Best sandwich award: Harbor Greens

There’s a new sheriff in town. It’s not a new venue, but its footprint atop the sandwich-scape of Tacoma, quite frankly is new. Based on myriad factors, in a matrix of reasoning, Harbor Greens’ sandwiches are the new gold standard, narrowly beating out MSM and Met Market for the local crown. I will walk you through it.

Little Basil

Best single sandwich in town: Harbor Greens

The Little Basil is, indeed, the best overall sandwich in town. Chicken, pesto, mozzarella and basil, grilled on a panini is so much greater than the sum of its parts. Sure, you’re familiar with all the ingredients but you must experience the final product to truly know it. Paninis are grilled to perfection and the gluten free version is bigger than the standard. MSM’s Mike’s Deluxe and Met Market’s Prime Rib Sandwich tied for 2nd place.

Best overall sandwich lineup in town: Harbor Greens

From grilled to cold, standard bread to gluten-free, veggies to turkey, bacon and roast beef – it’s all top-notch. You bring the whole family and their dietary restrictions and Harbor Greens will have all the right sandwiches for $7 or $8 apiece. Of course, they also have an entire grocery store to back it up, which brings us to..

Best sandwich venue in town: Harbor Greens

You can’t go wrong with a sandwich shop that boasts a strong selection of drinks and side items. Harbor Greens is also a grocery store with a full produce section – additional shopping possibilities are endless.

Most convenient sandwich in town: Harbor Greens

Much like MSM (our silver medalist) Harbor Greens can only be fully appreciated when you call in your order ahead of time. As is the case with all great places, there is a good chance it will be crowded. Unlike all other finalists, Harbor Greens offers ample parking every time I visit. Fortunately it is located at 27th & Bridgeport in U.P. where there is NOT an obnoxious Meridian-esque median to navigate. If you do it right, you’ll be in and out in less than 5 minutes. Of course they also have a nice seating area where you can plop down and enjoy on site if you so desire.

Harbor Greens, 2620 Bridgeport Way W, University Place, WA, (253) 460-2901
Harbor Greens, 5225 Olympic Dr NW, Gig Harbor, WA, (253) 851-7911

Dave’s Meat & Produce

Dave’s Meat & Produce is unique. Small market stores generally have a difficult time providing enough variety to draw a consistent shopper base away from the big grocery stores. In this case, the big competition combo of Safeway and Metropolitan Market lurks just 3 stoplights west in the heart of the Proctor District.

Times are tough. People are watching their pennies. Like many other small businesses in Tacoma, Dave’s Meat & Produce needs our help to stay alive. I noticed that the coffee stand in front of their building went out of business recently. This concerns me. I want to make sure the coffee stand is the only thing on that lot that fails. Dave’s is more than worthy of staying in business here for a long time.

By supporting local growers, and providing top quality produce, meat, seafood and personal service, Dave’s has everything you’ll need to make an entire meal, big or small. You’ll be in and out of this place in minutes – and if you’re really in a hurry, there are several prepared dishes ready for the grill or the oven, facilitating gourmet, homemade meals in minutes. They may not be the cheapest place in town, but you should remember to drop in the next time you want a fun, convenient shopping experience and a healthy meal at home.

Dave’s Meat & Produce
1312 North I Street
Tacoma, WA
(253) 280-9999

Map

Baconnaise bacon mayonnaise

Baconnaise. Stops you in your tracks the first time you see it. At least it did me today at Proctor Met Market. Needless to say, it’s here with me now. I am about to take my first bite of Brotvurst de Baconnaise. So far I can tell you it smells not a lot like bacon and appears to be a thicker version of 1000 Island. Here goes…

First bite: surprisingly delicious. Bacony.

Second bite: surprising yet again. Still delicious. I’m a believer.

I went 1/2 with just Baconnaise and 1/2 with Baconnaise, ketchup and mustard, and the Baconnaise was able to deliver plenty of bacon flavor right through the other condiments. As we always used to say back in college, a little dab’ll do ya.

Until tomorrow’s lunch sandwich experiment is complete, we won’t know if this makes a great mayo substitute, but I can tell you that it makes a terrific bacon substitute. Unlike Bacon In a Can or Squeeze Bacon, this has real potential. Camping burgers will never be the same.

We owe it all to a little company by the name of J&D out of Seattle, Washington. Try some today!