A Delicious Aroma

Greetings, Readers.

If you haven't noticed by now, Los Angeles has a fairly large selection of delicious sandwiches. Despite the wide-ranging options throughout this massive city, it's sometimes the ones that are closest that can be the most memorable.

It's been awhile since I've been to Aroma Cafe in Studio City, which is a shame as this quaint coffee and tea shop nestled away on a quiet street is a great place to enjoy food and conversation.

Settling down this time in the garden patio in back, I ordered the Chipotle Steak Panino. Medium cooked chopped roast beef, aged cheddar, caramelized onions and horseradish aioli combine to create this sandwich between two fluffy slices of focaccia bread.

The chopped steak was juicy, but did not have an overpowering flavor compared to the other ingredients. The choice of aged cheddar worked well with the steak, contributing a mellowed smoky flavor to the sandwich. My main problem with the cheese though was that for a hot sandwich, it wasn't really melted well at all. If it had been melty and oozed between slices of steak, this would have worked much better.

The caramelized onions and horseradish aioli brought a bit of bite and spice to the mix which was a welcome contrast from the mellow and smoky flavors or the cheese and steak.

The focaccia bread was fluffy and soaked up some of the steak juices in the process, but I really would have like to have a bit of rosemary crusted onto the top, to give the bread itself more of a contributing flavor.

Overall though, this was an enjoyable sandwich at an enjoyable location. Definitely worth your visit if you have never been to Aroma Cafe before.

Until next week, Readers...



Chipotle Steak Panino
*** 1/2 Stars
Aroma Cafe
4360 Tujunga Ave.
Studio City, CA 91604

The Twelve Days of Sandwiching

Greetings, Readers!

I hope that the holiday season has left you in high spirits without completely bankrupting your wallet.

Because otherwise, how would you afford even the most inexpensive sandwich?

Having finished my holiday shopping early (actually in record time this year) Charlene and I decided to stop in for a sandwich on Saturday afternoon to enjoy our relaxing weekend before Christmas.

Again, this is a record first for me.

Spending time in downtown Burbank we decide to stop into the Market City Caffe at the Corner of Palm and San Fernando. This spacious Italian bistro was surprisingly empty for a Saturday at lunch, but all the better for us as we were seated and enjoying their delicious breadsticks in no time.

Looking at the menu, my eyes went directly to the Panini section and stopped at the Panini Salami: goat cheese, imported salami, arugula, olive oil, baby lettuce and tomato on a French roll.

Hearing the word "panini" though I half expected this sandwich to be grilled or warm, but it was not. This was not a disappointment, but actually came as a pleasant surprise. The sandwich tasted fresher than it would have been after being grilled with butter or oil on the bread.

There was a nice amount of salami on the sandwich without being too overpowering for the other ingredients.  The arugula and lettuce added a little bit of crunch as well as fresh green flavors. The goat cheese was a great complement of strong flavor to the salami but was also not overpowering of the greens.

The French roll it was served on was lightly toasted on the outside, fluffy on the inside, and as delicious as the amazing breadsticks the Market City Caffe serves as an appetizer.

I can also guarantee that the sandwich is still delicious as leftovers hours later.

So what about you, Readers? Have you enjoyed any sandwiches over the holiday season? Is there one in particular you are looking to try before 2012 comes to a close?

Until next year, Dear Readers...


Panini Salami
**** Stars
Market City Caffe
164 E. Palm Avenue
Burbank, CA 91502
http://www.marketcityburbank.com

You Say Panini, I Say...Panini.

Greetings Dear Readers!

There is much to talk about before I even delve into this week's delicious sandwich.

First of all, I am now on Twitter, so if you haven't already started following me, you definitely should, as I'll be updating quite often. You can add me here.

Secondly, I will soon have t-shirts available for sale, as well as giveaways as prizes for helping to promote the website. So keep your eyes peeled for those to start showing up.

And thirdly, this blog is quickly approaching its 1 year anniversary, and to celebrate that, I will be updating the look of the blog, so don't be surprised if you sign on one week to see everything's changed up a bit. Don't worry, it'll still be the same ol' delicious blog.

Now, onto this week's sandwich...

I had always passed Crave Cafe at the corner of Ventura and Van Nuys, as I usually pass there on my way home, or if I'm heading to this excellent record shop in Sherman Oaks. Despite this, I never stopped in to try it.

I decided this week would be different. Stepping into this dimly lit valley cafe, I took my time examining the menu until I found something that really caught my eye. The Pastrami panini sounded amazing, but I went for the Turkey Panini instead.

I ordered the Turkey Panini and it was absolutely delicious. Packed between golden toasted ciabatta bread, the turkey panini is packed full of sliced turkey, lettuce, tomatoes, sprouts, olive, and for my cheese, I chose mozzarella.

There was a wide selection of cheese to be had, but mozzarella seemed to be the best sounding choice for this sandwich. Although, now looking back on it, provolone could have worked as well. Regardless, there was just the right amount on this sandwich, adding to the sandwich without being too gooey or overflowing with melted cheese.

The sprouts gave this sandwich an excellent interior crunch. They were very fresh and gave the sandwich a delicious earthy flavor to this savory sandwich.

The turkey was packed high in the sandwich and it was absolutely delicious. A little thicker cut than I am used to in a panini, this smoked turkey was a standout flavor amongst all the competing deliciousness throughout.

The bread was also a clear winner here. the ciabatta was grilled to perfection, leaving dark brown grill marks with golden baked bread on the side. The sandwich perfectly sealed, and stayed together all the way until the last bite. I really couldn't ask for anything more from bread.

Overall readers, this was a delicious investigation gone right. I highly suggest a stop at Crave Cafe if you're in the Sherman Oaks area. It's also open 24 hours every day except for Sunday, so there's no excuse to miss out on this sandwich.

Until next week...

**** Stars

Turkey Panini

Crave Cafe

14504 Ventura Blvd.

Los Angeles, CA 91403

www.crave-cafe.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