4 of 5 DeliciScore™ (Great) Awarded to North Bend Bar and Grill for their Prime Rib Dip Sandwich in North Bend, WA on this 7th day of September, 2016 - Prime Rib & Cheddar

So here we are at the North Bend Bar & Grill.  Jessica and I were out for date night (it was Wednesday).  We went to North Bend to check things out down there.  It's a cute little town.  Pretty limited but cute.

After enjoying clams as an appetizer, I zeroed in on the Prime Rib & Cheddar Sandwich option.  I had been in a "French dip funk" (I will explain later) and thought I might need to do it.  I wasn't that hungry so Jessica and I agreed to split that there French dip, plus it came with fries and a salad so we were good.  While we were getting settled I ordered a Rainier pint.  

So I had two choices for the dipped prime rib sandwich au jus.  I wasn't feeling up (at all) for the peppers and onions and even had a hard time talking myself into getting a sandwich with cheddar on it (was feeling like more of a purist that night).  So I went for this bad boy.  I see that they also have a turkey option, which I am sure is good.  But the prime rib wound up being pretty good meat, not surprisingly. 

Our waitress brought out the salad, which was quite nice looking.  That is carrots you see, not cheese.  And the lettuce was hearty and nice greens.

At first I was afraid that she had only brought out bleu cheese crumbles and the salad might be dry but this was just a (really) nice touch they do to their bleu cheese dressing is to top the serving container with the crumbles.  And it wound up being a very good salad!

As I mentioned, Jessica and I had agreed to split the French dip so we were both presented with a nice plate, good portion, good looking jus, and fries.  I wasn't so hungry, so this looked like a really good amount of food and Jessica even took half of hers home but she eats like a bird, sorry Jessica dear.

A close-up of the jus.  It was served in a fine, classic container, it was dark, looked quite hot, smelled good, looked rich, good, etc.  So I felt pretty confident that it would be good and it was indeed good.  It was perhaps overly salty but in general it was good jus.  When it comes to jus, it is better to err on the side of too rich rather than too bland.

Here's a close-up of the sandwich and the creamy horseradish sauce to its left.  The creamy horseradish was actually quite good: pretty spicy, etc. with a good kick but I prefer the non-creamy varieties of horseradish and as someone who in general does not like most foods overly rich or creamy.  The bread looked quite pretty, the cheese quite nice and the meat nicely crisped and such.  In general I was a fan of the presentation and felt like it would be a good meal.  

I don't know this man.  I was trying to take a picture out the window of Mt. Si behind him and he awkwardly looked over at me right as I was taking the picture so that didn't go well.  Sorry, dude, I hope you enjoyed your hamburger, conversation and glass of wine!

So here is the review, people:

• Salad good. It was a really good, nicely presented salad with nice ingredients and a fancier-than usual dressing that included a blue cheese crumble topping.   
• Jus good.  The jus looked good, hot, rich and thick upon serving and was delivered in what would be a proper container.  I wrote down that that jus was "really good" and it was also really salty.  I think we don't grade down jus for being overly salty unless it is really like over the top screwed up salty.
• Meat good.  The prime rib was indeed really good when eaten alone and seasoned quite nicely with a salty but good flavor.  The prime rib was prepared medium well and gets a strike against it because I was not presented with the option for it to be medium rare, etc.
• And then there was the bread.  Now the bread on the other hand looked okay overall and was of high quality but in general had a "floury" taste (and visible flour) and it was non-French.  It was especially spongy and not very porous (sidebar: it's called porosity or void friction and needs to get added to the metrics page).  You don't want an overly absorbent bread, which this was.  It wasn't too soft but it was also not buttered much if at all and it wasn't very toasted.  The bread did not ruin it for me but it also did not make or really help the sandwich in any significant way; the highlights were the salty meat and cheese and the quite rich jus.
• Cheese good.  The chedder cheese topping was of good quality, nice and thick.  It added benefit to the sandwich.  The sandwich alone (when eaten without the jus was pretty good but not to die for.  The meat was good.)   
• Horseradish cream was there, but whatever.  As I previously mentioned, the horseradish cream was good but of the creamy type and had the right amount of spiciness.  But I did not really splurge on it (one dip, I believe) as it is not really what I needed or wanted at the time. 
• Fries.  It was nice that they gave out both fries and a very salad.  The fries were only okay with some a bit on the mushy side.  As is my basic custom, they were dipped into ketchup.  Mustard was not on the table I don't believe and had it been I would have most likely used that mustard for dipping my fries into, okay? 

