San Antonio Express-News (Sunday)
Over the moon with every bite
All the sandwiches contenders for ‘best’ at this hidden gem
In the classic 1985 film “Back to the Future,” a young Marty McFly was accidentally sent back to the year 1955. I would like to have that same trickedout DeLorean time machine so I could go back to Pacific
Moon Bar & Grill’s opening day in 1998 and become a longtime regular.
Pacific Moon is located in a nondescript shopping center at U.S. 281 and Brook Hollow. Its sign is easy to miss if you’re traveling north on U.S. 281. If you are traveling south, you’ll never know it’s there. But inside is a gem that is truly worth a drive from any part of San Antonio.
I feel like a genuine fool that this was my first visit as it produced one of the most exciting dining experiences I have ever had.
“Mama” Han Olmstead is the chef and owner at Pacific Moon, and with the cooking help of her daughter Marika, the avalanche of excellence ranges from a heavily stocked bar with more than 100 offerings, dishes influenced by Olmstead’s South Korean heritage and — most importantly for this series — sandwiches.
Every sandwich here is a contender for the top spot, and you can forget basic fries or bag of chips. Every sandwich comes with freshly fried wonton chips and cream cheese dip — plus a side salad.
During the day, Olmstead works the room like a consummate host, quick to engage in friendly conversation and make sure that everybody is having a good time. She developed
all the recipes, and she’s proud of them — as she should be. Such is her commitment to customer service that if a patron asks for a particular booze brand that’s not stocked, she’ll order it for their next visit.
“I wanted to create a restaurant that responded to what our customers wanted, from the bar to the menu,” Olmstead said. “And I continue to welcome new customers every day as if I have known them my entire life.”
Best sandwich: The teriyaki sirloin steak sandwich ($11.50) earned the honor by a matter of a few tenths of a degree. It stands as one of the
best sandwiches in the city and one of the best in the series so far.
The hoagie roll came loaded with so many thin slices of candy-sweet marinated steak, the meat overflowed the bun. Add the caramelized onions and the chopped scallions with the provolone cheese, and this sandwich beat out every version of a Philly cheesesteak
I’ve ever tasted.
Other sandwiches: The chicken breast sandwich
($9.75) came with a tempurabattered fillet as big as your hand, with the sweet batter and moist chicken producing a bite as silky as a smoking jacket. The menu said the sandwich
comes on a croissant, and while it had a nice, buttery flavor, it was a bun, not a croissant.
Regardless, it worked, and the thick slice of ripe tomato, crispy green lettuce and slice of American cheese were a great mix of flavors. This sandwich laughs at all the fast-food chicken sandwiches as it leaves them in the dust (here’s looking at you, Chick-fil-A).
The mastery of the yardbird continued with a chicken salad sandwich ($9.75) overloaded with a mountain of cubed white-meat chicken, chopped bell peppers and onions enveloped in a tangy mayonnaise.
The stacked Pacific Supreme ($10.99) was made with layers of ham, turkey, roast beef and three types of cheese on a “croissant” with the zip of wasabi honey mustard that set it apart from its deli counter comrades.
The one sandwich misstep at Pacific Moon — and it was a small one — was the Monte Cristo ($10.50). With no powdered sugar or fruity jam, the pan-fried assembly of ham, turkey, provolone and Swiss cheese was more like a croque monsieur. And while tasty, it wasn’t what I was expecting.
Overall, Pacific Moon is special, and it’s a place you should get to before the word gets out. Oops.