Sandwich joint stacks 'em high

You know the type of sandwich you really have to smash down to be able to wrap your mouth around? They have 'em here at The Other Coast Café. You could wimpily attack them with a knife and fork. But, come on — buck up and just use your mitts.

Order at the counter, cash only, and a cheeky, handwritten sign says "no credit cards, no debit cards, no library cards, no greeting cards." You might expect a little attitude from the young staff with hip haircuts, but they are nice as pie, working the busy lunch crowd to the fast-paced sound of screaming guitars over the sound system.

The Ballard location sports a painting of the New York City skyline, hanging above a counter along one wall, where some patrons clutched New Jersey's own Boylan sodas. Boylan uses cane sugar, none of that nastily ubiquitous high fructose corn syrup, and has been around since 1891, furthering that East Coast feel.

Aside from a daily-changing soup, it's all about the sammiches, which come in two sizes: the 6 inch ($6.45-$9.75) and an unfathomable 12 inch ($9.75-$12.95). Boar's Head meats are sliced razor thin and piled on good bread with various cheeses and condiments.

Vegetarians have options, including a hot roasted veggie number, with eggplant, zucchini, yellow squash, onion, tomatoes, pesto and havarti for $7.45. Omnivores can custom-build whatever they want on a choice of breads. I'd return for "The Mantooth ($7.45), featuring capicola (a dry-cured Italian cold cut), smoked Gruyère and cherry peppers.

After polishing off our huge 6-inch sandwiches, we left full, happy and talking with a slight Brooklyn accent.

Check Please

The Dybwad sandwich: Turkey, roast beef, cheddar, provolone, mayo, mustard and shredded lettuce made for a delicious combination. Every element tasted fresh and high quality.

The Reuben: If the Dybwad was good, the Reuben was great. Pastrami, Swiss cheese, sauerkraut, mustard and Thousand Island dressing on toasty rye bread. A couple inches of melted Swiss and crispy edged pastrami poked out beyond the rye bread. Just enough sauerkraut for me, and the meat and cheese proportions were perfect for this five-napkin sandwich.

Leigh Haddix: haddixleigh@yahoo.com