My favorite sandwich shop in town is incredibly fast and has the sort of sandwiches my mom or sister might make for me or that I'd make for myself. They're just... normal sandwiches. I just had a turkey and swiss with red bell pepper and hot mustard. It is no small feat to make a normal sandwich in a deli. Somehow. I don't get why. You would not think it's a thing that could be ruined. But think of the really disgusting sandwiches you've encountered in your life! Yes! It is possible to ruin a simple turkey and cheese sandwich!
The deal is, every time I'm in this deli I have a mind boggling moment of wondering why the whole place is done up in Old West decor? It's got wagon wheels, washboards, old sacks, jangly old spurs, signs, sayings, photos, etc. But the rest of the decor is straight up "regular old sandwich shop" and in fact is overly generic, like the menus and wall signs make me think of a Denny's or a Baker's Square or something extremely dull, even though there are maybe 20 of this particular deli chain. The only nod to the Gold Rush theme in this signage is a faintly old-timey font. What's the deal? Is the eponymous "Erik" who owns or owned the deli, a descendant of some famous local Gold Rush participant? Did someone have a weird marketing brainwave? Is it a spinoff from the nearby Fry's that has an old west theme? Is it someone else's BBQ restaurant that got bought and repurposed? Because when I think "whole grain sandwich with sprouts and avocado on it" I do not think "yippee ti yay". DOES NOT COMPUTE.
Go west, young vegan, go west! That's where the veggies are best!
My theory is that the deli owner just really likes old west junk and goes to a lot of flea markets. So they can feed their junk shop hobby and count it as a business expense on their taxes! I imagine this all out, but have not tried to look it up or find out because I don't want to ruin my little daydream or the strange mystery of it all.
Next up I should blog my other favorite sandwich shop, Mr. Pickles in the Mission in SF. The history channel watching opportunities are good there, and the sandwiches scary awesome.
All of the Erik's chain are like that...I'm not sure why. It reminds me of my parents' house. They do make a good sandwich, though.
Posted by: lyssa | October 08, 2008 at 09:25 AM
Hey there is a Mr. Pickles in San Mateo I used to go to when I worked nearby.. are they the same? http://www.yelp.com/biz/mr-pickles-deli-san-mateo
Posted by: jennyalice | October 24, 2008 at 06:25 PM