We started eating at Lucca during a particularly dark time in our lives. It was 2001, and your author had just gotten dumped, was seriously ill and broke as s**t. Thank god they left the cable on after we cancelled it, as there were many days that our walk up to Lucca for an Italian Combo (Salami, Mortadella, Genoa, and Provelone for $5.95) or a Hot Pastrami with Cheese ($4.95) was the only time that day we got out of bed.

SFist isn't quite sure what makes one sandwich place great, and another crummy. It's not necessarily the quantity of ingredients, as we've eaten many a massive sandwich that left us cold. Neither is it necessarily the quality of the ingredients, as a lot of fancy pants sandwiches we've had just suck. We're gonna make out peace witht he fact that sandwich greatness is like love, ephemeral but something to hold on to if you find it.