American Box

I am so sad that American Box closed this location… I really wanted a burger yesterday and discovered that they had closed at the end of December 2012… I hope they pop up in a new location very soon.

It breaks my heart that the fig and herbed cheese panini was a special as opposed to a regular menu item, because I love love love figs, but I look forward to going back to try other things. And any place with ample outdoor seating for me to babysit my bike is a keeper in my book.

This place is THE BEST. the staff is soooo friendly! especially the nice young chef who always comes out and spends time with the customers. he asked me how my food was and if there was anything he could do to make my experience better. wow! im coming back here just for the café.

American Box (by Fish & Farm) is one of the few places in town that require you to walk through a metal detector and have your bag inspected before entering. It’s tucked away inside the Contemporary Jewish Museum.
AB bills itself as a modern American deli that supports local farms. You can choose from 19 numbered boxes, most are sandwiches (hot or cold) but they also have salads and soups. The box comes with a choice of a side dish (one of three salads). A kids’ menu, gluten free and vegan options are available.
The meal arrived on a metal tray
:
* #8 sloppy box ($ 9.25): lived up to its name as sloppy, it’s a sloppy joe made with ground lamb and ground beef in a thick tomato sauce, topped with fresh mint and dill, pickled jalapenos, served on a warm, fluffy, soft, brioche bun. The meat and sauce lacked flavor. The pickled jalapenos were very sour and didn’t complement the sweet bun. The fresh herbs were a nice touch. The sandwich is on the small side.
* Shaved vegetable salad: somewhat overdressed but a delicious, sophisticated take on coleslaw, with crunchy shaved cabbage and carrots, arugula and freshly ground black pepper in a tangy, mustardy vinaigrette
* Pickle spear: crunchy and tangy
The space is suitably modern for a modern deli with exposed brick walls. They need signs because passer-​bys can’t tell that there’s a quality modern deli with housemade pickles inside the museum.

I wouldn’t dislike American Box quite as much as I do if you didn’t have to go through a metal detector to just get in the restaurant. It’s downright offensive.
As for the restaurant itself, it’s not really anything special. The thought behind the menu is decent, and I appreciate the effort to serve locally sourced foods, but they don’t really do anything interesting with it, and the sandwiches I’ve had tasted barely better than your average grab and go lunch spot. They certainly didn’t justify the premium price point. And the service, like you’ll read most other reviews, takes forever if there happens to be more than four customers in the restaurant.
Even though American Box is the closest lunch spot to my office, you aren’t likely to see my shadow darkening the metal detector anytime soon.

So who knew such a nice deli could be found in the Contemporary Jewish Museum? You could’ve knocked me over with a paper towel. I almost got verklempt when I realized I didn’t have to take the fakakte bus to Moishe’s Pippic (
) or Miller’s East Coast Deli (
) to get a little nosh you should pardon the expression. Well, imagine my surprise when it turned out not to be an old-​fashioned Kosher deli like in the Lower East Side. No, this is San Francisco after all, so it has to be about being organic, sustainable and locally sourced. You know, the things that make you go ka-​ching, ka-​ching.
It’s a good thing the execution is so good since my standards shot up after being forced to go through the museum’s metal detector. Maybe that’s why it remains relatively undiscovered in an area crowded with office workers looking for another lunch destination. But your unfounded fear of a strip search shouldn’t stop you from patronizing a place led by the culinary sensibilities of chef Chad Newton most recently from Fish & Farm. It looks like your standard upscale museum café except it was unpopulated save for one table of senior citizens arguing over the quality of the exhibits. There’s a large selection of «boxes», about a dozen for grown-​up appetites (²⁄₃ cold, ¹⁄₃ cold) and five more for the kiddies.
All the boxes sound tempting even if the prices sounded a tad on the high side. Within the span of a week, I’ve been twice… yes, twice. During my virginal visit, I ordered the #4, the so-​called King’s Box, which was a soft roll stuffed with thin slices of prime rib, caramelized onions, watercress, and quite a pile of lightly crisped onions with a touch of horseradish. Delicious though a bit smallish for the king’s price of $ 10.25. It did come with a small corkscrew pasta salad with roasted cauliflower (see photo). A nice refreshing touch but I also went gonzo for a large serving of #13, the Organic Chicken Noodle Soup. Now this tasted authentically Lower East Side with shards of fresh chicken and thick egg noodles in a slight salty broth.
Oy. So tasty that a mommala would love it and say she made it herself. During my next visit, I decided to try the #5, the $ 8.75 Burger Box, since the burger is what Newton is known for from his Fish & Farm days. It was again smallish but decadently delicious with the fresh beef grilled to just the right level of medium-​rare. Inside were chopped pickles and a cheesy secret sauce. It came with the same refreshing side salad (see photo). Gone in a matter of minutes. Fresh, tasty fare can be found here, and the guy at the register pointed to a take-​out window that has just been installed in case the security check doesn’t excite you. It didn’t for me since I started to feel shpilkes in my genecktezoink.
FOOD — 4 stars… quality food, slightly pricey but quite worthwhile for a lunch break
AMBIANCE — 4 stars… part of the spacious museum lobby with plenty of tables, very low-​key
SERVICE — 3.5 stars… very hushed
TOTAL — 4 stars… empty the change out of your pockets to avoid getting buzzed and enjoy the peaceful, organic food

