Lardo – Portland – A Best Sandwich Candidate

On my first trip to PDX, I fell in love with Bunk Sandwiches, so I told my companions for this trip that we had to go there. We didn’t make it. Because we first ran into Lardo.

LAX International Terminal — Impressively Redesigned with LA Flavor

The big upgrade to LAX is the concourse at the international terminal. What’s actually interesting is that they chose to highlight local LA restaurants, rather than just putting glossy new ubiquitous brands. Honestly, they did a great job, selecting real LA places that should appeal to people visiting, as well as locals passing through.

Top Round Roast Beef — A Better Phillippe’s

Top Round opened to fanfare last year as a cool “better version of Arby’s.” Even people who grew up on the east coast, where roast beef sandwiches like those at Top Round are common, said as much. But c’mon — talk about damning with faint praise.

These are really much more like the roast beef sandwiches at Phillippe’s, except better. Simple. Quality ingredients. Tasty.

But I’m not from the east coast, so this doesn’t really dredge up nostalgia. On its own merits, the sandwich is good, but not life-changing. This place is mostly notable for its retro style. So enjoy the pictures after the jump and take a quick nostalgia trip.

DTLA Cheese – Holy Cow! That’s a Great Sandwich!

DTLA Cheese recently opened in the Grand Central Market as part of GCM’s ongoing effort to recreate SF’s Ferry Building. In addition to an admirable cheese counter (stocked with Mt. Tam!), and Sqrl jams, DTLA Cheese has started serving a quick sandwich service.

Fruit Farm – a Juice and Sandwiches Place in Little Tokyo

Another new place opens up in Little Tokyo, this time in the fortress of solitude — the Little Tokyo Galleria Center. The owners are doing their best to turn this ghost town mall around by bringing in a bowling alley, a Koreatown coffee shop, a high end dim sum place, etc. The newest opening is on the sadly half-vacant first floor, next to the froyo place, Boba on Top, and the Beard Papa.

Fruit Farm is a juice and sandwiches place — the kind of healthy, fresh place that is abundant in the Financial District, but not in Little Tokyo. So is it any good?

Sandwich Smith – a Tribute for National Doughnut Day

The Sandwich Smith also does a tribute to the Donut Man’s famous fresh fruit stuffed doughnuts. In the interests of science, I got the strawberry.

The Sandwich Smith – Is Little Tokyo Ready for a $15 Sandwich Lunch?

Little Tokyo has been a neighborhood in mourning. Since the Spice Table stopped lunch sevice, the neighborhood has been bereft of a truly great sandwich. Mike’s Deli came to try to fill the void with quantity, but the quality angle was still lacking.

Bay Cities Italian Deli – Not the Godmother, the Torta

Having known and loved the famous Godmother at Bay Cities, I’ve always wanted to take a chance on one of their other sandwiches. I decided to take a flyer on the torta, a sandwich that looks nothing like a Mexican torta, but was almost twice as expensive as a Godmother. Would this open up a whole new vista at Bay Cities for me?

Starry Kitchen – R.I.P. (at least at the California Plaza)

Downtown lunchers have had a rough twelve months, with the closure of Chimu (the best takeout window in the history of the world) and the plumbing-related death of the Spice Table’s lunch service. Starry Kitchen also ended it’s three year run in the California Plaza. Although they’ve since shuttered and moved to the Tiara Cafe as a long-term pop up, here’s a couple photos from the last few days of the old (but not oldest) Starry Kitchen.

The Spice Table Is Losing Its Lunch

Yesterday, this bomb dropped: the Spice Table will not be serving lunch.

“As of now, and until it closes, the Spice Table will be open only for dinner due to recent flooding that resulted from plumbing problems, Brucker said.”

I take full responsibility for not eating every meal there, as I should
have done. You’ll feel deep regret like I do once you read the caption on
this picture:

https://twitter.com/i/#!/TheSpiceTable/media/slideshow?url=pic.twitter.com%2F0aA72Ehj

I’ll post a proper eulogy soon.