Ratings

• Overall sandwich dipped.  This sandwich was a 4 of 5 overall.  It loses points for the bread primarily. In general, this was a high priced meal at $15.99 but because it came with fries and salad, cheese, prime rib and the size was pretty good, it is not entirely outlandish, especially for the Seattle area.  It was also a nice feature and touch that they split it between me and Jessica and each portion was quite generous.  
• Bread.  I score the bread as a 2 of 5 for a few reasons: quite white in color, not buttered much if at all, not toasted much, not very crunchy, had some taste like flour, overly absorbent.
• Jus.  The jus I will score as a 4 of 5 primarily due to its saltineess but in general it was rich and good.
• Meat.  The meat gets a 4 of 5 for being crunchy and nice and salty and tasty and prime rib.  It could have been better had I been given the option to choose doneness but overall it worked very well with this sandwich and was enjoyable.
• Cheese.  I give the cheese (non-meat topping) a 4 of 5 given its quality, thick cut and value-add to the sandwich.  

So there you have it, dear Mr./Mrs./Ms. reader person.  I hope you enjoyed the review and will enjoy a French dip of your own very soon.  Or at least a conversation about one.

4 of 5 DeliciScore™ (Great) Awarded to Wedgwood Broiler for their Prime Rib Dip Sandwich in Seattle, WA on this 17th day of October, 2015 - Thanks, Tim! Solid choice.

I went to a party on a Saturday night about a month ago now for my good friend Greg's 40th birthday party.  It was a great and fun night, keg and all.  Yes, there was some drinking involved.  While there, I ran into and struck up a conversation with my old buddy Tim S.  Tim and I go way back and have had some fun times together at previous parties thrown by Greg.  It was a lot of fun talking to and joking around with Tim.  I was talking to him about my French dip reviewing and he asked me if I'd been to the Wedgwood Broiler (WB) yet for their French dip.  He is a super big fan of the place and it sounds like he has a ton of history there.  Since I hadn't been there before, in Tim's eyes this was very bad and I needed to go immediately.  I felt it requisite to visit WB soon thereafter and give their French dip a full review.  I went the next day.  The review of this legendary Prime Rib Dip follows.

I talked Jessica into running up to WB, which is about 20 minutes from our house.  We pulled up on a nice, sunny, early Fall day about two hours before the Seahawks game started.  

Here's the WB from the parking lot.  Nothing too fancy, pretty funky, but I was pumped.

I entered first while Jessica walked the dog and got settled into the bar, which was mostly empty.

Here's a picture of the bar from my seat.  It was super dark in there and really felt cave-like.  But nice.  It had a real 70's vibe to it, which I found comforting and nice.

I ordered a bloody mary (two, actually).  They were good and spicy, traditional.  Nothing too fancy, save the dill bean which was tasty.

Drink in hand, I began poring through the menu and spotted the *section* with French dips on it.  Not just the traditional, classic French dip, but also a Prime Rib dip (which is what I ordered) and a burger dip.  I really am fond of burger dips.  It might be true that I prefer the traditional roast beef French dip least of all of its brothers.

The place has an old, funky 70's throwback feel but it feels very welcoming.  The service was good and the waitresses were very nice.  The bar was cozy and cave-like.  The bloody mary was very strong and served in a low glass.  

I was impressed when I ordered the Prime Rib Dip: you get to choose how fine you want your prime rib sliced and are asked if you want dressing on the side of the salad or tossed in.

The Prime rib dip arrived.  As we can see above, we got it with the side salad and the jus is extremely dark, which wound up being an absolute coup.  The sandwich itself was average-sized but good.  It came with a plastic cup of good (Beaver I believe) creamy horseradish.  Just from the picture above, we can tell that this is not, per se, a gourmet French dip but it is a good one.

Here's a closer shot of the sandwich itself.  You can tell that it has standard bread and a good amount of beef.  The beef was nice and supple.