Not really that great of a place in my experience. Food is ok, deli sandwiches. However I think it’s just badly organized. I came here once and ordered the special of the day, Chicken Salad. What I got … not so special of the day :(After the order got fixed, I realized the special was actually Chickpea Salad. it was sort of watery and not so good. The thing I did enjoy was just going off the menu a little bit. Ordering a smoked salmon sandwich on challah seemed to be the best thing. They usually serve it open faced on top of a bagel (not in… or on each slice). Anyways it’s close to work, it’s semi quick. If I didn’t have to go through a metal detector to come in here, I might come more often. But I have other faves in the area to keep me occupied.

American Box is tucked away inside a museum which is set back from the street by a couple hundred feet, so nobody really knows it’s there unless they happen to work in the area and walk past it every day. If that weren’t enough of a guaranteed customer repellant, this particular museum employs some zitty work-​study douchebag to stand at the front door and pretend he’s a TSA agent, forcing every single person who walks in to present him with every metallic object on their person before he deems them fit to enter. This becomes something of a problem if you happen to have a metal belt buckle or steel-​toed boots on, and he told me I’d have to remove these things before he could let me walk over to the counter and order a fucking sandwich.
I understand that the proprietor of this establishment is supposed to be something of an expert restaurant consultant, but anyone who would willingly choose to set up shop in such a dismal location that treats all of his prospective customers like criminals would probably make Robert Irvine look like a culinary genius in comparison.
Could be the best food in the world, but it’s pretty unlikely that anyone’s ever going to care enough to go through a public stripsearch to get it. I certainly don’t.

I like the local/​sustainable concept, and the food is actually pretty tasty. But the service, the execution, and the portions are severely lacking.
A bunch of us arrived for lunch one afternoon around noon. The single order-​taker took about 20 minutes to take all of our orders, and another 20 minutes later, we’d all been served. We all ordered straight off the menu, and lots of people had similar orders, but it seemed like there was one person in the kitchen, and they weren’t used to our kind of volume (although the restaurant was empty).
I had the lucky #7 chicken salad box with the «seasonal shaved veggie salad» (you pick between potato salad or the shaved veggies). The chicken salad was pretty good, but it was a small sandwich. The veggies were poorly-​seasoned brussels sprouts and celery root in a tiny bowl. So altogether I spent $ 10 for a lunch that took forever and didn’t satisfy me in the end.

I had a mixed experience at American Box. I arrived with a group of about twelve for lunch on a Tuesday. American Box wasn’t geared to deal with such a large group, both the wait in line and the wait for food was a bit longer then I’d like.
I ordered their burger, which was served on tasty challah bread. Sadly, the meat was absolutely covered in sauce. For a side I chose the brussel sprout salad, which was served in a little dixie-​cup sized container. Two lame forkfuls later, I was done.
I’d probably head back here once more with one (and only one) co-​worker. American Box has enough positive reviews from my friends to warrant a repeat visit, but my first experience wasn’t great.

You know how when you were a kid packing your lunch was soooo cool? Well, American Box makes me feel that way as an adult. All their menu items are «boxes» and they have fun names and include awesome things. Some examples of what you could get are the Tackle Box with tuna, tartar, arugula, tomato, and white cheddar on a soft roll, the Sloppy Box with ground lamb and beef simmered in red sauce, spicy rice and red hot pickled chili peppers on long roll or the Peace Box with hummus, tabouleh, olives, corn chips, feta cheese, and harissa yogurt. And the café sources all local foods, primarily from organic and sustainable purveyors. So very cool.
Plus, the lines were nonexistent (something almost unheard of in this area during lunch time) and the food was affordable. Yes, indeed I am a fan!

Normally if I have to go through a metal detector to get to lunch, that may be a bad sign*. But in this case, there’s no reason to be skurd.
American Box is a fresh little gem located in the Contemporary Jewish Museum. Ruggy J led the way, promising our small group a light, healthy and appetizing lunch. The menu features an assortment of amazingly fresh and gourmet-​like sandwich options, along with soups. I’m a soupoholic, and I must admit that I found one of the best damn chicken noodle soups as far as Texas. This is highly recommended on chilly days — and a side of fresh bagel chips ain’t so bad either. …But brownies? I must have this recipe. I ate almost an entire block. It had a light mousse taste to it, with crumbles of what tasted like crushed Oreos.
Since seating is lacking in this quaint café, if the day happens to be a splendig one, grab your sammie to go and dine outside along the Museum’s gorgeous grounds.
*Some could argue that this could be a promising sign; you’re about to eat something legit.

