I'm a huge fan of Mendocino Farms, which, if you know anything about it, may surprise you.
It is a sandwich/salad shop basically (even if their own description sounds more exciting!), not really the sort of place I get excited about (particularly as my job has lunch provided daily, so I don't seek out places that are primarily lunch venues). They are a chain mostly in California (LOTS of locations in the LA area, San Diego, Orange County), but have more recently expanded into Northern California, and a few other western states. I remember trying it for the first time, years ago, when I was on a business trip in Southern California somewhere, and I was blown away by some of their deli salad side dishes. I was thrilled when I heard we were getting one (now two!) in San Francisco.
My first visit was for a pre-opening event at the first San Francisco location, and I (with a few others) ordered a variety of items to try. I left very satisfied, and thrilled to have Mendocino Farms finally in SF.
The menu at Mendocino Farms is basically sandwiches, some entree salads, and a few sides like deli salads and soups. They take an approach of having highly curated sandwiches/salads (e.g. pre-defined ingredients, not tons of customization). The menu has signature items that never change, along with seasonal offerings.
If you ask someone what Mendocino Farms is, they will likely tell you a sandwich place. I believe that is their main selling point for most people. The menu always has the same core 11 sandwiches (mostly chicken, a couple turkey, steak, veggie). These staples have changed only slightly over time, as they have retired a few and promoted a few others to menu mainstays, but largely stay consistent. They also generally have 1-2 seasonal specials. They are fairly curated sandwiches, with only a few modifications available.
I visited, along with many other food bloggers/influences for a pre-opening event. I did not do this with my sandwiches, but someone else did, and I thought it was too funny not to take a photo myself. All for the 'gram ...
This person had a stack of sandwiches, they looked to be, from top to bottom:
- Nam’s Charity Chicken Banh Mi (Seasonal)
- Summer Heirloom BLT (Seasonal)
- Peruvian Steak Sandwich + Avocado
- Mendo’s Original Pork Belly Banh Mi
I was pretty impressed with slices of heirloom tomato in the seasonal BLT special, seriously wondrous looking! And of course, seeing the pork belly in the famous banh mi was pretty tempting.
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| Foodie Favorites: “Not So Fried” Mary's Chicken. $11.95. |
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"Shaved, roasted Mary's free range chicken breast topped with Mendo’s krispies, herb aioli, mustard pickle slaw, tomatoes, pickled red onions (640 cal) on toasted ciabatta (260 cal) with a side of our chipotle BBQ (80 cal) or mustard pickle remoulade (120 cal)."
The first thing I tried? The "Not So Fried" chicken sandwiches. This is one of Mendocino Farm's most popular sandwiches.
Yes I, Julie, the girl who "doesn't like sandwiches", got a sandwich. I, Julie, the girl who doesn't like chicken, got chicken. A chicken sandwich. Yeah, what?
Why? Well, because there were just way too many things about this that sounded amazing. "Mendo's krispies" looked so good in every photo I saw. I love sauces, and this had herb aioli in it, plus chipotle BBQ and mustard pickle remoulade on the side. It had a fascinating sounding slaw (mustard pickle)?! I like pickled red onions, and fresh, in season, tomatoes sounded great.
Basically, I wanted everything inside, except the chicken. And, this wasn't one where I could sub out the chicken ... if I wanted the crispies.
I could have gotten it as a salad of course, but, the aioli, bbq, and remoulade seemed like odd toppings for a salad. I did almost change it out to the pretzel roll, as that was something I might possibly like, or for a wrap, to minimize the bread, but, I decided to leave it unmodified to fairly evaluate.
It was a massive sandwich, cut in half, where I kinda felt like one half, plus all the sides I sampled on the way to the register, were a full meal. The sandwich weighs in at 14.8 oz. You can get this one as just a half sandwich paired with a side actually as a Blue Plate Special, which seems far more reasonable to me.
Anyway, the sandwich.
The bread was not really toasted even though it was supposed to be. Not hot, not crisp. Just ... ciabatta. One side seemed slathered in something very oily. I'm not sure what, but it was really, really oily, almost like it was buttered in herb butter. The other side was spread extremely generously with herb aioli, which was tasty. (Oh, warning, this was not a light sandwich, in any way, if you weren't picking up on that already).
It comes with chipotle bbq or mustard pickle remoulade on the side, or both, which of course I asked for. My order came with the bbq on the side, but not the mustard pickle remoulade, but that was easily remedied with a quick trip to the pickup window, where one was handed over immediately.
I'm all for sauces, and dipping sauces, so this sounded amazing to me, but the sandwich was loaded with sooo much stuff, including the aforementioned generous aioli, that I'm still not quite sure what their purpose was.
The chipotle bbq was fine, a thin style bbq sauce, decent flavor. It was fine bbq sauce, but I didn't find it standout in any way.
The mustard pickle remoulade though that I worked so hard for ... I hated. Like, really hated. The mustard was just not a style I like, and way too strong. I didn't taste any pickle. I really really did not like this. So, good it comes on the side right? Well ... I almost think the mustard pickle remoulade was already spread inside, as I tasted it inside too.
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| “Not So Fried” Mary's Chicken: Cross Section. |
Here you can see the cross section and all the fillings.
