Italian combo sandwich at Merigan Sub Sandwich Shop.
Order: It sounds like a deli case tornado, but the Italian combo ($13)—with its wide ribbons of mortadella, salami, prosciutto cotto, and provolone—is a meat-lined trip down memory lane for tri-state area exiles. The necessary shredded lettuce, oil, and oregano are all present, but—for better or worse—the proprietary Pinkie’s roll provides a little more resistance than your standard soft roll. It’s not advertised, but you can order a half sandwich—a recommended tactic that leaves room for bites of the Arista ($13), loaded with warm roasted and braised pork, sharp provolone, long hots, and rapini.
Add: Owner Liza Shaw achieved her chef fame at meaty A16, so it’s well worth dabbling in her carnivorous extras, like lightly spicy pig skin chicharrĂ³ns and an addictive, artfully seasoned sausage–white bean soup.
Dessert: Shaw polishes her boardwalk theme with Italian shaved ice ($4) for dessert, but it’s impossible to compete with her dark chocolate chip cookie ($2.50) sprinkled with just the right amount of sea salt. 636 2nd St. (near Brannan St.), 415-536-2991
Originally published in the January 2014 issue of San Francisco
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