Bookmark this spot now.
If you want natural — unprocessed food — of the healthy variety — then pop into the Contemporary Jewish Museum.
American Box is hidden and not that many people know about it. In fact when I popped in here today — I was literally their only customer. But that just means — that you — the customer have no wait during lunch and that you can take your time asking questions about their menu.
I ordered a vegan eggplant Parmesan sandwich and a vegan cauliflower soup. I have to admit that while the soup was rich and creamy — it was definitely too oily and heavy for my taste. The sandwich was also a little greasy for my liking — but I should have known better than to order fried eggplant.
I’m definitely planning on returning here — but I intend to try their Greek box — or their white fish sandwich.
It’s exciting knowing that I can just take a leisurely stroll and pick up a well thought out meal for a decent price, without waiting in line.
Trust.

I hadn’t even thought to check for lunch @ The Contemporary Jewish Museum till a coworker alerted me to this gem. They’ve got a large lunch menu of sustainable locally sourced organic faire. I tried a whitefish and boiled egg sandwich that was fantastic.
You can enter without paying for the museum but you will have to got through security. I’ll leave the pocket knife at home next time.

It’s back!
If you missed grabbing your fresh, farm to table lunchtime goodies from American Box (an extension of fish & farm) over the last few months, take solace in the fact that Chad and the crew are back up and running, this time, right in the thick of the SOMA lunch rush inside the Contemporary Jewish Museum. Same sustainable, ethically diverse array of soups, sandwiches and salads geared towards the midday snack crowd… just with more security pat downs and an extra spacious hang.
As of now, it’s riding a bit under the radar, so if you’re sick of the wild lines at places like Sushirrito or The Melt, head into Jessie Square and grab yourself a delicious, healthy lunch in roughly the same amount of time it takes to queue up the new NKOTBSB record on Spotify.

The Juicy Lucy,
Stuffed With Cheese So Darn Ooooozy,
Burger Me In Love!
The Juicy Lucy is probably one of my all-​time favorite burgers. It’s nearly identical to Fish & Farm’s burger (AB’s dinner-​only parent) but with American cheese and less meat. Also sampled their tater tots which were amazingly delicious — tasted like miniature crunchy potatoes as opposed to the typical hash brown style potato rolled into a tiny ball and deep fried — served with BBQ sauce.

Surprisingly good lunch take out counter service from the people at Fish and Farm restaurant.
Similar in concept to Kitchenette and Little Skillet. The entrance is located on the right side, before entering the lobby of the Mark Twain Hotel.
It’s only open weekdays for a short period: 11:30am-1:30pm. If u don’t see someone, just ask for Jennifer.
All 10 menu choices (sandwiches, salads and soup) are under $ 10.
The food is restaurant quality, and made to order hot, so you’ll have to wait a few minutes.
I got the double tacos ($ 7) — pork carnitas served on handmade corn tortillas and guacamole (clever idea, so the meat doesn’t spill out). Yummy!
The cole slaw (has horseradish, slightly spicy) is loose inside the box, so it can make the tacos soggy if you don’t dig in right away. I also love the daily soup — it was cream of cauliflower with pickled grapes and almonds. Delicious!
Other popular menu choices include a cheeseburger ($ 8) and bacon tater tots ($ 5).
The bar area is open, so you can dine inside the hotel if you want. CASH only.

Another place I really wish I could go to more often.
The grilled cheese was delicious and the potato salad that came with it was nice too.
I didn’t eat in the F&F dining room, but I should have. Would have been nicer than what I ended up doing.

Mmmm… we had #1, 5 & 9, and they were all oh so yummy! The three sisters who were running this Fish & Farm operation are super cute and nice. It’s only their second week, so I can’t wait to see what’ll be like when they get in the swing of things. My lunchmates and I decided to bring our meals to Marina Green and enjoy the view, but we were welcome to eat in the F&F dining area.
The salad was a bit drenched in dressing, but I couldn’t stop eating it. Cal and I shared, and he was in love with the beef sandwich. Our friend didn’t realize that the sandwich would be cold. He enjoyed it all the same. The tater tots were the highlight of the meal, though. I just wish there was more in the box. We’ll definitely come back next time we’re in town on a weekday.

This is a cool little spot they’re setting up just for lunches in one of the private dining rooms at Fish & Farm.
Directions:
1. walk in
2. look at the menu
3. order by number (1 – 8)
4. wait for your to go or sit in the F&F dining area
5. open the boxed lunch and enjoy
I had a grilled cheese on rye with pickles, caramelized onions, and a special sauce with a side of potato salad. The bread was a bit limp, if not soggy, by the time the sandwich came which made things a bit messy but aside from that it was great. Very rich in taste and flavor and the sauce really added a bit of a sweet kick to a normally bland sandwich. And the potato salad? Top notch. It reminds me of the kind my grandma would make with actually fresh ingredients.
Not your best sit down environment but this place would be perfect for a quick to-​go box or a catered company event. Definitely some good options and everything was pretty great for being open for one day. I can’t wait to come back and try the tuna!