Found Treasure: Phil’s Snack Shack Calamari Sandwich

January 28, 2022 – There are different working definitions of Found Treasures, from the digital page to the KRML airwaves.

They include, but aren’t limited to: 

• A standout menu item worth a column all by its lonesome, like the Corralitos at Pizza 1, the chorizo quesadilla at Mi Tierra Mercado, or the falafel wrap at Monterey Halal Market.

• An under-appreciated spot that trundles along in the shadow of more famous and/or touristy neighbors.

• A place with a number of elements to recommend it, whether that’s funky-fresh ambiance, cool COVID-friendly outdoor spaces, family-run ethos or a uniquely magnetic menu.

• Any spot that can reasonably call itself a shack, and back it up with humble aesthetics and blue-collar approach. 

• A destination with just enough quirk or wow or what? to make it memorable.

As it turns out, this installment of Found Treasures checks all of those boxes.

Phil’s Snack Shack & Deli in Moss Landing is the humble grab-and-go and/or sit-and-soak-up-it-up sibling to the internationally known Phil’s Fish Market & Eatery.

Don’t get me wrong. 

I love big ol’ Phil’s and all the things it provides that its little sis doesn’t, namely oysters, local wines and craft beers, little-neck clams, whole cracked crab, artichoke “salad,” the beachside seating and the map with all the pins stuck where its visitors hail from, the world over.

But the other day I discovered I love the Shack even more.

There’s no line, or at least nothing approximating what frequently happens at Phil’s mainframe. 

There are major values to be had, which was once the case down the road at Big Phil’s, but is hard to say with a straight face when a bowl of cioppino runs $30. 

There’s the funky facade of the whole setup, and the surreal pink cat housing along the side. 

There are several picnic tables plopped in a sunroom and on the lawn, which just so happens to neighbor a charming stretch of water running to the Pacific.  

Then there’s the kicker that qualifies as a Found Treasure on its own: the calamari steak sandwich. 

I have no dilemma being omnivorous these days—I try to sample everything I can, to the point friends say I eat for experience over satisfaction—but I wasn’t always wired this way. 

Case in point: Every time my family went to the original Duffy’s Tavern for a ritual of Friday burgers, I was going calamari sandwich. (Side note: The Snack Shack takes a lot of pride in its burgers.)

So aboard the SS Snack Shack my eyes weren’t wandering toward the Two Patty Tony Burger or the half-chorizo Hot & Spicy Martin Burger, though they sound promising. 

It was a calamari or sand dab sandwich for me. When Estephanie at the counter, who happens to be the OG Phil DeGirolamo’s granddaughter, told me calamari is the best seller, that settled it.

The day dropped overcast skies on the lawn and I was alone on the lawn. 

The pounded steak does all the things you want it to, balancing tender and crispy, wrapped by a soft roll that’s nicely grilled, with the right thin-sliced buttress of onion, shredded lettuce and tomato, which all works to accentuate the freshness of the squid.

You ever smile as a sandwich comes toward your face hole? That was me on the lawn at the Shack.

BTW, I wanted to eat both halves real bad, but knew one half was formidable enough to hold me over so I could share the remaining with a foodie friend with a similar calamari enthusiasm.

Which speaks to another aspect of the Found Treasures mission: That these local discoveries can be shared with a #tastebuddy you appreciate.

More at philssnackshack.com.