Starting from the bottom, adjacent to the bread, the aforementioned generous amount of herb aioli. It was creamy, flavorful, and good. I liked that they put it against the tomatoes, as, in my world, tomatoes are always best consumed with mayo or aioli. The tomatoes themselves were boring though, not fresh juicy amazing things I was hoping for.
Above them was the slaw. Mustard pickle slaw. A standard cabbage slaw base with cucumber pickles brined in rice wine vinegar and mustard. The cabbage and pickles were fine, but it had the same mustard taste I hated in the remoulade. And it was front and center. Literally. Tons of it. It collided with everything. I tasted it immediately. And, just like as the side sauce, I hated it. Ooph.
Above that was the pickled red onions (fine), and then the coveted chicken and "Mendo’s krispies." Now, the krispies were everything I wanted them to be, made from fried bits of buttermilk batter. Yes, literally the best part of fried chicken, really. Crispy. Seasoned. There was tons of them. I loved them. But they were contaminated with the slaw. Sigh. The chicken was fine, white meat, moist, tender, quality chicken. But I don't actually like chicken. From visual inspection, it kinda looked like they just put on a layer of krispies, then chicken, then more krispies, and that they don't actually pre-coat the chicken, so maybe, just maybe, I could just get krispies? With pork belly instead? Mmmmm.
And then, the top layer of bread, as I mentioned, was strangely really oily.
The net result? I did not like the sandwich, but I tried so hard to. I really, really did. And I think the sandwich has tons of merit, if you like sandwiches, and if you like the mustard flavor. It had juicy ingredients. It had crunch. It had creamy stuff. It came with dipping sauces. But ... this was really, truly not for me in any way. *+.
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"Not So Fried" Chicken Sandwich.
(2025 Event). |
"Chicken, Mendo’s krispies, mustard pickle slaw, tomatoes, pickled red onions, herb aioli, on toasted ciabatta with a side of golden BBQ sauce or mustard remoulade (900-1020 cal)."
Years later, I was at an event with Mendocino Farms catering (yay!) but alas, they had only two kinds of sandwiches available: the "Not So Fried" chicken or a pesto chicken caprese. Both chicken and not very appealing. Still, I decided it was a good opportunity to try the "Not So Fried" again years later, to see if my feelings had changed at all.
And luckily for me ... they did! While I still didn't love the sliced deli meat chicken (it is chicken after all), I actually liked everything else quite a bit. The juicy crisp slaw didn't turn me off as it did before and I liked the mustard flavor, as it went great with the tomato. The tomato was fresh and juicy. Pickled red onions great for acidity. The crispies were excellent. It was dripping in creamy aioli. I even liked the lightly toasted ciabatta, as it tasted really quite fresh, was lightly crisp on the outside, and had nice base flavor. It was a bit of a mess to eat, but in a fun good way.
Great flavors, textures, kinda decadent really. I liked it, more than most sandwiches, no question. ***+.
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Summer Heirloom BLT. $10.95.
Summer Seasonal. |
"Heirloom tomatoes, nitrate-free Applewood smoked bacon, habanero honey, Sir Kensington’s mayonnaise, arugula (560 cal) on toasted rustic white (320 cal)."
Another visit, and I got another sandwich. Again, I'm not generally a sandwich girl, but, I was drawn in by the food porn I had seen of this sandwich, featuring thick sliced, juicy juicy juicy, heirloom tomatoes. So one day, when kinda craving bacon too, I decided to go for it.
Wow. This is what every BTL *wants* to be. The super thick, generous slice of tomato was as glorious as I hoped, very fresh, flavorful, quality tomato. It made the entire sandwich oh so juicy. The crisp arugula was a nice compliment.
And then the bacon. So much bacon. They did *not* skimp on this, and it was the kind of bacon I particularly like, crispy, not flabby. It provided a fantastic crunch to the whole thing.
And then, the condiments, not a throwaway afterthought, they really enhanced the sandwich. Very generously applied mayo (on both sides of the bread) gave the creamy quality and extra smooth fattiness, and the habanero honey (!) just sealed the deal with a hint of spice and underlying sweetness.
This was a sandwich that just ate really, really well. Fresh and juicy and crispy and everything all at once. The only thing I didn't love was the bread, just because it was kinda boring, and I'd prefer something like dutch crunch.
Overall though, a very good sandwich. ***+.
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| Vegan Bahn Mi. (Half). |
"Organic marinated, baked tofu with vegan aioli, sweet chili sauce, housemade pickled daikon & carrots, cucumbers, jalapenos, cilantro (390 cal) on panini-pressed ciabatta (260 cal)".
Another visit, another sandwich. I got the vegan bahn mi as part of a Blue Plate Special, where you can pick a half sandwich and then either a deli side or soup to build your own combo. The sandwich options for the Blue Plate Special are limited however, just a few choices, mostly the simple, classic sandwiches. I was thrilled to see a bahn mi on the list, as I wanted to try that one for ages, but alas, only the vegan (tofu) version was an option, not the pork belly. Still, I tried it.
The bahn mi comes on ciabatta, not exactly a traditional bahn mi, but it was nicely pressed, with visible grill marks, crispy. That said, sadly, because of an issue with another item in my order, it wasn't still warm when I got it.
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| Vegan Bahn Mi: Inside. |
While the bread used isn't traditional for a bahn mi, the insides mostly were: pickled daikon & carrot, cilantro, cucumbers, jalapeño. These were all fine, the cucumber nicely julienned, crisp enough, fresh enough. The jalapeño did add a nice kick.
