A Sunday Surprise

Greetings, Readers!

Recently, I visited a local eatery that had only become known to me.

Harvest Moon is a quaint stop on a quiet stretch of Magnolia Boulevard in Valley Village. On the day that we stopped here, they were happily celebrating their 2nd anniversary. Quite an accomplishment tin a city with high turnover of eateries.

Walking into Harvest Moon with its wooden tables, great views, and fantastic food on display, I was initially distraught. The menu was written on a chalkboard the size of one of the walls and was covered in chalk with all of the options available.

This was obviously going to be a bit difficult. My eye is always drawn to a cubano, though most of the times I have to talk myself out of it, unless of course it is highly recommended, lest this blog become strictly about that type of sandwich. Turning down the cubano here was tough, though when the menu stated that their BLT was highly rated, I was intrigued.

A BLT is not something I ever seek out at a restaurant. To me, it's incredibly easy to make at home, and I can't remember the last time I ever heard someone tell me about a mind blowing BLT but here it was, in front of my eyes. How could I refuse?

Besides the standard ingredients, I also opted to add in avocado and a fried egg. Joining these two friends between the slices of grilled white country bread were a few slices of sweet and spicy bacon, arugula, roma tomatoes, and lemon aioli. The bacon was amazing. A slightly sweet glaze along with a peppery kick melded together on top of the thick cut slices.

It was honestly some of the best bacon I've ever had.

Combined with the peppery kick of the arugula, the creamy avocado and the savory fried egg, this really was one of the best BLT's I've ever had, and a top sandwich overall. Even if you're not a big bacon fan, I urge you to try this. These strips may change your mind on the matter.

My only thought though is that while I enjoyed the grilled white country bread, I wondered if the sandwich might be more enjoyable with sourdough.

Besides the sandwiches, Harvest Moon has a delicious looking menu with plenty of options for lunch, brunch, or even breakfast. With its location in a quiet part of the city, this is a great restaurant to meet up with friends for conversation and great food.

Oh, and while you're there, make sure to pick up a box of Celia's Gourmet Toffee while you're at it.

Until next week, Readers...

The BLT
**** Stars
Harvest Moon Kitchen and Marketplace
12456 Magnolia Blvd.
Valley Village, CA
http://www.harvestmoonco.com/

Celebrating My 21st Amendment Rights

Greetings, Readers!

It's been a busy few weeks, but thankfully I was able to get away from Los Angeles for a weekend and get a little R&R.

Heading up to San Francisco, I had plenty of options for sandwiches that I wanted to pursue (thanks to all of you). The problem is that if I wanted to eat at all of the places, I would have to spend about three full weeks eating every meal at a different stop.

Having to narrow down my selections a bit, I decided to make my sandwich stop at one place that combined my love of beer and sandwiches: 21st Amendment Brewery.

Down the street from AT&T Park where the Giants play, this brewpub is an ode to delicious food and well-crafted beer.

The problem I've always had with 21st Amendment though is that it is impossible to get their beer in Los Angeles, though easy enough to come by 3000 miles away on the East Coast.

Odd.

So obviously I stocked up on their beer for the trip back.

Settling down with my first beer and meeting up with friends for lunch, I had a few options to choose for this sandwich, but of course one in particular caught my eye: The Cubano.

Seeing as how one of my favorite sandwiches has become the Cubano (in LA and in general), this was one I could not pass up. This Cubano was packed with the standard roast pork, black forest ham, Swiss cheese, pickles and mustard between a pressed French roll. The amount of meat packed into this sandwich tops every other Cubano I've had.

The roast pork and black forest ham combination was delicious with its flavorful combo shining through but not overpowering the smoky Swiss cheese or salty bite of the pickles and mustard. The French roll on this sandwich was pressed and grilled slightly giving it a crispy bite to contrast the soft insides of the sandwich.

Porto's in LA makes an excellent Cubano and has been one of my highest rated sandwiches since starting this blog. Well, good nears Readers, as this Cubano reaches those heights as one of the best versions of this style of sandwich I've ever had. Washed down with some delicious 21st Amendment beer and you have a clear winner for a lunchtime stop.

If you're in San Francisco sometime, I would recommend this stop simply for the beer as it's an excellent ode to the craft of brewing. But do not forget to save room for the Cubano. You will not be disappointed.

Until next week, Readers...


The Cubano
***** Stars
21st Amendment Brewery
563 2nd Street
San Francisco, CA 94107

Eating My Way Through Portland, OR (Part 1 of 5)

The coolest logo ever.

Hello, Readers!

