A porky sandwich on Fairfax and Third ! 🐷

in #food6 years ago (edited)

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It's a Saturday afternoon and just a bit too chilly to be sitting outside, but I need all the sun I could get since I've been holed up in my apartment all week. Rob and I walked over to Mendocino Farms on Fairfax and 3rd to grab a late lunch. We have been meaning to check this place out but have never had the time. I'll be honest I'm always skeptical about salad and sandwich restaurants. Maybe it's the inner Asian speaking, but I always feel like I could just as easily make a delicious sandwich at home so why pay 10 bucks for one. Well, today I woke up with a terrible headache and by lunchtime, I was way too exhausted to cook a meal so we decided it's time to give this place a shot.

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When we walked in the first thing I saw was a huge menu display. A friendly host standing next to it welcomed us in and walked us through the ordering process. He explained that we will order here at the menu, grab a sample, pay at the register, then seat ourselves and wait for our food to come out at the counter. He recommended that we try their most popular sandwiches and so we ordered the "Not so Fried" and the Pork Belly Ban Mi sandwiches. We grabbed a sample of their homemade potato salad, paid for our meal, and made our way outside.

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The potato salad was delicious! It was tart, a bit spicy and had yummy chunks of potato. A typical hipsterfied potato salad. I was thoroughly impressed and excited for our sandwiches after tasting that.

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We sat at a dark wooden bench because I thought it would look nice in a flat lay. It ended up not mattering because I choose to shoot from a different angle once the food came out. The food was ready within 10 minutes, Rob went to grab it from the counter when the buzzer rang. You can see for yourself that the sandwiches were beautifully made.

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The Pork Belly Bahn Mi caught me off guard because it didn't come on a traditional baguette. Honestly, it was much easier to eat in panini form, so I'll have to give it to them for switching things up a bit. The pork belly was a little dry but still, it was quite tasty. However, the veggies in the sandwich were disappointing. The carrots and radishes were not well pickled and tasted quite plain. Their lack of tartness ended up not balancing out the fattiness of the pork belly like they should, leaving my mouth with an oily aftertaste. But overall, the sandwich was delicious especially with a little blob of BBQ sauce, I mean how can you go wrong with pork belly? I would definitely recommend it to anyone who's open to trying something new. I wouldn't recommend it if you're craving authentic Bahn Mi flavors though. Maybe try Pho Saigon Pearl a few blocks down.

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The "Not So Fried" sandwich was a chicken sandwich with "krispies, herb aioli, mustard pickle slaw, tomatoes, pickled red onions, on toasted ciabatta". With my first bite, I was unimpressed. I'm honestly surprised that it's their best seller. I'm not a fan of messy sandwiches, they make me anxious when eating leading me to eat the whole thing very quickly to avoid making a mess. This was definitely one of those situations. The individual elements of the sandwich were well made, the bread was perfectly toasty with the aioli, the chicken was juicy, the mustard pickle slaw was delicious and the fried bits gave it an interesting crunch. However, the enormous chunk of chicken breast made it difficult to not accidentally pull all the chicken out in one bite. The most disappointing thing was that each bite was either all chicken or all fillings. No matter how I tried, I couldn't get an even bite without making a mess.

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After my meal, I was able to pull out my laptop to write this piece. Honestly, the free wifi really gave them a bonus point in my books. Sitting here is pretty relaxing since they're located right across from the Grove, I get a great view of the palm trees and the farmers market. It does get annoying that every 10 minutes or so a large bus stops in front of the restaurant creating a suffocating cloud of pollution that drifts right into the seating area. There are also some pretty rude drivers blaring their horns as they run through the red at the intersection. But what can you do? It is LA! Overall, the vibe here is great, you can chill here with a couple of coworkers for your lunch break and gab over the latest office gossip while feeling like the most basic LA bitch. Or bring your laptop and get some writing done, which is even better.

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I've decided that Mendocino Farms deserves at least four stars for their cleanliness, above average food, friendly staff, and great location. If you're in the area, and willing to spend 10 bucks on a sandwich, it's definitely on my recommended list! Just maybe don't get the "Not so Fried" sandwich. If you do and love it let me know too! It's usually just a matter of different preferences. :)

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I hope you enjoyed reading about my Saturday afternoon as much as I enjoyed sharing it. It's starting to get too chilly out here so I'm probably going to head back to my apartment and get ready to go meet my friend for some drinks. But before you go, let me know what your favorite sandwiches are in the comments below. I'd love to learn some new sandwich recipes to try out!

Happy eating! :)

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"Food is the ingredient that binds us together"

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Beautiful .. Thanks for the pictures
Great post from you
Thanks for sharing..

It looks like subway footlong.

Theres no language barrier in terms of food, everyone knows how to eat and have their own fav food. lol

I agree food is such a great way to connect with other people, we all speak the common language of a delicious meal! I promise it's way better than a subway footlong haha :D

Nutrition in goodness is a food in accordance with its true nature. Man in goodness is aware of the direct relationship of nutrition - a state, since he feels it literally skinned. This food with an eye on its own body constitution, adjusted for climatic conditions and seasonality.

Man, those sandwiches look amazing!! Best way to spend a nice Saturday, eating good food and enjoying yourself!

Agreed! Eating good food is the best way to spend any day really haha!

I don't know how but this post made me hungry AF and i just ate like 5 mins ago!
I think I gotta see how I can get this food in the belly!
thanks for making me hungry again lolll :D

Haha I'm honestly like that too when I read food blogs! :D

well your blog is all about that juicy ass foods haha
don't even have to read it, one look and here I am hungry AF! haha

joking aside you have a very nice blog. colorful! <3

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You received a 13.33% upvote from @brotherhood thanks to @mamalikh13!,
Delegate to Bot and Get High Return Fix 100% earning return,
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that sandwich looks packed

Your delicious food makes me hungry enough.I love sandwiches.

Not only the sandwiches but the soulful salads too.

I love sandwiches too! I'm always looking for new delicious sandwich recipes to try out :P

Grandes fotografías

I love the way you write. That description of something as basic as sandwiches kept me engaged and not really wanting to scroll down and just check out pics. The sandwiches look divine, it's a little disappointing that they didn't live up to the moment.

I look forward to reading more of your food review pieces and am feeling quite refreshed by your frank opinions.

Have a great day.

Thank you! I was hoping that me just writing about sandwiches wouldn't get too boring hahaha. It is disappointing when the food doesn't taste as good as they look but it was still worth the try! I think it was good enough for me to go back and give the place another shot and try something new on their menu.

I look forward to seeing you more in my comments section!❤️️

XOXO

I hear you, there is nothing worse than not quite getting what you thought or hoped you might when it comes to food. Especially if you are like me and food is literally life. lol. :)

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