Just before we returned from vacation I received an email from (Friend of Yoso) FOY Som Tommy. He started off mentioning visiting a newish deli in the Point Loma area and running into a sandwich I'd mentioned from our travel posts. I almost fell down when he said it was a Francesinha! Apparently he remembered the sandwich from my post on Cafe Santiago in Porto. In case you don't remember what that Francesinha, called a "Little Frenchie" because it was based on a Croque-Monsieuer looked like; this might help.
I had always regretted not having another one of these while in Porto....basically, the Missus would not let me have another....under the guise of caring for my health and fortitude!
So, here I had another chance.
This tiny, but well adorned little shop....I really loved the décor from the tin ceiling tiles to fans; is located in a strip mall on Shelter Island Drive, in the same structure as Fiddler's Green. Parking is a bit of a challenge as there are only two spaces for Paragon in the lot.
The gentleman training the young lady on the register on this day was really friendly and I found my target on the lunch menu at the bottom of the "Signature Sandwiches" list....."Portuguese Francesinha". How appropriate since as the Portuguese have a long history, especially as Tuna Fisherman in Point Loma. We had a short chat at the counter talking about Porto, where the gentleman had been just last year and the Francesinha.
Which was brought to my table shortly by a very friendly older gentleman...….this was humongous.
In case your keeping score; this has ham, roast beef, Linguica Sausage, cheese, topped with a fried egg and "Francesinha sauce" and it was recommended that I have fries with it......the fried egg and fries would have made the "Francesinha a Santiago" at Café Santiago, which is what I regretted not ordering.
The sandwich had been decently toasted, so the bread held out pretty well. The Linguica garnered most of the attention the flavor stood out the most. The egg was a perfect easy over, not that all this gooeyness needed any help. Loved the fries which stayed relatively crunchy thru the whole meal...mainly because this wasn't as drenched in sauce as versions in Porto.
The usual tomato and beer based sauce was also a bit tangier, thicker, and milder than the version I had in Porto. If I had one wish; it would have been the use of a more flavor forward cheese as while it was wonderfully stringy and gooey; I'd have enjoyed more milkiness.
And yes; this was a total calorie bomb, I basically finished two thirds of it before saying "no mas".....but if I had perished; it would have been with a smile on my face!
I'm sure regular readers would have quickly noticed that this was a single visit. I liked the folks here so much; that I'm sure to revisit. The place seems to have quite a few regulars; at least on this day. They wondered if I lived in the neighborhood and quickly made recommendations for my next visit. And, if I do have another Francesinha; I'll make sure to bring reinforcements.
Paragon Deli Café
2724 Shelter Island Drive
San Diego, CA 92106
Hours:
Mon - Sat 7am - 3pm
what a sandwich! looks great.
Posted by: kat | Monday, 24 June 2019 at 01:09 AM
That was quite a sandwich Kat! Great folks at this place.
Posted by: Kirk | Monday, 24 June 2019 at 06:47 AM
Wow! Good thing your wife wasn't with you.
Posted by: Soo | Monday, 24 June 2019 at 08:39 AM
Holy moly that's a beast of a sandwich.
Posted by: Junichi | Monday, 24 June 2019 at 09:39 AM
Yes....good thing Soo! ;o)
It's quite a sandwich Junichi. I was surprised to see this in San Diego.
Posted by: Kirk | Monday, 24 June 2019 at 10:28 AM
Thanks so much for visiting our family owned business at Paragon. We love the photos, review and feedback.
We would like your permission to use the photos? You did an amazing job capturing the Francesinha.
Some of our customers favorites are the Paragon, Reuben as well as the homemade soups & salads. If your looking for dessert the family recipe of our homemade carrot cake is a repeat request along with fresh lattes, americanos and cappuccinos!
We hope you visit again!
Michelle on behalf of the family owned Paragon Deli Cafe LLC
Posted by: Michelle | Saturday, 29 June 2019 at 09:41 AM
I enjoyed my Francesinha and especially enjoyed the staff working at Paragon. You can go ahead and use my photos. Best regards and good luck!
Posted by: Kirk | Sunday, 30 June 2019 at 09:11 AM
Glad you made it. I stop by here for breakfast every week.
Posted by: Som Tommy | Saturday, 13 July 2019 at 08:48 AM
Thanks again for the recommendation ST!
Posted by: Kirk | Sunday, 14 July 2019 at 08:23 AM