pretty by the bay

It’s funny to me that I’m willing to travel great distances for good food, but I’m not always willing to wait in line for it. I’m fairly certain that hell is one giant, long line that snakes around and around for miles and never, ever moves. I’m impatient, yes, but I also get irritated and angry when I let myself get too hungry; standing in line just exacerbates that feeling.

But I was more than willing to brave this:

If it meant I would be rewarded with this:

And these:

Roli Roti is one of many amazing mobile food vendors at the Ferry Building’s Saturday farmer’s market. They’re famous for their porchetta sandwich, which they describe as follows:

It starts with the meat – a delicious combination of tender, juicy pork and crispy, crackly bits of pork belly…

…and it’s topped off with sweet onions, watercress and a dash of heaven: thick sea salt mixed with herbs. The woman making my sandwich claimed the salt is what makes the sammy, and she was 100% correct. The salt blend was heavy on fennel seeds, giving the sandwich a yummy sausage-like flavor.

Ready to serve…

…and en route to my mouth. This sandwich has the perfect mixture of textures: juicy meat, crispy pork belly, soft, chewy bread and tender onions. Sweet, salty, hearty perfection.

Alongside the sandwiches, Roli Roti serves potatoes that slowly cook on a flat top below their rotisserie pork and chicken. The potatoes catch juice from the meat and are finished with a lovely sprinkle of the same herbed salt that adorns the sandwiches. Amazing.

Happy husband:

Happy wife:

And to top it all off, the wait was far less painful thanks to some musical entertainment provided by an awesome female jam band positioned right beside the Roli Roti truck. It’s hard to capture a perfect video when you’re battling the Saturday morning crowd, but hopefully this gives you a sense of their style!