Wednesday, February 25, 2015

Portland Restaurant: Meat Cheese Bread

Doug and I have three favorite sandwich spots in Portland:

1) Lardo


Everybody loves Lardo, but that's for a reason. I think there is nothing better than a huge Lardo sandwich after a big hike or long run- it's the perfect reward. I almost always get the chickpea burger but Doug loves trying out their chefwich specials. 

2) Lela's Bistro


It's become tradition for Doug and me to pick up Lela's crazy delicious pork meatball banh mis for the road when we drive up to Seattle.They're usually gone by the time we hit the Washington border (there's usually a lot of traffic, okay?).

3) Meat Cheese Bread


This is one of our go-to spots to grab lunch on those rare weekends when we can afford to have a nice, leisurely lunch. We like to sit outside if the weather's nice (like it was last weekend) or cozy up at the bar at Meat Cheese Bread's aptly named neighbor, Beer, if it's not. Let's talk more about MCB, shall we?

What: Meat Cheese Bread (and Beer)
Where: 1406 SE Stark
Honeys Heart: Green Bean Sandwich

Meat Cheese Bread offers about a dozen sandwiches, some hot and some cold, as well as a few breakfast options, salads, and sides. If you want beer with your lunch (and why wouldn't you?), you can eat outside or have your sandwich delivered to Beer next door (Beer has tons of bottles and a really good but relatively small selection of local drafts).

My absolute favorite sandwich is the Green Bean ($9) made with grilled green beans, bacon relish, soft boiled egg, parmesan, and aioli. The combination might sound a little odd, but trust me, it's amazing. The sandwich is somehow rich but still light so while I always feel full after I eat it, it's not one of those "omg I need a nap immediately" kinds of full.


Doug's top pick is usually the Park Kitchen ($9) made with flank steak, pickled onions, blue cheese mayo, lettuce, and vinaigrette. If you love the combo of steak and blue cheese, this one's for you.

At our most recent visit, we branched out a bit and tried some new sandwiches. Doug made the better choice with the Bacon and Brie ($10) made with bacon, pickled poached pears, brie, farm greens, and mustard vinaigrette. Much like my beloved Green Bean, this sandwich did a great job of balancing rich (bacon and brie) with light (pears and farm greens).


My selection was actually pretty disappointing. I went with the Roasted Mushrooms ($9) made with roasted mushrooms, pickled cipollini onion, brussels sprouts, and goat cheese on ciabatta. I think the downfall was that I didn't pay attention to how the menu was set up (cold sandwiches on the left!) and imagined a warm sandwich. The cold mushrooms just didn't do it for me and I didn't get much brussels sprouts going on either. Definitely will be sticking to the green bean sandwich from now on!