Life on the Farm New Adventures in Sandwiches

by Jon Regardie

Published: Friday, October 6, 2006 5:10 PM PDT

At first, it sounds odd when Mendocino Farms proprietor Mario Del Pero refers to Connor O’Neill as “Chef Connor.” After all, the lunch-only joint in Cal Plaza serves sandwiches. Not a food that brings to mind a toque and a display kitchen.

Of course, anyone who has stood in the long but quickly moving mid-day line understands that the Mendocino Farms aesthete is less about pumping up traditional sandwiches – ham on rye, with dijonaise! – than putting a fine dining meal in between artisan bread. So when Del Pero mentions that O’Neill was trained in upscale Ohio restaurants, it starts to make sense. Then he describes how Mendocino Farms is now seeking out farms for specific, top-notch ingredients; he’s getting fresh mozzarella from Gioia Farms in El Monte, goat cheese from Skyhill Farms in the Napa Valley, gouda from the Winchester Cheese Company, and so on.

The result is an array of new and upgraded sandwiches that the 10-month-old establishment began rolling out Oct. 4. They start with a spruced-up Blue Buffalo chicken sandwich, where the romaine lettuce (“pedestrian,” says Del Pero, almost dismissively) has been replaced with a slaw made from green apple, cabbage and fried onions, and there’s now Point Reyes blue cheese in the mix. Then there are options catering to non-carnivores: The Not BLT contains vegetarian bacon, vegan mozzarella and veganaise, served on a tasty fig wheat bread. The Vegan Baked Soy Cutlet Club may be the first totally vegan sandwich that won’t send a meat-eater screaming into Bunker Hill – it’s built around a breaded soy cutlet that actually has texture. It includes vegan mozzarella.

But be warned: O’Neill is into pushing boundaries. When Del Pero said he wanted a Mendocino Farms version of peanut butter and jelly, O’Neill cobbled together the Pad Thai Chicken With Curried Peanut Butter. Starting with, yes, curried peanut butter, the sandwich in a wrap includes Thai sweet red chili slaw with a cucumber jalapeno sauce on the side. It’s got a kick, but those with open minds and palates will be rewarded.

Those looking for something more traditional should head straight to the California Market Steak and Brie, aged top sirloin and double cream French brie that virtually melts in the mouth. It is, in a word, addictive.

One more note: By the end of the week, Mendocino Farms will open an organic coffee shop adjacent to the restaurant proper. It will offer a European-style espresso bar and an array of grab-and-go sandwiches.

Mendocino Farms is open Mon.-Fri. 11 a.m.-3 p.m. The coffee shop will be open 8 a.m.-6 p.m. 300 S. Grand Ave., (213) 620-1114, mendocinofarms.com.