Excuse the lack of exceptional photography on this one. Truth be told — I was trying not to drool on my iPhone while snapping photos as quickly as humanly possible. I just wanted to put this heavenly behemoth in my face. All other thoughts of “let’s blog about it” were secondary.
We rolled into Portland around 1:30 p.m. with one mission: Big-Ass Sandwiches. We’d opted out of another fast food stop on the road so that we would be prepped and ready for all that the Big-Ass Sandwiches Instagram had been promising for days.
Tucked into a simply awesome part of town on the east side of Portland, we tracked down the new Big-Ass Sandwiches brick and mortar shop. By “new,” I mean that they’d literally been open for only a week after exchanging their infamous food truck for the restaurant. With tables and chairs. And local brews on tap.
From the bus stop…that tree is gonna give people the wrong idea #bigassbrickandmortar A photo posted by @bigasssandwiches on
I picked the Breakside IPA to start. Despite not “being an IPA drinker,” I really loved this one through the entire trip. It was just enough hop to be IPA-y without being overwhelming or bitter. Pro beer drinker review right there. The importance of this? I couldn’t possibly imagine a better compliment to the sandwich laid in front of me: the Richwich.
Named “Best Sandwich in the Northwest” by Travel Channel’s Adam Richman, the Richwich boasts slow-roasted beef, bacon and grilled onions covered in homemade bechamel cheese sauce and piled high (like way high) with hand-cut fries. Even among a busy rush of customers, we found a home among the tables and began our wait. With unbelievable anticipation, the wait seemed to take days — but really, it wasn’t all that bad when the expectation is delicious food. Still, the super friendly staff brought us our sandwiches with a soft “sorry” explaining that they were still working out some kinks in the first few days of opening. The apology was wildly unnecessary given the glorious meal in front of me.
Derek is a total cheese steak eater (or “steak and cheese” by way of Boston). Maybe it was the slightly delusional “yay food!” mentality I’d entered after 36 hours in the car, but I’d say he also really liked it. By the time I finished my quick pictures, I had some legit catching up to do. As I slowed to a halt just slightly over half way through my Richwich, he had finished and we could only repeat one phrase to each other: “That was really good.”
“Like really good. Oh my god.”
“This beer. This sandwich. So good.”
Recommend it? A resounding “yes.” While Big-Ass Sandwiches claimed the only official Portland sandwich on my trip, I can’t help but believe it ranks among the best. If not for flavor alone, definitely for style.
Pacific Northwest Road Trip
Don’t miss the full story! Read more about Laura’s road tripping adventures in the Pacific Northwest Road Trip archive.Share this Post