"Beef Dip" French Dip Sandwich at JJ Mahoney's in Redmond, WA Awarded 4 of 5 DeliciScore™ (Pretty Good) on this 22nd day of April, 2017 - I liked, cheese and provolone

It was later on a Saturday evening and we sat at the bar.

Looks good.  $13.50 not cheap but I'll do it.  I *need* to do it!

Orange-frilled skewer and melted provolone.

I stupidly forgot to take a picture of it initially.  I must have been hungry.  He's 1/2 of it. :)

The salad, as a I mention below, was unruly but good.

The money shot indicates that the jus is not very dark.  Although the taste of the jus was quite good, I want to personally see its color applied to the bread.  Maybe just use blue food die?  Could be fun...

Here we can see the onions some.

Setting the Stage

Jessica and I had gone to a political event and needed dinner afterwards.  It was a Saturday night and we went to the "Bella Botega" area in Redmond.  We like JJ Mahoney's and I had never formally reviewed their French dip.  Jessica claims (can I really trust this woman?!) that I have had it before but I clearly had not formally reviewed it, so it was time.

One time (unrelated story) we went to JJ's with Jessica's parents before a James Bond movie.  I had two gin martinis and slept through most of the movie. :)  Must have been good gin martinis and sometimes action movies can indeed put me to sleep.

Raw Tasting Notes

• Was not overly impressed initially with the bread: it looks like a 2 to 2.5.  Soft bread which is not my favorite type for a French dip.
• Meat: they claim "steak" and it looks more like roast beef, so I was not overly impressed.  It was thin-sliced and medium to well.
• Non meat toppings: provolone cheese, grilled onions, cheese looks processed, Jessica liked the cheese.  The onions were fine, overall, the non-meat toppings were indeed additive.
• Jus was nice tasting and gets a 3-4.  It was light in color and not visible once dipped, which should make it lose points.  We want to see the jus in action.  No stealth jus!
• Overall this unit was size medium, salty, had good taste and gets a 3-4.  It came with orange-frilled toothpick skewers and had some degree of black pepper taste.
• The side salad was good and fresh although the lettuce leaves looked unruly and maybe needed to be trimmed down to size for uniformity and presentation.
• Top recommendation to supplier: get a fancier cheese, harder bread, and try to get that beef into more of a medium-rare state.

Scoring

Bread 3.  It was acceptable but shouldn't be so soft.  I suppose soft bread makes for a tasty treat but for a French dip I really do prefer it to be more firm bread that softens when combined with the jus.
Meat 3.  For claiming steak, this was not overly impressive.  I had a roast beef dip yesterday at Lockspot (review to follow) and its meat was about the same.
Non-meat toppings 4.  These are good and additive indeed.  The onions were good.  There was a slight black pepper flavor going on, which was nice.  The cheese looked processed to me and made the sandwich seem cheap (the too-soft bread also did not make it seem overly fancy) but did add some flavor and Jessica liked itt.
Jus 4. Was good and I'll give it a 4.
Overall 4.  I will give it a 4 because they have a pepper taste, cheese and onions standard and good jus.  This thing is not out of the world but if you were incredibly drunk or high you would probably like it.

Conclusion

Jessica and I like going to JJ Mahoney.  This part of Redmond still feels fun and new even though it's a couple of decades old now.  The food and drinks are consistent and good.  Jessica drank a Harp since her parents were in Ireland.

4 of 5 DeliciScore™ (Great) Awarded to Tam O'Shanter Clubhouse for their French Dip Sandwich in Bellevue, WA on this 7th day of January, 2017 - Our First French Dip of 2017 is Good, Peppery and Meaty

I found myself on a cold winter Saturday at Tam O'Shanter Golf & Country Club's Clubhouse in Bellevue, WA.  I was with my buddy Garth and we were meeting up with my neighbors to watch the Seahawks play the Detroit Lions in the playoffs.  

Tam O'Shanter's Clubhouse is a very relaxing location.  I get to go there because my neighbor's nephews work there.  It is not too busy, has really great service and I came to find out that their food is also quite good as well.  

