Between the Bread

The perfect antidote to girls' night: I finally got to eat the warm egg salad sandwich at Il Cane Rosso. The warmth was suprisingly right, the bread perfect, and the aged provolone divine. The egg salad was  too ordinary though, and I wanted to taste the anchovy butter more. Also, open face egg salad isn't the easiest to eat!

After declaring Il Cane Rosso's warm egg salad sandwich one of five San Francisco sammies I need to try ASAP, I suggested to Andrew (my intended) that we meet there for lunch sometime. So the next day, he went without me.

I know, I can't believe it either. But I can't be too mad, because he took a photo of his sandwich and emailed it to me. Or maybe he was just gloating. Regardless, doesn't this milk-braised pork sandwich with fennel and green olive tapenade look divine? I think I have to go this week, without Andrew.

Have you recently eaten a lunch worth sharing? Send in your sandwich photos to nancy@betweenthebreadblog.com, along with a description of what's on your sandwich.

San Francisco magazine chimes in with its sandwich treatise this month, entitled "An opinionated guide to the sandwich." It's all over the city map, in a good way, with a few expected stops: Bakesale Betty's fried chicken (pictured), The Sentinel's Reuben, and the grilled cheese at Tartine Bakery.

The list is a tad higher-end than mine would be, leaving off Saigon Sandwich and Estela's. But the article mentions several sandwiches I've never tried, or even heard of. To see the five that are going on my list of must stops, keep reading.

Sandwiches have "come a long way, baby," and the San Francisco Chronicle is on the case! While I was away, the local paper unveiled "The Building Blocks of a Great Sandwich," speaking with Bay Area chefs and sandwich makers about what makes a sandwich magical.

Rather predictable but with good recommendations, the article features Dennis Leary, chef at Canteen and the (I think overrated) Sentinel, who says bread is "the most important part of a good sandwich." Certainly, the Sentinel does bread very well. His other tips include not shying away from shortcuts like jarred roasted peppers and canned artichokes. Chef Maggie Pond at César in Berkeley advises that your toppings should be evenly distributed: "There should be no bites of just bread."

The Chron suggests several sandwich spots, including Bakesale Betty, Fish in Sausalito, Kitchenette in Dogpatch, and Il Cane Roso, all of which are on my Sand Wish List. It also mentions American Box, which is attached to Fish and Farm, a fine dining joint in the 'loin that I loved. I'll be sure to try them all and report back; let me know if you have any recs.