PBJ's Grilled (Part 2)

(Original Review -- June 2011)
(Third Review -- April 2012)


(Aaron sitting in Starbucks, an agitated panda from excess studying)
"Aaron hungry! Need fuel!"
(Looks online)
"Hmm...PBJ's Grilled! How long has it been since I had their food?" (Checks)
"Over half a year?!?! Bad panda!
"What the...what is this 'Hair of the Dog' sandwich...?"
"Oh $%&@! Maker's Mark Bourbon! Go now!"

February 2012

My heart got me there, with stomach playing co-pilot. And then I took a wrong turn and ended up in Beaverton. Oops. Eh, navigating back roads never hurt anyone! I got to PBJ's NW 23rd Ave. location around 1:30 p.m. Damn, they still had a line! Yay business!

Yes. Yes, they are.

Laura and Keena greeted me. They treated me like family. Perhaps I got at least two long-lost sisters out there somewhere? Anyone? Buehler? Even though it took a little time to receive my sandwiches, it's understandable. Busy workers may lead to success. Success can bring happiness. And as long as some of that happiness winds up in my stomach, then everyone wins!

Regular menu
(February 2012)

Limited-time Fall Savory Sandwiches offered in winter!
(February 2012)

Smokin' Goat. Yes, please. Kalamata olive bread, PBJ's almond butter, applewood smoked bacon, goat cheese, and apricot jam (only because the fig jam is literally coming from a faraway land of awesomeness).

Cross-section of Smokin' Goat
(PBJ's Grilled)

More up close and personal!

That sandwich is like a Super Bowl-winning team. Each element has its individual role. When all are at top form, they unite into an unstoppable force. Amazing how I could savor all the components separately, yet it gels like a well-oiled machine. Nutty, smoky, savory, tangy, sweety...and I think I made up all of the Seven Dwarfs in the car. Yeah, including Grumpy and Dopey. Grumpy that the sandwich was all gone. Why Dopey? The sandwich nuked me with a Chuck Norris roundhouse kick.

I asked Keena about the "Hair of the Dog" special. They will have it out VERY soon. And good golly Moses, praise the Lord that I'm over 21! See? Life still gets awesome after 21, fellas. PBJ's Maple Bourbon French Toast (using Maker's Mark Bourbon), PBJ's peanut butter, applewood smoked bacon, and blueberry jam. If none of those get your heart pumping, I don't know what will. I just needed to see "maple bourbon" in the description. And that, as people say, was all he wrote.

FYI, the "Hair of the Dog" special is similar to their "Good Morning" sandwich (Challah French toast, blueberry jam, applewood smoked bacon, 100% maple syrup, and PBJ's peanut butter).

By a sheer stroke of luck, I got to try the Hair of the Dog special. Keena posted on Twitter that the first person that day to inquire about that sandwich would get it for free.

Keena's tweet from 2/18/12

Keena holding up the Maple Bourbon French Toast for the sandwich
(Used Maker's Mark Bourbon!)

Definitely good with bourbon!
And it's awesome to be of age to eat it!

"Hair of the Dog"
(Maple bourbon French toast, PBJ's peanut butter, applewood smoked bacon, blueberry jam)

"You will eat this sexy beast..."

Oh man. Yup, you get bourbon in the French toast, all right. As I've said before, bacon is meat crack. It makes everything better and so sinfully addictive! The same description from above also applies here. You can taste every item, and then they all turn on you and tag-team your mouth with ninja action.

Um, do the people at PBJ's take classes from Chuck Norris? They did it again! So how am I still alive? I think Chuck Norris wanted me to stay alive to enjoy PBJ's some more. Or maybe I'm on life #4324324. Seriously, all I needed was a few shots of bourbon on the side. Yeah, not one shot. We must party and have more! More bourbon and more Hair of the Dog specials! How many can this panda take down on an empty stomach?

Despite such stiff competition with the other menu items, I would bet money that the "Hair of the Dog" special will become one of the most popular sandwiches among the 21+ crowd. It's tantalizing enough that we have a sandwich with an age restriction. Come on, fellas! Bourbon! Bourbon! Bourbon!

Disclaimer: Sandwich will not necessarily make you write reviews as a crazed panda, but they are definitely highly addictive! See, now all I have to do is eat the rest of the menu items! Oh, how tempting that is to do in ONE sitting....

Can I get an elite status for PBJ's? Winner winner, PBJ's dinner!