Our sandwiches were delivered to
our table by one of the workers, wrapped
neatly as if “to go.” We unwrapped the
first sandwich, a warm Turkey Pesto
Sandwich served on Focaccia bread.
The sandwich ingredients included deli
turkey, spinach, house-made pesto, and
alfalfa sprouts. The Focaccia bread was
fresh and soft, and although I might have
liked a little more turkey and a little less
pesto on my sandwich, my guest and I
both agreed the flavor was excellent. The
second sandwich we sampled was The
Humboldt, a vegetarian creation served
on a toasted baguette, made with cream
cheese, tomato, fresh cucumber slices, and
avocado. This cold sandwich was delicious
and had a light, fresh flavor. We both
thought that we tasted balsamic vinegar
on the sandwich giving the sandwich a bit
of a “sweet” flavor. We later learned from
Jen that the dressing on the sandwich was
actually Larrupin sauce, a sweet mustard
dill sauce made in Sacramento. This sauce
originated at Larrupin Café in Trinidad,
CA, located in Humboldt County. Gary
and Jen previously lived and attended
school in Humboldt county, so a number
34 MARKETPLACECONTRACOSTA.COM DECEMBER 2017
of their café creations (as
well as some of the items
in the Jenny K gift shop)
are inspired by or are made
by Humboldt artists. My
guest and I loved the fresh
flavor of the Humboldt
sandwich—it was a definite
hit with us!
Some other noteworthy
Well Grounded menu items
include the very popular
Megga Bagel, made with
eggs mixed with spinach,
tomatoes, dill gherkin
slices, cheese, and Larrupin
sauce. Well Grounded
didn’t always offer eggs
as sandwich ingredients,
primarily because the café
does not have a full kitchen.
However, customers
repeatedly requested that
eggs be added to their
menu, so they now serve
microwaved eggs--and
the customers love them!
The Polynesian sandwich,
another of Well Grounded’s
specialty sandwiches, features an unlikely
ingredient—SPAM! I’m not sure I’ve
seen SPAM offered before in any café
or restaurant, but you can get it here on
the Polynesian, accompanied by cheddar
cheese, grilled red onion, and Siracha
sauce. Finally, the Caputo, named
after a local El Cerrito police officer,
is made with
Wild Alaskan
Salmon Lox,
cream cheese,
fresh cucumber
slices, red onions,
capers, and
Larrupin sauce.
This sounds
just unusual
and interesting
enough that I
may want to
order it upon a
subsequent visit!
For a small
café, Well-
Grounded Tea
and Coffee Bar
has a lot to
offer—literally! In addition to the specially
brewed organic coffee and hot and cold
espresso drinks, they offer a variety of
Numi Organic Teas, which are locally
sourced from Oakland. These teas have no
added oils or flavorings and are made from
all-natural ingredients, and there is a nice
variety of flavors to choose from. Also
available are over fifteen flavors of Italian
sodas, which tend to be very popular with
the local high school students. Seasonal
favorites are offered periodically, and
when we visited, Well Grounded was
The Humboldt
Pumpkin Pie Spice Latte
6925 Stockton Avenue, El Cerrito | (510) 528-4709 | Facebook @wellgroundedcafe Numi Teas and CA Beers