The former gold mining town of Placerville in Northern California struck gold again when Timmy’s Brown Bag — a hidden gem of a sandwich emporium on Main Street that thinks corned beef should be mixed with pickled blueberry slaw and boba bubbles on ciabatta — was ranked No. 100 in Yelp’s “Top 100 Places to Eat 2023,” making it one of the best sandwich shops in the country.
Subway it’s not. The brainchild of former architect Timothy Swischuk, Timmy’s is bringing the duopoly of form and function to sammies and creating feats of gastronomy with Asian, Indian, and Mexican flourishes. He started with about a dozen hulking sandwiches featuring everything but the kitchen sink when he opened in 2016 and has grown the menu to a daily rotation of up to 25 fetching $16.50 each (as of this writing).
With a landmark bell tower that’s hard to miss, Placerville’s central location between San Francisco and Lake Tahoe makes Timmy’s an easy draw for locals and tourists alike, especially hungry skiers headed on Route 50 to those double-black diamonds at Kirkwood or nature lovers looking to paddleboard at Lake Tahoe’s scenic shores. Some popular orders include the pulled pork sandwich with green chili mac and cheese between two Belgian waffles and chicken satay with harissa cucumber slaw, a chunky peanut butter chili sauce, and masala borugulu (spiced puffed rice). Vegetarians may appreciate a number of options including the vada pav, a Mumbai-inspired specialty with hash brown patties enrobed in spiced slaw, green olives, and pickled carrots; and a thick grilled cheese sandwich layered with Campbell’s Tomato Soup vinaigrette, Cheez-Its, and Cheetos, both served on brioche Texas Toast. Sides of truffle oil fries or tater tots can round out the meal when truffle oil is in stock.
Expect one-of-a-kind sandwiches at Timmy’s Brown Bag
It seems like Timothy Swischuk hasn’t found an ingredient he doesn’t like. It’s his architect mind that knows no bounds whether he uses Tang, Kewpie mayo, prawn crackers, or wasabi peas. A Texas native and fan of culinary icons Julia Child and Graham Kerr, he studied architecture at the Southern California Institute of Architecture and went on to work at the glittery firms of Frank Gehry and Richard Meier, then shifted to teaching at universities. When he was ready for a change, he and his son, Max, attended the now closed California Culinary Academy in San Francisco, where upon graduation he worked in Napa. Eventually, the entrepreneurial bug caught and he opened Timmy’s with Max, who is now mostly helming operations. While the gold rush city of Placerville isn’t short on good food, such as the omelets at Sweetie Pie’s and the oysters at Powell’s Steamer Co. & Pub, Timmy’s is in a league of its own.
The elder Swischuk told SFGate that his main objective is to not create boring sandwiches. His secret? Always include a protein, a crunchy ingredient, and a savory condiment base. While the sandwiches are huge, the shop not so much at just 192 square feet with a walk-up window for ordering and a few outdoor tables under a covered patio. Take-away is popular, with some patrons downing the sandwiches with cold beers at nearby dive bar Liars’ Bench, especially since time is of the essence: Timmy’s is only open 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Sunday through Thursday and 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays.
What to do in Placerville
