So I had this great idea for my drive back to San Francisco. Instead of making the six hour or so drive by myself, my parents and I should caravan up the coast and stop in San Luis Obispo for lunch. After lunch I would continue north to the Bay Area and they would return home to Moorpark.
I even knew where I wanted to stop for lunch, The Art Cafe and Bakery, home of Oprah's favorite sandwich.
There were just a couple of minor flaws in my plan.
1. The restaurant moved and was no longer in San Luis Obispo.
2. Now that the restaurant was in Atascadero it was probably a little more than half way to the Bay Area.
3. I made my parents drive 3 hours for a sandwich.
In my defense, I have done stupider things for food. Just read this entry from back in July when Wendy and I flew to the island of Oahu for a hot dog! Still, not joking about that!
So for those of you who are not aware, The Art Cafe And Bakery is famous for almost going out of business. The woman who owns the restaurant was going have to close up shop when she got one final order. Oprah was in town planning an event and needed food. So The Art Cafe And Bakery set out to make one last batch of sandwiches.
Oprah took one bite and declared it to be the best sandwich she had ever had! She then heard that the restaurant was going out of business and she gave the owner money to keep the sandwiches coming!
The sandwich in question is The "O"riginal Curried Chicken sandwich. It has curried chicken, sliced almonds, shredded carrots, diced tomatoes and spring greens on grilled spiced pepper jack bread. (The bread is super spicy hot so I get mine on fluffy white bread instead.) Above is Mom about to bite into her "O"riginal!
In the past I have also gotten the Turkey and Swiss which is made of fresh sliced turkey breast, Swiss cheese, spring greens, diced tomatoes, with the famous orange marmalade sauce on grilled whole wheat bread.
The sandwiches are definitely worth the trip.
The Art Cafe And Bakery is located at:
6005 El Camino Real
Atascadero, CA 93422
Inside the Carlton Hotel
The Song Of The Day - Sandwiches by Detroit Grand Pubahs
Ok, this is Dad, and I checked the OMG box. Yes, 3 hours for a sandwich. I had the turkey/swiss and it WAS GOOD!! We even got to meet the nice lady that Oprah made famous. The drive back was very relaxing, light traffic and beautiful weather.
ReplyDeleteJust for the record....we flew to Oahu to visit Pearl Harbor, Puka Dog just happened to be on the same island, and even though you weren't as impressed as I was, it made the day even more memorable! =)
ReplyDeleteWendy
poor grandma and grandpa.....
ReplyDeletethat must have been an awesome 3 hour drive! (just kidding...)
meg
I'd drive two days just to taste a chili cheeseburger form Tommy's!
ReplyDeleteBrian
ok, i must admit i had my doubts. the three hour trip was getting further down the road. but all turned out well. oprah's sandwich was delicious. loved every bite.
ReplyDeleteexcuse me but the hands in the one photo, are lovely. that person should be a hand model. forget the sandwich, those hands are to die for. actually i'm just thankful that's all that got into just jon's little camera lens.
and it was a beautiful day for a drive, all worked out very well.
love, mom