DOWNTOWN LOS ANGELES — It’s not uncommon to find a line of hungry office workers snaking around California Plaza  during the lunchtime rush, the scene drawing onlookers wondering what could possibly attract such a presence. For those in  the know, Mendocino Farms is nothing short of a way of life.

Luckily for us, the restaurant’s new location at 5th and Flower in Citigroup Plaza is well positioned to serve those in the  Financial District who may not have the time to trek up Grand Avenue and wait in line during short lunch breaks.

Try the Highway 128, a chicken, goat cheese, apple and ancho-cranberry chutney sandwich — but don’t miss the jalapeno relish — or this author’s favorite, the kurobuta pork belly banh mi: a Vietnamese-style sandwich with just the right level of spicy kick.

Prices are higher than a normal sandwich shop — $7.75 to $9.75 — but the quality of the product is second to none. And despite the long line, it moves along at a snappy conveyor-belt pace.

Grand opening for the new space is Monday, November 16, at 11:00am. As always, call to confirm hours before visiting.

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.

Never take Judy Han’s sandwiches for granted

Chef Judy Han has worked in high-end kitchens like Lucques and Literati II, but her greatest skill is making a perfect sandwich. At Mendocino Farms–downtown’s best lunch secret–she’s mastered the art.

This eco-artisanal café has been feeding busy office workers in California Plaza since 2005, and for those near 5th St. and Flower, a new, larger location will debut at the Citibank Center on November 16 (with a soft opening this Thursday).

Han (pictured) says the secret to Mendo’s addictive and unique sandwiches is simple: Use great ingredients, balance their flavors, then add a bit of whimsy.

She adds crushed honey-roasted almonds to give some crunch to a prosciutto, chicken and fresh mozzarella sandwich. Her new Pineapple Winter Vacation panini is a nod to Hawaiian pizza, with grilled pineapple and tomato, honey and oozing cheese fondue.

One of our favorite creations–duck confit with duck-skin chicharrones on ciabatta–might appear effortless, but it takes at least two days to prepare. And accoutrements like spicy pepper relish and fig spread, or innovations like the quinoa-butternut squash patty for a vegetarian sandwich, are all made by hand.

“Give each component love, and you can’t help but have a good sandwich,” says Han. The lines that wrap around the café at lunchtime are proof.

October 1, 2008

YOU’VE invited the gang over to watch the game, and the tension rises as the clock winds down to the half. Maybe it’s due to the excitement of the game, but the sense of anticipation is just as likely to come from that happy halftime question: What are we eating?

How do you satisfy the ravenous masses? Try sandwiches.

Nowadays, the most intriguingly delicious sandwiches are balanced meals — entree, salad and bread. Pan-fried cod is topped with radicchio slaw. Edamame hummus gets crunchy with grated carrots and a salad that includes crushed wasabi peas. A Vietnamese-style pork belly banh mi incorporates pickled vegetables.

At its core, the sandwich is comfortingly familiar, but it’s also become the current culinary muse of many a chef. Take the pork belly banh mi from Mendocino Farms Sandwiches & Marketplace in downtown Los Angeles. It has gained a loyal following among the hundreds of lunching workers the place serves each weekday.

Chef Judy Han takes a large slab of pork belly and braises it slowly, like Japanese buta kakuni, in a sweetened soy-sake broth spiked with ginger and garlic until it’s fork tender. She chills it overnight, then dices and pan-fries the pieces so they’re crisp on the outside and meltingly tender within.

At home, you can do the same thing — roast the pork and make the quick-pickled vegetables over a weeknight or two.

Ready to roll

ON THE day of the game, assemble the sandwiches. Spread chipotle mayonnaise on a ciabatta roll (Han uses these thin, tender rolls instead of the baguettes more often used for banh mibanh mi).

Add a generous handful of pork, the pickled daikon and carrots, some cucumber, cilantro and a few slices of jalapeño, then grill. The crisp, fresh herb and tangy pickled vegetables provide a nice contrast to the rich bits of tender pork.

Or put your fish and slaw combo between a couple of slices of bread. Several hours or a day ahead, toss shredded radicchio and red cabbage with capers, olives and a light vinaigrette for an assertively colorful slaw.

Shortly before serving, toast thick pumpernickel slices and slather half with a little Dijon mustard and the rest with some creamy horseradish. Pan-fry lightly floured cod to a crisp golden-brown, and assemble the sandwiches as the fish comes out of the pan.

For an excitingly hot-sweet and hearty vegetarian sandwich, owner Jeffrey Price of Skratch Restaurant in Culver City offers an edamame hummus sandwich.

To make it at home, start with a robust do-ahead edamame spread, vibrant green and nutty (it’s a blend of spinach, edamame and garbanzo beans) with notes of garlic and tahini. Make the miso dressing ahead of time too.

Assembly is simple; you could let your guests make their own. Just spread the hummus on a rustic ciabatta roll and top it with sliced cucumber and tomato along with a salad of baby greens tossed with crushed wasabi peas and a tangy miso vinaigrette.

Pile the sandwiches high and serve with a stack of napkins. You may have no control over the game, but you’ve just scored with the gang.

Friday, September 5, 2008, by Lesley Balla

Mendocino Farms is a small lunch-only counter in the California Plaza food court that only Downtownizens seem to know about. We’re sure the people who line up for sandwiches every day want to keep it that way—who wants to add another 40 people to the 60-deep lined up at noon any given day—but after having a duck confit sandwich with duck skin chicarrones and figs on chewy Breadbar bread yesterday, we can not contain ourselves. Chef/partner Judy Han has done stints in some top kitchens in LA (A.O.C., Grace, Literati II) and it shows. She uses artisanal ingredients and supports small farms, and the restaurant is certified green. The menu is large but the seasonal selections are what to look for, some of which may even end up in the regular rotation—fans of the Kurobuta pork belly banh mi wouldn’t let Han take it off the menu, and there’s a mean vegan ’schwarma’ we hear. It’s not new in the newest sense, but there are finally expansion plans in the works: Probably two or three more locations downtown and then they’ll maybe head west. Century City seems to be a buzz word. Westsiders, brace.

