Turkey Dip at Pumphouse in Bellevue, WA

I was meeting up for beers with my buddy Dave Niederkrome.  We were talking business.  He knows I'm a French Dip fan, so I indulged in a Turkey Dip from Pumphouse.  I have now had their French Dip, Burger Dip and Turkey Dip, completing the trifecta.  The Turkey Dip is good.  

The sandwich alone was a 4: pretty juicy and pretty good.  It tasted pretty fresh, had a good amount of meat.  The jus was only a 3 that night but it was hot, good and overall it was a 4 above-average. Their salad is great.  It gets a five because of consistency and good blue cheese with nice chunky dressing.

Jus 3 of 5

Meat 4 of 5 plentiful

Non Meat Toppings N/A

Bread 4 good bread, toasted

Overall 4 of 5

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 Mermaid Bar & Grill for their Prime Rib Dip Sandwich in Saugatuck, MI on this 6th day of September, 2014 - A beautiful delight on a Michigan summer.

We were traveling with family and found ourselves in the cute vacation town in western Michigan: Saugatuck.  The Mermaid is a restaurant in a perfect spot right on the water with lots of outdoor dining.

The size of the sandwich was smallish but the bread was good.  The meat was good but only scored a 3.  The overall experience and sandwich were a 4.  The outdoor dining is a very nice feature.  The jus was only fine, coming in at a 3.  The buttery, garlic bun saved this sandwich with its high-scoring 4.  The jus just barely scraped by with nothing to spare.

French dip money shot.

Other pics:

Good tomato salad Jessica ordered.

The French dip, plated.

Pickles!

Bloody Mary with salami on the skewer.

An art shot of a swooping gull.

Jessi's new necklace.

5 of 5 DeliciScore™ (From Heaven) Awarded to Bellevue Brewing Company for their French Dip Sandwich in Bellevue, WA on this 26th day of April, 2014 - Amazing meat, unique and high quality.

Shaky photo of the item on the menu.

Bird's eye view of the meal.  You can tell from here that the jus is too weak / mild / light.

A beautiful sandwich with lots of meat, red onions, a tomato, horseradish.  Most excellent.

Look at all of that good meat.

You can see the well-done, crunchy/crispy, beef from here.

The money shot

Great meat that's crunchy! (in a good way) 5
Light jus 2
Horseradish flavor is good
The meat really is great, even "fun"!
Excellent sandwich overall:  5
The meat really is perfect
This meal is a 5 overall, regardless of the so so (too light) jus
Fantastic sandwich overall

3 of 5 DeliciScore™ (Good) Awarded to Arby's for their French Dip Sandwich in Redmond, WA on this 3rd day of April, 2014 - Arby's new French Dip and Swiss

Arby's launched a new French Dip a few months back that I've since put through the trials. Here's my review.

The magic that is delicious, tangy, zesty Arby's Sauce.

The wonderful Arby's in Redmond.

The jus.

The way by which an intelligent person houses their copious amounts of delicious Arby's Sauce (within a cup lid)

The meal deal.  Fries included.

The pretty cheese looking unit.

The fries.  They're pretty good.

The "money shot".  Looks pretty juicy and delicious.  Cheese is garbage.

I must say that the cheese they're using is not stellar.  It pretty much destroys the otherwise pretty good sandwich.  Look at that terrible, processed cheese.

Rating:

• Bread: 3 of 5.  It's  fine
• Meat: 3 of 5.  It's standard Arby's roast beef, which is pretty good and salty, not bad.
• Non-Meat Toppings: 1 of 5.  Cheese is no good; failure.
• Fries: 4 of 5.  Arby's makes good fries.
• Jus: 3 of 5.  
• Arby's Sauce: 5 of 5.  Zesty deliciousness.
• Sandwich: 3 of 5.  Skip the cheese and enjoy. It's probably a 4 of 5 for the money if no cheese.

OVERALL: 3 of 5.  It's bigger and better than the old one but skip the cheese.

3 of 5 DeliciScore™ (Good) Awarded to Fadó Irish Pub & Restaurant for their Lamb Dip Sandwich in Seattle, WA on this 7th day of November, 2013 - Pulled Lamb French Dip

Hello.  Had a dip while out with a buddy the other day.  The first LAMB dip I've ever had.  I like lamb but this dip was only okay.  3 of 5.  The bread was a 2, the jus was a 3, the lamb was a 3, the cheese was a 2.  The thing that gives this sandwich points and a 3 rating is the use of lamb to make it fun and unique.

