DO YOU HAVE A GO-TO 'WICH... that you like to make at home? The kind of sandwich that either has two ingredients or two dozen? And those ingredients might be deemed a little offbeat, by onlookers, but to you they're fully flavorsome? Surely everyone has created a stacked-high, bread-beautiful creation that included some add-ins that could raise an eyebrow or two. Three kinds of pickles? Jelly and cheese? Jelly and cheese and three kind of pickles? You get us: The discovery of the perfect lunchtime tummy-filler requires throwing a few unusual edibles between a pair of slices now and then. But you don't always have to look to your own kitchen, and food-based proclivities, to find offbeat sandwiches, or the value you often find inside your own pantry and fridge. Take the Sauce Sandwich, a favorite at Mickey's Deli in Hermosa Beach for 65 years. The marinara-laden creation is still priced at just...
$1.50... for a small, and $1.95 for a large, which, granted, is a bit more than its original 1953 price of a dime and a nickel. Still, finding a sandwich for a buck and two quarters nowadays, in a restaurant? Probably pretty unlikely. And finding a sandwich that's zesty, and filling, and able to stave off the cravings and pangs for a couple of hours, for just a $1.50? Also difficult, unless you make for Mickey's. The history of how the Sauce Sandwich came to be? "It was when surfers and kids would approach owner Michael Angelo "Mickey" Mance with only a few cents to spare for food," says the restaurant. Mr. Mance responded by slathering some marinara on a slice of bread, often giving it away for free or just five cents. If you're curious about this long-running lunch- or dinner-ready icon, it's turning 65 in 2018, along with Mickey's Deli. And if you like the notion of a Sauce Sandwich, but you would also add a little dairy, take heart: There's a Sauce & Cheese Sandwich, which is priced at $3.25 for a small and $4.75 for a large.
