Niman Ranch. Marin Sun Farms. "House cured." The vocabulary of high-end restaurant menus is finding its way between the bread. It's a sustainable sandwich revolution, in which sandwich boards sound bourgier and panini get pricier, but for a good cause.
The classic American sandwich fillings — plasticine cheese, mass-produced cold cuts, and corn syrup condiments like Marshmallow Fluff — are neither sustainable nor particularly healthy. But why force fast-food philosophy on something so simple to make? A new wave of sandwich shops are slowing down, making their own ingredients, and finding local suppliers to construct better-for-you and better tasting sammies.
Given, it's mostly a West Coast phenomenon so far, but the model works everywhere from East Coast delis to mini chain restaurants.
Admittedly, in San Francisco, we have a surfeit of sustainable sandwich options. Boccalone cures its own "tasty salted pig parts" and serves them with homemade condiments. The Sentinel preps its meaty fillings and homemakes condiments, plus bakes most of its bread, which is the best part (too bad it loses points for sandwich construction). Both change their menus according to season, as does Kitchenette (pictured above), which goes a step further by using surplus ingredients from the catering company that runs it.
We even have a few locally minded mini chains, such as Plant Cafe Organic and Sellers Markets, which sources ingredients from local vendors like Tomales Bay Foods and Boulangerie Bay Bread.
Nationwide, you can sample sustainability in sandwiches from Sandwhich in Chapel Hill, NC; Cochon Butcher in New Orleans; and Homegrown in Seattle (pictured above), a sort of temple to responsible ingredients. Lucky's Cafe in Cleveland supports local farmers, uses Amish cheese, and even grows the cucumbers it pickles for its homemade Thousand Island dressing — and it still landed a starring role on the perennially unhealthy Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives.
You see, the model doesn't just work in hippy-dippy sandwich depots. We can also enjoy the classics under the new philosophy. Already, savvy sandwich makers are rethinking the neighborhood po'boy shop (Mahony's in New Orleans), the Chicago-style hot dog (Drew's Eatery in Chicago), the Jewish deli (Saul's Restaurant and Deli in Berkeley), and the seafood shack (Fish in Sausalito).
Better yet, I'm sure there are many more I've never even heard of, so share your favorite sustainable sandwich shops in the comments.
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