So I dove into the sandwich (first sans jus, then later with the jus).  The jus was very (midnight) dark and it was really good.  It wasn't too salty and had a deep, satisfying flavor.  Because of its value and usability, it scores a 5 of 5.

The sandwich itself was small and "classic" but that's fine.  They don't have to be over the top to be great.  As for the beef, it was good, soft and tasty but did not have an overly distinct beef flavor.  There was also a little fat in there but I don't mind.  That must means it is authentic prime rib.

The creamy, spicy Beaver horseradish on the side was a hit with me this day and gave you that big nasal hit that is so fun.

This meal also came with a salad that had very cold lettuce, which was a major plus.  Tim had told me to get bacon bits on the salad and I forgot, which resulted in cheeze-its and salami, which is their default.  It was a simple salad and there was evidence of other herbs on the simple salad, making it fancier than "just iceberg".

Here's the salad, which was quite good.  Cold lettuce goes a long way in my book.  I score it a 4 for its creativity and value.

Beirut no no no was playing on the radio.  I got my French dip comfort food fix on a Sunday and two Bloody Mary's to straighten out my mood and outlook.

So circling back to the party at Greg's, I am greatful that I was introduced to Wedgwood Broiler from Tim and others.  Tim takes this place seriously and I verified that their three French dip varieties and their Prime Rib Dip in particular are solid units.  The place is cool, old, swanky and comfortable and I felt at home.

Bread: 3 of 5
Meat: 4 of 5
Non-Meat Toppings: 4 of 5
Sandwich: 4 of 5
Au Jus: 5 of 5
Salad: 4 of 5
Overall Meal: 4 of 5

French Dip Review: The Manship Wood Fired Kitchen, Jackson, MS (Roast Beef Panini)

Jackson, Mississippi isn't known as a culinary mecca unless all you are looking for is fried seafood, fried chicken, and homestyle Southern food in general. There's nothing wrong with Southern food at all - it's DELICIOUS! But I travel a lot, and being one from the South myself (NC), it's not usually the first thing I seek out when looking for a good spot for lunch or dinner.

So why not see if Jackson has a good French Dip somewhere? I searched on Yelp, UrbanSpoon, Google, and more, and came up empty handed. I felt my search for a French Dip in this city was all for naught.

There are a few restaurants making a change from the regular Southern fried fare in Jackson, though. New entrepreneurs and chefs are opening some adventurous (for Jackson) restaurants, and are hitting the nail on the head. I must first give compliments to the restaurant Parlor Market, which gave me one of the best meals I've ever had (literally, ever), though not a French Dip. This is a restaurant that could easily fit in the Meat Packing District in NYC and be packed every night. But even after the great meal I had there, I was convinced there had to be a joint somewhere offering a good French Dip.

"I felt my search for a French Dip in this city was all for naught."

I'd been searching for dinner spots, and continued to come up with nothing. So while in town, I needed a spot to grab lunch before a meeting. Low and behold, there was a joint with a French Dip - but only for lunch, which is why it hadn't turned up on my radar in my previous searches.

The Manship Woodfired Kitchen has nothing to do with being a man - Manship Road is just the name of the road on which it's located. It's somewhat of a manly place nonetheless, with over 300 bourbons on the shelf, including the whole line of goods from the Old Rip Van Winkle distillery ($20-$80/shot). But this was lunch and I was about to meet with a client afterwards, so I did not partake in a slowly sipped glass of Pappy Van Winkle bourbon (mmmmmm....).

"I was there for one thing, after all. The French Dip."

I was there for one thing, after all. The French Dip. On the lunch menu only, they managed to discreetly place a French Dip titled the "Roast Beef Panini." You have to read further into the description to realize that it's a variation on a French Dip and includes au jus for dipping. And at only $12, a no-brainer for me.

The sandwich comes with red onions, gruyere, horseradish cream, and herb au jus. I'm not one for raw onions, so I forewent that option. But the resulting sandwich was a wonderful take, if not so traditional, on the French Dip. Between the two pieces of pressed, toasted sourdough bread was a healthy portion of medium to medium-rare cooked, tender and flavorful roast beef, cheese, and creamed horseradish with a slight kick. 

