Adventures in Expensive Sandwiches: The Sentinel Salmon

YumSugar — Wed, 10 Sep 2008 14:00:43 -0700

I am willing to pay a pretty penny for a good sandwich. But considering that one of my favorites is less than $3, I have very high standards for any sandwich that costs more than $8. I'll pay 10 bucks, but it better be good. Or huge. Or both.On that note, I'm introducing an occasional feature within 'Wich of the Week called Adventures in Expensive Sandwiches. First up: the smoked salmon with horseradish cream cheese, cucumbers, and fennel at The Sentinel. This tiny shop, located just a few blocks from Sugar HQ, was recently opened by Canteen's Dennis Leary. Since I love his fine-dining fare, I decided to give Sentinel a shot. To see what I thought, read more.

The menu changes seasonally and features daily specials, but I went with a Summer fixture. At $8.50, this wasn't the most overpriced sandwich ever, but it also wasn't very big. However, what this and other Sentinel sandwiches really have going for them are the soft, incredibly fresh (like, just out of the oven) white buns they're served on. Like an upscale version of buttery homemade dinner rolls, the bread elevates this salmon sammie.I'll also give credit to the full flavor of the sandwich; mixing horseradish with cream cheese is a yummy idea that comes across well with the cucumber. The salmon was just your standard smoked salmon - nothing mind-blowing - and I couldn't find the fennel mentioned on the menu.

My biggest gripe about Sentinel was the fact that my sandwich was shoddily assembled. The ingredients were sort of thrown together rather than carefully laid out, so I had to rearrange everything before eating. If you're going to the trouble of baking bread from scratch and filling it with high-quality ingredients, is it too much to ask that the sandwich be put together with care? That said, I'm willing to give Sentinel another chance, but it's going to have to try a bit harder next time.

'Wich of the Week: Pork Loin With Figs and Manchego

YumSugar — Wed, 15 Jul 2009 14:30:06 -0700

"The Sentinel has a sandwich with figs on it today!" a coworker alerted me on Tuesday morning. I love figs, and I love sandwiches, so I hightailed it over to the SF sandwich shop founded by local chef Dennis Leary.
This was my third time trying The Sentinel's expensive sandwiches, and though this was my favorite so far, I was still somewhat disappointed. Why? Because I expect a place whose menu changes seasonally to use seasonal ingredients, like figs, but this sandwich was sweetened with fig spread. The menu promised fresh figs! But now for the good news.