Sandwich a Day: Traditional Panini at Mosswood Cafe in Boonville, CA

In this great country of ours, one could eat a different sandwich every day of the year—so that's what we'll do. Here's A Sandwich a Day, our daily look at sandwiches around the country. Got a sandwich we should check out? Let us know. —The Mgmt.

[Photograph: Carrie Vasios]

There's a quiet wine revolution happening in northern California and it isn't in Napa. It's in Mendocino county, an area about three hours northwest of San Francisco that's a visually stunning mix of evergreen covered mountains and rolling vineyards. The wineries are more casual and certainly less crowded than in Napa or Sonoma, but their Pinot Noir is equally delicious.

After a morning of wine tasting, I stopped to look for lunch in the small town of Boonville, where the Mosswood Cafe obliged with a menu of hot panini. I was more than happy with the Traditional ($8.75), an upscale version of a grilled ham and cheese sandwich. The ham was a flavorful, salty Black Forest variety and the cheese was a nutty gruyere. Thin slices of tomato added moisture and extra thin marinated red onions gave each bite a pleasing vinegary zip.

After a few minutes in the panini press, my sandwich was warm and gooey on the inside and crunchy on the outside. Mosswood Cafe is a good casual lunch option between rounds of Pinot Noir.

Mosswood Cafe

14111 Highway 128 Suite A, Boonville, California 95415 (map) (707) 895-3635

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