This past weekend, I made a trip up to the northwest for the first time since my 2009 trip to Seattle. This time I stopped in the city of Portland, Oregon, which is a city I've always wanted to visit since I fell in love with the northwest on my last trip. Coincidentally, this trip was also my last state on the West Coast to visit (and 31st overall).

But what is one to do in the city of Portland? Besides visiting a few historical and sightseeing spots, Portland is well known for its food and beer. Breweries and restaurants are on every corner, and it made the selection of sandwiches for this blog so difficult.

This may be why it'll be a five part series.

Prior to my trip, I had planned out a few spots that I wanted to visit and review for the blog, but today's entry came from a chance wandering through the north part of the downtown area. Passing by an awesome sign with a sickle and a hand holding a sandwich (akin to the former USSR logo), I decided I had to stop into The People's Sandwich of Portland.

Being drawn in by the awesome logo and posters outside, the first challenge of the weekend came in choosing which sandwich to eat. Each with its own cool name, I decided to go with the Hammer & Pickle.

Why you ask? The Hammer & Pickle is a cubano sandwich, and we all know how I feel about cubanos.

I frequently reference the cubano at Porto's in Burbank as being the top sandwich I have eaten since starting this blog, so this sandwich from TPSP had a lot to live up to.

The sliced ham and pork loin were grilled and joined with melted Swiss cheese, crisp pickles, homemade mustard (all condiments are made in house) and mayo (made with organic eggs) and pressed in a french roll on the grill.

The ham and pork loin were tender and delicious. The Swiss was melted throughout the sandwich lending a delicious smoky/savory flavor. I think one of the best surpsises in the sandwich came from the homemade mustard which reminded me a bit of horseradish with that slight burning feeling at the back of your nose.

Note: I love the taste and feeling of horseradish. It is always a good compliment, and that mustard-y feeling is present here in all its delicious glory.

So you stack all of these delicious ingredients into a french roll that's pressed on a grill with a crispy, flaky and golden outside with soft and fresh insides and you have...

The best cubano I have ever eaten. Hands down. All of the flavors blended together incredibly well and were each prominent on their own, contributing their portion of deliciousness.

Oh yeah, and they even threw in a tiny tootsie roll for after your sandwich.

Sorry Porto's of Burbank, you had an excellent run as the top sandwich of the blog, but I will now find other reasons to visit Portland, just to have this sandwich again.

Part 1 of my trip to Portland ended on an incredibly high note, could my other stops live up to the hype?

Until next week...

Hammer & Pickle
***** Stars
The People's Sandwich of Portland
53 NW 1st Street
Portland, OR
sandwichofportland.com

Caribbean By Freeway

Welcome Back, Dear Readers!

Hopefully your part of the world is expecting a lot more sun and warmth than Los Angeles is this week. Despite signs all weekend that spring was coming a bit early, this week is set to prove otherwise.

So what should I do to brighten up my days when the sun won't do it for me?

Eat delicious Caribbean style sandwiches.

Suggested by reader Mike, I headed to a little shack in Santa Monica called Cha Cha Chicken, home to the very promising Mulato Cubano sandwich.

Having talked at length about my love for Porto's Cubano sandwich numerous times, I was very intrigued to try a new style of cubano that came highly recommended.

Instead of various pork products piled high, the Mulato Cubano takes marinated shredded chicken, cheese, lettuce, pickles and mustard pressed inside a crisp baguette.

The baguette was excellent. Crisp and flaky outside and a warm inside, this pressed roll is the best pair of bookends a cuban sandwich could have.

I have to admit, that on my first bite, I was nervous about the chicken. The first mouthful wasn't very tender and lacked flavor, but as I continued, its quality increased and by the end of my first half I had devoured a large portion of incredibly tender, thoroughly cooked (although not overcooked), juicy, and deliciously marinated chicken.

The mustard, cheese, and pickles added their familiar tastes to this sandwich as they do all cuban sandwiches and are definitely a delight in this mix.

My favorite part of this sandwich was the jerk sauce (appropriately timed jokes....now) which was provided on the side. This allowed me to dip my sandwich or pour on as much as I wanted. Jerk sauce is a Jamaican style sauce similar to barbecue sauce, but a bit spicier. I used all of it that I could, but the sandwich is just as enjoyable without as it already comes packed with flavor.

As a side I ordered the fried plantains. While the fruit itself was not as sweet as a banana, the deep fried batter enveloping them provided a light sweet flavor that made these an enjoyable side dish.

The Mulato Cubano is indeed another excellent cuban sandwich and should be tried by anyone visiting Santa Monica. Is it better than Porto's Cubano? That's a tough call. Both are delicious and well made. Both have fresh ingredients. It's more of an issue of whether you're a chicken person or pork person.

Either way, you will not be disappointed.