Bahn mi for me is made delicious usually by tasty spreads (and pate!), and while pate was not an option, it did come with vegan aioli and sweet chili sauce, spread on one side of the bread, and, unlike many other sandwiches from Mendocino Farms, seemed applied with considerable restraint (particularly compared to the Heirloom Tomato BLT and Impossible Burger ... both of which was smothered in sauce!). They were fine, added a touch of sweetness and creaminess, but, I really did want more from them. The pork belly version has a chili aioli instead, which I wonder if is better? In particular, I wanted some spice from it.
And finally, the tofu. I actually do enjoy some tofu, usually soft tofu, or firm tofu when I throw it on to my panini press to make it super crispy, so I didn't really have high hopes for this tofu, although I thought the marinade may jazz it up a little. It ... didn't really. It was just, firm, baked, tofu. Meh. I expect the pork belly version to be considerably better.
Overall, I was glad to get to try a bahn mi, and I think if I were vegan, this would be great (the pedigree was all there), but, since it was toasted but cold, lacking as much sauce as I wanted, and, uh, tofu, it certainly isn't something I'd get again.
**+.
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| The Impossibly Good Impossible Burger. $13.25 + $5 (extra patty). |
"House-seasoned Impossible burger patty topped with plant-based smoked provolone, roasted umami mushrooms, caramelized onion jam, tomatoes, shredded romaine, roasted garlic aioli (600 cal) on a toasted plant-based brioche bun (210 cal)."
The vegetarian (and
vegan) options at Mendocino Farms are extensive, including ... yup, the Impossible burger. Note that they don't even have a regular beef burger on the menu, only the vegetarian one. It comes loaded up with fantastic sounding goodies (roasted mushrooms, caramelized onion jam, roasted garlic aioli), and a vegan cheese that I was a little skeptical about (but hey, smoked provolone does sound good ...).
To the burger you can add a second patty, which I did. Like most of the menu, no option to add anything else, like bacon, avocado, etc.
I have to admit, this burger looked pretty awesome. The toasted brioche bun had a great shine to it, it was oozing with aioli-jam-cheese, and, zomg, the patties. I was expecting much smaller, and thinner, patties (hence the double up!), and wow, each one was a substantial patty. As you may imagine, it was quite the mess to eat.
Now ... here is where it gets hard to write this review. My burger was hot and ready, right on time, but another item in my order had a mistake (which the staff caught before bringing me any of my order), and thus, it sat there, getting cold, as they re-made the mistake item (had I realized what was going on, I would have asked for the burger! I could see it!). So, alas, it was not only not hot, it as honestly pretty cold, and for a burger, that just isn't great. Disclaimer: I was there for a training day, so, mistakes and things like this were expected, and I wasn't upset, just, unfortunate.
The bun was better than average - it tasted fresh, was fluffy, and was lightly toasted. This is the only item on the menu that uses the bun. For low carb option, the burger is also available as a lettuce wrap.
The bun was smothered, really smothered, on top, with the roasted garlic aioli, the caramelized onion jam, and the melted vegan provolone cheese. It oozed out, it made the whole thing very messy, and quite creamy. I wish I had asked for the aioli (and maybe the jam) on the side though, as they really did overwhelm, and there was something in the taste, I think of the onion jam, that I didn't quite enjoy. And the vegan smoked provolone ... reminded me of goat cheese. As you may recall, I dislike goat cheese. It was beautifully melted, but even smelt a bit goaty. This was odd, as I've had (and really don't mind!) many kinds of vegan cheese before, but this was just not a winner for me. So sadly, these toppings, the things I expected to adore, just weren't winners for me. I think if I were to get this again, I'd get the aioli/jam on the side, and maybe opt for 1000 Island instead (like special sauce), and I'd certainly swap out the cheese.
The roasted umami mushrooms however were a surprise hit - I thought it would just be some sliced button mushrooms or something, but these were nice, meaty, assorted wild mushrooms. They added a great chew. Definitely a winning element, and I wished you could add these on to salads and other sandwiches. The shredded romaine was just that, and the single piece of sliced tomato was highly average (very different from the thick sliced glorious heirlooms on the seasonal BLT).
And finally, of course, the patties. As I said, they were very sizable - both in girth and thickness, and were different from other Impossible patties I've had elsewhere. They seemed heavily seasoned, and there was visible herbs in them? There was more than just the burger meat in them it seemed, and the result was a patty that didn't taste quite as beefy. They were decently moist, but lacked any char to them. I also really just enjoy my Impossible meat with ketchup (and optionally, some mustard), and I found myself really, really wanting some for my burger.
So overall, a mixed bag for me. I loved the concept, it was a great looking burger, and elements like the bun and mushrooms were above average, but, I didn't actually like it all put together all that much. I'll say **+ overall, and this is clearly a case where the parts didn't add up for me, and, I think the coldness definitely didn't help.
Salads
Mendocino Farms is known mostly for the sandwiches, but, salads are a legit part of the lineup, with 5 different signature entree salads on the roster, and again, 1-2 seasonal specials. I've heard that salads are actually 1/4 of their sales volume. Lesser known fact: you can get any sandwich made into a salad if you prefer!
