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# The Flaming Cougar at The Sandwich Spot Menlo College
- URL: https://onesandwich.com/atherton-the-sandwich-spot-menlo-college-the-flaming-cougar/
- Published: 2026-10-03T05:13:21.000Z
- Updated: 2026-10-07T10:32:45.000Z
- Description: Hot pastrami, sauerkraut, swiss, 1000 island dressing, kamikaze sauce, mayo, mustard, secret sauce, lettuce, tomato, pickles, onions, peppers on choice of bread. Sandwich Score 62, very good. At The Sandwich Spot Menlo College, Atherton.
- Author: Andrew Lekashman
- Tags: USA, California, #shop-sandwich, #auto-imported

A sandwich at [The Sandwich Spot Menlo College](https://onesandwich.com/atherton-the-sandwich-spot-menlo-college/), a sandwich shop in Atherton, California.

Bread (generic)Pepper (bell/hot)OnionPickle (cucumber)TomatoLettuceMustardMayonnaiseRussian Dressing (T…Swiss CheeseSauerkrautPastramiBread (generic)

**62**

Sandwich Score  
out of 100 · very good

Very good, with one move worth +22.

A reuben with layers outside the form; six of six roles.

**Holding the summit:** a focused, restrained build

Balance

97

Harmony

100

Contrast

100

Structure

85

Focus

42

Composition

85

Quality

100

Envelope

95

−6 sauce overload

More acid than 90% of the catalog.

Each bar is one pillar of the score, 0 to 100\. The tick marks what a sandwich at the summit needs; an amber bar is the one holding this sandwich back.

**choice of bread**, toasted: hot pastrami; sauerkraut; swiss; 1000 island dressing; kamikaze sauce; mayo; mustard; secret sauce; lettuce; tomato; pickles; onions; peppers.

Worth a look: ingredient not in the pantry: Kamikaze Sauce, Secret Sauce.

## Balance

salt2.0 · 88thacid2.1 · 90thfat1.7 · 32ndsweet0.5 · 64thumami1.3 · 41stheat0.6 · 89thbitter0.2 · 66th

__Flavor axes__
| Axis   | Value | Catalog percentile |
| ------ | ----- | ------------------ |
| salt   | 2.0   | 88th               |
| acid   | 2.1   | 90th               |
| fat    | 1.7   | 32nd               |
| sweet  | 0.5   | 64th               |
| umami  | 1.3   | 41st               |
| heat   | 0.6   | 89th               |
| bitter | 0.2   | 66th               |

**97** Balance, out of 100

The seven flavor axes of the whole sandwich, each summed across its layers. The shaded ring is the catalog's middle 80%; the small number under each axis is where this sandwich falls in the catalog. A shape that sits inside the ring is in the range most sandwiches live in; a spike past it is where this one stands apart.

## What each layer brings

| Layer                                                            | Role    | Flavor and texture                       | Points     |
| ---------------------------------------------------------------- | ------- | ---------------------------------------- | ---------- |
| choice of bread                                                  | bread   | soft                                     | the frame  |
| hot pastramiscored as Pastrami                                   | protein | salt 4 umami 4 fat 3 soft silky tender   | **−5**     |
| sauerkraut                                                       | acid    | acid 4 salt 2 pickled wet                | **−6**     |
| swissscored as Swiss Cheese                                      | protein | fat 3 umami 3 salt 2 soft melty          | **−6**     |
| 1000 island dressingscored as Russian Dressing (Thousand Island) | sauce   | fat 4 salt 2 acid 2 sweet 2 creamy saucy | **−18**    |
| kamikaze sauce                                                   |         |                                          | not scored |
| mayoscored as Mayonnaise                                         | sauce   | fat 5 acid 2 creamy saucy                | **−22**    |
| mustard                                                          | sauce   | acid 3 salt 2 heat 2 saucy smooth        | **−14**    |
| secret sauce                                                     |         |                                          | not scored |
| lettuce                                                          | texture | crunchy juicy fresh                      | **−4**     |
| tomato                                                           | texture | acid 3 umami 3 sweet 2 juicy soft fresh  | **−4**     |
| picklesscored as Pickle (cucumber)                               | acid    | acid 5 salt 4 crunchy juicy pickled      | **−12**    |
| onionsscored as Onion                                            | texture | sweet 2 crunchy juicy fresh              | **−4**     |
| peppersscored as Pepper (bell/hot)                               | texture | heat 3 crunchy juicy                     | **−4**     |

Points: what the Sandwich Score would lose if that one layer were left out, everything else the same. A negative number means the sandwich scores higher without it. Flavor runs 0 to 5 on each axis.

## Pairings

- **Pastrami + Sauerkraut**: peppery beef, sour kraut: the reuben axis
- **Pastrami + Swiss Cheese**: melted swiss rounds peppered beef
- **Pastrami + Mustard**: deli law: sharp mustard against cured beef
- **Sauerkraut + Swiss Cheese**: melted swiss rounds the kraut's sour
- **Sauerkraut + Russian Dressing (Thousand Island)**: russian dressing was built for kraut
- **Mayonnaise + Tomato**: summer tomato sandwich: acid on rich
- **Onion + Pepper (bell/hot)**: peppers and onions, the griddle pair

## How to raise it

- Clear the board: sauce overload (-6).

[All the sandwiches at The Sandwich Spot Menlo College](https://onesandwich.com/atherton-the-sandwich-spot-menlo-college/) · [The menu this was read from](https://www.thesandwichspot.com/menlo-college-kiosk-menu?ref=onesandwich.com) · [Build your own in the Sandwich Builder](https://onesandwich.com/builder/)

Menu read 2026-09; items and prices change. The score is the site's opinion of the recipe as listed, not a review of the shop; tiers and house-made marks follow the menu's own wording.