Nice and Oldie, An Al Fresco Treat

After several months of probation for inedible pizza, I went back to Amato in Little Italy for lunch on Wednesday. But the selection was even worse than that night: 3 forlorn slices in an empty display case. I wandered around a bit and decided to visit San Francesco Sandwiches. This shop on Clinton sat across from Bitondo, another long-running diner. This eatery opened in 1954 and has a few other locations in Toronto, though the one on Queen St. W didn't last long. The lunch-time crowd, a mix of pedestrians and dudes in trucks, vans, and semis, was heading to Bitondo for pizza. So there was no wait for me here and the order arrived quickly.

After I got my medium-spiced chicken sandwich ($8.99), I headed to Fred Hamilton Playground to have my meal. Similar to California Sandwiches and Vinny's Panini, this was a large soft bun stuffed full of sauce and meat. It was the least messy of the bunch and made for a filling lunch. It tasted better than California but Vinny holds a slight edge.