Salads come with a whole wheat tortilla on the side, and there is also an option to have your salad itself turned into a wrap, which I assume uses the same whole wheat tortilla. Just like the sandwiches, it is clearly marked which can be made entirely gluten-Free (some, like the Impossible Burger based taco salad cannot since the Impossible Burger itself contains wheat gluten, and the Chinese salad has fried wontons, etc), and those obviously leave out the tortilla. Vegetarian options are also clearly marked, and many have vegetarian or vegan versions as well (using tofu instead of chicken). Like the sandwiches, there isn't really much of a customization option, with just a few modifications possible.
I was drawn in by a number of the salads. The Impossible Taco Salad for sure, as I wanted to try the Impossible Burger again (and it has "housemade superfood krunchies", which sound fascinating, made from crunchy fried quinoa, millet, heirloom red rice, and nutritional yeast. And it comes with vegan cashew chipotle ranch ... yes, I really do like these sort of things sometime.) Mama Chen’s Chinese Chicken Salad also called out, as I love cabbage, slaw, bean sprouts, and crispy wontons, which were just some of the ingredients. Even "The Modern Caesar 2.0" sounded like a fun version, with kale, more of those superfood krunchies, and more. And I did consider the pork belly bahn mi sandwich as a salad.
But ... I went for the Asian Spring Roll Salad as I was really craving peanut satay, and it featured a peanut satay dressing. I still want to try all the others listed above.
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Asian Spring Roll Salad (Seasonal).
Chicken on the Side, Add Fried Wontons. $12.65 |
"Shaved, roasted Mary’s free range chicken breast, carrot and zucchini noodles, red cabbage, red onions, mint, toasted cashews, spicy Fresno chilis, Scarborough Farm’s arugula, chopped romaine, fried shallots (360 cal) with peanut satay cilantro-lime vinaigrette (260 cal). Go Vegan! Substitute our organic marinated, baked tofu in place of the Mary’s chicken! (710 cal)."
Since I don't actually like chicken, or tofu, I got the chicken, but asked for it on the side, so I could give it to my partner, who does like chicken. A random gift, "hey hun, I got you some shaved roasted free range chicken breast, uh, enjoy?", but hey, it was better than eating around it, or not getting my full value of my salad!
I also asked to have fried wontons added to the salad, since they were the key component making me consider the other Asian style salad. They asked if I wanted them mixed in or on the side, and I quickly decided to put them on the side, so they wouldn't get soggy.
The wontons were a highlight for me. Crispy, large sizes, far bigger than I was expecting actually, and great dipped in things.
When I ordered togo, the person taking my order said, "I'll put the dressing on the side, since you are getting togo, ok?", which I really appreciated. Freshness! The dressing was good, I liked the peanut aspect to it, but it was a soy based (I think) vinaigrette still, appropriate for salad, but what I really wanted was thicker peanut satay dipping sauce, like
Koi Palace Express serves with their Asian chicken salad.
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| So. Much. Salad. |
The salad, by the way, is insanely large. If the volume wasn't obvious in the first shot, here it might be. So. Much. Salad.
I felt so victorious once I finally reached the end - which was the next day. I smartly didn't dress the whole thing and saved half, once I realized how large it was (particularly given my sides too!). I wouldn't recommend saving this one though, the zucchini and carrot were moist, so they made the greens wilt pretty quickly, and, the fried shallots got soggy, and the cashews soft. I still enjoyed it once loaded with dressing and fresh crispies on day 2, but, it certainly suffered.
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| Asian Spring Roll Salad Base: Close Up. |
So, what did we have in the salad itself?
Arugula and romaine were the base, fresh and crisp, decently sized pieces, good balance of each. The arugula was a bit of pepperiness against the more boring, but appreciatively juicy, romaine. Shredded red cabbage and red onions both added vibrant purple color and a bit of crispness. The carrot and zucchini noodles were long thin shreds of each, more interesting than just standard shredded carrots or zucchini, but I'm not a huge fan of zucchini in my salads. I also found at least one kinda fun carrot spiral in the mix.
The mint was a nice touch, amping up the flavor and calling out the spring roll nature a bit. I really appreciated bites that got a full mint leaf in them. The Fresno chilis gave pops of red color, but not the promised heat, they were more sweet to me. Toasted halves of cashew added texture, but I found myself just wanting them to be peanuts to mirror peanut sauce play on spring rolls. Finally, the fried shallots were crispy little bits of fried goodness, but of course I wanted more, and far more crunch. Good thing I had the wontons on the side!
Overall, it was a good salad. Fairly light, fresh, colorful, with interesting textures and components. It was nice to order it togo because I could shake it up in the plastic container and get it really nicely dressed. The dressing and other components did work well together. ***.
But ... it was just a salad, and I was let down, I think because I ordered it mostly because I really just wanted amazing peanut sauce, which this didn't really have. I think I'd probably prefer the other asian salad, the Mama Chen's Chinese version, with its more interesting base (napa cabbage and kale), more interesting veggies (carrots and bean sprouts), and of course, the crispy wontons. I am not excited about the mustard sesame dressing either though ... and none of the other dressings really seem like they'd go with it ... uh, the vegan cashew ranch?
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| Build Your Own. $10.95 + $2 Bacon. |
"When you build your own salad, the item price includes one cheese, two accents, and three fruits or veggies."
