Between the Bread

You may have noticed that I like sandwiches. The day my video came out declaring me a sandwich connoisseur, resident CEO and hoagie aficionado Brian Sugar offered to buy me lunch, on one condition. It had to be his favorite sandwich, what Brian calls a "big, sweaty sandwich" from Gambino's.

I love Gambino's New York-style subs, though I normally wouldn't order an Italian meat torpedo like this, stacked with ham, salami, and mortadella. But when the boss offers to buy everyone lunch, you get his favorite sandwich. And I must admit, it was delicious.

Here's what I love about a Gambino's sub: the shredded iceberg lettuce, the sturdy yet soft roll soaked with oil, and the generous dousing of red wine vinegar, which, as Brian points out, is underrated. The combination of the cool lettuce and vinegar with spicy, unctuous Italian meats just doesn't work as well with turkey.

Thanks, Brian. You have good taste.

Since my favorite Vietnamese sandwich costs $3, I was skeptical about Bun Mee, the bourgie but adorably hip banh mi spot in Pacific Heights. But after hearing some good things, I stopped by for some sammies with my mom before the Drive by Truckers concert.

We ordered two and went halvsies: five-spice chicken and smoky grilled eggplant. Though I wasn't disappointed, I also wasn't blown away. We loved the depth of flavor in the five spice chicken (below), though I couldn't distinguish the taste of the caramel aioli. The eggplant banh mi (above), dressed with cauliflower relish and red curry aioli, was underwhelming; I thought the eggplant was undercooked.

My biggest gripe, beyond the creative aiolis not standing out, was the bread. Though very fresh, it lacked the density and crustiness of the sandwiches in Little Saigon or even New Orleans po'boys. The sandwiches were good, but not great; I think I'll take Saigon Sandwiches for $3 instead.

Pal's Takeaway has been on my list of must-try sandwich spots for at least a year, but I'm not often at 24th and Hampshire on a weekday. So when I recently had a rare Monday off in SF, I finally buddied up to Pal's.

Needless to say, expectations were high. On Pal's website, the sandwich makers proclaim that their ongoing mission is "to find some good f*cking stuff to put between pieces of bread." It is succeeding with a daily-changing menu of innovative eats and an irreverent sense of humor.

I ordered the delightfully clever 'Wich Came First sandwich, featuring tarragon-poached chicken breast and egg salad with chives. Get to know Pal's.

I have yet to dine at Maverick or Flour + Water, though both are on my list. So in between catching sets by MGMT, The Roots, Vetiver, Mavis Staples, Beirut, and many more at this weekend's Outside Lands festival in Golden Gate Park, I sampled sandwich offerings from these two must-eat San Francisco eateries.

I love that Outside Lands eschews typical festival fare for booths from local restaurants, including my beloved Phil'z Coffee, Andalu, Memphis Minnie's, Namu, and on and on.

Mission district American hot spot Maverick featured just one offering: a Cincinnati pulled pork sandwich, dressed with coleslaw (pictured above). The tender, plush pork came on a soft potato-like roll, with potato chips on the side (which incidentally started blowing away with the wind, tragic). I washed mine down with a pisco punch before grabbing a spot at Girl Talk.

On Sunday, we stopped by Salumeria by Flour + Water, which also kept things simple with a single sandwich: peppery roasted porchetta on a standout ciabatta roll. It's hard to find a perfect ciabatta, but when I do, I consider it one of the most satisfying sandwich vehicles. The meat was succulently spiced and chopped, rather than sliced, with some sort of onion jam (I think) to complement the robust meat.

Did you make it to the festival this weekend? If so, what did you eat to fortify yourself for the fun?