GUEST BLOG: SENSES FAIL’S HEATH SARACENO LOVES FOOD

Hey. My name is Heath Saraceno. I play guitar in Senses Fail. I go on tour. I eat food. This is the food that I eat while on tour.

Email suggestions to heathlovesfood@gmail.com if you know of a sweet spot I should try.

MARCH 30, 2009
San Francisco, CA
IKE'S PLACE - SUPER MARIO

Ruben, our merch guy, had been telling me about this place for weeks. He said that they have the best sandwiches in San Francisco. He also warned me that the menu is very extensive and that I should take some time to get acquainted with it a few days in advance so that when the time came, I would make the right decision.

I decided on the Super Mario—meatballs, marinara sauce, and mozzarella sticks with lettuce, tomatoes, and banana peppers. Right off the bat, the fact that I could get mozzarella sticks on a sandwich got me really excited. It reminded me of all the times I went to the grease trucks in New Brunswick, New Jersey, where a couple friends of mine went to college. The grease trucks are basically mobile kitchens that are corralled in a parking lot and they specialize in sandwiches that are really bad for you. Their sandwiches are aimed at the late-night college crowd and they will put pretty much anything you ask for on it.

I'd like to think that this sandwich was a little more reserved than a typical sandwich from the grease trucks. The special thing about it was that the roll was dipped in marinara sauce, almost like how a French dip is soaked in Au jus. This made it more flavorful but also more sloppy. The zing of the banana peppers was welcome every couple of bites, too.

I don't know why, but I'm pretty sure there was some mayo on here. I don't dislike mayo at all; in fact, I love it on certain things. I just don't like the way it mixes with other ingredients, and now I can add marinara sauce to that list.

I loved the addition of the mozzarella sticks to the meatballs. It was like a meatball parm, but with sticks substituted for regular mozzarella. Ike's also offers a sandwich called the Super Luigi, which has jalapeno poppers instead of mozzarella sticks. If that's still not quite up your alley then you still have about a hundred sandwiches to choose from, and everything is available in meat and vegan versions.