Picazo Cafe & Deli - Sonoma

19100 Arnold Dr, Sonoma CA 95476
(707) 931-4377
Parking: in front and side lot
Hours: Mon - Fri 5:30am - 4pm, Sat 6am - 4pm, Closed Sundays
http://picazocafe.com/

Last Visited: March 1, 2014

Food: 3 to 4 stars
Atmosphere: 3 stars
Service: 3 to 4 stars
Price: $ to $$

I've driven past Picazo cafe and deli for a long time and decided to stop in for lunch this afternoon. With indoor and outdoor seating, you'll find that it's a cozy cafe with friendly service and reasonably priced options for sandwiches, salads, and burgers.  A little ways from downtown Sonoma, you'll find mostly locals frequenting Picazo.

The menu above the counter shows all of your options and the side deli case features today's sides and salads.   The staff was very patient as people decided on their meals; after ordering, you can seat yourself and the food is brought to you.

We ordered both of our sandwiches grilled.



- Lemon Pepper Chicken Sandwich - Lemon pepper chicken breast (sliced thin), Havarti cheese, shredded carrots, sliced cucumbers, sun-dried tomatoes, homemade basil pesto on sour roll.  The ingredients make for a flavorful sandwich with the large strips of carrots, cucumber slices, and toasted roll reminding me a little of Vietnamese sandwiches without the pickling of the veggies.  Great combination.

- Pastrami Sandwich - Pastrami, deli-style mustard, swiss cheese, sauerkraut on marble rye.  The portion is good and the ingredients are fresh.  Everything is heated through, but the bread doesn't get soggy which made it even better.

Both sandwiches were about $7 and came with macaroni salad containing diced ham, green bell peppers, and red onions.  I appreciated that the portion was enough to try the salad without being overwhelming.

It appears that Picazo is a family operation as the staff really goes the extra mile to check on everyone during their meal, bring water, and generally show their pride in running the restaurant in all that they do.  The food is solid, no fluff/no frills, ingredients are fresh, and the place is quaint, filling up quickly not long after the noon hour. Check out Picazo for some good eats and friendly folks.

Little Lucca - Sandwiches, South San Francisco

724 El Camino Real, South San Francisco CA 94080
(650) 589-8916
Parking: in parking lot, street parking
1809 El Camino Real, Burlingame CA 94010
(650) 697-8389
http://www.littlelucca.com/

Last Visited: May 13, 2012

Food: 3 stars
Atmosphere: N/A
Service: 2 to 3 stars
Price: $ to $$

Little Lucca's has been around since 1980.  The original location is housed in a historic building in South San Francisco.  While it's a super small shack, the place is always packed with a line out the door. 

Little Lucca's is known for their famous original garlic sauce and their hot pepper sauce.  These two sauces really add that something special, an extra bite, to each bite of your sandwich.  Inside the shack, there is a counter running the length of the building.  As you enter, you'll see the extensive menu behind the counter along with lots of special sandwiches too. Piles of fresh rolls are stacked up along the wall too.

Aside from the sauces, the large portions (about 8 to 10 inches of bread) plus the fresh ingredients (they're well known for their dutch crunch) really make the sandwich stand out. 

- Fire Roasted Steak Sandwich - Tender steak is sliced thin and heated in a microwave, then placed on a giant roll (I chose dutch crunch) along with the works.  Delicious flavor, however, because of the wait to pay (see below), the bread really turned soggy.  $8.25

While there is no seating inside the shack, there are a few picnic tables outside for you to enjoy your sandwich.  The cashier services pre-orders before walk-ins, so I had to wait a minute for one pre-order and another five minutes for the second pre-order to be paid.  The minutes were ticking away and my sandwich bread was turning soggy.  After a four minute walk nearby to a place that I could sit, the bread just didn't hold up to the fabulous sauces and moisture.  While the top was fine, the bottom was just starting to fall apart. 

If you can eat it nearly instantly, it is probably a four star sandwich, but I give it a solid three stars.  The green garlic sauce is really delicious and the portions make this a great value, but I would really like to get out the door faster. 

