushi quality knife and dismembers avocado after avocado in front of your very eyes. The sandwich goes something like this: long sub roll, choice of meat, cheese, mustard, mayo, lettuce, tomato, white onion, and a “secret” sauce. After that, it’s placed in an oven and toasted to perfection while the cheese melts and you’re left with heroin………… in sandwich form.

On this day the Assassin did battle with a medium turkey/provolone and defeated it soundly. The mediums here are pretty large and the larges are ridiculous. The Italian is also very solid and the meatball is downright filthy. Just ask old man Candy as he’s been stuffing his pie-hole here for damn near 40 years.

Moral of the story……….if you want a delicious toasted sub with a bunch of avocado (half avo per sandwich at least) and are willing to drop $7-$9, this is the spot. Beware, the line is long so a phone order definitely helps and all they take is cash. That’s just how the Yakuza roll.


4 out of 5 poisoned shurikens

Sandwich Assassin

Five.....Five Dollar....Five Dollar peice of shit

I went to Subway out of desperation and confusion the other evening. My pantry was bare, the grocery store sounded threatening and I needed an immediate grind solution. I was lured into the infamous sando sluthouse by that catchy "five-dollar foot long" jingle they've been saturating the airwaves with - what will the ad-wizards think of next? I won't lie, 5 bones for a foot of sando did sound like a pretty solid value in these tough economic times.

My Italian BMT samich was prepared with no care or love, with ingredients haphazardly laid down in the meat holders (buns) and then wrapped up in an aggressive "fuck you, you picky bastard" manner. To make matters worse the surly sandwich "artist" couldn't even tell me what BMT stands for - and the B is not for bacon believe it or not. People have killed for less!!

Anyways I won't go into too much detail, because everyone knows subway's story. It was a footlong of sandwich without a soul, crusty stale buns, and vegetables and meat that were dumpster bound in just a few more hours. Also, it only measured 10.5 " - not a foot at all! I was shocked at this, and am considering a lawsuit for false advertising.

Beware fellow grinders, Subway is for elementary samwhich youth who don't know any better and people who don't grind with their heart. Think twice before you commit to the subway, and never.....NEVER, get the tuna.

1/5 Grind Medallions

Warm Regrinds,

Sir GrindAlot

Yeah, I was in the shit

BBQ Pork Banh Mi sandolero.
def banh mi: vietnamese sando, using a french baguette type bread, sliced carrots and cucumber ribbons, w choice of meat, maybe some sauces not really sure what goes on back there.

I will be honest, i used to hit this place up all the time, then noticed a drop in the flavor level...so i cut em out of my vittles rotation....yesterday i was all irished out and didnt want sams burger as much as i thought when i rambled over there....viet it is, and the banh mi is back with a vengance
To me that means authentic smoked/bbq flavor, no thick chunked -but thinly sliced lean pork, & plenty of it!
try Vietnam Restaurant on Broadway just west of Columbus. They grill pork to order for their banh mi. the freshly grilled meat raises their pork banh mi to a different level.
sandwiches are huge and awesome... lots of pickled carrots, cilantro, pork... the perfect balance...drop some Srriracha on it and its a southeast asian/french disco in your mouth! (no homo) oh and their chia gao is ridiculous. price = cheap


4/5 pickles

Cabbage

Kick Rocks FLAY!!!

The Panini Press could be the best fucking invention since the BJ. Big Ed likes his Paninis like he likes his women, hot and gooey in the middle. Fuck off Bobby Flay, the Champaign breakfast Panini Throwdown was a great success and Champers killed the hangover. We had everything from meatloaf melts to Chicken Pesto, Classic Breaky , Steak n Cheese, and a 4 Cheese Grill.

My favorite had to be the Vallejo Steak n Cheese: Marinated and grilled skirt steak that is finely diced, layered with diced roasted red peppers, havarti and sharp cheddar, salt & pepper on sliced SF sourdough. The meat is engulfed in a 2 cheese melty love pocket and the peppers give it a nice zing and bright red color, and you can’t go wrong with toasted sourdough. It’s no Philly Cheesesteak, but will have you chubbin up and going round two on the press.

Pictured ABOVE: Classic Breako Press – Egg, Bacon, Cheddar, Havarti, on sourdough

Chicken Pesto – Grilled Chicken, Pesto, Pickle, Tomato, on sourdough

4 out of 5 pickles

Big Ed

A sando review by Zeke

Nopalito
Torta de Chorizo Rojo o Verde $8.00
Sandwich of red or green chorizo, crema, queso fresco and cabbage on a housemade bun

The torta was delicious. Different that the normal Torta you would get at a Taqeuria in the mission, this one was light and fluffy. The house made bun made for an excellent canvas on this new interpretation of a Mexican classic. The chorizo was spicy, the queso fresco was gooey, and the fresh avocado and crema tied it all together. Simple flavors, yet complex taste. A little pricey for 8 bucks considering the size, but local organic ingredients are not cheap.

4 out of 5 sandos.

A review from Sir GrindAlot

Twas a dark a dreary monday and the motivation and spirit to carry-on was at a low. I knew the only thing that could provide comfort was a samwhich of the likes that only nobility may grind. Several of my sandwich friends and myself decided to embark on an aggressive grind offensive. At 1130 the sandwhich carriage led us to a magical land of grindable bounty, also known as Ike's. I targeted the reliable, trustworthy, not to mention delectable 16th and Market to make me happy.

Now, I am no stranger to this tasty ensemble, but the lesson I took home today was that bacon, shredded halal chicken, and avocado make a fucking great team - a model for success at any level. They work together for a common good of taste, and with the regulars of lettuce, tomato, sauces, and yellow pepper - everyone gets a piece of the tastation - all between chew friendly Dutch Crunch buns.

I went at it fast and hard, it was gone quickly - but there was no disappointment here. I feel great and am being really cool to everyone right now.

Grind on samigos!!!



Rating: 4/5 Grind Medallions

Sir GrindAlot

A place for friends to share sandwiches

Hello fair reader or person having something read to you,

It is with great joy that I welcome you to the greatest sandwich forum in all the land, THE EARL OF SAMICH. Over far too many glasses of red wine a fellow bromantic and myself came upon the idea of a sandwich forum for those of us living in the bay area. Why? Because fuck yelp! that's why! Stupid fucking rules about swearing and not being able to compare food to various sexual moves. In all seriousness this is a opportunity to give a shout out(propers)to your favorite grinds whilst also being able to trash the sandwich place that keeps putting mayo in your samich (I SAID NO FUCKING MAYO!!!). Review the place any way you want to. If you want to make your judging scale 1 out of 5 pickles, do it. If you want to make 1out of 10 trannie hanjobs, do that shit too. Basically, just send over anything you want to be included in your review. Anything goes. There is only one question. Dost thou grind?