The French Dip with Parmesan Reggiano  Fries.

The au jus was incredibly flavorful - salty, beefy, but with a much deeper herby flavor than you typically get with a jus. 

Meaty, Gruyere-y goodness!

The au jus on the side was minimal. I had to ask for more. If the ramekin was full to begin with, it would have been plentiful. But it was incredibly flavorful - salty, beefy, but with a much deeper herby flavor than you typically get with a jus. The most prominent was the flavor of rosemary, which I've long thought was the best herb to add in au jus when I make a French Dip at home.

Tasty (though not plentiful enough) au jus!

The crispy, toasted bread was, though not traditional, a nice departure from the norm and certainly didn't hurt the sandwich at all. It may not mean it's a French Dip in the traditional sense, but hey, it's a sandwich with roast beef and au jus. It's a French Dip to me.

The sandwich came with parmesan reggiano herb french fries, which I swear were some of the best tasting fries I've ever had. I was picking out the crumbs of herbs and parmesan from the bottom of the bowl after finishing them.

I highly recommend checking out The Manship Woodfired Kitchen if you are ever in Jackson. Lunch time is unfortunately the only time that you can get the Roast Beef Panini with au jus, but the menu (and bourbon selection) are strong, even if you feel like a dinner (though it would have to be sans French Dip).

The Bread: 4
The Roast Beef: 4
The Au Jus: 5 (just make sure to ask for more)
The price: 5
Overall: 4 of 5

0 of 5 DeliciScore™ (Terrible) Awarded to Monsieur Benjamin for their French Dip Sandwich in San Francisco, CA on this 15th day of April, 2015 -

Now, I know a French Dip isn't actually French at all - it originated in Los Angeles. But after arriving at one of my favorite restaurants in San Francisco (Absinthe) to find that there was an hour long wait to be seated, I decided to peruse the neighborhood on the south end of Market Street to see if there was somewhere else worth a try. Right across the street, there just so happened to be a French restaurant called Monsieur Benjamin, and as I browsed the menu...well, you know what I found - a French Dip sandwich. Done and done - I had my restaurant picked out.

"The portion was just disappointing..."

I wanted an appetizer to start out with, and chose the leek, potato and gruyere croquettes. They came with a dill/herb creme fraiche, and though quite delicious, consisted of 4 or 5 small bites of potatoes for $7.50. The portion was just disappointing, but I still had my hopes up for the French Dip.

Potato and Leek Croquettes. Yes, this is a $7.50 portion.

"When it arrived, the small sandwich, which cost $18.50, was just that - a sandwich."

When it arrived, the small sandwich, which cost $18.50, was just that - a sandwich. No fries or any side items. "Oh, you wanted french fries with that? I'll have them right up," the waiter said. I probably had them within 90 seconds of ordering that, but didn't realize at the time that a side of fries was $5. So being that I expect a sandwich to come with a side - whether it's fries, chips, veggies, a salad...whatever - that basically brings the French Dip at this place was really $23.50, very much on the pricey side. 

"a side of fries was $5."

The meat was medium rare to medium, but lacked any flavor whatsoever.

What a puny little sandwich! And that meat doesn't look all that appealing...

Gosh, what a disappointment this place was. The meat was medium rare to medium, but lacked any flavor whatsoever. The creamy horseradish was tame enough for a small child to eat. The French bread nothing to write home about (c'mon, it's a French restaurant for goodness sakes!). The Gruyere cheese - well, you just can't go wrong with Gruyere. That was the only redeeming quality of the sandwich.

"The Au Jus: It wasn't salty. It wasn't beefy. It was just sweet, and full of onions." 

So on to the au jus, what I consider the most important part of a French Dip. I can't begin to describe how much of a disappointment that was. It wasn't salty. It wasn't beefy. It was just sweet, and full of onions. Now, I know that the broth for French Onion soup can very closely resemble a perfect au jus for a French Dip. But they must have used Vidalia onions. Or a pound of sugar. Not sure which, but the jus was just way too sweet. it also had a bit of thickness to it that I just don't like in an au jus. It reminded me of what you get at Quizno's or Arby's in consistency. And Quizno's and Arby's au jus is much better than what I had at Monsieur Benjamin.

