Category Archives: Sandwiches

May 15, 2012

Gluten-free options in unlikely places

It always pays to ask what the gluten-free options are. Of course we always ask if something we would like to order is gluten-free, but sometimes items you would never suspect to be gluten-free or have the option of being made gluten-free are. This happened to me in the SFO Airport.

D and I were leaving for our long awaited vacation to the Dominican Republic. Since we were boarding the redeye we wanted to grab a bite to eat. Airports in general are my least favorite locations to eat. I always pack my own food, but hope for a little something there so I can save my snacks for the plane. What a pleasant surprise terminal 2 of San Francisco International Airport turned out to be.

Lark Creek Grill is apparently known for their seafood and their locally sourced produce. My plan was to get the mussels, without bread. When the waiter came by he offered up some suggestions. After telling us about his favorite sandwiches I said, “I’m gluten-free.” He told me that would not be a problem, because they have gluten-free bread available. Wow, really!? He told me he would double-check, but he was pretty sure they currently had some available. Lo and behold they did. I ended up ordering the Grilled Pacific Snapper sandwich and really enjoyed it. The fish was fresh and cooked perfectly. Properly prepared fish, that was another surprise in airport dining. I left for my flight having eaten one of the best fish sandwiches I have eaten in a long time.

This is why I always recommend asking what gluten-free options are available and not simply asking if the item you are choosing is gluten-free. Sometimes you find the most pleasant surprises in the most unlikely of places.

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Filed under Airport eats, Eating out, Restaurant reviews, San Francisco Eats, Sandwiches

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February 12, 2012

Delivery Gluten-free Bread in San Francisco, does it get any better than that?

Actually it does get better than that. Not only was this bread delivery convenient, but they also tasted delicious.

Last week I received an email from breadsrsly.com asking if I would try out her delivery bread and review it my blog. Now who am I to say no to a new product? Of course I agreed and then anxiously waited for my Tuesday delivery. Breadsrsly.com sells two different kinds of bread and two different sandwiches four days a week in San Francisco. Mondays and Wednesdays she makes and sells sandwiches on the Yerba Buena Center Steps and at the Beach Hut Cafe, at Crissy Field, and on Tuesdays and Thursdays she delivers bread via bicycle. To keep things interesting she sells different bread and sandwiches on each of those days. I passed on the sandwiches, because I’m not around Mondays and Wednesdays, but jumped at the opportunity for a Tuesday bread delivery.

The bread arrived in a brown paper sack. I excitedly removed the two loaves and immediately photographed them.

The loaves upon arrival

The two I received were cornbread and whole grain with fig and fennel.

I’m always looking for good sandwich bread and I found it in these loaves. First I tried the bread at home. They were both better toasted than fresh, but the fig and fennel was pretty good either way. First, I tried the corn bread toasted with butter, and quickly realized that it was more than a mere corn bread. Studded with sundried tomatoes, which I could swear, had a picante flavor I decided to top it with melted cheese. I used a creamy sheep’s milk cheese that was similar in consistency to Brie, and it was a great choice.

Corn bread with melted cheese

Since a slice of bread with cheese hardly constitutes a meal, I decided to make a sandwich with the whole grain bread with figs and fennel, leftover rotisserie chicken, tomato and mayonnaise (I was out of lettuce). I find that sandwiches with condiments and tomato are the best indicators of how good a bread truly is, and how well it’s going to hold up. Most of the time when I add those two components the bread gets mushy and by the time I finish the sandwich it is a pile of wet, doughy scraps. This was not the case. Perhaps it had something to do with me keeping the slices rather thick, or maybe it was the bread itself. Either way it was a fine sandwich. Check it out for yourself!

Chicken sandwich on fig & fennel bread

After trying the bread at home I decided to try it at work. I toasted the bread at home, packaged it separately from the egg salad I made, and joined the two at lunchtime. To my happy surprise the bread not only held up, but also was good. The toast didn’t get hard and crumbly, and when I added the egg salad it didn’t turn in to a soggy mess. This bread gets two enthusiastic thumbs up.

Check out the delivery schedule and the various flavors at Breadsrsly.com.

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Filed under Bakery, Delivery, Product reviews, San Francisco Eats, Sandwiches

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June 22, 2011

The American Grilled Cheese Kitchen-Mmmmm, cheesy

About a month ago I read a review on Crazy Allergy Girl‘s website about The American Grilled Cheese Kitchen, and I had to go. I have tried to go here on more than one occasion, but the line was always out of hand. This afternoon seemed like the perfect time and as it turned out, it was.

The afternoon may have possibly been the most glorious San Francisco afternoon ever. My apartment however was a sweltering 91 degrees F and there was no way I was going to spend one more minute in this prison of windows (Usually it is quite lovely and I am happy to be here) than absolutely necessary. I went for a run along the bay in the morning, ran a few errands and was famished. Knowing it was too hot to eat in the apt. I had to find a restaurant, and preferably one with outdoor seating. Since I went for a run I figured I deserved an ooey gooey grilled cheese sandwich.

I arrived around 2:15pm, and there were a few people enjoying their sandwiches and a couple of tables open for me to enjoy mine. I am a traditionalist with pizza and grilled cheese, especially when I want to see how good something is. I say let’s not dress it up with gourmet goodies before we know what we are working with. Since that was my mindset, and I was eating alone, ordering more than one sandwich seemed excessive. I ordered the Mousetrap (Tillamook sharp cheddar, creamy havarti, Monterey jack) on HOMEMADE GLUTEN-FREE BREAD, and took a seat outside. The outdoor seating is a bit sparse, 6 tables, but it’s all they have and are utilizing it well. They rope off their area with spatulas, which is freakin’ adorable. As I sat enjoying the afternoon my glorious sandwich arrived.

I’m just going to say it right now, this sandwich looks like the best grilled cheese ever, and it is. I would never have known it was made on gluten-free bread, and the cheese was ri-dic-u-lous! The cheese was oozing out of the sandwich; the bread was crusty on the outside and a little chewy inside. What more can I say, a picture is worth a thousand words, don’t ya think? I loved it and I will treat myself to this decadent sandwich again.

The American Grilled Cheese Kitchen
1 S Park Ave
Ste 103A
(at 2nd St)
San Francisco, CA 94107
(415) 243-0107

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