summer sandwiches: ham sandwich from brass tacks

We got into Portland Saturday evening and met our pal Rob at the weird/run down/honestly kinda scary house he is subletting a room in.  It was being guarded by this cat which didn't seem all that friendly.  We had dinner at Ned Ludd around the corner, but we didn't eat any sandwiches there.  Not that it mattered, because the food was not very good for how much it cost to eat there.  Whatever.

This little fellow lives at the house where we crashed during our trip.  She noticed me eating a piece of bread and got curious.  Then she took a bite.  Then, seconds after this photo was taken, she clawed me and stole it!  I tell you there was something satanic about this cat.  Did I mention it uses the toilet?  Like, the human toilet?  IT USES THE TOILET.  UNNATURAL.

 

3535 N Vancouver Ave, Portland, OR

http://brasstackssandwichesllc.blogspot.com/

 

We were supposed to go to the river with our host and her friends on Sunday morning. but due to a breakdown in communication we would have had to skip out on coffee and our first meal of the day to do so.  "Nuts to that!" we said.  I didn't come Portland to eat snacks bought at Safeway en route to the river.  Els and I took off on our own and decided to check out a spot called Brass Tacks.  The sandwich gods clearly approved of our decision- their first sign of approval was that I recognized one of the owners of Brass Tacks was someone I knew from several years ago in San Francisco!  It was an unexpected and funny coincidence.  Our second sign from the sandwich gods came when we asked for iced coffees to start our hot sunny Portland day off right.  At first they were like "oh we don't serve iced coffee sorry" but THEN it was all "oh hey I guess we have actually exactly two cups of iced coffee that were sent to us as a sample".  So we got delicious, chocolately iced coffee and when the woman behind us in line was like "I'll have an iced coffee too" she got DENIED.  Bummer for her.  I decided to get a ham sandwich, because I reasoned that I frequently see pork sandwiches on offer, but rarely ham.  Few people want to attempt ham sandwiches.  I think ham sandwiches just aren't sexy enough.  Actually, ok, Rhea's has a pretty good ham sandwich and Tartine does those insane ham and gruyere melty things.  But all the same you'll see a dozen fancy turkey sandwiches for every ham sandwich you come across.  I liked this ham sandwich a lot, and what I liked about it was that it was so straight forward.  Maple-glazed ham, cheddar cheese, mayo, mustard, pickles, onions, something leafy and green on a fluffy... ciabatta or something.  It tasted like a ham sandwich and I like ham sandwiches.

What, was that a really boring description of a sandwich?  How about another crazy-ass Portland animal then?  This guy is named Dude, and he is a shy and sweet rescue dog, at least until anyone lights a fire or starts smoking around him.  For some reason Dude loves smoke and spent almost this entire time we were at this backyard BBQ jumping up in the air and biting at the smoke.  Portland animals are weird.

RUMBLE AT 24TH AND HAMPSHIRE, PT 3: PAL'S

...And here's the first contender from Pal's! This was not one of the sandwiches that was advertised on the menu online, making this the second time I've gone to Pal's only to descover they weren't serving the sandwich I wanted- only this time, the necessary ingredients hadn't yet arrived, whereas last time they had sold out. I guess, even given Pal's already limited hours, it's best not to show up too early or too late if you have your heart set on a particular sandwich. So, instead of a shrimp sandwich, this was local (?) albacore, with olives, capers, parsely, compound butter, tomato and cucumber. The guy behind the counter said there was no mayo, but you'd never know it because it tasted quite a bit like tuna salad. That's not such a bad thing though, because it did taste really good- although I wish the flavor of the olives and capers had been stronger. Also, seven dollars seems like a lot for such a small tuna fish sandwich. But then, Pal's takes a lot of pride in telling you where their ingredients come from, so you know what you are paying for- so this seven dollar sandwich didn't seem like as much as a rip-off as our seven dollar sandwich from Dagwood's. Next up is the last sandwich in this face-off: Pal's pulled pork!

