Wedding Crashers: Molinari Deli

MOLINARI DELI 373 COLUMBUS AVE SAN FRANCISCO, CA |  M-F 900-600 PM, SAT 900-500 PM

My first encounter with this jewel of a place was my sophomore year of high school. Ms. Barberini (endearingly called Ms. Barb) insisted that we all eat here after our field trip finished--if I'm not mistaken I believe we were on Urban Plunge. Anyway, most of us jumped on her recommendation, and I'm happy to say that five years later it's still as delicious as the first day. This place is especially dear to my heart because a bit after our field trip, Barb passed, so whenever we pay a visit we remember her and walk across to the National Shrine of St. Francis of Assisi.

Can you spot Giancarlo who appears to be wearing strangely boxy white pants? On a side note look at all the cheese!

Once you step into the wondrous world of an Italian deli you may find yourself in utter confusion after you've overcome your initial awe and that's okay. Grab a number immediately--immediately! This is one of those places that are packed no matter what time of the day you go, so trust me, you'll have time to figure out what you want before your number is called. Look at your number, remember your number, don't lose your number, easy enough. Now comes the challenging part: choosing your sandwich.

Step 1: pick out your bread from the bin towards the back of the store (germaphobes beware). A good foodie knows that the bread is essential to the overall tastiness of your sandwich. If it's not good enough to eat on its own don't use it in a sandwich--at least a good sandwich.

Step 2: bread roll in hand, look at the options on the menu, look at the case, decide on what you want, and if you've decided and still have some time to spare, check out the cheese selection or the other Italian goodies which line the deli's walls like pasta, sauces, chocolates and wines.

Step 3: hand your roll to the person taking your order. Tell them what you like and watch your delicious sandwich come to life. The sun-dried tomatoes are excellent, sweet and tangy and just great.

Step 4: pay, take a seat outside (or stand), unwrap and enjoy!

White pasta salad with a heaping load if dill, so if you and dill aren't the best of friends it's best you stay away

Soft roll, pesto, sun-dried tomatoes, turkey, provolone, sweet peppers

Hard roll, pesto, turkey, provolone, artichoke hearts, sun-dried tomatoes. Yes the bread is hard--hard and crusty but soft on the inside--so if that isn't your thing try the soft roll or the rosemary roll or maybe even ciabatta

Funny story: after we downed half of our sandwiches, we were much too full to attack the other half, we excitedly hurried across the street to the church and almost found ourselves walking into someone's wedding ceremony--not cute. Luckily we spared ourselves the embarrassment, and the couple had a nice crasher-free wedding (by us at least).