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| - Brace yourselves, hipsters: contrary to the recent press explosion, this place didn't actually just open. It's been around since October 2009.
Yep, all the sandwiches are named after Wilco songs and there are Wilco posters on the wall. But this isn't what brought me here - it was the lure of 17 types of sandwiches on freshly baked bread, 7 of them vegetarian. I've been longing for a strictly sandwich place to open up to tear down Sandwich Box's reign as king of the roost for years now. Ike's Place in San Francisco, which offers 100+ sandwiches and boasts two hour lineups down the block (1888 reviews and counting: http://www.yelp.com/biz/ikes-place-san-francisco) comes to mind.
I was a loyal Wilco fan for the first four albums straight - but when A Ghost Is Born dropped in 2004 I was no longer interested, and I've certainly never listened to Sky Blue Sky or Wilco ST. But I have always felt a sort of kinship with Jeff Tweedy as a fellow migraineur and fiery soul. If you've never listened to Wilco and want to, may I highly recommend Summerteeth (1999) and Yankee Hotel Foxtrot (2002). The former is where my sandwich of choice "She's A Jar" (almond butter spread on slices of honey-nut whole wheat bread, topped with slices of banana and sprinkled with cinnamon for $4.29) got its inspiration. It's a great song and a bangin' 1-14 sold album of tracks. Acquire it.
Sandwich was tasty but a thick layer of almond butter is tough to eat and I don't recommend it when meeting up with an old friend to catch up. You'll struggle to spit out more than a few words at a time between peeling almond butter from the roof of your mouth. I shall choose another veggie sandwich next time. The tomato & rice soup with parmesan was beyond excellent. You know how I feel about rice in my soup (adore it), and along with a bottled Nestea my lunch was still under $10 (I believe $8.50 was the total).
Ambiance needs some work - it could be cozier in here. Dunno what used to be in this space but I'm thinking Mr. Sub? I was hoping for more of a Green Room/Nirvana (minus the mice) or Tequila Bookworm vibe. Music (Coldplay, Klaxons, Ryan Adams) is pleasant, but please, crank the volume. I like a soundtrack while eating.
Will be back!
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