As I've mentioned, you can't customize the signature salads/sandwiches much, and, although they have a build your own option, it is very limited. You cannot stray from the set salad formula of just one cheese + two accents (sauces) + three total fruits/veggies. What kind of decent salad has only 3 real ingredients besides the base? No ability to add an additional ingredient, even for an upcharge. It is really quite limiting. My creation:
- Protein: Braised, Caramelized Pork Belly
- Base: Kale & Chopped Romaine
- Dressing: Miso Mustard Sesame (on the side)
- Cheese: Smoked Gouda
- Accents: Aji Amarillo Sauce, Smokey 1000 Island (on the side)
- Fruits or Veggies: Krispies, Superfood Krunchies, Wontons (on the side)
- Premium add-on: Bacon
A base salad is $8.25 with no meat, or the different meat options range from $9.25 for bacon up to $12.45 for an impossible patty. There is no option to double up. I selected the pork belly. And just the fun crunchies as my "fruits/veggies", so I literally had no vegetables in this besides the base. Sauces/dressing + fatty meat + crispy things. That's how I roll.
The pork belly was ... well, simply put, glorious. ZOMG. I know people rave about it, and I know it *is* pork belly after all, but, I wasn't expecting it to be this good! It was hot, clearly cooked to order, big hunks, small enough that you didn't necessarily need a knife, but plenty big to feel substantial. The exterior was crispy, the inside moist, it had just the right chew, and the marinade was delicious. Seriously. That pork belly. It worked great on top of a salad, but I imagine the pork belly bahn mi, its original home, is fabulous too.
While you can't select two proteins (e.g. pork belly and steak), you can however select "premium add-ons", such as avocado, bacon, prosciutto, and more. I added bacon, for $2, because, um, bacon. The bacon I knew would be delicious, from the seasonal Heirloom Tomato BLT, and, yup, it was great bacon. Crispy, not greasy, caramelized ... I'd call it glorious, really, but the pork belly wins that title. Like other ingredients, cut up into nicely bite sized chunks, but not too small. Did my salad need bacon and pork belly? Of course not. But was it porky deliciousness? Absolutely.
From there, you pick the green base: romaine, either alone or with arugula or kale or mixed greens, or just mixed greens, or, for $0.50 more, spinach. I went for the kale and romaine option, but really wanted kale and mixed greens, which isn't an option. The base was good, plenty of it, fresh and crisp, perfect sized pieces, no knife required. Not much to say about it.
Next, dressing and your choice of cheese from the extensive lineup (or avocado instead of cheese, if you prefer). The cheese inclusion is a bit odd for a salad vs sando, but, I wasn't unhappy to add some gouda on there. I had no idea what the salad cheese would be like, but it was just torn (or cut I suppose) up in to pieces and strewn about. Because the pork belly was hot, it was slightly limp and sweaty, which was fine, even if it looked less than idea. It seemed like average gouda, not particularly smoky.
**** for all this together.
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Dressing & Accents: Miso Mustard Sesame Dressing,
Aji Amarillo Sauce, Smokey 1000 Island.
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For dressing, I usually go for something creamy, but opted for the dressing usually used on the pork belly bahn mi salad, the miso mustard sesame. All dressing comes on the side by design, and the containers even have a built-in dressing holder! The dressing was fine, some light sesame flavor, but it was a vinaigrette, just not my thing. I didn't taste the miso. **+.
The accents choices are ... well, odd for a salad. You'd expect this to be things like nuts and seeds or crunchy toppings as "accents", but actually, this is just a selection of sauces and condiments, again, a bit odd for a salad. I randomly picked two good sounding sauces, and opted for them on the side, mostly just to try them, and likely use later.
The Smokey 1000 Island came in a full size dressing container, like the miso mustard sesame, even though it is considered an accent (it is used in the "Mrs. Goldfarb’s Unreal Reuben" sandwich). It was pretty delicious, slightly tangy, creamy, and, as promised, extremely smokey. I really liked it, certainly an amped up version of standard 1000 Island. I'm sure it is great on the reuben, and I think it would be fantastic on the burger too. ****, a nice surprise and unique 1000 Island.
The aji amarillo sauce (used on the "Peruvian Steak" sandwich normally) on the other hand came in a smaller container. It was fine, fairly standard aji amarillo, and likely a good pairing for the steak it normally comes with. ***, fine.
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| "Fruits & Veggies": Krispies, Superfood Krunchies, Wontons. |
And then, the real body of most salads, toppings, the fruits and veggies. ... which also includes nuts (honey roasted almonds or cashews) and grains (quinoa & millet) and crunchy toppings, which, uh, I entirely opted for. Again, you can't add any extra, even for a fee, which I found fairly frustrating. These are normally mixed in, but I asked for them on the side.
I opted for the crunchy toppings rather than normal salad additions like fruits and veggies because I had plenty of produce at home, and these all sounded unique. Plus, um, I love wontons?
The wontons came in a slightly larger container, which makes sense, as the tiny ones would only fit like one wonton. These normally come on the Mama Chen’s Chinese Chicken Salad. These were crispy, crunchy, and a great textural element to add to a salad, but weren't otherwise remarkable. Still, I liked them. ***+.
