Let's Go Down To The Farm

Greetings, Readers!

I hope this past weekend saw you sandwiching well during the Super Bowl and its horrific and exciting end. Maybe you created your favorite sporting sandwich, or tried a new one, like I did.

Mendocino Farms. Oh, you crafter of creative sandwiches. I've been past both Hollywood locations numerous times, as well as the Sherman Oaks one but had yet to stop in until we happened to be passing by this weekend, returning from a trip to the homebrew store.

Standing out amidst a massive condominium complex in Sherman Oaks, Mendocino Farms is a welcoming eatery space in which the lines fill up quickly but move just as fast. If nothing else, the short wait will give you enough time to peruse the menu. Seriously, I went back and forth about ten times before deciding on my sandwich for the afternoon.

Banh Mi? Chicken MBT? Pulled Pork? Tuna Melt? I mean seriously, each sandwich sound ridiculously delicious, and from what I hear, they actually all are. Regardless, I settled on the Blue Buffalo, a sandwich of shaved, slow roasted free range chicken breast in a spicy buffalo sauce, blue cheese cabbage slaw, tomatoes, and Mendo's krispies all on a panini grilled Drago's Bakery soft roll.

 The chicken is a nice cut, juicy and a great base flavor for the sandwich. Each bite does give you a bit of that spicy buffalo sauce flavor, but I actually wish there was a bit more. The blue cheese slaw brings a bit of the funk to the sandwich but does cover up some of that vinegar-y flavor of the sauce. I wished there had been a bit more of each with a better balance overall to make this a big hit.

The slaw and krispies added a bit of crunch, and the roll was delicious and held together until the end. Overall it was an enjoyable sandwich, just wish it had been kicked up a notch.

The rest of the menu looks pretty delicious as I mentioned before, and I'm looking forward to trying their Banh Mi next time as it has become one of my favorite types of sandwiches. If you're up for something well crafted and delicious, definitely give Mendocino Farms a shot. You may even love this sandwich with its more muted flavors than I had expected, especially if you're not into potentially over-intense flavors as I am.

Until next week...


Blue Buffalo, Not Blue Cow
**** Stars
Mendocino Farms
14141 Ventura Blvd.
Sherman Oaks, CA
mendocinofarms.com

An Evening Local and Pleasant

Greetings, Readers!

If you're like me, you also like going to a great local spot, for some delicious food, conversation and atmosphere. Personally, I prefer the pub-style spots, where I feel at home and the servers know a lot about their food and their beer. 

It's a place I can feel comfortable asking my server to surprise me in regards to my beer choice. 

Recently hearing about a gastropub in Sherman Oaks called The Local Peasant, I quickly checked out the menu and their website and was thoroughly drawn to trying out dinner there. 

Upon arriving, Charlene and I were greeted by a full house. People seated at the bar watching the Dodgers game or seated at small tables lining the walls of the pub. Open windows allowed the sounds and air of Sherman Oaks enter the pub, without being intrusive.

Settling down with my first Belgian beer for the evening, we perused the menu which sounds a lot easier than it was. Every option from the appetizers to the desserts looked amazing. I decided to go a different route than I had been lately by sticking away from red meat and instead opting for the Crispy Buttermilk Fried Chicken Sandwich. 

My problem with fried food is that in the end most of those foods leave a very distinct fried oil aftertaste. They're usually thickly covered in batter and take away from the flavor of the actual meat being fried. 

This was not the case with this sandwich. 

The light batter covering actually complemented its counterpart, keeping the juices sealed up inside while adding a secondary flavor of batter and spices with a light crunch follow through. On top of the generous cut of chicken was an heirloom tomato, red wine vinegar, lettuce and jalapeno dill spread, all offering lighter flavors than the fried chicken, creating a delicious contrast between two halves of a brioche bun. 

This well crafted and balanced sandwich is a winner from top to bottom, with contrasting textures and flavors sure to leave your mouth happy. 

Besides the sandwich though, the beer selection is phenomenal providing a number of local favorites as well as some excellent Belgian inspired offerings (my absolute favorites). For dessert, I couldn't recommend the Bread Pudding anymore if I tried. It is fantastic and will blow you away. 

