366933 Fri Feb 02 10:24:45 -0800 2007 17 1 San Francisco Bay Area 0 2253432 I almost forgot why I love Cubano sandwiches so much with all the mediocre, at best, and downright awful, at worst, in the Bay Area. The Cubano at Bay Café reminded me why I’m crazy about this sandwich … it’s so simple … why can’t other places get this right. It didn’t replicate the Cubano exactly, but nothing got in the way and the spirit and the taste was there … the grilled bread was thin and perfectly crunchy … the right amount of provolone oozed deliciously over the thin sliced smoky pork tenderloin and ham. There was the right amount of pickles and the thin layer of roasted garlic artichoke spread actually did go well with this sandwich … very background so it didn’t ruin a thing. While the bread was a square ciabatta roll, it really worked as perfectly as the actual Cubano rolls. This review says … “A warm Cubano sandwich, pressed in a panini machine, was crisp ciabatta bread squeezed with thin slices of unctuous pork tenderloin and smoked ham, melting provolone cheese, pickles and a roasted garlic artichoke spread that took this combo to new flavor heights. http://www.marinij.com/dining/ci_4101709 I would say though that the 'unctuous' came from the cheese rather than the tenderloin. I had the second half of the sandwich for breakfast this morning and even cold it was delicious. The muffins are rightly praised, flavorful, light with crispy edges. The cinnamon muffin had lovely spice. There are six types of Philz coffee … ‘served to order. One cup at a time’. The Rueben uses David’s Pastrami. It is a comfortable small modern café with walls painted in mustard and catsup colors and blue tile floors with yellow accents. There are bright sunny windows. There are brushed metal tables with wooden chairs that have cutouts of steaming coffee cups on the back. The staff is super-nice. Located on Francisco Blvd nearish Anderson & the Loop … across the road from San Quentin at the foot of the San Rafael bridge. There’s even a little park on the Bay at the end of the parking lot. The Bay Cafe Address: 2165 Francisco Blvd. East, San Rafael Phone: 456-2365 Hours from the menu: Mon-Fri: 8 a.m. to 4 p.m (tho I think they change hours to close at 3) Closed Sat-Sun Fri Feb 02 10:24:45 -0800 2007 10264 rworange 1 2256515 Didn't have time to give the menu detail on the OP. The Philz coffees available: Tesora, Tantelizing Turkish, Jacob's Wunderbar, Phil's Sooooo! Good, Aromatic Arabic (my fav), The Philharmonic (second fav). The menu is brief. In addtion to the muffins they make scones and carry a handful few baked goods from other sources. There's two house made soups ... on my visit Italian wedding & tomato basil. I didn't notice until after ordering, but there is a cup of soup and half/sandwich option. Other than that it is sandwiches and salads. The IJ reviewer wasn't wowed by the Chinese chicken. They also have Caesar, Greek, green, Mediterranean plate and spinach, apple & avacado. The sandwichs besides the Cubano and Reuben that were mentioned include: GRILLED - Breakfast Ham & cheese (smoked ham or bacon with a baked egg frittata & swiss) - Roast beef Parmean with roasted red pepper relish on a ciabatta - Turkey Bacon with roasted red pepper relish on sourdough - Fairfax Portabells with gruyere, rasted red peppers and parmesan artichocke spread on a chiabatta - BLAT ... bacon, lettuce, avacado & tomato with sun-dried tomato tapenade - Chicken chipotle ... seared chicken breat, parmesan cheese, red onions, greens, with chipotle mayo on foccacio CLASSIC SANDWICHES - Turkey madera ... smoked turkey breast with cheddar, tomato romaine & roasted red pepper relish on wheat - Roast beef with tomato, romaine & un-dried tomato tapenade - Avacado, bacon and sweet onion with greens, tomato & feta cheese - Tuna artichoke ... white tuna, Vermont white cheddar and roasted red pepper artichoke tapenade - vegi delight - hummus, tomatoes, cucumber, red onion, feta, greens and sun-dried tomato tapenade The only one I might not consider is the turkey. I think the turkey breast is Sara Lee deli turkey. I still would have trouble ordering anything other than the Cubano though. Sat Feb 03 11:02:36 -0800 2007 2253432 10264 rworange 2 2272871 Ackk!!!! Major apoligies all. I have GOT to remember to bring my glasses with me. At this time The Bay Cafe does NOT carry David's pastrami, but they might consider it. As brian j posted below , it is Charlies Pride. I had to ask. I guess whoever I was talking to, wasn't paying attention to the name when I said it was great that they carried David's Pastrami ... it was lunch time and busy. I misread the label, they just heard the word pastrami ... They said they never heard of David's but when they had time they'd look into it given how good it sounds. Should have asked them to look into the elusive navel cut of David's ... though that special cut might not be appreciated in that part of Marin ... but hey ... Chowhounds might make a special pilgrimage for the pastrami holy grail. Another thing I found out ... the turkey IS Sarah Lee... but NOT deli grade. It is the top of the line they sell, not the pressed subway style deli meat ... pure breast ... they use the smoked on the turkey madera, and the roasted on the turkey bacon panini Anyway, sorry for the confusion. Thu Feb 08 11:23:27 -0800 2007 2256515 10264 rworange 3 2274055 David's is based in Marin, so they'd get points from locavores. (g) Thu Feb 08 16:13:15 -0800 2007 2272871 10039 Melanie Wong 4 2274102 Locavores ... love it ... I'm adding it to my vocabulary. Thu Feb 08 16:28:05 -0800 2007 2274055 10264 rworange 5 2274396 http://eatlocalchallenge.com/contact.html . http://locavores.com/ Thu Feb 08 18:12:16 -0800 2007 2274102 10039 Melanie Wong 1 2266183 I had the Cubano there today. I liked it but