The two other items came in smaller containers, and I'll admit I didn't really know what I was ordering, but the "Superfood Krunchies" seemed to be the top leftmost ones, and quinoa was involved? This comes on two Mexican inspired salads normally. The quinoa was clearly toasted, and it was all seasoned well, quite flavorful. Again, a great textural addition to a salad. I think it would be great to mix in to yogurt too ... ***.
And finally, the "Krispies", which are different from "Krunchies", and do not normally exist in salads, but rather are the signature element of the “Not So Fried” Chicken sandwich, one of the OG items that really put Mendocino Farms on the map. Think of ... little bits of fried chicken coating, but, a healthier version, and that is what you have here. Again, great textural element, a bit lost in a salad, but highly effective in the sandwich. ***+.
I was pleased with all my crispy additions, and they really added unique elements to my salad. I'd get any again.
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| Whole Wheat Tortilla. |
Salads come with, optionally, a tortilla. No other bread choice. The tortilla ... honestly seems kinda random. It came in its own little bag, and was just, well, a tortilla. I suppose I could have made myself a little wrap with it, but, cold plain tortilla was an odd thing. I expected it toasted or something? **.
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Whole Wheat Tortilla (2021).
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I had another a few years later.
I appreciated that it was warm this time, maybe it is supposed to be warmed normally?
I did use it to make a little wrap with my side salads, but I still am just not really into whole wheat tortilla. **.
Sides
The deli sides are really my favorite thing about Mendocino Farms, and are what drew me in the first time.
It was pre-pandemic, and in that era, they always had samples of the deli salads readily available, and even pushed them on you. I love samples, and I found so many of these sides that I really enjoyed. They always offer a pasta salad and a potato salad, which rotate between a couple choices, and change weekly. The others are seasonal, and frequently return from year to year. Two soups are also always available, one core, one seasonal.
Sides are available in 3 sizes: small (serves 1, $2.85), medium (serves 2, $4.50), large (serves 3-4, $8.50), although prior to 2021 they came only in two sizes, the small was larger than the current small.
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| Side Salads. |
Mendo offers 6 salads at a time: 1 rotating vegan potato salad, 1 rotating pasta salad, two seasonal salads, and a few staples like an amazing cous cous (seriously, trust me!). I've been shocked by how much I've enjoyed several, so the very generous sampling methodology really does work. I never would have tried ... any of these, besides maybe the potato salad.
Summer Watermelon & Feta (Seasonal Salad)
"with cucumber, mint, shaved red onion, scallions, and chipotle vinaigrette."
Since I'm allergic to watermelon, I never sampled, nor ordered, the watermelon offering, the seasonal salad for summer.
I've tried all others though.
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| Healthiest Side Salad Ever. |
"Raw Beet, Ginger & Carrot Salad with Kale, Black Rice, Golden Raisins, Toasted Hazelnuts & Oranges."
I sampled this one day, and was really surprised how much I liked it. More than the entree salads I ordered, actually. The shredded beets, ginger, and carrot were crisp since raw and were quite flavorful together. I loved the crunch from the black rice and hazelnuts. I not only tolerated, but even kinda appreciated, the raisins and oranges, both ingredients I normally scoff at, but here they worked, adding juiciness, sweetness, and and acidity. A beautifully balanced and designed salad, and I'll totally order this myself sometime if I'm not ordering an entree salad as I was that day.
Update Review: So, I got it again, as a side. And ... I hated it. Everything felt out of balance. Way too much ginger, it tasted like I was eating a healthy juice shot, the ginger just overtook everything. And those raisins and oranges? Yeah, I wanted nothing to do with them either.
I'm not sure what changed here, me or the salad, as it really did seem very unbalanced, but it didn't leave me wanting to try it again.
This salad seems to have been dropped from the lineup, so, clearly I was not alone.
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| Curried Couscous (small - pre 2021). |
"with Roasted Life’s a Choke Farm’s Cauliflower and Carrots."
It was my first sample of this that made me give Mendocino Farms a shot in the first place. I walked in one day just to check out the menu and look around, while down in SoCal (I think it was in Irvine? I don't recall really), and the friendly staff made me sample things, even though I walked in, saw it was a sandwich, salad, and soup spot, and was turning around to go elsewhere.
I don't even really like cous cous, but she was so friendly and had cous cous salad in my hands before I could say no. And, um, I loved it. It was creamy and incredibly flavorful, and my notes from that visit said, "I don't understand, I don't like cous cous, or curry, but, wow, really tasty. Get this again."
And so I did get it again. And I continue to. Basically ... every time I visit? It is, hands down, no question, my favorite thing at Mendocino Farms. If only they'd like me throw some of the magical krunchies from the "Not so Fried" chicken on top, and then I'd be all set.
The cous cous is large Israeli pearl cous cous, with a slight chew, but not al dente, just, kinda perfectly cooked. The carrots are cooked, al dente, little cubes, and they give awesome crunch to contrast with the softer cous cous.
I'm not sure how it is dressed exactly, it is a creamy curry dressing, and the creaminess is amazing. The curry is a bit spicy, super flavorful, and a unique flavor. I think there are likely a slew of spices in here. And mayo. There must be mayo. It isn't actually a light side, as the small container says it is 2 servings, each about 300 calories.
I adore this every time, and I'm surprised, every time. Creamy, perhaps healthy-ish, and crunchy? Yes, please. ****.
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| Spicy Curried Couscous (Small). $2.85. (2021) |
"Roasted cauliflower & carrots with Mendo's signature spice mix (vegan)."
