What’s For Lunch?
Another Big-Ass Sandwich!
Posted by: John Chandler on Apr 12, 2010 at 11:00AM
10 Comments
As I carefully unwrapped my prize, several co-workers gathered around to gawk at the grand unveiling. Once the foil was removed, a moment of stunned silence ensued.
“It looks like my entire childhood stuffed into one sandwich,” said web designer Garrett Milojevich.
“How so?” I asked.
“We were very poor,” he answered.
I swear on a stack of take-out menus that I am NOT pimping for Brian and Lisa Wood, the diabolical masterminds behind Big-Ass Sandwiches. I don’t owe them money, and they did not save my life back in ’Nam. But come on! How can I realistically keep a sandwich like this under my hat? The Big-Ass monstrosity of the week, the Funemployment Radio Special ($6), comes loaded with a couple scoops of macaroni and cheese, sliced hot dogs, house-made Béchamel cheese sauce, an alarming pile of french fries, and a few squirts of Secret Aardvark Hot Sauce impossibly folded into their signature grilled ciabatta roll.
And I’m not the only blogger with the hots for BAS. As I was perusing today’s menu, I ran into Aaron Duran, who has a bitchin’ pop culture website called Geek in the City, a spot where you can read the latest scuttlebutt about crap-tastic movies, sci-fi TV, and other topics that you’re ashamed to admit that you care about in a big way. Aaron was just polishing off the Funemployment Radio Special and recommended I do likewise. He dared me! What was I going to do? He draws a lot of water in this town!
Lest you think that Big-Ass Sandwiches is merely about sending me to an early grave, let it be known that Brian and Lisa Wood have also organized a monthly benefit day called Third Wednesday PDX in which they donate 100 percent of their profit and tips to a local charity, with a different beneficiary each month. Thus far they’ve raised several hundred dollars each for Mercy Corps, Basic Rights Oregon, and p:ear. For their April 21 event, they’ve recruited fellow cart merchants at Yarp, The Big Egg, Give Pizza a Chance, and Whiffies to join their effort. And that should make for a hefty donation to this month’s recipient, The Pixie Project, a local animal rescue organization. So go ahead and stuff your face. Do it for all the kitties and puppies.
Epilogue: There were individual moments from the Funemployment Radio Special that were among the finest tastes I’ve ever masticated. The mingling of hot sauce, cheese, fries, and hot dog, practically made my eyes roll back in my head. Yes, I’m well aware that this sandwich is bad for me. I’m not a complete moron—I’m more of a work in progress. But if Big-Ass Sandwiches is wrong, I don’t want to be right.
Tags: Food Carts Big Ass Sandwiches
As I recently began to receive unemployment benefits myself, I’m having to limit my food carting to 1-2 times a week. I will definitely try Big-Ass Sandwiches soon, as I recall drooling whilst reading the menu when I was making the rounds several weeks ago. I believe I opted for the youCANhascheeseburger + bacon @ Brunchbox instead.
I’m looking over my USRDA chart and I can’t figure out where this goes on the food pyramid. At the top, with rays coming out of it, I guess.
Team Garret.
We were poor too.
Inexplicably, my mouth is watering anyway. . .Mmmm?
Funny enough, I read a scathing article by Mark Morford earlier today on SFGate about the new KFC Double Down sandwich and how little soul the fast food executives of America must possess to constantly foist such unhealthy and unnatural food on us. When it comes from a mom-and-pop food cart, however, it doesn’t seem quite so bad.
i admit that i’m biased (brian and lisa are good friends and i was fortunate enough to be at their place when brian unveiled the unFUCKINGbelievably delicious prototype) but MY GOD! bacon cheesefries! bechamel sauce and fries over delicious meat in a perfectly solid-on-the-outside/airy-on-the-inside roll. i’m crying right now because i live in seattle and i don’t know when i’ll be back to get my fix!
Oh man, it was so very good. I might have to get it “gut bomb” style before it goes away. So much cheesy Hebrew National goodness!
Oh man, it was so very good. I might have to get it “gut bomb” style before it goes away. So much cheesy Hebrew National goodness!
BAS now have a French dip on the menu. You like the juice?
Bear in mind Eric that pre-processed fast food chains are worlds apart from a cart like Big-Ass Sandwiches where most everything is made from scratch. Big difference & you can taste it.
So I finally got around to trying one of these. I had a normal Big Ass Sandwich with Ham and the cheese sauce. I’ll be honest I couldn’t eat the whole thing, and it was a bit saltier then I would have liked, but it was good non-the-less! The fries were great [besides being a bit over-salted] and now I have another meal for later!