There is plenty of variety when it comes to available sandwiches, and they'll make it to your liking.
You can also pre-order via fax for pickup.  I would strongly recommend this for larger orders.  Also, cash is required for all orders under $10.

Banhwich - Vietnamese, San Francisco

1105 Taraval St, San Francisco CA 94116
(415) 665-2233
Parking: street parking

Last Visited: July 13, 2011

Food: 2 to 3 stars
Atmosphere: 2 stars
Service: 2 to 3 stars
Price: $

I was trying to avoid traffic on the way home one night and decided to stop into Bahnwich, mostly because it's located near Marco Polo Italian Ice Cream and I figured I would be close to dessert.  While I had read some reviews about it being a small shop that is frequented by youth from the nearby school and that the cashier looks like she's twelve, I wasn't deterred.  I used to work at my parent's family business and I too was often mistaken for much younger than I was. 

In any case, I came with an open mind and a hungry stomach.  I walked in and saw a very cluttered setup.  The menu was displayed on a sign above the main counter and there were stools next to the counter by the   window.   Behind the main counter and in the rear of the store, there was stacks of stuff piled up on top of each other.  While I can appreciate that it's a family business, there were a few things that were offputting.  The clutter could have been hidden behind a curtain.  The young girl behind the counter was watching television and never even said hello.  Her father was very fast at preparing my order which is why I even gave them a two to three star rating for service, but there is a lot of opportunity for improving customer service as a whole.

- Barbecue Pork Banh Mi - The meat was microwaved and put into a toasted roll along with the pickled carrots and fresh cilantro.  The pork was well flavored and juicy, but had a few tendons in it.  At these prices, it's a great value and the food is satisfying. $3.80

I wouldn't mind paying even a dollar more for this if the service were better.  As is, I would consider stopping back if I were in the area, but it's not a place I would go out of my way to patronize.  Service like this is barely tolerable when the food is good.  Hopefully they recognize this soon.

Traverso's - Italian/Deli, Santa Rosa

Fountaingrove Village, 2097 Stagecoach Rd, Santa Rosa, CA 95404
(707) 542-2530
Closed for lunch on Sundays
http://www.traversos.com/

Last Visited: December 2, 2006

Food: 4 stars
Atmosphere: N/A
Service: 4 stars
Price: $ to $$

Normally, I wouldn’t write about a deli, but I have had terrific sandwiches at their old location on Fourth Street.  I'm confident that their move hasn't affected their quality.

- Mild Coppa Deli Sandwich with Avocado – Choice of bread, choice of meat, and choice of what you want on your sandwich. They have a great gourmet selection, and the price of the sandwich varies by the type of meat you select. Some were about $5.99 while others would be about $9.99. I selected mild coppa on a soft sour roll with lettuce, pickles, onions, tomatoes, and mayo. Avocado was $0.55 extra. Delicious. The bread was crusty on the outside, soft on the inside and just amazing. What a treat. $7.54

- Hot Coppa Deli Sandwich – So you can tell that I like coppa. I don’t get it elsewhere, so that’s why I get it at Traversos. This time, I tried Dutch crunch, jack cheese, and the usual lettuce, tomatoes, pickles, and mayo – absolutely delicious. And, they even gave me a slice of the coppa while they were cutting it for me. You can’t beat Traverso’s for friendly people behind the counter and excellent meat. $6.99

Check out the gourmet goods at Traverso’s deli and and market. Excellent cheeses and all sorts of goodies. They even offer cheese samples – the gouda is delicious. If you want an excellent, fresh, deli sandwich – this is the place to go. Yum!

Ba Le - Asian fast food, sandwiches, Maui

270 Dairy Road
Kahului, Maui, HI (Located in the Kau Kau Food Court in Maui Marketplace on Dairy Road)
(808) 877-2400
Parking: in shopping center

Last Visited: July 2003

Food: 3 stars
Atmosphere: not rated
Service: not rated
Price: $ to $$

Ba-Le is a fast food chain, but I’m writing for those visiting Maui. If you need a quick fix, the Kau Kau Food Court in Maui Marketplace in Kahului is a great place. The food at Ba-Le is typical Asian but is Hawaiian due to the mixed plate combos. The other food court stands have a wide offering from typical fries and burgers to pho.

