Waiting on Renzo: A SFoodie Lunch Planner

m1k3k1m/Flickr

The eerily quintessential Renzo Special.

Waiting isn't always sucky. When patience yields something you've longed for, there's nothing quite so toothsome as delayed gratification.

At Mastrelli's in the Ferry Building, waiting is as inescapable as owning the fact that you're a sucker for a sandwich. And the sandwiches here are epic -- especially the Renzo Special, with its packed strata of just-sliced prosciutto, spicy coppa, oil-drenched sun-dried tomatoes, and fresh mozzarella. And in the time you'll spend between taking a number, choosing a roll from the bin, and handing it to the nice man who'll enable your desire, you might ponder how something as quintessential as a Renzo ever got bastardized as pre-made ham and cheese on wheat in the self-serve deli case at Safeway.

Or you could just wait.

Mastrelli's Delicatessen One Ferry Building # 47 (at the Embarcadero), 397-3354