Anatomy of an Opening

A Behind-the-Scenes Look at a New Business’ First Hour

by Jon Regardie

Published: Friday, November 20, 2009 4:31 PM PST

DOWNTOWN LOS ANGELES – New restaurants continue to be a hot trend in Downtown Los Angeles. Several dozen have opened in the past couple years, and more are on the way.

But what challenges arise before everyone smiles for the customers? What goes on behind the scenes as people enter, expecting to be fed a perfect meal in a timely manner?

Mario Del Pero, who with his wife Ellen Chen opened upscale sandwich establishment Mendocino Farms on Bunker Hill in 2006, debuted the second Mendocino last week at the Citigroup Center at 444 S. Flower St. He let Los Angeles Downtown News behind the scenes on opening day. Here is the first hour, plus 29 minutes of prep beforehand, in the life of a new Downtown business.

10:31 a.m.: The restaurant at Fifth and Flower streets glistens in the morning sunlight. A robin’s egg blue sign above an open door beckons customers, though service won’t begin for another 29 minutes. About 10 small tables dot the courtyard in front of the restaurant, while the interior features an attractive assemblage of warm woods, gray nouveau industrial stools and a dropped, pressed-tin ceiling.

10:34: There’s a problem. “I currently don’t have bread,” Del Pero mutters incredulously. The delivery man appears to be lost.

10:37: The staff bustles about. Most wear brown T-shirts that on the back bear the restaurant’s name and the slogan “Eat Local. Think Global.” Behind the counter, chef Judy Han and her team stir pots bubbling with meatballs and mix up pulled pork, among other goods.

10:38: The bread man has been located, but appears to be across the street in the Paul Hastings buildings. Del Pero darts out of the restaurant.

10:42: Two men in suits walk into Mendocino Farms. “You guys open yet?” asks one. A hostess kindly asks them to return shortly. The situation is repeated with three women two minutes later. It keeps recurring as the opening approaches.

10:44: The bread arrives! The delivery man rolls in a few huge pallets of artisan bread with Del Pero trailing close behind. The bread is moved into the open kitchen, where Han and others begin slicing. Del Pero has said they are prepared to serve 700 sandwiches in the first four-hour shift.

10:50: Signs are being finished and placed throughout the restaurant. One, with the price of soups and salads, is affixed to a glass case.

10:51: A manager calls the staff together for a pre-shift meeting. She hastily has them sample some of the salads and small dishes. She describes the orecchiette, the ingredients of the potato salad, and the orzo. When it draws some quizzical looks she explains, “It’s a rice-shaped pasta.”

10:57: About 15 people are lined up outside the door.

10:58: Asked how he feels about the imminent opening, Del Pero responds, “I feel good.” Actually, he looks flustered.

10:59: Literal last-minute instructions are given. Del Pero tells the hostesses to take one order at a time and move at a steady pace so that the kitchen is not overwhelmed.

11:00: No bells, no whistles, no celebration as the first order is taken. Estela Romero, a security guard in a nearby building, asks for the BBQ Chicken sandwich. “I want to taste how it is,” she says when asked why she is first in line. “And I have a coupon.”

11:02: The third customer through the door orders 20 sandwiches. This is just about the worst thing that can happen to a new restaurant trying to maintain a smooth pace.

11:05 a.m.: Romero’s BBQ Chicken is ready and a smiling, pierced staffer hands it over in a brown paper bag stamped with the Mendocino logo. Meanwhile, word appears to have spread: About 30 people are waiting in the line.

11:10: The staff behind the assembly line-like counter is trying to catch up to the 20-sandwich order while additional orders come in. People want Steak BLTs, the Chicken Prosciutto and more. Bread is sliced, meats applied, toppings added and panini grills pressed down. Del Pero looks frazzled.

11:13: Less than 15 minutes after opening, 40 people are waiting in line. With a smile the size of Mendocino County, Del Pero tells people toward the back that things have been slowed by the 20-sandwich order and the wait could be 15-20 minutes. Everyone appreciates the information; some walk away, others prefer to wait.

11:18: A large crowd is clustering around the cash register. The back up of the big order is apparent.

11:24: The 20-sandwich order is complete, though the crush around the register is even larger. “We might not catch up for an hour,” Del Pero says.

11:26: A total of 53 people are either gathered around the register or in line. Despite the mass, orders are starting to flow. One customer walks out the front door, sandwich bag in hand, followed by another and another.

11:32: The cluster at the register is shrinking as the assembly line finds its rhythm. Some are slicing, others spreading. The panini grills spring up and down. Del Pero says a large number of people are ordering panini, which slows down the process.

11:36: About a half hour after opening, 26 people are inside Mendocino Farms and 52 wait outside. Del Pero continues to work the line, explaining the wait. When some leave, he remarks, “I’m so sorry. Please come back and be regulars.” He gets smiles in return.

11:42: Suddenly things seem calmer. “We caught up,” Del Pero says, and indeed, only six people are in front of the register waiting for their food. Behind the counter, chef Han and her staff work intently, though no one appears out of sorts.

11:47: The line swells and shrinks. With the traditional noon lunch hour approaching, it seems clear Del Pero has picked a location with customers eager for new food options.

11:54: Fifty-six people stand in the line in front of the restaurant.

12:00 p.m.: Del Pero’s smile is still huge. “We’ve already done 200 sandwiches,” he says. Meanwhile, the line at the new Mendocino Farms stretches on.