Sandwiches in San Francisco

We walked around San Francisco looking for great eats. After reading blogs and reviews, we realized that we had to try the subs at Marina Sub.

Marina Sub, a non-descript sandwich shop owned by the same Asian man who makes an array of overstuffed submarine sandwiches (hero, grinder, hoagie...call it what you will) is located at the corner of Union and Steiner Streets in the Marina section of San Francisco. When we arrived at about 1PM, there were only a few customers waiting on line with a handful seated at one of the sparse tables, eating their sandwiches. What we discovered was...the man sure knows how to make sandwich! Of particular note, is the impressive way in which he peels and slices an avocado. The man was a finely tuned machine; taking orders, making and toasting sandwiches, and then wrapping them with no wasted effort. It was the fusion of art and efficiency!

There are 3 sizes to choose from: small (5 inches), medium (7 inches), and large (10 inches). After having some time to observe while waiting, we opted for sharing a large "Italian" on which he first put mustard on one side the large Italian style baguette (we almost stopped him but are glad that we didn't), to which he then added cappicola, salami, mortadella, and provolone. He then put them in the oven to toast. While he was building our sandwich, he also prepared several phone ordered sandwiches and took orders from the next customers in line. When the sandwich was toasted, he added mayonnaise, shredded lettuce, tomato, and Italian dressing, then using his long knife closed the bread tightly and neatly wrapped it.

The sandwich was as tasty as we had anticipated from observing its construction. The bread was soft and lightly toasted, and the contents blended perfectly with the flavors of the mustard, mayonnaise and Italian dressing. It was well worth the walk there and we enjoyed the rare good fortune of a relatively short wait. Because, by the time we left, the line was out the door and around the corner!