- Short ribs – This is a good example of Ba Le fast food. Short Ribs cooked Korean style is served with steamed rice and macaroni salad. It’s not the best quality, but better than most of the fast food chains you find in California. If only fast food could be found like this all over the place, especially at the cafeteria at work - I would be ecstatic.

I hear that Ba-Le also offers sandwiches, but I didn’t get the chance to try them. It’s a great stop if you want something fast and delicious. Not top quality overall, but at the top of my list for any fast food.

Morty's Deli - San Francisco

Best Reuben Sandwich

280 Golden Gate Ave
San Francisco CA 94102
(415) 567-3354
Parking: street parking, pay parking lot nearby
Hours: Monday - Thursday, 8am - 8pm; Friday 8am - 6pm
http://mortysdeli.com/

Food: 4 stars
Atmosphere: 3 stars
Service: 4 stars
Price: $ to $$


Last Visited: September 29, 2009

I had a meeting near the Civic Center and was surfing the web for a place to have lunch and happened upon Morty's Deli. There were many references to their reuben sandwich and I couldn't resist trying it.

Walking in the area, there are a number of options, particularly Vietnamese, and you might just pass by Morty's without a second thought. If it weren't for that yellow ring around that sweet face on the window, you might miss it entirely.

I arrived at 11:45 am just before the lunch crowd rushed in. Upon entering, things are a little on the brown side. There are higher tables with stools on the immediate right, booths next to the window and in the nook to your left, and several tables down the middle of the deli. It's cozy, clean, and the service is friendly. I looked at the blackboard behind the deli counter listing hot sandwiches, cold sandwiches, salads, soups, and a few other sides and although many things sounded delicious, I had to get the reuben and I was in for a treat.

The staff is efficient and know a newbie when they see one. That look in your eye as you try to navigate the chalkboard, but they're friendly and either help the next person if the place is busy or let you decide if there's nobody in line.

From an initial glance at the other patron's food, you can see that salads are fresh and good-sized and the cold sandwiches are also piled high with delicious meats. They also have vegetarian options available like the Soy Reuben and the Sloppy Soyrizo Joe.

- Reuben Sandwich - A scrumptious sandwich which if heaven had food and you wanted to know how a real sandwich could taste - this would be just perfect. Rye bread is buttered on the outside and grilled until just crisp. You get a choice of pastrami or corned beef, and I chose corned beef. The meat is sliced thin and piled on thick with warm sauerkraut, swiss cheese, and just the right amount of Russian dressing. Each bite melts in your mouth, and your hands get progressively wet from the drippings. I noticed that I kept eating faster and faster probably to just enjoy it in its state of perfection before it got soggy. Beautiful and the best reuben sandwich I've encountered. It also comes with a pickle spear. Just look at this goodness. $7.95 For my second visit, I went back to try some french fries and the 174, their other most popular sandwich.

- 174 Grilled Roast Beef - A toasted sub roll contains grilled roast beef, cheddar cheese, caramelized onions, chipotle aioli, and peppers. The combination of the onions, peppers, and aioli give a wonderfully sweet flavor combination that is subtely spicy and not overpowering. And of course, the toasted bread and juicy meat give those feelings of comfort and home that make you feel warm inside. It a great sandwich for people who want to try something new and love roast beef. Just like the reuben, the 174 is sure to fill your stomach. $7.95

- French Fries - Crispy and fried in fresh oil, the french fries were delicious too. A great accompaniment as long as you have room to eat it all. $2.35Other delightful options include meatball sandwiches, and other treats named The Loin (after the area which they are located), Pop's Classic, Little Italy, and more. The website describes all of these.

I would definitely return to Morty's if I'm in San Francisco on a weekday. The reuben sandwich is incredible and certainly worth a try. Don't wait - it's one awesome melt in your mouth bite after another.