Los Angeles, CA 90071
http://mendocinofarms.com/
"Fine dining" in sandwich form is pretty much what defines Mendocino Farms. They take inspiration from the local farmer's markets and combine it with the philosophies of "slow food" and sustainability to make some pretty impressive grub. Another place that's been on our "to do" list for a while, but only being open for weekday lunches, it was difficult to make time to pay this place a visit. So with Friday off and the "Farms" open, we made our way to downtown to experience some of the best food you can have between two pieces of bread.
Our visit took place on New Year's Eve, so there wasn't much of a downtown crowd to speak of. From what we understood, the place gets pretty packed during the lunch rush. The place was pretty small but felt very open. Decor was fairly minimal and the staff, very friendly. We were offered samples of all their soups and salads while we waited in line.
Their service of only vintage soda from Boylan's via a fountain was a nice touch. Added a bit of sophistication. All the sodas are made from cane sugar and served as a nice departure from the prototypical Coke and Pepsi fountains found throughout fast food joints. They even came up with some beverage pairings for the sandwiches!
1. Vegan Spinach and Arugula Salad - Briar Patch Fuyu Persimmons, Red Seedless Grapes and Hazelnuts (Raspberry Mint Vinaigrette) - A very nice lunch side salad. Just a touch of light vinaigrette dressing which added a bit of acidity to the hearty spinach greens. Some hazelnuts for texture and aroma, with grapes and persimmons for sweetness. A very well balanced dish. The persimmons were what sets this salad apart from many similar counterparts. The persimmons were poached, nice and soft, and a perfect compliment to this salad.
2. Kurobuta Pork Belly Banh Mi - braised, caramelized kurobuta pork belly, housemade pickled daikon and carrots, cilantro, cucumbers, jalapenos, chili aioli on panini grilled ciabatta
Ahhh..the famous Pork Belly Banh Mi. We've heard about this sandwich from a lot of people. It definitely lives up to all the hype and then some. The pork belly is braised in a sweet and salty mixture of soy sauce, sake and brown sugar - pairing nicely with the fresh veggies and the nutty chili aoili. The ciabatta is a nice alternative to the traditional banh mi baguette.
It tasted very similar to the pork belly banh mi we attempted at home using the Mendocino Farms recipe. Even though we used regular, cheap pork belly from the asian market, there is not too much of a distinguishable difference once it is braised and cooked for 3 hours in a heavy marinade. The one noticeable difference is the flavor of the aioli - we didn't used the chipotle in adobo sauce and just used Siracha - perhaps that is where the nuttiness came from. After having tasted this version, we can see why so many people rave about this sandwich.
3. Steak BLT - carved steak, applewood bacon, romaine lettuce, roasted tomatoes, herb aioli, caramelized onions on toasted rustic white bread. Also a winner! Despite all the liquid from the veggies and the meat, the white bread remained structurally intact and did not get soggy or fall apart. The steak was seasoned and cooked perfectly. In general, the meat in steak sandwiches tend to be of a lower quality and therefore, much more chewy then you'd like when eating a sandwich. The doneness of this steak was perfect to yield just a minimal amount of resistance with each bite. Loved the simplicity of the sandwich and all the fresh ingredients.
Although not the most inexpensive of lunch options, almost $50 for three people, we realized that you are paying for fresh, quality ingredients when you eat here. With everything we had so well executed and so tasty, we felt that it was well worth the extra bit of dough. We'll definitely make our way back to downtown for another round of these delicious sandwiches and salads the next chance we get.