Midtown Lunch

As you may or may not know I am a big fan of putting fries on gyros, on falafel sandwiches, or in burritos.  So it’s not to hard to imagine that I would also like a sandwich with… say… onion rings on top.  Makes sense, right?  And if I liked french fries and onion rings on a sandwich, it would also stand to reason that chicken fingers or mozzarella sticks would also be a welcome addition.  I didn’t lose you did I?  Because that’s precisely what you get at the grease trucks, a Rutgers institution that has been serving up over the top, appetizer-samplers-as-a-gigantic-sandwich for almost 15 years.  It doesn’t take much of an imagination to know why a chicken finger + mozzarella stick + french fries + marinara sandwich would appeal to a college student at 2 in the morning, but I don’t see why this can’t be enjoyed during daylight hours!

So when I heard that Fat Sal’s in Westwood was serving up their version of the sandwiches you get at the famous Rutgers grease trucks, I was pretty freakin’ excited.

Read more »

Yesterday the L.A. Times reported that two UCLA basketball players got food poisoning from “late-night chicken chili cheese fries” in Westwood, and I couldn’t help but wonder what place they ate at!  Early theories have centered around Tommy Taco (aka the new Buck Fiddy), which is known for their dream fries… but they don’t have “chicken chili cheese fries” on the menu.  Ditto for Maloney’s, and Jose Bernstein… and The Stand isn’t open late so they’re out.  One possible culprit? Fat Sal’s, the sandwich shop homage to the Rutgers grease trucks on Gayley.   They’re open late, and have something called “buffalo chicken cheese fries” on their menu- although I guess technically that’s not chicken chili, is it. Regardless I might have to go… um… sacrifice myself over a plate of their buffalo chicken cheese fries.  You know… for science. Of course I’ll also have to eat one of their delicious sounding roast beef sandwiches topped with mozzarella sticks, onion rings, fries, and brown gravy as well. You don’t think that will compromise the integrity of the “experiment” do you?