KyleParkinson.com

I love a good sandwich. I’m from New Jersey; maybe it’s in my blood. But nothing gets me off so completely as when random foods from random food groups come together to live in perfect harmony. It’s like a model for world peace. A delicious model.

Alas, when I moved to San Francisco two years ago, I didn’t have the foresight to realize I would be giving up some of the best sandwiches in the world. Many a morning I wake up longing for Roberto at Brush’s to make my standard: Taylor Ham, Egg and Cheese, no salt, pepper or ketchup. I don’t even have to tell him the order anymore. I walk in after half a year away, we exchange a hearty handshake and a knowing glance, and the ham is already sizzling on the grill.

So you can imagine my sheer delight when on Sunday I stumbled into Giordano Bros. in North Beach. I’ve got to be honest, I was mainly looking for a beer, but I figured breakfast could come in food form too. They have these famous “all-in-one” sandwiches, but I had no idea what was going on, so I ordered an egg and cheese (crying on the inside about the lack of Taylor Ham outside of NJ). Well I damn near fell off my stool (one beer deep) when a masterpiece landed in front of me featuring eggs, cheese, french fries and cole slaw, all together on one sandwich! Needless to say, I was in flavor country!

So thanks, Giordano Bros. You get it. You get me. And you’ve sated me for the 13 days leading up to my east coast trip.