4 of 5 DeliciScore™ (Great) Awarded to Ramblin Jacks for their French Dip Sandwich in Olympia, WA on this 15th day of April, 2012 - I miss you, Harbor Wholesale Foods!

Really rainy day in Olympia with my coworker and friend, Liz.  

Here it is: "THE FRENCH DIP.  Alder smoked beef and jack cheese served on a french roll with hales cream stout au jus."

I ordered it with a side of grilled vegetables and good horseradish that I didn't use.  The veggies were pretty good
the overall size of the dip was pretty generous.  It was served with a nice Kosher pickle.  The jus was plentiful.
Note the fancy toothpicks.

Here's a view of the bread and beef.  The beef is well done, probably not very juicy.
The bread is about right for a French dip although may have been overly absorbent.

Here's another view of the beef.  From here it looks a bit dry.

A close-up of the jus (note the oil separated) and grilled vegetables: zucchinis, carrots, onions, peppers.

The good pickle.

Here it is half-eaten.  You can see that I used up a LOT of the jus.  So it was not enough.  But jus is pretty easy
to come by and I've never met a wait person (to this point) that is stingy or slow with supplemental jus.

Overall this is a pretty good dip.  I give it a 4 on the scale of 0 to 5.  The waitress here was really great and she even tried to sell us on dessert (at lunch) really early on.  I took the second half to go.  I didn't really notice the jack cheese.  The bread was a 3 of 5.  The jus, probably a 4+ of 5, and the meat was about a 4 of 5 although a bit dry.  The pickle was good and it was nice to get grilled veggies on the side and real horseradish.

3 of 5 DeliciScore™ (Good) Awarded to Mt. Baker Ski Area for their French Dip Sandwich in Glacier, WA on this 28th day of March, 2012 - Smoked Brisket Sandwich

Meat: 5.  Great, smokey taste, excellent.
Non-Meat Toppings: 5.  Good crispy onions.
Au Jus: 5.  Nice, dark, hot, ample.
Bread: 2.  WTH!  Pretzel bread, not absorbent, circular so you can't dip effectively.  Fail.
Overall Sandwich: 3.

Fix the bun, Baker!!!!  (and I love your mountain)

4 of 5 DeliciScore™ (Great) Awarded to Grand Cru Mixologie Lounge for their French Dip Sandwich in Bellevue, WA on this 5th day of March, 2012 - Meh.

The cover of the menu.  This place is in downtown Bellevue; pretty cute, kind of tucked away in a slower part of Bellevue downtown...

Here's looking out from our SW corner seat at the night street.

There's the French Dip on the menu.  $10.  I got a salad with strawberries for an extra $2.  Odd that there is ABSOLUTELY NO description of what the French Dip is, but it turns out that it's prime rib with provolone on French bread, pressed in the panini press.

Their happy hour menu is pretty good and the place seemed pretty popular on Foursquare.

They have "Wine Flights" which are pretty fun.  I got the White Sampler and enjoyed it.  Jessica had the Bubble Up! and enjoyed it.  We were using a coupon we had received from Restaurant.com.

The view from our table.  It's nice inside, kind of fancy, clean.  The patrons seemed "cool" and happy.  The waitress, Krystal, was very helpful and nice.

There's the French Dip.  You can see the cheese, grill marks, "fancy toothpicks", herbed au jus (think of The Keg), and the nice-looking salad with gourmet greens and strawberries on top.  I am basically pleased with the dip although it is about the size of the Arby's French dip, which is smallish.

A closer (and blurry) look at the sandwich.  Sorry for the bad pic.  You can see the grilled bread and melted cheese.  The meat was a bit too salty but it was good.

The herbed jus, which was very good.  It has oil-sheen to it, which is good and a very nice, delicate flavor.

THE REVIEW


Bread -  Good, semi-soft but not too soft bread, grilled with panini marks.  4 of 5.
Meat - Thin, cold-cut style salty prime rib, not too much of it.  3 of 5.
Non-Meat Toppings - Provolone cheese that didn't add or subtract.  3 of 5.
Au Jus - 5 of 5.  Really good jus, herby, nice.
Overall - 4 of 5.  Nice sandwich, good, too small.  Too salty of prime rib and too thin-cut, reminding me of deli meat.