Until next week....D-A-N-G-E-R and DANGER was his name-o.

Mulato Cubano

**** Stars

Cha Cha Chicken

1906 Ocean Avenue

Santa Monica, CA 90405

chachachicken.com

Too Much Danger...Something Something...

Hello again dear seekers of DANGER!

I tried very hard for you to review a sandwich of delicious levels never experienced before by many humans, but sadly fate had other plans for me this weekend when my car died, unexpectedly cutting a road trip, in your honor, short.

To make up for this though, I decided to return to a place I had recently visited to have another of their highly recommended sandwiches.

With my previous experience at Porto's (Havana Sandwich, 2 weeks ago), I decided to try their steak sandwich, the Pan Con Bistec.

Marinated steak, grilled onions, potato sticks, tomatoes and garlic sauce on Cuban bread.

Sound DANGERous to you, dear readers?

Yeah, I thought so too. So let's get into why this sandwich was a complete letdown, especially compared to their superior Cubano sandwich.

First off, if the steak was marinated, I'm not quite sure it was marinated in because while the texture was good, the taste was almost non-existent. A very bland steak that had me thinking back to the deliciously full flavored Cubano.

It doesn't get much better after the steak either. The onions and tomatoes were cooked a little too long and their flavors had almost completely disappeared.

The garlic sauce had a smooth taste, not too strong, but just enough for a kick. Unfortunately, it was really the only flavor in this sandwich.

I think the best part of the sandwich was the potato sticks. They were a nice touch that added a great contrast in texture with a hearty crunch.

Lastly, the Cuban bread. I highly rated this bread while securing together the Cubano sandwich, but even with it being perfectly flaky and soft, it can't help the DANGERously un-delicious inside it cradles.

All in all, quite a letdown and something that should be avoided at Porto's.

I had real high expectations though after trying the Cubano, so maybe I was a bit biased. Still, if it's your first (or 10th) time to Porto's, I recommend hitting up the Cubano, and completely looking over the Pan Con Bistec.

You'll be thanking me...FOR DANGER!

* 1/2 Stars
Porto's Bakery
3614 Magnolia Blvd
Burbank, CA 91505

Havana Sandwich

Good Morning, DANGERites.

You are in store for quite a delicious surprise this morning.

Something that even caught I, the great Sandwichologist, off guard.

I have always heard wonderful reviews of a place in Burbank called Porto's (also with a location in Glendale). And despite passing it numerous times on my way to downtown Burbank, I never stopped in to try it.

Well this time was different. I had a date with one of LA Magazine's top 17 sandwiches of Los Angeles: The Cubano.

When I first walked into the shop I must admit I was slightly stunned at the interior. This place is huge, bright, and very fancy looking. After taking the atmosphere of the place in, I ordered and took a seat by the window.

My waiter brought my sandwich, and for a moment, I stared at my next challenge: The Cubano. Made up of slow roasted pork, ham, Swiss cheese, butter, mayo/mustard, and pickles on Cuban bread. This is what people have raved about.

I took my first bite and I felt as if my tastebuds started a cha-cha-cha in my mouth.

It was a flavor explosion, and I loved it.

The slow roasted pork is of excellent quality. It's tender, juicy, and full of flavor. It had definitely been stewing for quite some time before being added to the sandwich.

Normally, I'm not much of a fan of ham (although bring on a number of other pork products), but I definitely enjoyed it on this sandwich. Working together with the full flavored pork, the ham added a nice, more subtler secondary flavor.

The bread was flaky and soft and complimented the contents very well. I feel if the bread had been thicker or heavier, a lot of the taste of the sandwich would have been lost. This bread allows the flavors to fully attack your tastebuds.

Now normally, I'm not much of a fan of Swiss cheese, but it really did add an excellent taste to the mix. Smooth, with a strong flavor, and perfectly melted on top of the meat, this was an excellent choice.

Top all of that off with a little mayo, a little mustard, and some dill pickle chips and you have the Cubano.

In place of fries, which would have weighed down this sandwich and not have been as enjoyable, Porto's added lightly fried banana slices. Thinner than normal banana chips, and sliced lengthwise, they were light, airy, and crispy. A perfect addition.

Danger fans, I know you trust me to be completely honest with you in my opinion.

You trust me to lead you in the direction of delicious sandwiches, and eventually to the sandwich which will be so DANGERous, as to take my own life away.

So believe me when I say that so far, this is one of the best sandwiches I've had for this blog. If you're in Los Angeles, you really need to try this. I can guarantee you won't be disappointed.

Until next time...DANGER!

**** 1/2 Stars

Porto's Bakery and Cafe

3614 W. Magnolia Blvd.

Burbank, CA 91505