By far, Mendocino Farms is consistently my favorite sandwich restaurant to eat at ever.
http://www.mendocinofarms.com/
I found out about Mendocino Farms in college when it was catered for an event. I immediately fell in love with the Steak BLT, but as I started frequenting the restaurant and learning more about their non-catered menu my new favorite became the Kurobuta Pork Belly Bahn Mi. The quality of ingredients is fresh, healthy and so delicious. The service is top-notch, fun, friendly, and helpful.
For those of you that are soda drinkers or even beer drinkers, Mendos has their alcohol license. Many people enjoy a nice beer with their sandwich but if you don’t partake or are not of age, they have their own collection of homemade sodas from black cherry soda to ginger ale! Definitely worth checking out.
Another major plus about Mendocino Farms is that they have the best side salads ever. Lemonade, bless them, doesn’t even come close to the quality and taste of the sides they offer here. They have a moderately sized selection of sides that they rotate throughout the week for variety. My personal favorites are the Spicy Potato Salad, Potato Salad, and Curried Cous-cous. Apologies for not snapping a few pictures of the sides. I ended up eating my samples before I remembered to take pictures.
Fun fact/hack: if you can overcome your shame of being “that person” they give you as many samples as you have the guts to ask for and honestly 2 “samples” of their sides are all you really need to be satisfied. NOT saying that they aren’t THAT GOOD because they really are, but they’re just so rich and filling that if you have any more than that you might not have room for the sandwich. So really the only real problem that exists is that there are so many good things here that you need to moderate yourself so you can try them all.
Chris’ personal favorite that he returns to is the Prosciutto and Free-Range Chicken sandwich. This tasty piece comes chalked full of Creminelli prosciutto, chicken breast, Gioia fresh mozzarella, crushed honey almonds (that add an important sweet contrast), with basil pesto, balsamic vinegar, and tomatoes on a panini grilled chiabatta. I regret not stealing a bite of his now that I’m thinking about it.
Prosciutto & Free Range Chicken
Next comes MY masterpiece. Below you will find the most amazing sandwich you have ever had the pleasure of feasting your eyes on. And those of you who are lucky enough to be in Southern California may one day be able to feast on the sandwich itself. The Kurobuta Pork Belly Bahn Mi is modeled after a popular Vietnamese sandwich and comes with braised, caramelized Kurobuta pork belly meat, housemade pickled daikon radishes and carrots, cilantro, cucumbers, jalapenos, and chili aioli on a panini grilled chiabatta.
Kurobuta Pork Belly Bahn Mi…yuuum
From bread to veggies to meat to sauce, everything about this sandwich is delicious. I craaave spice so the there are never too many jalapenos is any bite and the sweetness is such a refreshing change of pace for sandwiches and meals in general that are just too salty.
The servings here are perfectly sized for most guys to eat in one sitting but for girls, you can fill up on half and save the other for lunch the next day. Even reheated (or cold depending on your sandwich) these sandwiches are still good the next day or two. But really, with how good they taste, I’d be surprised if they lasted that long. Forever one of my favorite restaurants, you will be greatly missed. But ’til next year Mendocino Farms!
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