Lardo

1212 SE Hawthorne Blvd., 234-7786; 1205 SW Washington St., 241-2490; 4090 N Williams Ave., 841-5373; lardosandwiches.com. Lunch and dinner daily.

What's next for this former sandwich cart turned budding empire? Well, that depends on what happens with a pending lawsuit between warring financiers, as founder Rick Gencarelli and his business partners endure a painful schism. No matter who ends up at the reins, we expect the concept to expand rapidly across the region. That'll be powered by the rich, meaty 'wiches, which mostly use pork and tend toward the rich and salty. The specials keep our interest, especially a recent umami-drenched mashup between banh mi and French dip.

Check out Willamette Week's 2016 Cheap Eats guide here.

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