'wichcraft

Move over Harry Potter, there's a new "wizard" in town!

And certainly, Top Chef judge Tom Colicchio has cast his "spell", so to speak, at SF eatery, 'wichcraft.

AMBIANCE/SETTING: 'wichcraft is simply decorated with wooden floors,and glass walls (on 2 sides) from floor to ceiling . The restaurant itself is spacious, clean and neat, and also boasts a 2nd level dining area.

FOOD: As you may have guessed, sandwiches, sides, and soups are found on the menu. After much consideration (I had some difficulty making up my mind), I chose the pole caught tuna sandwich, while my friend selected the braised beef brisket sandwich for lunch. We both ordered potato salad as a side dish. The food was delivered to our table within 5-10 of ordering.

1) Tuna sandwich: I enjoyed the sandwich very much truth be told, and I wouldn't hesitate to order this again on a future visit. However, I must admit the sandwich was much smaller than I had expected. Nonetheless, the sandwich was delicious!

2) Braised beef sandwich: My friend's order was dropped off first, and immediately I could observe the steam emanating from the sandwich. He enjoyed it very much as there were only crumbs left on his plate in the end.

3) Potato Salad: Very good. I would absolutely order this as a side again.

TIP: Sandwiches do not come with a side dish. Side dishes are listed on the menu and must be ordered separately. Also, there are no fountain drinks. Canned soda, bottled water, and other juices can be found within a refrigeration area to the left of the cashwrap.

PRICE: Although I did enjoy my food/lunch at 'wichcraft, I must admit the sandwiches are slightly pricey. I believe all of the sandwiches are priced between $5 to $10. My sandwich in particular was $9.13, while the side of potato salad was $3.56. Therefore, my advice would be not to eat here if you are quite HUNGRY as a sandwich alone (since it comes with no sides) may not be enough to satisfy your hunger pains.

Bottom Line: Although prices are a bit on the high side, I would consider eating here on a future SF trip as I did enjoy the food. However, 'wichcraft most likely wouldn't be an ideal place if you're in search of larger portions/portion sizes.

I went to 'wichcraft Tues 10/17 to try it out. It wasn't busy at all at 11am which was nice for me.

Noticed the drinks that you can help yourself to on the left of the cashiers. I got Fizzy Lizzy Fuji Apple soda 12 oz for $2.25, they had other drinks and bottled water including Vignette wine soda.

I couldn't decide on the sandwich I wanted, but finally picked roasted turkey which has avocado, bacon, onion relish & aioli on ciabatta roll $9.50. It's a small sandwich, turkey meat was dry, didn't taste any onion relish or aioli, avocado wasn't quite ripe. bacon was ok.

I also got one of the soups of the day - $4 a bowl: lentil w/ parmesan cheese. I liked it, wish it was a bit warmer.

They take credit card and you'll need it, it's so expensive. They give you a flat plastic number and somebody brings it to you.

My total with tax was $17.07!! Very full now though.

I'll go back to try more *(see below). Recommended.

Hours now are 8am-6pm 7 days a week. They are fixing a bar area and probably in a few weeks they will extend their hrs.

I got a take-out menu so here it is:
Breakfast sandwiches & (served all day)

fried eggs --bacon, gorgonzola & frisee sandwich on ciabatta roll $6.25
onion frittata sandwich-roasted tomatoes & cheddar on ciabatta roll $6
smoked ham-avocado & butter sandwich on baguette $5
chunky peanut butter & seasonal jelly sandwich on triple decked pullman white $5
Greek yogurt w/ granola & honey $4
steel cut oatmeal w/ cinnamon brown sugar butter, toasted nuts & dried fruit $4
stone ground grits w/ smoked ham & yellow cheddar $4

Cool sandwiches (served from 11am)
goat cheese-avocado, celery, walnut pesto & watercress on multigrain bread $9
marinated white anchovies--soft-cooked egg, roasted onion, salsa verde & frisee on country bread $8.50
Sicilian tuna -fennel, black olives, aioli & lemon on baguette $8
chicken salad-walnuts, roasted tomatoes, pickled red onions & frisee on multigrain bread $9.50
salami -marinated cauliflower, mustard & baby beet greens on ciabatta roll $8
chopped chickpeas-roasted peppers, black olives, lemon & parsley on country bread $7
mortadela-mushrooms, pickled grapes & black olive mayo on sourdough $7.50 (Is this the Harold's sandwich-I didn't watch Top Chef-the show?)

