Toby's, Coupeville, WA

 

Doesn't look too big but it does look good.

The money shot looks pretty good!

Looks pretty good.  Medium rare beef is always nice to see.

Looks like rich jus.  Sandwich cut on bias.  Pickle slices on top, which is unique.  Bamboo skewers.  Mom got mussels.

Or I guess I was feeling frisky and got fries.  Rare move for me but I did it.  Fries are always good, aren't they?

Well, they have a French Dip, what am I going to do?  Order the French dip...and a side salad. :)

Decor.

Our window view.  It's an old dive bar, generally and feels a bit "sticky" inside, I'd say.

Inside of Toby's

Nice little pic from Deception Pass Bridge.  

This is the outside.  We had to wait here for 30 minutes or more.  It was packed just because things seemed so limited on this busy summer day.

Had never been here before.  Old place.

This is like "Memento" of a blog post.  I come to Toby's in Coopeville with my mom in the middle of the summer.  It still felt like Covidtimes.  It was REALLY hot this day.  Mom and I were just looking for something fun to do and went for a drive to Oak Harbor and then farther south.  We tried going to Captian Whidbey but it was closed.  This was the only place in Coupeville that seemed doable and we were hungry.  

Bread 3

Meat 4

Jus 4

Overall 4

Review of Smoked Meat Sandwich from Reuben's Deli in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, Eh

Guest blogger Josh Dennis shares about his experience with a very good smoked meat sandwich in Quebec.

Reuben’s Montreal Smoked Meat Sandwich, Montreal, Quebec

http://reubensdeli.com/

Good quantity of food.

Thin bread relative to meat.

Smoked, tender, delicious.

The only meal that I truly wanted to try before leaving Montreal was the world famous smoked meat sandwich (further known as Sandwich). It is arguably the most famous food product originating Montreal sans poutine. The area in which I am staying contains what appears to be an endless number of eateries. There are countless options of styles from BBQ and Chinese Buffett to Italian and Mexican with all sorts in between. I was on a mission for the Sandwich today though. The closest such deli was Reuben’s, which happens to be one of the most renowned locales for such smoked meat. So let’s do this.

The deli is located below street level down a wide set of dark stained oak stairs. Upon entering the stairs and subsequently the deli I felt that this was a friendly location with a long history. It was an eloquent building showing age and worn wooden bench style booths. The ambiance was sophisticated, yet not presumptuous. Upon entering I was greeted with a pleasant, “Bonjour”. The hostess assured me I could grab a sandwich for take-away and recommended the special. Easy, done.

"Going with my usual dealer’s choice approach the woman behind the meat counter chose medium."

When I arrived at the counter to order I was offered three choices: lean, medium or fatty. Going with my usual dealer’s choice approach the woman behind the meat counter chose medium. In less than 5 minutes I had my fare and was on my way back to my culinary laboratory. Back in my shared dormitory room I carefully unpackaged what was to be my first Sandwich. I was a slightly more than excited.

My first impression upon opening the to-go container was that the size of the sandwich was not in proportion to the number of french fries or price for that matter, $15.51 CAD. As I unwrapped the sandwich from its paper sheath the dark pink color and actual amount of meat piled up reassured me that this meal still had potential. The package featured the sandwich, a small paper bowl filled with coleslaw, a generous portion of french fries and a pickle.

"Every morsel of meat was so tender it would nearly melt in my mouth."

I will start this ballad with the crescendo. The Sandwich was fantastic. The meat was extremely tender and full of amazing flavor. It was obviously smoked meat, however there was only a hint of smokiness. The flavor is difficult to describe as it didn’t have the characteristics of West Coast smoked meats that I am familiar with, ie: alder or applewood. It was very mild yet full of flavor. The closest deli meat I can compare it to would be a mild pastrami without the pepper or overwhelming spices. There was a dollop of yellow mustard which complimented the meat very well. Not once during the entire consumption process did I stumble into any grit, sinew or even one fatty bit. Every morsel of meat was so tender it would nearly melt in my mouth.  

The bread which contained the bulk of the Sandwich was a thinly sliced and light in color. First impressions told me that there was no way this thin bread would hold up against the smoked delight. In the end it held its own. The bread never become soggy or tore during consumption. It appeared to be a light rye bread, but like the meat it was very mild and melded well with the overall flavor profile.

The coleslaw was also mild. Nothing outstanding about, however it was a solid slaw. Unlike many coleslaws it did not contain any creamy dressing. Instead it was dressed with a light vinegar based substance. There was a hint of apple cider vinegar and perhaps a slight fermentation. It was very difficult to be certain of the ingredients. The first couple of bites were confusing to my tastebuds. After the third or fourth bite I began to enjoy this nontraditional (at least to me) salad. Like most slaw it could have used some pepper, but I’m not complaining.

"I used the recommended mayonnaise, ketchup combo as an esophageal lubricant..."

The only disappointment to this meal were the french fries. They were a very generic shoestring type fry. I would have expected something of a higher quality with this meal. Perhaps a skin-on or thick cut spud instead of this type which reminded me of a cheap fast food restaurant. I used the recommended mayonnaise, ketchup combo as an esophageal lubricant (both Kraft single server packets). This helped the overall experience, however it was still a disappointment.

