French Dip Review: Nat's Original Beef Dip, White Spot, BC Ferries -

By Mr. Joshua Dennis

Since moving to Vancouver Island, British Columbia I have taken my share of ferry rides. BC ferries has a contract with the White Spot restaurant chain to serve food on the ships. White Spot could be compared to a Denny’s or perhaps a Sheri’s Cafe. It is a bit more of a novelty on a giant steel vessel, but still a low to mid range diner style eatery. Despite my trepidation I decided that on this fateful evening sailing I would order a Nat’s Original Beef Dip from the limited menu. Did it turn out to be a mistake? Do I regret my decision? Was it the best sandwich I have ever had? The answer to these questions, and undoubtedly infinitely more, will be held in the rest of this review. If you stop reading now it will like never watching or knowing what happened at the end of TV series “Lost”...okay perhaps that is a bad analogy.

First let me set the scene. Imagine consuming a meal with some of your closest friends in an intimate setting while enjoying a nice Malbec or craft beer. Now imagine brilliant conversation complimented by smooth jazz playing at a perfect level, allowing for both the comforting tones of Miles Davis and pleasant conversation with surrounding confidants. Now imagine the opposite of that. Welcome to eating in the cafeteria of a ship in the BC Ferry fleet. That may be a tad dramatic, but it certainly doesn’t have the atmosphere of  a quaint cafe or even a crowded  brewpub. It is more like a prison mess hall….or so I’ve heard.

Nat's Original Beef Dip $14.49 CAD

Alright, enough with the nonsense and tomfoolery. Let’s get down to why you are really here. The BC Ferry White Spot Nat’s Original Beef Dip Sandwich. As a side option I went with yam fries because I am crazy and oh so unpredictable. Eric Veal is awesome! See told ya, unpredictable.

Decent Yam Fries

Let’s start with the yam fries. Alongside the sandwich there was a healthy helping of dark orange, skin-on frites. They were soft with a light batter creating a slight crunchiness. The fries were of the thin yet wide variety and upon first consumption it was apparent they were from a quality yam. A round, single serve plastic container filled with Triple O’s chipotle mayo accompanied the French fried yams (I apologize to anyone from Belgium, I am aware of the history of the “French” fry). The dipping sauce was more chipotle than mayo and all the better for it. Although slightly cold, I don’t have much complaint about the fries. They had the gentle luscious flavor of a sweet potato pie and were a decent side dish.

The beef dip was more difficult to wrap my head around. Upon first glance it looked to have potential. The bread appeared to be freshly baked, within the last several days at least. There was plenty of sliced beef piled up inside of the roll. A small bowl of savory brown liquid sat idle on the plate just daring the sandwich to dip. This au jus had plenty of flavor and tasted of real beef, not of a powder mix. It was uncommonly thick, almost a gravy. This allowed it to readily adhere to the sandwich, ensuring plenty of lubrication with every bite. It also gave the appearance of putting lipstick on a pig. This au jus was the star of the show. Although the show was a flop on Broadway. Now I’m getting ahead of myself..

Let’s take a bit of time on the actual sandwich now. The bread to meat ratio was very adequate. I wanted to make sure that there was something nice in this review, so there it was. The bread that served as the meat house was overtly bland. It tasted like what the flavour of a  cumulus cloud would be. Upon the inside of the bread there was some variation of a garlic spread infused with some herbs and spices. As far as I could tell this served two purposes. It gave off the impression that the fabricators of the sandwich were putting forth some effort and it was the only real flavor of the sandwich itself.

Disappointment Abounds

The beef of the dip was a bitter disappointment. On the bright digital billboard which served as the menu, Nat’s Original Beef Dip is pictured with what appears to be moist, thin sliced beef cooked somewhere between medium and medium rare. The beef on the actual sandwich was sliced thinly, but it certainly was not moist. In one of the attached pictures it looks moist, however that is some of the butter from the bun creating a sheen. Dry, lean and bland. With the au jus and the garlic spread there was some semblance of flavor, the beef contributed very little to the flavor profile however.

Summary:

Going into this meal I had my doubts about the quality of the boat dip. It lived up to those expectations. Overall it would probably be best to choose something else from the menu on a BC Ferry trip. The cheeseburger and chicken burger are respectable, but this isn’t called Cheeseburger or Chicken Burger Review is it?

Bread 2

Meat 2

Side (Yam fries) 3

Au Jus 3

Overall: 2

Even being a captive audience on a ship at sea, don’t make the same mistake as me. Order something else to eat, for this sandwich has dry bland meat.

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)