*half sandwich & soup-chicken salad, tuna, goat cheese, or chickpea sandwich & soup $8.50 (darn, didn't see this 'til I got home)

in the mood for a salad? tuna, chicken salad, anchovies or chickpeas work great over greens too

Warm sandwiches (served from 11am)
pastrami-sauerkraut, Swiss cheese & whole grain mustard on grilled rye bread $9.50
chicken breast-roasted red pepper, mozzarella & pesto on grilled country bread $9.75
roasted turkey-avocado, bacon, onion relish & aioli on ciabatta roll $9.50
slow roasted pork-red cabbage, jalapenos & mustard on ciabatta roll $8.50
roasted pork-coppa, pickled pepper relish & fontina on grilled country bread $9.25
meatloaf-cheddar, bacon & tomato relish on ciabatta roll $9.25
**BBQ flank steak-roasted shitake mushrooms, grilled red onions on pressed ciabatta roll $9
**This menu item was developed by our Fresh Air Fund interns..Proceeds of this sandwich will be donated to the Fresh Air Fund.

grilled fontina-black trumpet mushrooms & truffle fondue on pullman white bread $9 (on my list to try)
grilled gruyere-& caramelized onions on rye bread $5.50
grilled cheddar-smoked ham, pear & mustard on cranberry-pecan bread $6.50

Soups & sides

olive oil potato chips-garlic or rosemary $2
marinated chickpeas $3
fruit salad-pineapple, mango, orange & grapefruit $3
daily soups $4

Sweets

muffin $2.50
breakfast bread $2.50
cream'wich-peanut butter, chocolate $1
brownies & fruit bars $2
chocolate cupcake $2.75

If you are right there and I mean literally right there and craving a sandwich then come here otherwise save your money. I spent over $10 on the chicken sandwich.. it is the one w/ the olive spread.. I was expecting a decent size and decent taste.. I guess after grubbing out all the time at Ike's make me want a huge and messy albeit delicious sandwich but this one- it's just a panini.. really dry and something that can be made at home easily.

I did not find anything worth coming..

I had their chocolate sandwich cookie and it was ok..

I will not be coming back.

If you're gonna charge $11 for a sandwich, at least make it taste good.

Quality ingredients, sure, but shouldn't you get value for money too? I got their roast beef, which came on bread that was too hard, 1 slice of roast beef, some bitter greens, and maybe a few slivers of whatever it was that they had pickled.

I'm really really grateful that this was a company lunch and I was able to expense it, otherwise I'd be really angry. My coworker got a goat cheese sandwich that looked like something she could've made in the kitchen with the bulk costco ingredients we have.

PASS!

Oh dear...I spent $12.19 today for a small sandwich and a bottle of pop. It's like eating at Lee's Deli....in dog years (or maybe dog dollars?).

The inevitable upscaling of peasant food continues on its propulsive exclusionary track with me waiting on the train platform. Gourmet sandwiches just doesn't make it for me as a concept since c'mon, everyone knows how to make a sandwich. But somehow the notion of placing anachronistic ingredients between two pieces of artisan bakery bread has caught fire as a yuppie magnet.

I ordered the $9.00 BBQ Flank Steak sandwich, a relatively simple concoction flattened in between a ciabatta roll. It was genuinely tasty while it lasted, but it didn't last very long given its compact size which I notice they try to disguise with an almost-as-small square plate. I was astounded that they didn't offer any free sides...some fries, a small salad, a carrot stick, even a pickle slice. Nada. Nothing. There are also cheaper sandwich selections if you don't mind just cheese.

And I was given a glaring case of small-mouth when I asked for a Diet Coke and then given a finger (not THE finger) pointing me to the refrigerated section to the left where a collection of yes, gourmet soft drinks in traditional bottles, was lovingly displayed. Ka-ching...$2.25 for a bottle of Boylan's Diet Creme Soda.

