Bird Is The Word

Greetings, Readers!

If there's one thing I've come to realize since I started this blog, it's that sometimes some of the best sandwiches you have just reveal themselves to you.

For example, this past week I was researching sandwich shops in North Hollywood when I came across a place called the Cahuenga General Store.

No one had ever recommended this place to me. I wouldn't have just found it by driving my usual routes. Heck, I wouldn't even have known it existed had I not done my research.

But there it was, a little general store in a somewhat industrial part of town, hidden in a quiet neighborhood. Even the inside looks like this shop came straight from the wild west in the mid-1800s.

Originally opened in 1995 as a place for film productions to rent props for period pieces, the General Store has moved on to sell delicious sandwiches, coffee, and baked goods to the locals.

After salivating over their menu while researching, when I arrived I decided I would choose the Bleu Bird.

This sandwich is packed with grilled chicken, bacon, bleu cheese, fresh slices of Red Delicious apples and glazed onions on a toasted French roll.

I'm going to make a bold statement here, but this sandwich is absolutely, and easily, in my top 3 favorite sandwiches on this blog.

With the first bite I was blown away by the flavor. The chicken was tender, juicy and delicious. The onions added a little bit of tang to the sandwich, while the combination of bleu cheese and thick apple slices was absolutely mind-blowing.

The cheese and apples flavors complemented each other so well with the cheese added it's characteristic flavor and the apples added a sweet, but complementary flavor.

Combining all of these ingredients on a perfectly toasted French roll, it is like the Sandwich god himself came down from the baked bread heavens and handed this sandwich to man.

Oh, and did I mention bacon? Yes, bacon.

This sandwich is amazing, and is absolutely worth checking out if you are in the North Hollywood area.

Well, now that I've had time to recover from this sandwich, it is time to move on and see what other sandwich surprises may come my way.

What sandwiches have you had lately, Dear Readers, that have blown your mind?

Until next week...


Bleu Bird
***** Stars
5510 Cahuenga Blvd.
North Hollywood, CA 91601

Good or Great?

Welcome Back, Dear Readers!

Have you been good sandwich researchers this week and found your own taste of heaven?

I continued my lifelong journey in search of THE DANGER SANDWICH by finally visiting a local favorite in Silverlake this past weekend. A little place called Good Microbrew and Grill.

It's hard to miss Good as you drive down Sunset Blvd towards Dodger Stadium and Downtown, almost as hard as it is to hear anything bad about the food.

So deciding to do research on their sandwiches, I headed there on a busy Saturday night.

Being a microbrewery, I thought I would pick a beer to drink while deciding on a sandwich to sample. This place has an amazing beer selection. One house brand microbrew that I tried was called Mathilde, and I would come back to Good just to have this beer again, I Highly recommend it. If you like some hard to find beers, you have a second reason to visit.

The selection of sandwiches and burgers at Good will have you second-guessing every decision you make. If you're like me, you'll finalize the decision only when the waiter asks you for your order.

I finally decided on the Pressed Sandwich: a grilled chicken sandwich, with Brie cheese, caramelized onions, and sauteed mushrooms all stuffed into a french roll.

The french roll had a flaky crust on the outside, but the inside wasn't as light and fluffy as I would have expected. The bread wasn't stale, but it didn't seem totally fresh either.

The chicken was excellent. Lightly grilled and incredibly tender on the inside. Every bite of it was juicy and flavorful with the slightest taste of blackened chicken in every bite. Truly the star of this sandwich.

The Brie was deliciously soft and savory and contrasted exceptionally well with the sweet and soft caramelized onions.

The mushrooms were especially impressive. If you've ever tried to sautee mushrooms, you may find that they can quickly overcook and become too soft or mushy. It takes a skillful hand to cook them enough to truly bring out their flavor, and still make them pop when you bite down on them. The Pressed Sandwich accomplishes both.

Overall, I would say this sandwich is definitely worth your time. And from my experience, and that of others, I don't think it would be presumptuous to change the name of Good to Great.

And on that note dear Readers, I ask you: what is the best sandwich you've had lately?

Until next week!

Pressed Sandwich
**** Stars
Good Microbrew and Grill
3725 Sunset Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90026