California Dreaming

Before the ubiquity of online restaurant reviews and food blogs, it was a bit of a thrill to find in an out-of-the-way place. So it was that I first discovered California Sandwiches years ago as I wandered through the modest homes in Little Italy south of College St. I made my way back there on Saturday to see how it was doing. Tucked away on a side street, this Italian sandwich shop was still just as busy. Times have changed as a row of gleaming modern townhouses, all blue-black bricks and dark wood trims, now faced one side of the location.

The customers were still more or less as before, with some "hipper" additions. But they were mostly beefy guys arriving in trucks doing a run of 5-6 sandwiches. I ordered a hot veal for lunch ($8.75). It was just as messy as ever; not only is the sandwich wrapped twice over, but you get a pile of 7-10 paper napkins. Simple in execution too: a pile of breaded and fried meat, slathered with sauce, stuffed inside soft buns. Two heads-up: one, don't order hot unless you really like spicy; two, let it cool for a bit to bring out more flavour. In the end, it was a good and serviceable meal. Nostalgia is great but the truth is that new joints, like Red Sauce on Clinton, offer the same food but with more finesse and execution.