Portland Sandwiches: Bunk Sandwiches

Bunk’s Meatball Hero

“You can’t judge a book by its cover.”
~ 20th Century American Idiom

“Beauty … is but skin deep.”
~ Sir Thomas Overbury, 1613

“Food all looks the same coming out.”
~ Some Smart-Ass

Often suffused with smoke with a dinky storefront, there’s not much to draw you to or in Bunk Sandwiches except the line of people out front. Their sandwiches don’t often photograph well for whatever reason. Neither does my wife. But I don’t eat a photograph of a sandwich from Bunk anymore than I kiss a picture of my wife. The sandwiches may not be pretty, but they sure taste damned good. Thus, the line.

On the continuum of sandwiches from traditional to gourmet, Bunk’s give the impression of something traditional and comforting, yet the menu indicates, and the patient palate discovers, something creative and distinctive. But somehow, the flavors are never unexpected.

Take, for instance, a recent “torta” with sliced roasted pork, mashed avocado, and pinto beans served on a ciabatta roll. I’m not sure you’d find this torta in any loncheria in Mexico, but any Mexican would feel at home with the soulfull combination of their native flavors. I purchased a side of Mama Lil’s hot peppers as a salsa alternative that spiced it up nicely and balanced out the rich and earthy ingredients. Tremendous.

Or how about a most treyf union of pork belly and melted gruyere with sauerkraut? That’s right, a pork belly reuben. Argue all you want about the semantics. It’s difficult to deny the deliciousness, however.

They do well with the purely traditional, too. Their meatball parmigiano is probably the best I’ve had in Portland. The meatballs are tasty enough, but it’s the texture that distinguishes them. They’re tender, but not crumbly. And the sauce is well-balanced, not too sweet or overwhelmed with herbs. I think they could do better than the Amoroso rolls they use, which hold up well for their Italian hero, sliced Italian meats and cheeses with shredded lettuce and sliced peppers, but can be overwhelmed by the meatballs. And I like a little crackle in a crust, which Amoroso doesn’t provide.

Another stand-out is the roast beef with sweet onions and horseradish. Here, like with the torta, you have the added benefit of bread from Fleur de Lis Bakery, in this case a poppy-seeded kaiser roll. But it’s the balance of sweet from the roasted onions and spicy from the horseradish along with the meaty beef that makes it ignite the tongue with flavor.

Tuna melt

I have had items that have fallen short. The tuna melt, essentially a tuna cubano with pickles and swiss, seemed dry. Perhaps the tuna is undressed and needs mayo to hold up to the grilling. The potato salad with egg is made really well and I love the addition of egg in a German-style potato salad, but it’s a bit overwhelmed by the smokiness of the bacon. The roasted brussell sprouts and red beans & rice are both tasty sides, but the sweet potatoes were bland. I had to give away the cabbage and apple slaw. While I think its flavor is intentional and it may be exactly what some are looking for, it has that southern sweet mayo flavor that I personally can’t stomach. It was crunchy and fresh-tasting, but I don’t think the apple comes through at all either.

Most sandwiches are about $8, a reasonable price. Some, such as the meatball, are rather hefty. None are overly huge and I think a half sandwich would be too little for most. With sides at $4 and a pickle for $2.50, they were smart to quickly offer chips with their sandwiches at no additional cost, avoiding the appearance of a $12 meal.

Breakfast biscuit — available all day

Selection of pies is ever-changing and always agreeable, especially at $3.50 a slice. For breakfast they offer crumbly and crackly biscuits filled with bacon, ham, cheese, egg or some combination thereof.

Here’s a recent menu:

BREAKFAST (ALL DAY)
Egg & Cheese – $4
Bacon or Ham or Sausage, Egg & Cheese – $5

SOUP
Turkey Soup – small, $4; large, $7

LUNCH (11-3, COMES WITH KETTLE CHIPS)
Meatball Parmigiano Hero – $8
Roast Beef with Cheddar, Sweet Onions & Horseradish Sauce – $8
Country Ham Po’Boy with Green Tomato Pickles & Creole Mustard – $8
Italian Cured Meats with Hot Peppers & Provolone Piccante – $9
Pork Belly Reuben – $8
Oregon Albacore Tuna Melt with Olive Oil, Balsamic, Pickles & Swiss – $8
Roasted Eggplant with Marinated Red Peppers, Basil & Fresh Mozz – $8
Grilled Chicken with Avocado, Romaine and Garlic Anchovy Dressing – $8
Grilled Tillamook Cheddar – $5; Add tomato soup, $2

* Add smoked bacon or anchovies (cured) to any sandwich, $2

SIDES
Red Beans & Green Rice – $4
Apple Cabbage Slaw – $4
Roasted Cauliflower with Cheese Sauce – $4
Potato Salad with Bacon & Egg – $4
Half Sour Pickle from Pickopolis – $2.50

SWEETS
Locally Baked Pie – $3.50, ala mode, $1
Locally Baked Cupcakes – $1.50

Bunk Sandwiches
621 SE Morrison St
Portland, OR 97214
503.477.9515
http://www.bunksandwiches.com

Open Breakfast & Lunch, Monday thru Saturday

** For those who don’t know, I am one of the owners of Kenny & Zuke’s Delicatessen. Many may see Bunk as my competitor and be suspicious of my review of it and any other sandwich shops in Portland. So be it. You’re welcome to take what I say with a grain of salt.