The Hunt for the Best Veggie Sandwiches on the Point

By LK Bruce

It’s time to talk about veggie sandwiches – which, for the record, are not just for vegetarians. Even my meat-and-potatoes husband loves a good veggie sandwich. The trick is finding a good one – or, better yet, a great one.

I’m not talking about the variety that consists of cucumbers in a cloud of alfalfa sprouts. Those really aren’t worth talking about. And I’m leaving mock-meat sandwiches off the list, too. I realize that those with cardiologists may need to break the meat habit in stages, and mock meat can be a bridge. Or a crutch. While the Sally Ride sandwich at Ike’s (“vegan turkey”) is pretty darn good, I vastly prefer vegetables made great simply by being who they are.

Veggie sandwiches worth talking about:

• The Veggie Cobb at Con Pane  2750 Dewey Rd #105, San Diego, CA 92106
• The Eggplant Parm at Hungry Lu’s 4920 Voltaire St., San Diego CA 92107
• The Roasted Veggie at The Jetty 4934 Voltaire St., San Diego, CA 92107
• The Sweet Chili Crunch Tofu at Urbane Cafe 3954 W. Point Loma Blvd., Suite B, San Diego, CA  92110

Here are the details

The Veggie Cobb at Con Pane

First of all, there’s the bread. It’s from a bakery, so it’s good. I recommend the multigrain for this. But what really makes this sandwich special are the mung bean sprouts – not alfalfa – which provide great moisture and crunch. Even more important, though, are the roasted tomatoes, which impart a heavenly flavor. I always order extra but be sure to double-check that you actually received them. Trust me: more is more.

The sandwich also comes with avocado (not a lot), red onions, and crumbled Gorgonzola. While I love Gorgonzola, it can easily overpower the other ingredients, so do yourself a favor and substitute Gruyère instead. Ahhh…

Romaine lettuce, mung bean sprouts, fresh avocado, house-roasted Roma tomatoes, thinly sliced red onions, crumbled Gorgonzola [Italian blue cheese], and mayonnaise  – $14.50

The Eggplant Parm at Hungry Lu’s

Next up is the Eggplant Parm Sandwich at Hungry Lu’s, the OB outpost of Mimmo’s and Grab & Go Subs. These people know Italian, and two things make this sandwich stand out.

First, they don’t bread and fry the damn eggplant, which is greatly appreciated by those of us who don’t want the extra fat and carbs. Just eggplant, as God intended it.

Yes, I know eggplant parm is traditionally breaded and fried but have faith in these folks. Eggplant is so much better in its pure state. Second, the marinara is incredibly flavorful –almost like roasted tomatoes. Hmm…see a theme here? I’ve learned from the manager to substitute ricotta for the mozzarella, and not only is it easier to eat, it’s tastier. And the Italian rolls couldn’t be fresher.

Baked eggplant, mozzarella, and marinara — $13.49.

The Roasted Veggie at The Jetty

PL notable Larry Zeiger tells me this sandwich may have come about because he stopped in early after The Jetty first opened and discovered there were no vegetarian options. He promptly suggested they add some – and lo and behold, they did. One of the best things about this place is that, unlike City Hall, they listen to their customers.

The roasted vegetables are sliced paper-thin, but if you get a proper critical mass of them  from whoever happens to be staffing the kitchen, along with the whipped feta, this thing rocks.

Zucchini, squash, tomatoes, arugula, and whipped feta chimichurri on ciabatta — $16. And of course, you get their specialty fries with that. Unless you substitute street corn, onion rings, a side salad, or slaw. (Pick the slaw! So fresh.)

The Sweet Chili Crunch Tofu at Urbane Cafe

Finally, there’s the Sweet Chili Crunch Tofu Sandwich at Urbane Cafe. It never ceases to amaze me how terrified people are of tofu. It’s not Soylent Green, people.

Tofu is primarily made from soybeans, is high in protein, contains all nine essential amino acids, and provides fats, carbohydrates, and minerals such as calcium and iron. More importantly, it happily takes on whatever flavor you choose to give it. What’s not to love?
In this case, the tofu is roasted in squares, coated with a chili-crisp glaze, and topped with apple slaw, crispy onions, and pickled carrots. In short: FLAVOR! It’s served on Urbane’s proprietary fresh round focaccia, along with their traditional side salad featuring those yummy mandarin oranges.

Roasted tofu, sweet & spicy chili glaze, housemade apple coleslaw, crispy onions, pickled carrots, Vegenaise, and side salad — $12.25.

So now it’s your turn. What veggie sandwiches can you add to the list? A grilled portabella perhaps? A caprese sandwich with summer tomatoes and an abundance of basil or pesto? We’re all ears!