As I said, I adore this. I get it every time, usually not as part of my meal, but as something to take home and eat later.
It is creamy, it is flavorful, the cous cous has the perfect texture, love the crunch from the carrots ... just, love it.
Sometimes I find it a bit much on its own, but, when mixed with some greens (it works great with kale!), I really like it. ****.
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| More Spicy Curried Cous Cous (Small). $2.85. |
Like I said, I like this, and get it all the time.
It is so consistently good. ****.
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Spicy Curried Cous Cous over Curly Kale
Grape Tomatoes / Pickled Jalapeño. |
"With a splash of pickle juice and soy sauce, topped with Mom's homemade Chex Mix Crumble."
And behold, how I often have it. Over some greens (curly kale and romaine in this case), with some fresh tomatoes and pickled things (jalapeños here), a splash of pickle juice and soy sauce, and crispy topping (Mom's homemade Chex mix ftw!).
It balances it out, creates a fun side dish.
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Spicy Curried Cous Cous with Crispy Chickpeas
over Romaine / Baby Spinach / Kale |
"With a splash of pickle juice and soy sauce, topped with bacon bits & Everything But The Bagel Spice."
Another winner. Love having a nice mix of greens as a base, I always add a little soy and pickle juice, and then whatever else sounds fun. The crispy chickpeas worked great, chickpea and cous cous and curry were very complimentary flavors.
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| Pickles & Dill Vegan Potato Salad (Small). |
Mendo offers a vegan potato salad that rotates weekly between a Spicy Dijon and Pickles & Dill. Somehow they always had the Spicy Dijon when I visited, and although I like the style, I don't really care for the flavor. The mustard strikes again.
Anyway, both are the same fascinating style, where they incorporate a lot of mashed up potato into the mix, along with chunks (very large chunks!) of cooked potato. It is more like a cold mashed potato mixed with potato salad, if that makes sense. It is creamy in a different way, and fairly unique. Certainly not mayo-laden, which is the style I would normally rave about, but this lighter feeling option does work. And, I guess, its vegan too? I like it.
I was thrilled when I finally visited and they finally had the pickles & dill potato salad. Pickles? Check. Dill? Sure. These are things I like in my potato salad!
And, the result? Good potato salad. Bits of red skin in the mix too, plenty of dill for a nice herby quality, and some pickle, but I certainly would love even more pickle. The dill is legit though, very, uh, dill forward.
I'm not sure I'd order it often, but if I was feeling in the mood for potato salad, this one is tasty enough. ***.
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| Pickles & Dill Potato Salad. (Vegan). Small. $2.85. |
I have gotten the potato salad again a few times, again, not one I go for all that often, but sometimes I just really want potato salad, and this one is always good enough. Not great, but "fine.
I don't taste pickles, but the dill is strong. Love the creamy, basically mashed potato quality to it. Besides dill though there is not tons of flavor, again, like mashed potato really.
I did try it once warmed up, with pulled pork and ribs, and bbq sauce, thinking I could pretend it was mashed potatoes, but that wasn't actually very successful.
***.
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| Spicy Dijon Potato Salad. (Vegan). Small. $2.85. |
The potato salad rotates between the Pickles & Dill and the Spicy Dijon. I'd tried a sample of the Spicy Dijon once, and didn't care for it, but decided to finally give it another try.
It was ok. Again red skin potato which I don't prefer. Again does have mix of well cooked (e.g. not mushy) hunks of potato and then creamy mashed potato like part. Kinda tangy from dijon.
Its ... ok. Not really something I want more of.
***.
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Marinated Red Beets & Quinoa Salad. (Seasonal). (Small). $2.95.
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"With citrus, green apples, dried cranberries, honey roasted almonds, baby arugula in a honey lemon champagne vinaigrette."
Ok, so, beets. Not my thing. Quinoa, generally not my thing. Let's just say, it took *years* before I finally tried one this one, even though a regular item on the Mendocino Farms sides lineup.
I picked it up during COVID days, so, without being able to see (nor sample!) it, so was surprised when I saw it. I was expecting far more beets, less, uh, "quinoa forward", but I was not upset to see that they weren't dominant. (Side story: amusingly, the description *has* changed, it used to be known as the "marinated red beets salad", sans quinoa in the name, but quinoa listed in the description alongside the others. Clearly, either they changed it to be more quinoa focused, or, got feedback that they needed to include that little "detail".)
Anyway. I took a bite, prepared to hate it, and, well, I kinda liked it.
The quinoa was crunchy, crispy, not soft and soggy. I liked the texture quite a bit, but I can imagine it being far to "al dente" for some. The beets were fine, cooked well, but yeah, they are cooked beets. They didn't dominate though, only in color.
I loved the (chopped up) honey roasted almonds - the flavor, the texture, and the crunch. Awesome.
Some of the salads that I have disliked have just been too heavy in the dressing, or not a style I liked, and I feared that with the vinaigrette, but this turned out fine. Slightly sweet, lemon flavor mild but present just to accent the rest of the flavors.
I didn't even mind the apples (they did provide a good juicy bite!) or the citrus (even juicier!), although I could do without the dried cranberries. The arugula was minimal, but, the rest really did work to create a pretty satisfying dish, although I preferred to put a big scoop on top of a salad (and add more crunchy toppings) rather than eat it as is.
