Italian charsiu at Mix Cafe

"He's invented Italian charsiu, down to the color!" my editor tells me one day. He's just had Bruno Iezzi's beet, sausage, gorgonzola and apple sandwich ($9) at Mix Cafe. Frankly, the idea of "Italian charsiu" sounds a bit gross, but I try it. The beets and apple give the sandwich a sweetness (and crunch) while the Italian sausage gives it porkiness. Sweet + pork + red, I guess that does sort of equal Italian charsiu. Even the crisp, thin ciabatta is made with a bit of beet juice, giving it a pinkish tinge. The gorgonzola keeps it balanced; altogether, it's quite a fun, tasty sandwich.

One tip: I always find the salad accompanying Mix Cafe's sandwich to be somewhat sad—a tiny heap of flavorless Costco salad greens with a ramekin of oil and vinegar that refuses to mix, leaving my greens oil-slicked. Stuff the salad into the sandwich—instant improvement.