Sandwich News
Decadent sandwich shop from California debuts in Dallas' Arts District
A "better sandwich" shop based in California is expanding to Dallas: Mendocino Farms Sandwich Market is opening its first area location adjacent to Dallas' Arts District, joining the buzzy 2000 Ross building.
According to a representative from the company, the restaurant has a tentative opening set for spring 2020.
Founded by husband-and-wife duo Mario Del Pero and Ellen Chen, Mendocino Farms is known for bountiful versions of sandwiches like the pork belly banh mi and the hot Italian, pairing high-quality ingredients with freshly baked breads. Those sandwiches, along with entree-sized salads, have made the restaurant a hit.
The menu of sandwiches for fall includes classics such as the club, fried chicken, and tuna melt. A category called "foodie favorites" has a steak sandwich with chimichurri sauce on a pretzel roll, and a sandwich with proscuitto, shaved chicken, mozzarella, crushed honey-roasted almonds, tomatoes, and basil pesto on a panini-pressed ciabatta roll.
There are also vegan sandwiches including a vegan banh mi with tofu; smokehouse BBQ tempeh with mustard pickle slaw; and a Southwest-spiced Impossible burger topped with vegan Chao cheese on a brioche bun.
Entree salads include Chinese chicken with Napa cabbage and kale slaw; and a taco salad with Impossible chorizo, Romaine, kale, black bean, and a succotash made from corn and jicama. There's a superfood salad with avocado and quinoa; a Caesar; chicken Cobb; and a beet salad with goat cheese.
The 2000 Ross building has a number of eateries including 400 Gradi, the hotshot pizza concept from Australia; Roti Modern Mediterranean; and Southpaw's Grill.
Mendocino Farms is on the upswing since receiving an investment from Whole Foods in 2015; the chain has 25 locations in Northern and Southern California.
They made their first foray outside California and into Texas in October 2019 when they debuted in Houston; there are now three locations coming to Houston.
Mendocino Farms calls itself a fun, fast-paced, upbeat, gourmet sandwich shop.
"Our approach is a little different than most of the other guys," the restaurant says. "We like to try to reconstruct "Fine Dining" entrees to the sandwich level and take classic regional sandwiches and give them a modern interpretation."
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Eric Sandler contributed to this story.