The interior is nice in that Chiasso/Room & Board/Design Within Reach/West Elm sort of way. And it's wide open with chocolate chairs and a variety of table sizes available - small tables next to the windows, longer family-style tables in the middle, round ones toward the side. There's a second floor of additional seating for the lunch rush, too.

FOOD - 3 stars...gourmet sandwiches but not for plebeians like me
AMBIANCE - 4 stars...upscale vibe and wide open
SERVICE - 3 stars...still new and scrambling
TOTAL - 3 stars...barely...I'm afraid I'll go back to Lee's or get a Vietnamese sandwich where image is less important.

FADE IN.

INT. SAMMICH SHOP - DAY

SAM (28) gets a fried egg sandwich in a large chic and modern sandwich deli that looks similar to the deli in "When Harry met Sally". He grabs a seat near two girls, ENJELLA (28) and Tiffany (26) enjoying coffee and pastries. Sam takes a bite.

SAM
Yuck.

ENJELLA
What did you order?

SAM
A fried egg sandwich.

TIFFANY
Don't like it?

SAM
Well it's a fried egg sandwich but it tastes sour. Something about it is sour. And sour and egg don't mix.

Enejella grabs a piece of lettuce from Sam's plate.

ENJELLA
I think they put arugula in it. That's sour.

SAM
Yeah it's something. A 7 dollar crap sandwich. I was not bewitched my wichcraft. Anyways how rude of me. My name is Sam.

ENJELLA
My name is Enjella and this is Tiffany.

TIFFANY
At least the sandwich looks good. Are you from around here?

SAM
No I am visiting from LA.

ENJELLA
Oh wow, so are we!

Enjella takes out a camera and takes a picture of the food.

SAM
What's your friend doing? That's kind of weird...

TIFFANY
That's not weird for her. She's a yelper.

SAM
Oh no...

ENJELLA
Yeah you look familiar. Were you eating at the Century City Mall yesterday?

SAM
No I was in San Jose.

ENJELLA
I know you. You are Sam Y. You are like a grandpappy of elite.

SAM
Well I am 79 years old...

ENJELLA
What are you doing here? So random!

SAM
I'm doing a nation wide yelp tour.

TIFFANY
What made you do that?

SAM
Haha. Everyone asks me that. I really don't have a good answer. People ask if its a quarter life crisis. But it's the opposite. It's more like I'm doing this now so I don't have a mid life crisis about all the things I didn't do later.

ENJELLA
Sounds exciting.

SAM
Let's take a picture.
http://static.px.yelp.com/bphoto/Cb5rpIADGCKKlK_YsElRNg/l

ENJELLA
Friend me ok!?

SAM
Sure thing. Did I tell you I saw two bums fighting here yesterday?

ENJELLA
Put it in your review!

SAM
I had to leave LA to find crime haha.

THE END

This place reminds me of the Au Bon Pains you find all over Boston. Bright palette of colors, lots of light, and a clean look. True it's much higher end than ABP and they have organic everything...but the similarity is there.

I had the skirt steak sandwich (with shitake mushrooms) and a bottle of iced green tea. The bill was about $13.50, yikes! I'm all for the fancy sandwich, but that's probably a local record. Also if you're going to price in the upper stratosphere, why not add a side salad? Food is served bare on tiny white rectangular plates, which reinforces the feeling that you're not getting much for your money...

Although not the greatest value, I'll go back. I'm a sucker for wholesome food and there aren't many high quality options in the area. Also because the shop isn't connected to the main part of the mall it doesn't suffer from the crazy food court crowds.

ONE STAR FOR VIOLATING THE CALIFORNIA HEALTH CODE.

I don't even know what it exactly states but I'm sure it consists of workers NEEDING to use gloves or something so their bare skin does NOT come in direct contact with food.

Right? Correct me if I'm wrong...

I ordered a chocolate cream'wich and the tall guy working was wiping his right hand on his jeans after touching food and using his left hand to talk on his iPhone. Alright, cool. Whatever. He goes towards the cookies, grabs one with his bare germy hands, and puts them in a paper bag. I look over the counter only to spot that there is a small box of wax/parchment paper -- the ones normal-health-code-obeying workers USE to grab food for customers. GROSS. He then kept talking on his phone, opened the drawer filled with pre-made sandwiches, took one out, opened it, and used his bare hands to put it in the panini maker. How come he's the exception to using gloves when another worker who was preparing sandwiches had gloves on? Hmm...??

