Sloppy Jalopy

Q: What’s a food blogger to do when she has a day off in the middle of the week* thanks to her school district’s long Thanksgiving break?

*That would be last Wednesday. Not yesterday. I could only wish to have the Monday after Thanksgiving off as well.

A: Go out to lunch, of course!But where to go?….In a city this full of food, it can be tough to say. Considering I’ve only returned to one or two restaurants for a second go ’round since I moved here, I turned to the place where all lunch decisions are made: my Lunch Deal voucher matrix. [For those of you who aren't aware, The Lunch Deal is like Groupon, but only for food...well, except for recently when they've been offering spa treatments which I don't really understand...unless they are intended for the "ladies who lunch"...otherwise, the tie-in baffles me.]

Me: “Look at the butts!”
[Yes, I really said that.]

Don’t mind if I do!

All the artwork was done by local artists, who, according to Nic, the owner, just “let them go to town.” I’m still trying to decide if I like the monkeys…

…or the octopus better.Well, no…what I like the best is the actual FOOD. [You forgot it was a food blog for a second there, didn't you?] I knew I was in for a joyous lunch as soon as, upon seeing my troubled confliction about what to order, Nic said, “How about I let you sample all of the sauces”

Oh, Nic, you had me at the word “sauce.”

[All of which were DELICIOUS, by the way. I still think he needs to bottle and sell them...]

Perhaps it wasn’t the sauce sampling that swayed me…but the fact that I could get a Fresca with my lunch?

[Love it. You NEVER see Fresca sold.]

Or maybe I was sold on The Jalopy simply upon seeing free veggie chips offered if I flashed my golocal card?

Did I mention they come in a variety of seasonings? Including….creamy dill! Hello pickle flavored chips…yes, I do love you. [Just like dill pickle cashews...have y'all ever tried those? Go buy some at Target. Now.]

I actually had Nic split the chips so I could try more than one flavor (you know how I am…) and the salt & vinegar were yummy, too. I didn’t eat all that many chips though, because I was much more concerned with my sandwich(es).*

*Yes, I chose a lunch companion who said, as we stared at the menu, “I know I’m going to have to share my sandwich with you, so we better make this decision together.”

Although I was super intrigued by the veg options……including a grown-up PB & J, and pickled apples, but there were no more apples to be found, so I wasn’t going to waste time on that without the most unique ingredient. I was also swayed by the Caprese…because the sauce I had from my sampling was incredible.Thank you, Mark, for letting me take a picture of your sandwich and you hand, even though we had just met in line. I told you I’d give you a shout out. Hope your sandwich was all you said it would be…

But The Jalopy is called “a rotisserie and press” for a reason, so I figured I should indulge in some sandwiches featuring the famous chicken. And besides, my little Smarties, you KNOW I wasn’t going to be able to pass up a sandwich called BACON.Yes. Bacon. And after commenting, “Silly, but I have to get it…even though I’m supposed to be a “healthy” blogger,” Nic put tomatoes on it. That apparently made it a Healthy Bacon. I don’t know about that…but I know it was good.Quite messy though. I guess that’s what you get when you douse it in bacon fat mixed with egg yolks to create bacon aioli.And I’m not saying that like it’s a bad thing.What was the second sandwich, you ask? After sampling the sauces, I knew I had to get the one with the “richer, Asian-inspired” chili sauce: the Son Hong.Wow. This blew the bacon-ater out of the water. It was INCREDIBLE. There was scallion salad, pickled peppers, and herb slaw along with the chicken and that sauce…oh my goll, the sauce. [Again, I think it should be bottled and sold.] It’s a good thing I like to make a mess of my food though…Because that is one sloppy* sandwich.

*Meaning I just had to lick my fingers more often than usual so as not to waste a morsel.

Sadly, my sandwiches were brought out to us in the little paper tray thingamabobs, so I didn’t have the joy of watching them slide down the sandwich chute…But you know, no worries…clearly I was quite happy with my lunch regardless of its delivery to my table. (And subsequently to my mouth.)

Oh, the attempts at a discreet mouth-wipe.
I say, that’s the sign of a sandwich well done.