"Too few people understand a really good sandwich."
James Beard
My love of food wrapped in dough has sent me to many a sandwich shop. I have been without a favorite sandwich shop since So.Cial Custom Butcher Shop and Deli closed it's doors. Enter Meat &Bread.
You know how you can tell that you are going to like something just by the look of it? Something about the logo really appeals to me. Maybe it's the simplicity of the name. Meat & Bread. They are going to give you a sandwich. And I bet it is going to be a great sandwich. I like restaurants that focus on a specific item, and the name reflects that. Like Moderne Burger. They serve burgers. Don't even get me started on how upset I was when I went into IHOP and found out they serve more than pancakes. Totally misleading name.
Meat & Bread opened this week across from Victory Square on the edge of supra hip Gastown. Right near my fave taco shop, La Taqueria. When I found out they were now open, I invited my co-worker, and fellow blogger, Amanda for a lunch date.
We got there at about 12:15 and the line was gigantic. The owner, who introduces himself as Frankie, greets us at the door. He goes over the ordering process and tells us they are cash only for the next week or so. Very nice touch. I like when they explain how to order. It was nice to be greeted as well.
I love the look of the restaurant. It is painted white with French and old west type decorations. Mirrors, white plaster decorations and whitewash paint with taxidermy heads and stuffed snakes. There are a few options for seating including a long table, bar seating and some tables by the window.
They had 4 sandwiches plus a daily special. They offer a porchetta (the house special, according to Frankie), curried lamb, meatball and grilled cheese. You can follow the restaurant on twitter, @1meatandbread, to find out the daily special. They are licenced so you can have a beer and they had a ice cream sandwich for dessert.
I chose the porchetta sandwich with tomato soup.
I am in love. One of the best parts was watching the sandwich being made. The chef is at a cutting board with a giant roll of porchetta. He shaves some off, cuts it up and slices open a fresh baked roll that another chef had just taken out of the oven. Steamed poured up off the roll as he added the porchetta. He then grabbed some of the crunchy skin and chopped that up and added it to the meat. *Sigh*. Then he added some salsa verde, put it on a sandwich board and I moved onto the soup chef. The meat was so juicy and the salsa gave it a nice kick.
I am sorry I forgot your name, soup chef, but that was the best tomato soup I have ever had. I said to Amanda that I wished I knew food better so that I could describe why I liked it so much. It was the base of the soup that made it fantastic. It was really thick and tomato-y.
Amanda ordered the curried lamb.
It was a bit messier to eat, but just as tasty. The curry flavor really packed a punch in this one. The lamb was shredded and so tender.
If you get your sandwich to go, they wrap it in paper and put a cute sticker on it to show what type of sandwich it is. A pig, cow or lamb face. They also have a sticker for the daily special.
I loved the food and the place was packed with the young and hip. The staff were friendly and chatty and seemed to be having a great time. I am a fan. Mmmmm, sandwiches.
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