WOW.

WICHCRAFT, you need to tell your workers to SHAPE UP in regards to being hygenic. I was so close to asking for him to get me another cookie the right way. In fact, I should have. Makes me feel kinda gross and germy that I ate the cookie that HE touched with HIS bare gross hands.

I don't think that you get a good value at this sandwich place. Service is okay.
But overall the food is unremarkable, considering the prices they charge.

I've tried their fried egg (I like runny eggs) with bacon and gorgonzola on ciabatta, and the ham and avocado on baguette breakfast sammies ($5-7). Those were good.

Previously I had read in an internet blog about this marinated anchovy and soft-boiled egg sammie that is a favorite of a few east coast bloggers. The combination of ingredients sounded awful, but I just had to try it. I didn't like it at all, strong vinegar flavor, could not finish it. East coast bloggers: unless they use different quality of ingredients at your wichcraft location, I don't trust your reviews anymore.

For lunch I've tried the following so far:
- goat cheese, avocado, celery and walnut pesto on multi-grain
- chicken salad on multi-grain, nothing special.
- grilled cheddar, ham and pear on cranberry-pecan bread (I think that Boudin Sourdough has a similar bread)
- meatloaf, cheddar and bacon on ciabatta. Meh...

$9-10 is too expensive for just a sammie (no sides, no chips, no pickles, no drinks), and it's NOT even overstuffed. You can get sammies with similar ingredients in SF for $6-8, and those ARE a lot more substantial, and/or come with extras (soda, coleslaw, chips or a pickle).

If this place was located in a trendy neighborhood, instead of along Mission St. then I probably would be less critical about price. Also the effort of having to walk thru a shopping mall and around the back just to reach this place (unless you're walking from the Metreon along Mission St.), affects my perception of value. I'll be nice this time and give you 3 stars instead of 2.

The best offer is the soup and sammie deal (but I think that you only get to choose from a few: goat cheese, chicken salad, and I don't remember what else). All their drinks are expensive choices. I have not tried any of their desserts. This place closes at 6pm everyday.

They have a frequent diner card too, but I always forget to get it stamped.

I don't watch much TV nowadays (too much time devoted to Yelping!), but Top Chef is the one show I'll actually take out the time for on a week to week basis. Not only is it like watching food porn, but it's pretty interesting hearing what a guy like Tom Colicchio has to say. And being a huge fan of his (dying to check out CraftSteak!), it was only a matter of time befire I would make my way there (if only my work would take me downtown more often...).

One weekend, while my car was being worked on a few blocks away, I decided to walk over and grab some lunch before spending the day downtown. Walking in, I really liked the big cafe sort of feel, with the high ceilings and open seating everywhere. Skimming through the menu, the first thing that popped out was that the prices were all listed to exact numbers...kinda random. The other was that the prices ran on the high side, which I already expected given their location and the owner. Since I was pretty set on trying the food regardless, I went ahead with my order of the Porkloin Pressed sandwich (sliced pork tenderloin, braised kale, and provolone) and took my seat upstairs.

When the server brought the sandwich to my table, I liked what I saw...for the most part. As soon as she put it down, I could see the smoke/steam coming off the sandwich, and the melted cheese was slowly oozing out of the sides. Sadly though, it was disappointing that the sandwich was all you get - no greens, nothing to dress it up (they did include a bag of chips with my order though). At least the sandwich tasted good. The bread was kinda crusty and crunchy, which I actually liked despite the fact it scratched the roof of my mouth initially. It was a plus that the pork wasn't dried out, but I thought it was a little under seasoned on its own. With the rest of the sandwich though, it wasn't noticeable and the combination of the pork, kale, and provolone worked really well.

If you were looking for a heftier sandwich to fill your stomach, this might not be the best choice. It's a pretty quality sandwich, but it's not the biggest thing you might find around. Plus, given that it's a little pricey, it's not the kind of place you'd end up at everyday during your lunch break at work. But when you do, the Porkloin might just be the one for you too. Tom, if you're reading this...better start setting aside that table for me!