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SANDWICHERY
Jul. 30th, 2009 08:14 pmIt would be easy to miss Sandwichery. Once you've negotiated the T-junction of Market and Tehama ("Historic 99," so informs the sign just inside the pedestrian area of the old mall) and are heading east toward 44, you blitz by a row of independently-owned small businesses that aren't really auto-friendly, yet which have survived and flourished - a rarity in nobody-walks-in-downtown-Redding. On the north side of Tehama is Crown Camera and the Squire Room; on the south is Kenpo Karate and Sandwichery.
It is M. de Joie's belief that Pat and Sandy Watson are not the first owners of Sandwichery - she dimly recalls another couple first opened it sometime in the 1970's - but the Watsons have now operated this hole-in-the-wall shop for over twenty years, and built up a rather loyal clientele. On any day you might see the Board of Supervisors, the Chief of Police, and any number of local business people waiting patiently in line for their orders.
The Watsons have their technique finely honed after all these years. Pat takes the orders, rings up the cash register, delivers plates to tables, and answers the phone, while Sandy steadily and unflappably turns out salads, sandwiches, and bowls of soup without ever missing a beat. It's just the two of them - their kitchen wouldn't hold more than two - and they are an incredibly efficient team. Pat also deals out wisecracks and gentle jabs to the regulars, who he's known for years and have come to expect a little lunchtime repartee.
There's a small outdoor seating area, as well as a dozen or so inside tables. Sandwichery is decorated with an aviation motif and a few celebrity autographs (who knew that Clint Eastwood stopped by here?). There's a good selection of magazines - and if you want something heavier to read, you can pick up a copy of Pat's magnum opus, Watson's Really Big WWII Almanac, on sale in the shop.
Sandwiches include the usual - roast beef, turkey, pastrami; you know the drill - or Creative Combinations, including PLTA (pastrami that's been cooked to a bacon-y crispness, along with lettuce, tomatoes, and avocado, $5.35) and the Supercombo (corned beef, pastrami and cheese, $6.59). Vegetarians are provided for too: the Florentine features a luscious combination of guacamole, cream cheese, olives, tomatoes, and sprouts, $4.99. Salads at Sandwichery are filling: a stuffed avocado with tuna, egg, or chicken salad, or cream cheese & olives, on a bed of lettuce with tomatoes, cucumber, and sprouts is $6.49. Macaroni and potato salad are homemade ($1.50), as are the soups ($2.75). Every day there's a special sandwich or sandwich combo for $5.35.
Mlle. de Joie is disappointed that the Watsons no longer have liverwurst on their menu, but other than that, she finds it a good, reliable place to get an inexpensive, freshly-made lunch. The Sandwichery is one of that rarest of birds, an endangered species: a successful independent, non-chain lunch spot.
- Femme de Joie
Sandwichery, 1341 Tehama Street, Redding, CA. 530-246-2020. Open Monday-Friday, 8:30 to 2:30. Cash or checks only; no cards.
It is M. de Joie's belief that Pat and Sandy Watson are not the first owners of Sandwichery - she dimly recalls another couple first opened it sometime in the 1970's - but the Watsons have now operated this hole-in-the-wall shop for over twenty years, and built up a rather loyal clientele. On any day you might see the Board of Supervisors, the Chief of Police, and any number of local business people waiting patiently in line for their orders.
The Watsons have their technique finely honed after all these years. Pat takes the orders, rings up the cash register, delivers plates to tables, and answers the phone, while Sandy steadily and unflappably turns out salads, sandwiches, and bowls of soup without ever missing a beat. It's just the two of them - their kitchen wouldn't hold more than two - and they are an incredibly efficient team. Pat also deals out wisecracks and gentle jabs to the regulars, who he's known for years and have come to expect a little lunchtime repartee.
There's a small outdoor seating area, as well as a dozen or so inside tables. Sandwichery is decorated with an aviation motif and a few celebrity autographs (who knew that Clint Eastwood stopped by here?). There's a good selection of magazines - and if you want something heavier to read, you can pick up a copy of Pat's magnum opus, Watson's Really Big WWII Almanac, on sale in the shop.
Sandwiches include the usual - roast beef, turkey, pastrami; you know the drill - or Creative Combinations, including PLTA (pastrami that's been cooked to a bacon-y crispness, along with lettuce, tomatoes, and avocado, $5.35) and the Supercombo (corned beef, pastrami and cheese, $6.59). Vegetarians are provided for too: the Florentine features a luscious combination of guacamole, cream cheese, olives, tomatoes, and sprouts, $4.99. Salads at Sandwichery are filling: a stuffed avocado with tuna, egg, or chicken salad, or cream cheese & olives, on a bed of lettuce with tomatoes, cucumber, and sprouts is $6.49. Macaroni and potato salad are homemade ($1.50), as are the soups ($2.75). Every day there's a special sandwich or sandwich combo for $5.35.
Mlle. de Joie is disappointed that the Watsons no longer have liverwurst on their menu, but other than that, she finds it a good, reliable place to get an inexpensive, freshly-made lunch. The Sandwichery is one of that rarest of birds, an endangered species: a successful independent, non-chain lunch spot.
- Femme de Joie
Sandwichery, 1341 Tehama Street, Redding, CA. 530-246-2020. Open Monday-Friday, 8:30 to 2:30. Cash or checks only; no cards.
