Rustic Sourdough Bakery & Deli
1305 – 17th Avenue SW
Calgary, AB T2T 0C4
(403) 245-2113
Sandwiches are a bit of an enigma for me. Growing up, unlike most kids, I rarely got sandwiches for lunch. Instead, i got this hodgepodge of foods that made me stand out from the rest of the crowd. Not exactly a good thing when you’re 8. I wanted sandwiches. I wanted to be like the other kids.
Fast forward a few years – I had developed a better understanding of barter, and had gotten plenty of exposure to sandwiches. I realized I didn’t really like them. Peanut butter and jelly. Salami. Some unrecognizable meat called Bologna. Dry, icky bread. Tasteless spread. I guess I would stick to my stinky, garlic-loaded leftovers after all.
It took me a long time to appreciate that sandwiches could be so much more than the bread-meat-veg combos of my youth. I came to appreciate fresh bread, freshly roasted meats, with a well-made spread, some veg, all stacked in the proper proportion. Bread didn’t have to come in white or whole wheat, there was an entire spectrum of tasty choices. I got to experience some great sandwiches, but came to realize that they were generally few and far between. While they aren’t perfect, in Calgary, my favorite place is Rustic Sourdough Bakery.
Rustic Sourdough Bakery is a European Deli and Bakery located at the outer edge of 17th Avenue. Fairly nondescript, one could pass by daily, and still not notice the awning in the sea of color and neon that populate the strip. Inside, things are divided up into two sections – a bakery side that produces fantastic bread, pastries, and other delights, and a deli, that offers up a large selection of cheese and meats.
Im not 100% sure how Rustic Sourdough Bakery started in the sandwich business, but it seems like a very natural combination. Fresh bread, freshly sliced meats, add some veg and spreads, and you have the makings of a great sandwich. For $6.00, you choose your bread from a wide variety of options. You can choose from most of the meats available, excluding some of the high end cuts like prosciutto, and choose your cheese from a wide selection as well. Pretty much any combination is available. They add your choices of veggies, condiments, and pack it all up for you. For an additional couple bucks, you can get one of three homemade daily soups. A steal of a price.
At the Rustic Sourdough Bakery, the sandwiches are really good. My only complaint is really no complaint at all – just that i would like there to be fresh roasted chicken, roast beef, or other meats instead of all deli meats. I like the variety, and generally prefer a little more “substance” to my sandwiches. But that aside, the veg is fresh, the bread is fantastic (i choose the fresh “pita” option, that has structure, yet is light and soft). The cheeses and meats, of course are fantastic. And the sandwich is so large, i generally order one and eat only half and the soup for lunch. I save the other half for another day.
The soups are really good as well. Homemade, they often run out, or are down to the least popular one half way through lunch service. They are hot, and full of flavour, and there is always enough soup diversity that you never really get bored.
Rustic Sourdough Bakery is one of those places that is busy enough – and I thought twice about writing about. To be honest, I didn’t really want to add to my already long wait for a sandwich when im in that part of town. But the cat is out of the bag now. If you’re looking for a sandwich, and price, taste, quantity and value all matter, this is the place. They make a great sandwich. Picking up a pastry from the bakery never hurts either. It really makes for an affordable, quality, tasty lunch. And compared to the sandwiches of my childhood, it is a welcome thing indeed. Especially when i don’t need to trade my home cooked meals for them anymore!
f o o d o s o p h y 
I think I spotted a writing error. You note that you are able to save half a sandwich for another day, after buying one here… I don’t think that is gastronomically possible for the foodosopher to not down it all in one sitting without still be hungry. 😉
haha funny. Trust me, nothing wrong with me. That’s how big this sandwich is!
That’s pretty impressive then, a meal that could even overwhelm foodosopher. 😉 I had thought you had your stomach stapled while I was away or something. 🙂
Some times the simplest things are so great. There is nothing like making the sandwich of your choice and topping it off with soup. It’s like a meal from home, at least for me. I do agree with your desire for things like roast chicken etc, as it makes an even more early child sandwich for me. Plus, deli meat only gets you so far.
The soup looks thick, almost like the sauce/broth from a alphagetti can. Did you mentioned what it was, or did I skip over that with sandwich delight in my head?
I was the kid going to school everyday with a sandwich, but was famous all around, as my mother would make her own bread, slice it far too thick and pile it far too high with roasted meats and fresh vegetables. Nothing skimpy about my lunch meals.
Shokutsu – now why would i want to do that!? I usually want to eat more, not less!
Raidar. You’re right…simple things definitely have their place – im just wondering if sandwiches mean the same thing to me as to other people. While i know a lot of people find sandwiches to be “comfort” foods, i wonder about the correlation between childhood and comfort. Seeing as my childhood didnt have a lot of sandwiches, am i missing the same emotional attachment that people who grew up with sandwiches have?
The soup was a roasted tomato-tortellini. Their definition of “homemade” im not 100% clear on, but they are pretty reasonable. It doesnt quite have the richness of a soup I would make at home, but they are full of flavour, and generally not oversalted, nor tinged with a metallic, or chemical flavour i associate with canned soups. Maybe i’ll investigate further if homemade means reconstituted soup, from scratch, or out of a can with some ingredients added.