Food review: Turkey avocado sandwich

Restaurant: Boudin Bakery Cafe (Market St., San Francisco)
Food description: Turkey and avocado sandwich on a croissant with havarti cheese, lettuce, and tomato
Food rating: 7.5 out of 10
Times ordered: 10+

Yep, another f#&*in sandwich, but this time a worthy one. It may not look like much, but it's simplicity at its best. Combine the freshest ingredients with an unbelievably buttery croissant, and you've got yourself a sandwich that will make you a repeat customer. Screw the sourdough, I'm all about the croissant, and I'm not the only one. You know this when you see everyone else around you eating the same thing. The turkey is fresh sliced turkey, not the super-cured stuff you find at the supermarket. Because of this it tends to need a little extra salt to bring out its flavor. The havarti cheese works great with the turkey. It's mild, salty, and creamy. The tomatoes are ripe and fresh, and this visit they were particularly impressive. I yanked one out of my sandwich just to eat it by itself, recalling the many unripe "winter" tomatoes I'd been subjected to in recent sandwiches. The lettuce was fresh and tasted like, well, lettuce. Like the tomato, the avocado was perfectly ripe and deliciously creamy. It makes all the ingredients so slippery, they all end up on my lap--but no worries, it's worth the dry cleaning. I can't actually say how this sandwich stacks up to the others on the menu, because I haven't been unhappy enough to seek out anything else. Maybe someday, just for experiment's sake...

Food review: Smoked turkey sandwich

Restaurant: Soup Freaks (San Francisco)
Food description: Organic Diestel smoked turkey with cranberry sauce and brie cheese, side of beluga lentil soup
Food rating: 6.5 out of 10
Times ordered: 1

I stumbled upon Soup Freaks (grand opening) on my way to A.G. Ferrari and walked in, browsed the menu, and walked out. It was a little generic and nothing interested me right away. Plus it seemed overly healthy for my taste buds, but when you're desperate for something new, you're bound to crack at some point. So I broke down and finally ate here and I have to say, it was better than I expected it to be (except for the soup). The people behind the counter were touting the beluga lentil soup as the second coming, so I indulged, curiously, which basically turned into a little reminder on why I shouldn't be entrusting my gastronomic wellbeing to complete strangers. The soup was way too thick, almost pasty, and I think they accidentally substituted cloves of garlic for the lentil beans, since I swear it was mostly all garlic. I guess some people are into to the Stinking Rose thing, not me personally though. I did, however, enjoy the sandwich. It was fresh sliced roasted turkey, not the cold cuts from the supermarket, and was piled high on the roll with a huge slab of brie (mmm, cheeeese), and a dollop of cranberry sauce. Though I liked the generous helping of meat and cheese, there wasn't enough roll to handle it all--I had to take some of it off to fit into my mouth without distorting my face. The roll was a little on the chewy side, and the sandwich was so stuffed that when I had to yank off a bite, some of the sandwich would fall out each time. So it became a little game to deconstruct and reconstruct my sandwich, which my lunch companions found amusing. Overall though, I think it was lacking a little flavor, which the cranberry helped a little with, but if it wasn't for the brie, I might think twice about ordering this sandwich again. Stay tuned for round 2...