"...Arby's au jus is much better than what I had at Monsieur Benjamin."

Puny sandwich, meet puny au jus ramekin.

The fries were good, served with an aioli and ketchup. But not great. Overall, there really wasn't any part of this meal that I loved. In fact, it all pretty much was below average or average. And the centerpiece of the meal, the sandwich itself, was just a plain disappointment. Not recommended if you are in San Fran and looking for a French Dip fix.

This might just be the worst French Dip I've ever had.

The Bread: 3
The Meat: 2
The Au Jus: 0
The Price: 0
Overall Score: 0 out of 5

3 of 5 DeliciScore™ (Good) Awarded to Gibsons Bar & Steakhouse for their French Dip Sandwich in Chicago, IL on this 2nd day of March, 2015 -

While on a business trip in blustery Chicago, enduring a -20 degree windchill, I knew just what could warm me up – a good French Dip. So after a bit of scouring around for a place not too far away from my hotel (so I didn’t get frostbite), I found Gibson’s. Another reviewer online claimed it was the best French Dip he’d ever had, so that sounded like the place for me to check out.

Gibson’s is a high-end steakhouse with high-end prices. Steaks range from $41 - $100, so it was no surprise to me that this one be one of the pricier French Dips I’ve had. But from the amount of beef in the sandwich, $16.25 really wasn’t that bad of a price. The beef used was Gibson’s cooked-daily shaved prime Rib, mostly medium-rare. I must admit that though I am a rare-to-medium-rare steak eater, I prefer the meat in my French dip to be a little more thoroughly cooked, though. Maybe I’m the weird one in regards to that.

The bread was true French bread, and you could tell it was freshly baked. It had a nice crust on it, but not too hard – just sturdy enough to keep the sandwich together when dipping. The au jus was presented in a large, hot bowl on its own plate, along with various peppers, which I didn’t use to top my sandwich with. I chose rather to top my sandwich with a bit of dry horseradish – they offered both, creamy and dry. The au jus amount was plentiful for dipping through the entire sandwich.

"It lacked the salinity expected in a good au jus, and I felt that the right density of the beef broth/stock was just not there."

As I got ready to take my first bite, I was really anticipating that this would be a winner, but the au jus was a major let down. It lacked the salinity expected in a good au jus, and I felt that the right density of the beef broth/stock was just not there – it was like it was watered down. The jus overall had just very little flavor. More or less I felt as if I was just eating a prime rib sandwich dipped in light brown water. I added salt to the au jus, but salt can only go so far.

Nevertheless, the sandwich was still a winner. I don’t regret it. If the jus were a little darker, with more of that beefy flavor, it would have been a strong contender for a “5.” If it were just a prime rib sandwich, it would receive a “5.” But being that this is a French Dip blog, and as the only thing that constitutes a French Dip being a French Dip is, for the most part, the inclusion of the au jus, it just doesn’t all come together to make a good French Dip.

The Bread: 5
The Beef: 4
The portion: 5
The Au Jus: 1
Overall: 3

3 of 5 DeliciScore™ (Good) Awarded to Bullwheel for their Prime Rib Dip Sandwich in Enumclaw, WA on this 12th day of April, 2014 - Not one of the better.

The menu at The Bullwheel, a lodge at Crystal Mountain ski resort.  Was up there with Garth and Dana on a perfect, sunny spring-skiing day.  We had fun!

The prime rib dip on the menu.  $16.  Came as described.

A picture of the meat.  Doesn't look real appealing.

A jus picture.  The light reflection makes it look like there's a goldfish floating in it in this picture (there wasn't).  The jus overall is pretty oily.  Good and herby (which is nice) but a little too oily, I think.  3.5 of 5 for this.

The view from our seat.  Again, beautiful day.

Another picture of the dip.  The bread is quite white and hardly toasted.  The skewers were orange-yellow in color.  The bread was dense: a 3 of 5.  Could have been more toasted.

The horseradish was quite good.  Not authentic or anything but good tasting.

No the most beautiful side profile.  The meat was medium rare but looked more read.  The bread is stark white.

The "money shot".  Pretty good jus.  Bread was okay.  Meat wasn't good.  Pretty bad prime rib in fact.