wasn't "wowed" My only other experience with a Cubano is from Sol Food (with their pique hot sauce), but not for a while. Maybe I only missed the pique, but it seemed a bit boring compared to my fading memory of the one at Sol Food. I'll have to go back to Sol Food soon (not a hardship) and try one again. Tue Feb 06 15:11:02 -0800 2007 2253432 10724 Mick Ruthven 2 2266226 Has anyone tried the reuben? I'm really interested since they use David's pastrami. Tue Feb 06 15:24:45 -0800 2007 2266183 10887 brian j 2 2266386 The food at Sol Food is better quality and preparation for the most part than Mambo's The Cubano at Sol Food is a better quality than Bay Cafe. The problem, if it can be called that, I have with Sol Food is the the quality and preparation is better than Cuban or Puerto Rican food. It's not that it dumbs down those cuisines but it is just better in some ways than the originals. It's hard to describe it. It is the difference between eating Mexican Food at Dona Thomas or Ortez. Now if you had Sol Food's meat in Bay Cafe's Cubano ... you'd really have something. When I reported on Sol Food's Cubano, I said it was good, but it was so long since I had a real Cubano I couldn't remember what they tasted like. This just didn't seem to be it. http://www.chowhound.com/topics/321087 With one bite of the Cubano at Bay Cafe, for me, I remember EXACTLY what a Cubano should taste like and this was very, very close to that. I like Sol Food alot ... I can't say it is inauthentic whatever that means ... I just go there with different expectations ... that I'm going to get delicious, top-class food ... and I put Cuban/Puerto Rican out of my thoughts. Sol Food for me is in it's own category ... a good one though. Tue Feb 06 16:14:50 -0800 2007 2266183 10264 rworange 1 2268643 Well, I just called the Bay Cafe to confirm whether they really use David's Pastrami for their reuben, and unfortunately, and disappointingly, they do NOT. The man who answered said they use some brand called "Charlie's Pride". Dang. I really was looking forward to having a reuben made with David's. Wed Feb 07 10:25:30 -0800 2007 2253432 10887 brian j 2 2268655 The person on the phone is wrong. I saw David's in the Deli case. I had a big discussion about it with one of the owners, I assume. I tell you, I am going to stop asking about the navel cut because I always get looked at like I have two heads and it is a conversation killer. Regular old David's, I assume. Call back. Speak to someone else. They have David's. Tell them to look in their own deli case. If they are using something else for the Rueben, I suppose you could request David's for the Reuben. Though why would they have David's when the only pastrami sandwich is the Rueben. Wed Feb 07 10:28:23 -0800 2007 2268643 10264 rworange 3 2269208 Well, I just called back again. I spoke with a different person this time. I asked again what kind of Pastrami they use. She went and checked and confirmed that they are using "Charlie's Pride". I wish it was David's, but it sounds like it's not true. I would love to be proved wrong, but until someone actually sees and eats a reuben from there made with David's, I will seek my pastrami fix elsewhere. Wed Feb 07 12:14:42 -0800 2007 2268655 10887 brian j 4 2269414 Did you ask what they do with the David's pastrami you saw in the case? Wed Feb 07 12:54:14 -0800 2007 2269208 10724 Mick Ruthven 5 2269778 I haven't been there so haven't seen the David's pastrami in the case. Wed Feb 07 14:00:33 -0800 2007 2269414 10887 brian j 6 2270272 >I haven't been there so haven't seen the David's pastrami in the case.< Sorry, I guess I was asleep. I somehow thought rworange wrote your message so I was asking her :-) Wed Feb 07 16:00:57 -0800 2007 2269778 10724 Mick Ruthven 7 2270344 Oh ... me ... no ... I just assumed it was for the Rueben. I just put my glasses on and scrutizined the menu and I don't see plain sandwiches offered, only the combos. I was thinking maybe they didn't want to waste David's a Reuben when the taste would be lost under all that stuff. That being said, the next Rueben I eat will be at Saul's in Berkeley which uses Acme Rye and has the best pastrami from my recent taste-off of brands of pastrami http://www.chowhound.com/topics/355489 OK ... what can I do to get someone interested and over to Mezzo Mezzo which has sandwiches that fall into a whole different class ... somewhere near to God & heaven http://www.chowhound.com/topics/365203 Wed Feb 07 16:21:22 -0800 2007 2270272 10264 rworange 8 2270664 >what can I do to get someone interested and over to Mezzo Mezzo which has sandwiches that fall into a whole different class ... somewhere near to God & heaven< Somehow I missed that they had sandwiches, except I do see that you had a veg panini. Is there a good selection of paninis? Wed Feb 07 17:53:35 -0800 2007 2270344 10724 Mick Ruthven 9 2270711 Yeah, in my enthusiasm I got uncharacterstically wordy and it is buried in there. They have the dinner menu on the web currently & that is all I have a copy of. The dinner menu says at the bottom that more menus are coming. http://www.ristorantemezzomezzo.com/pages/menu.html IIRC, there were 4-5 sandwiches for lunch. They are about the same price as Sol ... except some of the cheese is house made as is that wonderful blistery ciabatta roll. I think I had the house-made ricotta with the speck. It was a soft cheese like that. There's also a few pictures of the place under Events. Not good ones though as they packed the place and what you see is mainly people. I had a menu, but didn't realize till I got home that it was the dinner menu. So that is why I was a little short describing the meat sandwich as I lost it on my way on the door and had the veggie sandwich for home. They do take-out. Wed Feb 07 18:09:49 -0800 2007 2270664 10264 rworange