Eat up, Drink up: Santa Monica Sandwich Show Down: Andrew's Cheese Shop vs. Bay Cities Deli

While I was in Santa Monica, I did a lot of research on the best places to eat as I've never been to the area. Two lunch spots kept popping up, Andrew's Cheese Shop-http://andrewscheese.com/ & Bay Cities Italian Deli-http://www.baycitiesitaliandeli.com/. They're known for amazing sandwiches so I figured I try both during my 2 day trip.

Andrew's Cheese Shop-This spot was closest to where I was staying so I tried it first. When you walk in it is in fact a little cheese shop with the slogan "This place stinks!" Thought that was pretty cute:-). Although they specialize in a variety of cheeses they also make yummy sandwiches daily. These sandwiches are pre-made and I found this disappointing at first...until I ate it. The sandwich was delicious. I ordered the Prosciutto and Fresh Mozzarella ($9) with roasted red peppers and pesto. It's served on an awesome, chewy hero roll that had a little flour dusted on the bottom. I was super impressed. The sandwich was very flavorful, the perfect size and easy to eat-not too messy which was important as I scarfed it by the beach. I give this sammy an A.

Bay Cities Italian Deli-This place had tons of reviews and about 99% of them good so naturally I had to give them a try. The item I read about the most is their Godmother Sandwich-Genoa Salami, Capicola, Mortadella, Ham, Prosciutto & Provolone. O.M.G. I was also told by my waitress the night before that this place had a slammin' mac n' cheese but that I had to ask for the mac with breadcrumbs, NOT the regular mac. Done and done. Of course I ordered both. A small Godmother with the works and a small side of the "special" mac n' cheese.

The Sandwich-It was good but I have to say I felt the fillings were less flavorful than expected. Next time I'll add spicy peppers as opposed to mild. The sandwich was huge, especially for the price at a modest $7. The big stand out was the bread. It was perfect-soft on the inside but had a crisp, "bubbly" exterior. I could have just eaten the bread. Hats off to the baker. I give the bread an A++ but the sandwich as a whole a B.

The Mac-This was pretty amazing but not your typical mac n' cheese. It was almost like a casserole. Super cheesy, which I loved, topped with garlicky croutons. The noodles were a bit over cooked for my liking but a top notch mac n' cheese none the less...an A it is!

I would conclude with saying the "perfect" sandwich, in my opinion, would be the fillings from Andrew's in the bread from Bay Cities. I would also like to add that Bay Cities had TONS of wonderful looking food items such as salads, sides, pasta dishes and meats. A complete smorgasbord of goodness. When I return, I will certainly head back to try more (and get another side of mac n' cheese)...