I’m a little hesitant in going to a sandwich shop that claims to have East coast style sandwiches with a “Northwest attitude”. Not that I’m a snob about the food that I eat but in the short time that I have lived in Seattle I have come to realize that East coast and Northwest coast cuisines are two different beasts. These are two cuisines that aren’t inherently compatible with one another. It was this skepticism that filled my mind as I placed my order at The Other Coast Cafe

The restaurant itself occupies a storefront in historic Ballard and has a very open “deli-ish” feel to it. Walling off one part of the kitchen area is a case with meats and cheeses, while stacked on top of it are long loaves of French bread. Walk to the register (cash and check only) and you get a great view of the employees slicing meat and cheeses to order and piling them together with vegetables to make the sandwiches. All of these sandwiches are listed on a board mounted above the prep area, high on the wall behind the register. After a quick scan I placed an order for an Italiano ($6.95 6″, $11.95 12″), the six inch version, as these are large sandwiches.

I didn’t have long to wait after placing my order. My name was called and someone came from around the refrigerator case to deliver my sandwich. The sandwich was built on a hearty French loaf that had a firm interior and a slightly crustier exterior than I probably would want in a sandwich. Luckily the bread was slathered in a mayonnaise/whole grain mustard combination. This along with tart balsamic/herb oil vinegar added enough moisture to the bread to make it a little more toothsome than the sandwich would have been on its own. Once I allowed the crust to soften somewhat I was rewarded with a thick layer of smoky provolone, crisp shredded lettuce, sweet cool tomato and meat - don’t forget the meat. At first I almost did forget about the meat as the sandwich half I started with seemed overly light in that regard. Turns out my sandwich was made lop-sided. Taking a bite from the other half revealed a sandwich brimming with thinly sliced, tender roast beef along with fatty, rich salami. Turns out The Other Coast Cafe uses Boar’s Head brand meats, a brand that I found in almost every deli I visited when I lived on the East coast.

While I had some trouble with the bread, I think my sandwich experience, overall, was a positive one. Compared to some local sandwich places and even the national chains, The Other Coast Cafe is a winner. Does it stand up to its self-imposed title of “East Coast Sandwiches Built with a Northwest Attitude”? Well, personally I think there was more Northwest attitude than East cost in both store and sandwich. Is this a bad thing? No, it isn’t if you want a great sandwich in a friendly atmosphere. If you are from the East cost, the Northeast in particular, and are hoping for a taste of home then this may not be the place for you. But go, get yourself one of their huge sandwiches and enjoy a good meal.