Addy's Sandwich Bar

(Second Review -- January 2012; a happier experience!)

Addy's Sandwich Bar is a sandwich food cart in SW Portland, Oregon.

Addy's has a couple of unique sandwiches on their menu. Heading that list is their duck confit with cranberry relish and shredded cabbage on a toasted baguette ($7.50). Another interesting sandwich is their chocolate sandwich with sea salt and olive oil on a toasted baguette ($6.50).

Menu

The duck confit/cranberry relish sandwich is Addy's signature sandwich, so I went with it.

Duck confit w/cranberry relish and shredded cabbage on a baguette

Closeup to see the duck confit, cranberries, and cabbage

I thought the sandwich was average. I appreciated the crunchy exterior and soft interior of the baguette. The cabbage was a nice touch for an added fresh crunch.

However, the duck confit did not really make me scream "wow" at all. It basically took on the consistency of a mashed pulled pork -- mashed duck in this case. There was flavor, but again, it didn't really impress because it just seemed too simple. No bold flavor here, just a dang mashed-up duck that cooked in its own fat.

The cranberry relish was a joke. It really wasn't cranberry relish to me and should have been more accurately described as "duck confit with dried cranberries and shredded cabbage." All it seemed like Addy did was throw in a few dried cranberries for that sweet flavor contrast to the duck. I appreciate the flavor contrasts, but if this was supposed to be cranberry relish, the eyes, taste buds, and brain never figured that one out. I'm pretty sure the relish was supposed to be the "sauce" for this sandwich, because there are no other condiments inside it. This was just a very poor cranberry relish attempt here.

It was not much of a signature sandwich in my book and not worth the $7.50. It's signature probably in name only (hey, duck confit is fancy talk after all). Far from the worst sandwich I've ever had, but I was really expecting more from this.

Maybe the chocolate sandwich ($6.50) will be more promising. For that sandwich, Addy said she uses chocolate discs, puts them in a baguette, and toasts all that to melt the chocolate. She then adds sea salt and olive oil. Sounds interesting. Addy also said the turkey sandwich (w/Brie, cucumber, and creme fraiche; $6.50) is a popular menu item.

I certainly appreciate Addy's charming service, bread quality, and original menu; those will net a little bit of bonus points with me. But for now, overall, the sandwich bar is average at best.