Golden West's Barbecued Short Rib Sandwich

Barbecued short rib sandwich ($8.50).

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For the past few weeks, Golden West, sister to the Sentinel, has quietly been opening in the mornings. The tiny takeout window on Trinity and Sutter sells coffee (Mr. Espresso) and a few pastries; customers who crane their necks around the counterwoman can get a look at the racks of baked goods awaiting distribution to owner Dennis Leary's other restaurants (Canteen, House of Shields).

Yesterday, Golden West finally added a lunch menu listing mushroom soup, two sandwiches (barbecued short ribs and eggplant caponata), and butterscotch pudding. SFoodie picked up a sandwich: a half-pound tangle of braised beef, a finely calibrated sauce, a glossy, airy bun with white and black sesame seeds scattered over the top. Pretty much the kind of food we've grown to expect from the Sentinel, where we're always eager to jump in line.

Despite the restraint with which the beef was sauced, this is not a sandwich to eat sitting outside at the sunny end of Trinity Street. It's one to take back to your cubicle, facing the wall, where you won't offend the public with your red-smeared lips and the sweet onions that pull away from the bun in long, pink loops.

Pork and beans, $4.

​On one of our earlier scouting missions, we were set to buy a bear claw, but when the counterwoman mentioned she also had pork and beans topped with a poached egg, well, that was the cup we walked away with.

The stew was warm and deep-hearted, cowboy grub for an effete age. The egg melted into the broth, glazing the great chunks of pork, thumbnail-sized white beans, and diced tomato, which were scattered on top for a welcome spark of acidity. It's the kind of breakfast that bolsters a man for a day's worth of hard labor. By that, of course, we mean reading Gawker and frequent treks to the lunch room. We ate it for breakfast at 9:30, and weren't hungry again until two.

Golden West: 8 Trinity (at Montgomery).