Turner’s Kitchen, San Francisco, CA USA

Ordered at Turners Kitchen in San Francisco, California, just minutes from Dolores Park.

Our first flight with the newborn baby – destination: San Francisco. We were visiting friends and being tourists at the same time, something Rachel and I hadn’t done in a long time in an urban destination. And of course, a first time doing it as a family with our 3 month old son.

My brother, a business tripper to San Francisco, recommended we check out Dolores Park. I had never heard of this location, and my guess was that it was more of a local spot than tourist attraction, so I wasn’t sure we’d make it there.

But fortuitous coincidence struck us that day as the friends we were visiting happened to live just blocks from Dolores park, and recommended we picnic there, totally unaware my brother had suggested we visit.

This coincidence was compounded by the fact Burning Man was happening, meaning the crowd would be lighter and there was a chance we could find a spot in the shade overlooking the whole park and city.

Wow Dolores Park was a trip. It was like a giant party, a music festival with no music. Alcohol, smoking, and illicit substances and those selling everything in between surrounded us as we relaxed in the shade in the park. What a scene! I purchased a beer from a “vendor” who told me he’d “been doin’ Dolores for 8 years” – whatever that meant! While I was loving the moment, taking in the sights, sounds, and people watching, I also was pleasantly perplexed how my brother could have recommended this location.

Our friends were kind enough to grab sandwiches before the park, from Turner’s Kitchen, a local favorite and highly frequented establishment. The google reviews raved about their sandwiches, and our friends insisted I get their Original 500 Club Sandwich, a dish named after the location that was there prior – a command I would be more than happy to oblige with!

At a perfect spot in the park, we parked our son in his stroller, laid out the picnic blanket, unwrapped our sandwiches, and dove into our mid-afternoon meals.

A heaping, meaty club sandwich. It was hard to avoid the powerful punch the meat trifecta of the turkey, smoked ham, and bacon produced. Definitely the main players of this club, all vibing together, trying not to drown the other out.  The tomato, a similar ripeness to the ones we had eaten earlier at the San Francisco Farmer’s Market, were delicious, and I only wanted more of them. The sharp cheddar had a nice touch, but the lettuce felt like a weaker ingredient, not really adding any crunch or flavor. The sourdough bread, while caving in on itself did allow for an easier holdability, the sogginess of it and lack of toasting didn’t do justice to the rest of this club sandwich, and offered no extra umami; it felt a bit like a wasted ingredient, and I knew San Francisco had some incredible bread producers that would have been perfect for Turner Kitchen’s Original 500 Club Sandwich.

We ate as much as we could, walked through the park, and ended up back at our friend’s place for some champagne – a lovely treat for the end of the day!

I gotta say, I was a huge fan of Dolores Park, and look forward to being back there one day… but as for day 2 of our trip, we spent it being super tourists, and we loved every minute of it.

Location