Mamie Italian Kitchen

Focaccia—or if you want to get technical, schiacciata—sandwiches are all the rage in L.A. right now, and very few match the consistency, excellence and daily availability of chef-owner Mikael Choukroun’s relatively new Italian sandwich shop at the corner of Santa Monica Boulevard and Fairfax Avenue. All of the bread is made fresh daily, with new loaves coming out of the oven every two hours. High-quality ingredients run the gamut from classic cured meats like guanciale and mortadella to flavorful chunks of tuna conserva and herbed goat cheese. It’s worth the pit stop (and a fairly tricky parking situation) to pick up one of these hefty sandwiches, which run in the $17 to $27 price range but are easily split among two diners. You can also put half into the fridge for dinner or lunch the next day. My favorite item is the Viale Di Parma, which consists of prosciutto di parma, fig jam, creamy gorgonzola, baby arugula and chopped pistachios.