First it was food trucks, now it’s pop-up restaurants. The latest dining trend provides an opportunity for chefs to showcase their cooking with minimal risk, like Naked Lunch’s out of this world fried chicken sandwiches. Every Tuesday at Enrico’s in North Beach, the friendly folks behind Naked Lunch serve up lunch between 11:30 am and 2:00 pm, much to the delight of the Financial District crowd. (Yes, it’s worth trekking that far for a sandwich.)
The menu changes weekly, but one thing is always listed: the Fulton Valley Farms fried chicken sandwich. When my coworkers first told me about this sandwich, I happily tagged along for lunch, curious to see what could be so great about a basic sandwich.
I was quickly won over. The meat is succulent and juicy, the exterior perfectly crispy and spiced, the garlic aioli a tangy hit of flavor. The sandwich isn’t complete without a dash of hot sauce, which is provided on each table at Enrico’s outside dining area.
You’ll need something to wash this down with, and I recommend the fresh watermelon juice, which is occasionally on the menu. And speaking of occasional, this is a really rich sandwich (fried meat and mayonnaise with carbs, anyone?), so it’s probably a good thing that Naked Lunch is only around on Tuesdays.