The salad that came with it.  Good overall.  About a 4 of 5.  Good blue cheese dressing.  Radish and julienned carrots for extra flair and steez.

Overall this dip had good jus.  The bread was only fair and not all that attractive.  The meat needed A LOT of work.  Garth ordered a dip as well and his meat was really bad and really gristly and overdone.  Sure, we weren't at a steakhouse or anything like that but between an overly oily jus and bad meat, this sandwich was only a 2.5 of 5.  For a prime rib dip it would score even lower.  Not as bad as the one we had at The Game.

Bread  3 of 5.  Dense.  Very white.  Not toasted enough.
Meat  2 of 5.  Not good for prime rib.  Provided too much gristle and did not provide consistency between well-done and medium rare, cut thickness, etc.
Jus  2 of 5.  Flavor was a 4 or so but the greasiness / oiliness was a turn-off.
Overall  2.5 of 5.  Good tasting jus, dense bread, meat lacking overly greasy jus.

5 of 5 DeliciScore™ (From Heaven) Awarded to Ruth's Chris Steak House for their Prime Rib Dip Sandwich in Bellevue, WA on this 22nd day of May, 2012 - What a fun and delicious treat on my 35th birthday!

The menu at Ruth's Chris Stakehouse in downtown Bellevue, WA on May 17, 2012.  My birthday!  I was there with my friend Chris Wirkkala on business matters: eating a French dip (one of my favorite things) for my birthday.  I had been looking forward to enjoying this expensive French dip for some time.

There it is: the Prime French Dip: Toasted French bread with au jus and creamy horseradish sauce.  $15.  This was for lunch.  They also gave me REAL horseradish, which made the experience even more enjoyable.

I told them that it was my birthday, so the very kind waitress, NY, brought cute little table-confetti for me.  Awwwwwwww.  How nice of them....

This is what I look like as a blurry version of myself on my 35th birthday.  Wow.  35.  I don't look too old and wrinkly, I don't believe.  : )

Here is the dip served, au jus and a side Caesar salad.  As you can see from the picture, the portion is quite nice.  The beef is thinly sliced; I was able to select medium-rare, which is my preference.  The salad was pretty good.  I had a Heineken with it.  The bun is nicely toasted and they do nearly give you a bowl of au jus (see Adam's recommendation) with it, which is nice.

A close-up of the jus.  It was steaming and has its very own doily.  Chris and I joked about how we should mark points off for it being made of paper rather than hand-knit or something absurd like that...

Here's the horseradish a plenty...On the left is the real-deal, which I (toward the end of my meal) added to my au jus, based on the recommendation of our very kind waiter, Erich.  Erich and I got to talk about our names being similar and he said that he was getting "the last laugh" having a more unique name than mine although growing up with that strange spelling was hard, he said.  The creamy horseradish was good and very light tasting.  I like the *punch* of the real thing although it is nice to have both as options.

The salad close-up.  Grape tomatoes, okay croutons, light Caesar dressing, pretty good lettuce, totally fair portion, nicely thin-sliced Parmesan cheese.  I don't recall being offered pepper.

A close-up of the meat and bread.  You can see that it's pretty rare but don't let that scare you: it was good.  Nicely toasted, quality bread.

Thin-sliced yet plentiful meat.  It was a good, big portion, firing on all cylinders.

Awwwwwwwwwwww.  Thanks, people.  That was really nice of you....and delicious.

Overall
This was a great meal and dining experience.  We had great service.  The music and ambiance were nice.  It was a nice sunny day out.  The French dip was good and exactly what I wanted on my birthday.  After the dinner and dessert I enjoyed a good coffee with plentiful refills.

• Dip :  5 of 5
• Au jus :   4 of 5
• Meat :   4 of 5
• Bread :   5 of 5

This dip is not as good as the Jak's dip and is not as fancy as The Keg dip but the service was really great and the overall dining experience and quality of food is quite high.  The portion is very large as well.

Other

• Salad 4 of 5
• Not being offered pepper -1 
• Horseradish options +1
• Real horseradish +1
• Salad options +1
• *Bowl* of jus +1
• Big size +1
• Great birthday treatment and friendly staff +2