Where: Cali Sandwich & Fast Food, 3030 Travis, 713-526-0112
What $13 gets you: The freshest food at the best value in all of midtown.
Figuring out how to drop $13 at Cali is no easy task. After all, the giant sandwiches cost a mere $2 apiece. That’s right, $2. Meaning $13 at Cali can comfortably feed six. Take that, McDonald’s!
I went a different route, ordering takeout for me and my gal. Our favorite entrees are the grilled pork and egg rolls with vermicelli ($4.60) and stir-fried tofu and vegetables with vermicelli ($4.60). But these are best eaten at the restaurant, somehow losing their appeal on the traffic-choked ride home. And, anyway, what’s the point of getting takeout when you have to reheat? So instead I got two grilled pork sandwiches ($2 apiece) an order of spring rolls ($4) and a durian smoothie to split ($2).
Recommended? Goodness, yes.
The pork sandwiches – served on crusty French bread topped with picked carrots, fresh cilantro, homemade mayonnaise and a tear-inducing jalapeno spear – are filling and delicious. The slightly chilled, crunchy spring rolls pair nicely with a peanut dipping sauce. But you may want to steer clear of the smoothies, especially the durian – a fruit native to southeast Asia that I love but my gal insists smells like stinky feet.
Bonus point: The best $2 sandwiches in town.
Extra bonus point: Now open on Sundays. — Todd Spivak
This article appears in Sep 27 – Oct 3, 2007.
