Stacked Sandwich

Almost a year ago, I read about Stacked Sandwich on one of my favorite blogs and decided I needed to visit the place. But I never did. It wasn't just my laziness: until last month they closed at 5 PM, and they aren't open on Sundays (the day I am most likely to go out for lunch) or Mondays. (They are now open until 7 PM Tuesdays-Fridays, which I'm sure is better for some people but is still too early for me to get dinner.)

Located on 1st Ave in Arcadia, in a location that was a pizza joint for most of my life, Stacked Sandwich has perhaps the most interesting sandwich menu I have ever seen in the San Gabriel Valley. Many of the sandwiches are stuffed with fries, several have a garlic-mayo sauce, and one is even advertised as being "simmered in a habanero Jacuzzi."

And the names are nothing short of fantastic: Whacked Stacked, Black Dog Saloon, Agent Orange, Rev. Pablo Pastor, and Chicken Little's Big Brother.

I selected the top two sandwiches in the above photo: the Portly Pastrami and Beef Barchetta. Take a look at the menu description of the latter and you see if that doesn't appeal to you.

The pastrami was shaved nice and thin. It was fattier than I normally like, but high quality: the fat was not noticeable, it disappeared in each bite with the grilled onions and gooey cheese. And every bite was delicious. Encapsulating the sandwich was the perfect roll: a touch firm on the outside, firm enough to hold together the messy, juicy guts of the sandwich, but also perfectly soft inside, soft enough to know that the bread is there to be a component of the sandwich, not a distraction.

The Beef Barchetta was outstanding. The meat wasn't anything spectacular, but it was good enough, and combined with all the other ingredients - especially the onions and horseradish sauce - it blended into one of the best flavor combinations I have experienced in quite some time, a mouthful of flavors both strange and instantly recognizable. The fries, I have to say, did not add much to the sandwich in terms of taste. I think it was one of those cases of the chef thinking about what he could do, instead of what he should do.

The pastrami sandwich was very good, but I can name you at least a half-dozen places within ten miles of me who do very good pastrami sandwiches. I am not sure I can think of another sandwich like the Barchetta.

I dipped a bite of the sandwich in the provided broth but I didn't get the point: it wasn't bad, but it added nothing to the sandwich, it actually distracted from the delicious flavors.

Writing about the order of fries that came with each sandwich is bound to be out of place, like analyzing the last five minutes of No Country For Old Men or Christian Laettner's performance on the Dream Team.  But these fries were actually really good... fresh out of the oil, crispy, with just the right amount of seasoning.

In lieu of fries, however, you can get a salad or a soda with your sandwich. Next time I will definitely go that route, particularly if I get a sandwich that includes fries in it.

I think everyone should try out Stacked Sandwich at least once. I have heard it described by quite a few people as the best sandwich they have ever had. I certainly wouldn't go that far, but it was really good and it beats any of the chain restaurants that Arcadia and Monrovia are full of.