***+.
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Collard Greens / Green Leaf Lettuce / Baby Spinach / Fresh Mint
Marinated Red Beets & Quinoa Salad |
"With a splash of pickle juice, soy sauce, and topped with shredded parmesan, chopped almonds, and Mom's Homemade Chex Mix."
I've ended up getting the beets and quinoa many times, and quickly settled on a "recipe" I loved. I throw a scoop on top of a bed of assorted greens, usually with something juicy and crisp like romaine or green leaf, biter greens like chopped collards or kale, and baby spinach to round it out. I find the bitter greens really help offset the sweetness from the beets, apples, and dressing.
Then I add a lot of fresh mint - I think it compliments the flavors in the base salad beautifully. I hit it with a splash of pickle juice for acidity and soy sauce to round the flavor out.
Then, toppings! I sprinkle on parmesan (or whatever cheese I have around), add more chopped almonds, and, uh, then I generally go rogue and throw on whatever crispy topping I have around - in this case, it was my mom's homemade chex mix, but wonton strips, chow mein noodles, crispy chickpeas, etc often make an appearance.
This is how I like to eat it, using the beets & quinoa salad to just pull it all together.
Update: I also have found that I like to *roast* this, the marinated red beets and quinoa salad, until the quinoa grains get all crispy, and top it with melted fontina cheese. So random, but I really do enjoy it that way. It goes very well with pumpkin seeds, pears, and other complimentary ingredients as well.
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| Pasta Shells of the Week: Basil Pesto. Small. $2.85. |
"with feta, grape tomatoes, parmesan & Scarborough Farm's baby spinach."
The first time I tried this was just for completeness, and because they offer samples so generously. I thought that perhaps I'd love the pesto, as I sometimes do. I didn't end up getting it then though, and remember thinking it "fine" - the pesto was fine, the pasta was fine, the grape tomatoes were fine ... but not really my thing.
A few years later, I decided to give it a real try.
I liked the grape tomatoes, but only had one in my small container. It was juicy and flavorful though, and went great with the pesto.
The pesto was decent, not too oily (there is lots more oil under here that was just in bottom of container, so needed to be stirred up). As feta isn't really my thing, the feta chunks, decent size chunks, and plenty of them, were something I kinda avoided. The shells were fine, not too mushy, not al dente. There was also a lot of parmesan.
Overall, probably, if you like pasta salad, if you like Mediterranean flavors like feta, this is a winner, but it isn't one I wanted more of, which I pretty much expected.
**+ due to personal preference.
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| Pasta Shells of the Week: Almond Romesco. |
"with roasted peppers, Parmesan and Scarborough Farm's baby spinach."
The first time I tried this, I wasn't planning to write a blog post, but did take a note: "meh, not my thing." I really don't remember what I didn't care for though, so, sorry to be vague. That said, it doesn't really sound like something I'd like, red pepper, and thus romesco is often just not the flavor I go for.
So I didn't get it again, for years. Plus, it seemed rarely offered, certainly not as frequently as the basil pesto shells.
But eventually, I decided to give it another try. I knew my tastes can always change too.
It was about as I expected. The shells are the same as the pesto version, little shells, well cooked, not mushy, not underdone. But just kinda boring plain pasta shells. Maybe I'm just not really a pasta person, except for crazy fresh pasta, and only when it has delicious sauce anyway.
The romesco wasn't particularly flavorful, and there were only a few pieces of baby spinach and roasted red peppers throughout. The cheese too was pretty lost, since it was just tiny shreds.
So mostly ... rather bland cold pasta shells. It didn't taste bad, but, well, I guess "meh, not my thing" sums it up pretty well.
**.
Update: But of course I got it again, this time, with an idea: turn it into hot pasta! So I heated it. And I added a bit of my favorite marinara sauce. And some chopped up marinated roasted red peppers. And chopped up onion. And chiles. And I melted on plenty more parmesan cheese. And added garlic powder and Italian seasoning. Now I had a nice bowl of flavorful Italian pasta ...
Is this how they intended me to eat their cold pasta salad? Of course not. But I liked it that way ... *** with my "advanced" prep.
I wasn't quite sure what the salad would be like though, as a pre-made, vinaigrette based salad clearly would not be fresh, crispy kale. But kale stands up well moisture, and often is marinated, so, it sounded ... interesting at least.
I almost loved it. It was pretty, and the textures of everything worked really well together.
The salad was not really a kale base, not an entree style salad, but rather torn, smaller pieces of curly kale as one of the many ingredients. The kale, as I expected, was basically lightly marinated, a bit soft, but not mushy. Shredded rainbow carrots added pops of color and a bit of texture. The little chunks of green granny smith apples were great to crunch on, and made it taste fresh and juicy overall. I loved the crunch from the tiny bits of pecan. These things were all quite good, and I liked the "eating experience" of it.
But ... the cranberries. Ruined it for me. Just far too many cranberries, and they were both tart and way too sweet. Again, I appreciated the textural element, a lovely chew, but, they were too sweet. The vinaigrette base also perhaps was too sweet? The apples and candied pecans also added to the overall sweetness. Just, well, too sweet.
It was better when I mixed it with additional greens, or with the cous cous salad, but, sadly, this is not one I'll be getting again.
**.
Yeah yeah, I said I wouldn't get it again, and, I got it again.