As per my modus operandi, I saved the pickle for last. It was a quarter pickle which had a rigidity to it. The kind you know will be crunchy from the time you pick it up. This last bit of fodder broke the mould of mildness. It had a bit of a spicy kick to it. Not overwhelming, just enough to let you know you were alive. Although it was obviously dill there was some other ingredients in the canning process. Like the slaw dressing it was difficult to pick(le) out the other mystery ingredients. It wasn’t top of the line but it was a solid pickle.

SUMMARY:

I hadn’t eaten breakfast in preparation of my first Sandwich. After finishing the entire meal I was certainly satiated. The overall experience was pleasant and satisfying, yet slightly underwhelming. Reuben’s has a solid starting quarterback but the rest of the team is pretty mediocre. My recommendation would be to just order the sandwich and leave the rest to the other tourists.

Scores:

Bread - 4 (soft yet tough, held it’s own)

Meat - 5 (very tender, light smoke, not greasy or fatty)

Coleslaw - 3 (interesting flavor, light, healthy)

French Fries - 2 (bland, generic shoestrings)

PIckle - 4 (spicy, non conforming dill)

Overall:

4 out of 5 (The Sandwich carried the meal out of mediocrity)

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.

5 of 5 DeliciScore™ (From Heaven) Awarded to The Fremont Dock for their Prime Rib Dip Sandwich in Seattle, WA on this 30th day of November, 2015 - These people put some love into their Prime Rib Dip.

I went out to lunch today with some coworkers at a place called The Dock which is really near our office in Fremont.  I typically work out of our Kirkland office but find myself in Seattle at least weekly where I can get to know the crew over there.  The purpose of our lunch out today was to welcome two new hires to the company: Mimi from Austin, TX and Todd from Vancouver BC.  We made nice chit-chat with them and welcomed them hartily to the company.  We got to learn about each of their commutes, more about their stays and training plans, and Todd's history as a long-haul trucker turned data boss. (He's driven in all 50 states except Hawaii and all Canadian provinces.)  Internally, I felt happy to see that new people are getting added to our group and I would therefore not be "the new guy" for too much longer.

The Dock is a neighborhood bar and grill in Fremont that's really close to our offices there.  I'd been twice before (it's impossible to resist going there, since it's so close and the food is reliably good).  Our boss Peter today referred to it as our cafeteria, jokingly.  There were five in our party and we arrived before 11 so there was no crowd.  I had to run to the restroom when we arrived and I was pleased that it smelled like bleach and/or Clorox, a sign of cleanly freshness.

We were greeted by a friendly waitress and promptly offered cold ice waters.  Another quick point of note is that A1 Steak Sauce lives on the table, which pleases me, innately.

When it came time to order I said I'd have "the French dip" (I wanted to be all nonchalant about it but was immediately called out by Mike who knows of my blog and hobby doing this).  I intentionally didn't call it the Prime Rib dip since that sounded pretty highfalutin for a company lunch even though it is just a sandwich.  Mike made me share about my hobby with the rest of the table and encouraged me to take pictures, too.  I was embarrassed of my hobby but that was fine.

Here's The Dock from the outside.  I lifted this picture off of Google Images.  My apologies, Internet and its citizens.

More internet robbery, their logo.

Thank you, The Dock website for this graphic.

So here's there dips on the menu.  Note they have two.  I ordered the Prime Rib French but only said out loud that I would like the French Dip since that seemed safer than getting something too "all high and mighty".  Note the thinly sliced herb roasted prime rib (I'm not sure that they cut it fresh, though so the meat gets a 4 of 5).  Aged Swiss was nice.  And French baguette.  They weren't messing around with the bread, it was great. 

Here it is served.  Note i had already added A1 Steaksauce for my fries and I was excited about that.  The sandwich itself is a very generous portion with delicious and beautiful bread.  Jus comes in the standard jus cup.  Fries were plentiful.  Everything looked really good.  I was immediately impressed.  Perhaps not as fancy or as refined as a Ruth's Chris dip but this thing was looking pretty good, especially from the bread.

A closer shot of the sandwich proper.

And an even closer shot of the sandwiches innerds.  They're looking prettty good.  Not too much cheese.  The cheese was a really nice compliment and the bread was nicely toasted and buttered as it should be.

Here's the jus.  I let it get a bit cold since I started with my fries but it was good at a 3 of 5.

Overall this dip scores a 5 of 5 for the quality of its bread which is toasted and buttered, good meat, fancy cheese and a good jus.  Nothing wrong with this dip.  Hopefully it is a staple in the diets of the Fremontians.

• Bread 5 of 5
• Meat 4 of 5 (could have been sliced there and offered medium rare as is done at Wedgwood Broiler)
• Non-Meat Toppings 5 of 5 (they didn't go overboard here and offered a fancy, fine cheese that complimented the sandwich)
• Sandwich itself 5 of 5 (not blow your socks off delicious but really solid; what a French dip should be with good bread, buttery, good meat and a nice, edible sandwich)
• Jus 4 of 5 (wasn't overly blown out but was plenty good)
• Portion 5 of 5 (really nice portion.  Big but not huge, definitely a meal)
• Overall 5 of 5 (really good execution and special kudos for good cheese and care in their bread and meat.  Consider fancying up your meat just a little bit more and giving your customers an option of how done do they want it but I can see how that could get trick and wasteful perhaps.)

