Bunk Sandwiches is the offspring of Tommy Habetz (former chef of Ripe and Meriwethers), offering a daily smattering of roughly 10 or so sandwiches all priced around $8. Sides and soups change daily as well, although it's almost impossible to eat them, which you'll understand by the end of the review. Anyway, you can read about all the fine points in your local weekly of choice or yelp or whatever, I wanna get on to talking about pork fat.
My first experience at Bunk began outside the place, the line was maybe 10 deep with bike messengers, downtown suits, and the enviable scruffy creative types that don't have to worry about 'taking lunch' - a diverse crowd - which is always a good sign. Once you make it in, now in front of the blackboard menu, you have less than 3 frantic minutes to choose your sandwich. I typically end up deciding at the last possible moment as the (always very friendly) person at the counter takes my order. Then you sit at a table (if you're lucky) and observe.
A beautiful thing happens every time I'm at bunk - strangers talk to strangers. If you're at a table by the door, expect to be asked at least once what sandwich you're eating. Ravenous customers will even ask you what sandwich you're mawing on after they've ordered their own as they count glare longingly while waiting their turn. "Is that what my sandwich will look like? Did I get the right one? Why is this guy taking pictures of his food?" You can hear the internal monologue of everyone in the shop, it's like one big vulcan mind meld.
I love Reuben's, when they're good they're great, and I'm something of a connoisseur, so I jumped on their pork belly reuben my first time there without thinking twice. I don't have a photo for you, so I'm left with only my own private memories of that moment: not too tall, not too wide - real rye that shattered on the outside while staying chewy on the outside - a perfect amount of tart sauerkraut - and thick slabs of lush pork belly cooked to a doneness that mimicked pastrami/corned beef perfectly. It was a revelation. In fact, it's lure was so enticing that I had it again my second time instead of trying out the rest of the menu.
The menu changes often, and can jump all over the place, from pork shoulder with romesco to pulled pork with apple slaw. Don't expect to always find your favorite, but so far everything I've tried is great - no need to worry. Here's a quick highlight reel:
The PBLT - Pork belly, lettuce, and pickled green tomatoes
This sandwich may be my all time favorite, it appeared one day and vanished the next (yes, I went two days in a row). The tomatoes were a perfectly tart contrast to the most luscious pork belly yet - great tender chew in the meaty spots while the fatty chunks literally melted like butter on your tongue. I didn't eat again for 12 hours.
The Cubano - Pork belly (yes, I'm obsessed), house smoked ham, swiss, and half sour pickles
Bunk cures all their pork in house with tender affection, and it shows. Smokey sweet ham balanced savory pork belly that was cooked to near bacon doneness. Swiss was proportioned with precision and all this fat was tempered with a piquant bite of pickles and mustard. Tommy is an artist when it comes to knowing exactly how much condiment lube is enough.
The Chicken Salad Sandwich - Roasted chicken salad, bacon, and avocado on a poppy seed roll
Chicken salad can easy induce gloppy-bland-protein boredom, but Bunk managed to keep the salad mild enough to highlight the high quality chicken and again proportioned the mustard smartly enough to not overpower the avacado. I'd usually go for anything pork belly, but if you're feeling chicken (ha!) it won't disappoint...and you're still not missing out on bacon.
Bacon and Egg Potato Salad - Potato salad with hard boiled eggs and plenty of bacon
Although Bunk proportions their sandwiches to be more than filling enough without making you completely sick (you have to push yourself to finish, but not begrudgingly), I felt a moral obligation to try a side - bring a partner if you dare attempt this (thank you Amy for your sacrifice). Deviled eggs and your favorite potato salad hooked up last night and then went out for a breakfast of spicy pepper bacon in the morning. The pepper in the photo below was not added after the fact, it was absolutely over the top laden with it through and through. Spicy, tangy, dense and somehow light from what can only be a king's ransom in fat.
A beautiful and somewhat unsettling thing happens at Bunk. The vibe is upbeat and everyone is talking...until they start eating. I now understand what alien abductees report as 'lost time' - walking out of there today I realized that I didn't really remember the passing of the last 20 minutes while I was eating my Cubano. Sure, I remember eating the sandwich and enjoying it, but my mind is usually all over the place and I don't recall thinking about anything at all as bite after bite of beautiful pork fat flipped my brain waves into a pure alpha state. Yes, you read that right, BUNK SANDWICHES WILL CHANGE YOUR BRAIN!
I like it, thumbs up, gold stars, Goodist approved, a score of 10 on the Standardized Pork Fat Scale
(Tip: Bunk is busy, and if you're too late, pork belly can be soul crushingly crossed off the chalkboard. This is a lunch place, so the secret is to get there at 45min past the hour, when everyone is on their way back to work and the next hour's lunch rush has yet to begin. I'll see you there at 12:45)
Bunk Sandwiches
621 SE Morrison
Monday-Saturday 8am-3pm
brilliant! you are such a good writer!!
Posted by: amy | April 08, 2009 at 06:12 PM
I think the man in the blue hat is on to you Tim...
Posted by: Scott | April 26, 2009 at 07:51 AM