Club sandwiches are so ubiquitous that I usually take them for granted. I order them very occasionally, maybe from hotel room service or when I'm looking for a "healthy" option at a diner. But every time I eat a good one — when the bread is only lightly browned and there's just enough mayo to balance out the crispy bacon — I realize that the club sandwich deserves more credit.

The club is actually one of the oldest original American sandwiches, invented sometime around the 1890s. Originally, club sandwiches were single decker and usually made with chicken instead of turkey. So for this 'Wich of the Week, I went in search of an authentic old-school club and found the object of my affection at St. Francis Fountain, an 80-year-old diner and soda fountain in San Francisco. For more details and my recipe, read more