5 of 5 DeliciScore™ (From Heaven) Awarded to Tat's Delicatessen for their French Dip Sandwich in Seattle, WA on this 18th day of July, 2015 - Worth the hype.

It was my last day working on a contract with McGraw Hill Education (running standardized testing data flow for the States of Georgia and Indiana, primarily) in downtown Seattle and I talked a couple of coworkers into going out to lunch with me at Tat's Delicatessen.  Tat's is very popular Pioneer Square-based location with a pretty big, cultish following.  I'd been there once before but hadn't had their French dip, the Hot Beef sandwich.

We left the office at noon proper and I warned my fellow diners that the line would be long.  Because it was my last day on the job, I had power to coerce, and leveraged that fully.  On the walk there, I told them about my French dip blog and that I'd had French dips the two days prior.  I'm sure they thought I was weird but I almost brag about this hobby of mine at this point.  Today is Saturday and I do not plan to have my fourth French dip in a row.  We walked to Tat's through Occidental Square and a band was playing on a stage, featuring a tuba player.  Many people were out watching, dancing and taking photos as we walked on by, on our mission to dine.

Upon arrival at Tat's, the line was indeed quite long (out the door), as I had expected.  After waiting there a few minutes, a woman came out from behind the countered and hushed us: their new cash register system was running slowly and the wait would be longer than normal.  Oh well, we waited, chatted, and finally got to the front of the line, probably 20 minutes later.  During our wait, we got to watch their operations, study the menu, and watch the many people with their big sandwiches.  The vibe was good and it was very loud in there.  Paul and Kumudha ordered first: Paul got the cheesesteak and Kumudha got the vegetable sandwich.  They were both happy with their meals.

When it was my turn to order, I knew I was there to order the Hot Beef sandwich but I was starting to get very spooked (spooked is one of Uncle Arn's favorite terms) that it wouldn't have jus, as is required for a French dip.  So to verify and allay my concerns, I asked the lady, "Do you have a French dip?" And she said, "Yes, we do.  That's the Hot Beef."  I said, "Okay, I would like the Hot Beef, please."  She said, "Would you like that injected with fries?"  I said, "Sure, please."  And she yelled out loudly, "Hot beef, injected."  I laughed.  It sounded very dirty, but funny...hot beef injection...those sick fucks at Tat's...at least they're having fun...

We got lucky and got a four-top table and waited for our order numbers to be called.  Paul and Kumudha's orders came out right away but mine took quite a little while.  At the pickup counter, finally, my sandwich (I got the 8" and not 12" variety) came out in a single brown bag and another separate brown bag for a small styrofoam cup of jus, covered and sealed with very tacky (in both senses of the word) Scotch tape.

Back at the table, I was stoked to unbox my jus and get to it.  The tape was sealed so well, though, I couldn't get the lid off and it developed a leak.  I gave up and walked back up to the counter, requesting a "jus for here", which they rapidlly provided...and in an even larger quantity, so I was even more jazzed.

I was finally able to successfully unwrap my sandwich and jus and was pretty happy with the way they both looked; it would be a good meal.  The cheese was nicely melted on top of the sandwich and stuck to the wrapping paper a little, making for a good visual.  The jus was pretty clear in color and it, too, had me spooked, but it turned out to be good jus.  The sandwich was a lot of fun as well, especially with its fun features of the hot peppers and fries.  For me, the 8" size was just right that day, especially since it was injected with fries.  The peppers added a lot and made it interesting with a bit of a pickled flavor.  The sandwich by itself, sans jus, was good, and when joined with the jus was even better. And that's what we're seeking after all, French dip fans.  There was also nice and real horseradish in it that was strong enough to give that nasal pop like wasabi does, so that was fun, too.  This application of horseradish was way better executed than the mayo-heavy horseradish that had been provided to me by Delicatus the day prior.

Tat's provides good sandwiches and a vibrant atmosphere, serious about slangin' sandwiches.  They're especially known for their Tatstrami, which as I understand is a pastrami-laden Philly.  The Hot Beef sandwich that I had was really good, special and fun and I score it a 5 of 5 for originality and overall flavor.   Overall, Tat's is a fun place and worth the wait for the experience.

• Outer
• Bread: 3 of 5.  Good bread.
• Bread-coverings: 4 of 5.  Horseradish with a punch.
• Inner
• Meat: 3 of 5.  Good beef.
• Cheese: 4 of 5.  Looked good, stringy.
• Non-meat fillings: 5 of 5.  French fries and peppers.  Yes!!!
• Jus: 4 of 5.  Good, lightly colored jus that was hot and good.

• Overall: 5 of 5.  Tat's is a great place and this sandwich filled with fries, cheese, peppers, and horseradish is a lot of fun.