So if you're looking for a great place to have a night out and enjoy some good food with a great atmosphere, make sure you stop down at The Local Peasant. 

It's one of my top picks in the Valley at the moment. 

Until next week...

The Local Peasant

14058 Ventura Blvd. 

Sherman Oaks, CA 91423

http://thelocalpeasants.com/

Straight From the Kitchen

Greetings, Dear Readers!

Recently I sat down for dinner at a local Italian restaurant, Maria's Italian Kitchen.

Now, the funny thing about this restaurant is that I have been here, or ordered food from here numerous times in the past, but having arrived for dinner I realized I had never written a review for any of their sandwiches before.

Which made me think I should change that this time around.

Of course, I usually show up and order some pasta dish, because well, that's what this place is exceptionally good at making.

So having decided to go with a sandwich this time, I picked the Hand Rolled Meatball sandwich. Made with their own house-ground pork and beef meatball, this sandwich is compact, but stuffed with the generously portioned meatballs and topped with a healthy dose of marinara sauce and mozzarella cheese.

The meatballs were absolutely delicious. Tender and filled with flavor, I could easily eat an entire plate of these alone if I was so inclined (there's an appetizer of just that, BTW).

The marinara sauce is a bit tangy and thoroughly covers the meatballs, without being overpowering or turning the crisply toasted Italian roll into mush.

The mozzarella cheese is something that could have severely affected this sandwich negatively. When you have a lot of cheese that is melted on top of a sandwich, you can easily make it too chewy, becoming a severe choking hazard.

Despite the amount of cheese topping off this sandwich though, it's easy to bite through and adds its nice baked cheese flavor to finish off the sandwich.

Even though the meatball sandwich is something that has been done at almost every Italian restaurant or shop, the one made at Maria's Italian Kitchen has a slight edge over previous ones I've tasted (even this one from Little Toni's).

Until next week, Dear Readers...


Hand Rolled Meatball Sandwich
**** Stars
Maria's Italian Kitchen
13353 Ventura Blvd.
Sherman Oaks, CA 91423
http://www.mariasitaliankitchen.com

Thanksgiving Comes Early

Back for more oh seekers of DANGER?

This week's find comes from simply walking down the street and letting my DANGER radar sniff out a place for me.

While walking down Ventura Blvd, awaiting a DANGEROUS oil change, I stumbled upon a small cafe in Sherman Oaks called Pane Dolce.

A quaint local shop, Pane Dolce is very warm and welcoming, almost as if you've shown up in your own living room and decided to pay for overpriced coffee on your couch.

But the coffee is not what you've come for, it is the sandwich.

Pane Dolce has a wide variety of paninis available, but the one that struck my eye the most was the Turkey, Pesto, and Cranberry Panini.

Now like most people, I am a huge fan of Thanksgiving.

A nationally recognized day to gorge ourselves in remembrance of....something...

So, naturally, when someone combines the two best parts of Thanksgiving dinner into a sandwich, I'm game.

The bread was a crisply baked golden wonder. Just like any good panini, it was cooked just the right amount of time to give it grill lines, and a crisp exterior while still staying warm and soft inside.

The cranberries inside were incredible.

I am a huge fan of cranberries. Though I usually prefer them more on the tart side, the way these sweet cranberries paired so well with the slightly tangy and creamy pesto, it was something that i was able to overlook. I will now have to try to find more savory sandwiches to add sweet cranberries to.

Lastly, and probably the least standout part of this sandwich would be the turkey.

Roasted, and thick cut, the turkey was good, but that's about it. Not great, but not bad at all. A middle of the road addition, and easily overshadowed by the cranberries and pesto. This sandwich may not even have made it onto my radar had it not been for those two delicious friends.

Well this marks another week in my search for DANGER.

Next week, I take on another sandwich in LA Magazine's Top 17 Sandwiches of Los Angeles.

Until then...may DANGER be with you.

*** 1/2 Stars

Pane Dolce

13608 Venutra Blvd

Sherman Oaks, CA 91423