the valencia

Like I promised, a quicker turn-around on sandwich reviews! This tasty little number is the Valencia from Rhea's, a sandwich best described as "creamy". Turkey, havarti, avocado and mayo get together for a real chill time in your mouth. But then bacon, pickles and pickled onion show up and bring some crunch to the happenings. It works out pretty well I would say. Rhea's is definitely becoming more and more my go-to sandwich shop- they have ordering sorted out in a more organized manner, and the seating makes for some good Valencia people-watching. I felt like I was being adventurous by ordering a Turkey sandwich when there are so many more interesting sandwiches on the menu, but if yr folks are in town and the idea of a spicy korean steak sandwich sounds like too much for them, try suggesting this sandwich. Maybe they will even dig the pickled onions.

Just woke up and I need a sandwich

I woke up very early this morning and I knew just what I was gonna make. The ultimate breakfast sandwich! Ciabatta sandwich round two!

It was rather similar than the last sandwich I made previously but I planned to make it with a bit more care. I put avocado on both sides of the bread (not too much) and a slice of muenster cheese. I put the bread in the oven to get it all nice, warm, and crunchy

Then I sliced up some mushrooms with an egg. (No need to admire my cooking skills, folks)

Then the meat! I was really ready to make the ultimate breakfast sandwich! Too bad when I grabbed the sausage it wasn't there! It was in the freezer and hard as a rock! It would have taken forever to thaw so I had to settle for a less appropriate meat: Salmon. (Again). I put it all together and added a couple slices of tomato, lemon, and dash of salt. Final product: Some sorry mess.

I actually did manage to take a photo before the bite but I think the bite really shows the contents of the sandwich well. It was a really nicely put together sandwich except for the salmon. The taste of egg and salmon kinda grossed me out. I felt like I was guilt tripped into this sandwich. It would have been so much more amazing without the salmon and tomatoes! It should've been Italian sausage! Then it would have been the ultimate, roll out of bed sandwich to enjoy before the sun rises.

Ah, well. It was hearty and it hit a spot but not the spot. Next time...

I'm not proud but I am hungry

I am also impatient. The proof is in the bite I took before taking the photo. Either way, it was around midnight when I made this. I just saw some ciabatta bread, salmon, and avocados and decided to make a sandwich.. There wasn't much thought put into this sandwich. I toasted the bread and prepared an avocado (isn't cutting one open the best thing in the world?), cut several slices of tomato, and put a bit of cream cheese with herbs on one side. I went pretty wild with the avocado, though, and it overwhelmed the sandwich. I couldn't taste the salmon and could only feel the texture of the tomatoes. It could have used a dash of spices and a little bit of lemon but I only realized this after I devoured this. Despite being only able to taste the avocado and ciabatta it was still satisfying even if it was carelessly put together. For a midnight snack this hit the spot.

R.I.P.

33 Revolutions, El Cerrito (CLOSED)

Not so much a review here, than an obituary. Yet another recession casualty, 33 Revolutions was one of the few great East Bay coffeeshops that sold quality coffee, food, and the only place to get it Ritual style. In frickin' EL CERRITO. But miracles are fleeting and it closed doors Christmas Eve after a few months of rain damage and insurance problems. I mostly went for coffee and wi-fi, but once or twice I managed to sample some sandwiches.

Here is the Tofu and Avocado, a pretty standard vegetarian option. It was slightly above average for a coffeeshop entree, but not terribly memorable either. The tofu had that nice slightly-grilled tangy taste, but the real delight lay in the pesto mayo. I should note that once upon a time I worked briefly at a cafe that made sandwiches. The job was shit but I got to make my own lunches and I put pesto mayo on everything. That stuff just spoke to me. So imagine how pleased I was to discover it here, on accident! Previously kinda forgettable but now with something to enjoy. That was this 33 Revolutions sandwich. I probably would've slathered it with more tofu and mayo, but that's fine.

Rest in peace, sweet coffeeshop.