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DOT COM DINING A Look At San Gabriel Valley Restaurants by SanGabrielValleyMenus.com  

Sandwiches Stack Up at Pasadena Sandwich Company

by Bill Coburn

Pasadena Sandwich Company (PSC) is located just north of Foothill Blvd by the Sierra Madre Villa Gold Line station, at 259 Sierra Madre Villa (626) 578-1616.   They are located on the bottom floor of what is otherwise an office building.  There is table service in one section, or for those who just want counter service, there’s another area for that.   When I’ve eaten there, I’ve always ordered at the counter, and sat in what they call the “no table service” section, but that’s really not an accurate description.  Throughout the meal, employees came over to make sure our meal was okay, asking if our beverages needed refills, and offering to package food to go.

I’ve had the beef dip, and it was delicious.  The au jus with it was good, the roll fresh, and the lean roast beef was piled high.  Today I went and tried something called a Del Mar, which consists of roast beef, ham, turkey, jack cheese, lettuce, and tomato, with Russian dressing on a kaiser roll.  This was one heck of a sandwich.  For only the second time in recent memory, I couldn’t finish a sandwich.  I took just under half a sandwich home, and there’s enough meat left that when I replace the bread, which will be too soggy to eat by then, I’ll still have a full sandwich, by my “making a sandwich at home” standards.  My wife, Katie, who is picky about her pastrami, has had the pastrami sandwich both times she’s gone there with me, which says something in itself.  She brings half of her sandwich home pretty regularly, and this was no exception, as the pastrami was piled high, as well.  For the record, yes, she told me she enjoyed it.

In addition to the usual sandwiches one finds on a restaurant menu, i.e., roast beef, ham, turkey, tuna, Pasadena Sandwich Company offers a wide variety of single meat deli sandwiches, such as the aforementioned pastrami, corned beef, roast pork, beef salami, Italian salami, chicken salad, chicken breast, even a knockwurst/sauerkraut sandwich.

But one of the things Pasadena Sandwich Company is known for is their signature sandwiches, both traditional and their own.  There are 14 of these, including a Reuben, two different veggie sandwiches, several geographically oriented sandwiches such as The New Yorker (smoked ham, turkey, Swiss cheese with Russian dressing on a French roll), The New Jersey (roast beef, turkey breast, Swiss cheese, with Russian dressing on rye), The Virginian, The California, and the Chicago.  There are also sandwiches that have no location associated with them, such as the PSC sub, the Sheepherder (corned beef, pastrami, turkey, salami, Swiss cheese, triple decker on rye), even one called “Trust the Cook,” which is described as “How He Feels Is What You Get.... And What You Get Is Big.”

In addition to sandwiches, you can get platters such as the Chicken Salad and Tuna Plates, with chicken salad and tuna salad, respectively, served on a bed of lettuce with sliced tomatoes, hard boiled egg, cottage cheese, pickle and pepper with crackers; a deli platter, a knockwurst plate, and if you’re in the mood for soup, there’s a rotating soup of the day.  Available side orders include Chicken Salad, egg salad, macaroni salad, potato salad, baked beans, French fries, pickled eggs, hard boiled eggs, and much more.

PSC also serves bottomless soft drinks and iced tea.

You can come in and order meats and cheeses by the pound to take home, or have mini-sandwiches and party platters made to order for special occasions.

One of the first things you’ll notice is that there are baseball hats hanging everywhere.  When I asked the waitress the significance of all the hats, she said “people just bring them to us, and we hang them up.”  There are a few hundred hats hanging, so that’s quite a few customers offering a tip of their hat to the chef.  You can find the complete menu for Pasadena Sandwich Club by going to www.sangabrielvalleymenus.com/psc.htm.

Some of you may have noticed the old big red barn on San Gabriel Ave., just above Colorado, (I’m told it used to be Brotherton’s Family Restaurant, years ago) undergoing a major transformation.  Here’s the scoop on what’s happening there.  Restaurant veteran Jaime Castaneda, together with manager Moises Cabral, are opening a new restaurant there, called Los Gueros Grill.  This red barn building is now undergoing a radical transformation to become the new Mexican hacienda style restaurante.  This is a much larger location, including a second story, and Los Gueros Grill will offer both indoor and outside dining, beer and wine, and fine Mexican cuisine.  They will also have banquet facilities.  They are hoping to open late in April, or at the latest, the beginning of May. 

Los Gueros Grill, while not even ready to open yet, has signed on as the 101^st restaurant on the San Gabriel Valley Menus.com website, following number 100, Si, Como No! in San Dimas, and number 99, Claimjumper Restaurant, in Monrovia.  We wish Jaime and Moises the best of luck in their new location.  Their menu will be posted on the website very soon, so you can see what they have to offer and get your mouth watering for their Grand Opening.  We’ll let you know when that’s going to happen, if permit issuance and pressroom deadlines coincide to allow it.  But here’s a special invitation to our readers from Los Gueros Grill – if you visit their page on the website, you’ll find a link that leads you to an invitation to join Los Gueros Grill after they’ve opened and enjoy a complimentary entrée, with the purchase of a second entrée of equal or greater value.  Be sure to let them know you read about them at San Gabriel Valley Menus.com.

Bill Coburn is owner of SanGabrielValleyMenus.com, a restaurant website featuring dozens of restaurant’s menus, as well as downloadable coupons.  He has nearly 20 years experience in the restaurant business, and has been eating for much longer than that.

All menus (and prices) are subject to change without notice, menu items are subject to availability.  We reserve the right to refuse service to anyone.

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