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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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. :)
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! :)
"Food is the ingredient that binds us together"
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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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 fotografΓas
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!β€οΈοΈ
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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ugh..this post made me soooo hungry! Anyway, great review!
thank you! I'm working on writing more reviews on all the places I visit :)
Looking forward for more. Followed! π
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the pics looked so delicious. Make me hungry badly now
haha thank you! :) Sorry I hope you got something to snack on!
I want that right now! Upvote & Follow. Best wishes from Germany and feel free to check my posts as well.
Sorry, but I can not look at these photos because I'm on a diet.
wooowwwww yummy
πβ€οΈοΈ
Damn this food and the place looks beautiful! You did a great job on your review!
The pics with your detailed description makes the water in my mouth. :P))
haha thank you I hope you got to grab something to eat afterwards :)
Great review Iris! Those photos make me hungry for second dinner, even if the sandwiches weren't perfect. I'd give them a try. Ok, my favorite sandwich is a basic ingredient BLT. Avocados can be a great addition but not necessary if all the other parts are made perfect. Cheers!
Hey Scott! Thanks, I'm still figuring out how to take and edit food pics. I couldn't quite get my camera to focus on the "Not So Fried" sandwich, it kept coming out looking like a pile of mush haha! But yes the place is definitely still worth a visit, I'll be going back to try some of the other things on their menu for sure.
I agree BLTs are delicious and for me they're even better with avocados! ππ₯β€οΈοΈ
Haha! Might be macro lens time. Happy shooting!
Ohh maybe it is! I'll look into it π thanks!
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I am lik food
Hello ~ I want to share various articles about Korean issues.
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Delicious , Bon Appetit!
thanks for share
This made me super hungry and I just finished last, albeit not a lunch of the scale you experienced. Nice photography of the food itself, I am not used to seeing high-quality food photography on Steemit, especially photos that are properly in focus, ha.
Hahaha well, it's never too late for another meal! Thanks, I'm still learning how to take better photos hopefully I'm doing the beautiful sandwiches justice :)
Ughhh.....These photos made my mouth watry. Am really hyngry again after my big meal...hehe.
I really love this....wanna try it for sure. Sandwish LOVE and Avacado.
yummmmmmmmmm
Great dear good
Great idea - great post and great food :)
Glad to see someone enjoys something similar to me
Keep it up
Henry
Boy that looks gooooooooooood!!!!!!
oh you look cute.
Work and chill together :))
Very Yummy food!!
Must try for me these sandwiches. Thanks for sharing in steemit platform.
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love it
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thanks! :)
"Food is the ingredient that binds us together"
Epic line!
definitely, love bonding over a meal
I agree, I'm not sure who's quote that is, but it's definitely something that I can stand behind. Good food is like a universal language that we can all connect with :)
I constantly wonder about Molly Schuyler?? She's a beast! My Sis & I say that she must be a cow who has 4 stomachs & can put down a crap ton of food. :) Anyway, cool Post
cant resist to any sandwiches, argh it seems so nice n delicious !
so great sΓ‘ndwiches! I want to taste one like that hhaahah
your photos makes me hungry no joke, looks delicious sandwich
how good it is to try something different and not to be proving always the common, they look very good.
Now that's a real sandwich, I like the ambient in which you sit around and enjoy your food. Any where were I see palm trees has to be a good place to visit. Thanks for a nice post.
Believe it or not, I made pork soup yesterday...Turned out awesome!! I followed you and upvoted. Would be so awesome if you could do the same. I'm very new here :-) Check out my intro video here https://steemit.com/introduceyourself/@travelsa/r9ji45gn
Hope to chat soon
mmm sounds delicious, you should totally share your recipe! Also, welcome to Steemit it's pretty cool that you're from South Africa! :)
I love sandwiches
me too! :)
looks tasteful!
cool π
The sandwich on the photo looks delicious.
Thank you! I've been playing around with my camera trying to figure out food photography :)
I have a lot of vegetables so it is good.
After seeing the food, I can not say anything. Only Sandwich has the desire to eat. This is a very good food. and Healthy.
Thank you #allsthefoods.
To share this beautiful recipe with us.
I'm happy that you enjoyed it! :)
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This looks amazing! π·
Thanks!! π·
I'm hungry!! Time for breakfast in 30 mins!! ππ΄