You Say Sandwich, We Say Yeah!

Advertised as the "Specialty Sandwich" on board the Oakland to Los Angeles Amtrak train, this $9.75 grilled cheese seems a safe vegetarian bet, just as a bagel and cream cheese does when faced with weird processed meat choices aboard the VIA Rail in Canada. The specialty allegedly features gruyere and smoked cheddar, however each cheese was tasteless, plastic, and greasy, cooling to reveal six slices of highly processed cheese product. The crisp, somewhat grainy bread absorbed cheese sweat from inside, completely obliterating any relief that the mustard or tomato could have provided, and was thoroughly saturated in a meaty residue from the grill on the outside. This sandwich leaves the kind of mouthfeel that a glass of water cannot wash away. Note: pack toothbrush in carry-on.

This focaccia fella already had spinach, tomato, roasted eggplant, roasted red peppers and grilled portobello mushrooms, so why the hell not add some thinly sliced roasted yams? Focaccia sandwiches (that are not subjected to the panini grill) are such a delight because the soft inner bread absorbs some of the moisture and flavor of squishy roasted ingredients without becoming soggy. For a college cafeteria sandwich, this combination had an impressive freshness, fantastic and integration of flavors. Deep bites of grilled mushroom work so well here that the yams might be overkill. My bad.

The chief attraction of squeezing some fried egg and cheese between two pieces of bread is to maximize the portability and speed of breakfast. So please give me a breakfast sandwich and I'll run off to where I need to be, okay? Arbor Cafe's decent, but not stellar, breakfast sandwich includes the above along with a side of salad in a large takeout box. The solution is to ask ahead of time to put the whole works into a wax paper bag, but in a pinch, lift the lid on sammie, insert salad, close it up and run to work. The egg appears to be expediently prepped as a half-inch deep sheet, with chives sprinkled on top and then cut into squares. Cheese is generous, there may have also been mayo. Slight crust burn.

I can recommend  Nick's Wheely Good Breakfast  on the basis of the fantastic Chicken Apple  Cheddar Biscuit Sandwich served up at NOLOSE this weekend, and the loooong lineup of discerning ladies and fellas waiting alongside the foodtruck for their breakfast... for dinner! As the sun was setting on another day of Oakland's annual body-positive fat activist conference, Nick kept the ingenious breakfast inspired combos rolling out, including Maple Glazed Pork Belly Sandwiches, and Steak and Eggs, also packaged in a convenient sandwich form, perfect for standing around and chatting about the day's events!  I added a smashed fried egg onto  Chicken Apple Sausage with Pickled Apples, Aioli, and Arugula on a Homemade Cheddar Biscuit and ran around flirting with cute folks, sandwich in hand. 

Nothing signals gentrification quite like a new cheese shop. Just off of Oakland's popular Telegraph Street on Shattuck Avenue is what appears to be the neighbourhood's first: the Sacred Wheel, established in 2011. Boasting many extremely pricey, locally sourced, and esoteric cheesy treats, the shop also carries all the things you'd want to see on a serious cheese tasting board, little pickles, chutneys, those little wheels of fig pate, olives, and such. I took note of the soft-ripened Bellwether Farms Crescenza, an almond, apricot and fig fruity thing, and a free sample. Just in case a 12-15 dollar hunk of fancy dairy goodness seems steep, thankfully they also have lunch, which is not too pricey at all. For 6 bucks I tried the 1/2 Grilled Cheese Trinity with Tomato and Pabst Blue Ribbon soup. The thinly sliced sourdough and three-cheese sandwich was pretty straight up, but the soup was a heavenly creation indeed. Tangy, lip stinging tomato goodness that balances the grea...

How delightful! SCREAM 's sorbet sandwich really blew me away today, because I realized how old and stodgy my understanding of the classic ice cream sandwich really was. Mind you, I've been treated to many deliciously creamy numbers at Toronto's Bakerbots  and by my delicious date lately, even ones that take on the classic with contemporary salty, spicy, and savory cookies. Today, in Oakland, though, the epitome of my late summer indulgence is hot pink and golden yellow, as it should be when fresh fruit abounds and summer dresses might soon be stowed away for the season. Ready for this? Strawberry lemon sorbet spread between two Meyer lemon cookies. BAM! All previous assumptions about ice cream sandwiches have been officially licked.