While there, I enjoyed half of Garth's French dip, fries, and a lot of Buffalo wings that were really good as well.  I've been telling people lately about how I like my wings: overdone and really crispy, almost to the level of jerky.  These fit that bill.

More info on Tam O'Shanter:

https://www.tamoshanter.net/

1313 183RD Ave NE

Bellevue, WA 98008-3439 

(425) 746-3855

It was a 5:15 PM gametime and it wound up being a really good game with the win going to the Seahawks.  The final score?  26-6 with some really sweet catches such as this one from Paul Richardson.

Here's the details on their French dip: 

A *huge* and extremely wide sandwich brushed with butter and extremely dark, think jus.  To repeat: this baby is EXTREME!  Bamboo skewer in tow.

Arial view demonstrating the girth of this sandwich.  Garth cut it in half, which was probably the right call but I think I would have felt quite manly dipping that bad boy in the thick gravy-like jus.

The dark, thick jus and fries.

I assumed initially that the bread was too thick and would be too absorbent.  But somehow it worked.  It did not actually result in a too-much-bread experience and the thick and viscous jus did also not allow for an overly absorbent experience as seen in J. Michael's French dip, for example.

Clearly a lot of meat.  There are some peppery onions in there as well.  And you can see that the bread compressed quite well.

Raw Tasting Notes:

• Dry (well done) and LOTS of beef 
• Extremely wide sandwich with bread that looks like it could be too absorbent 
• Very Generous portion
• Very Peppery
• Onions 
• No cheese causes dryness but the gravy creates lubrication 
• Gravy very thick and rich, dark 
• 4 of 5 because of too dry beef and very  Peppery, must be compensating for something with so much pepper? 
• Compare to very beefy Bellevue brewing company tall boy sandwich 
• Results in poutine when Gravy jus drips on fries 
• Paul recommends the steak fries, not skinny 

Scoring:
Bread 4 of 5 for size and brushed with butter
Meat 4 of 5 for too dry but lots of it and peppery, flavorful, good texture
Non-Meat Toppings peppery grilled onions that were good and additive
Jus 4 of 5 for being so rich and thick and flavorful, gravy-like
Overall 4 of 5 a consistent and interesting, well-executed French dip sandwich

3.5 of 5 DeliciScore™ (Good) Awarded to The LODGE Sports Grille for their Prime Rib Dip Sandwich in Mill Creek, WA on this 10th day of December, 2016 - Brian eats and reviews a mid-grade, oniony delight.

Introduction

My friend Brian from Guemes eats a French dip now and again. Today was one of those special days and he was nice enough to share his experience with me via Facebook Messenger.  He included pictures and all.

Review

Brian's review follows.  Here is an embellished version of his tasting notes and score for your information:

• Fry temperature bad. He reported that is sweet potato fries, which he often gets and I believe must prefer over normal French fries, came out luke (temperature, not Skywalker, inbred!).
• Bread good.  He reported that the bread was good and toasted lightly.
• Meat quantity bad.  There was a reported lack of meat.  And I quote, "Not enough meat."
• Jus good but lacking in portion.  He gave me feedback suggesting that the jus was good and "reasonably tasty".  He told me that he was forced to ration jus, which he said was, "Not good."
• Onions a disappointment.  The sandwich contained "sauteed onions", which he reported as "merely cooked" and not carmelized, which I could understand how this might upset him.
• A 3.5 of 5 overall.  Not bad!  In all, he scored the sandwich a 3.5 of 5, which isn't too bad.  Good for you, Brian.  Keep on dipping!

Photography

Here are Brian's photographic pictures with my captions added for your entertainment pleasure:

Here we see the LODGE menu.  Not sure why they need to capitalize all letters in LODGE.  Perhaps they are yelling?  You will also note that Brian has a very prolific phone-shadow in his photo which is not preferred for a news organization as fine as French Dip Reviews.  

The plated unit with what is apparently a side of ranch and ketchup.  Indulging in sauces, I see.  Dark jus.  Good portion on the sandwich.

Looks like tasty provolone cheese and visible (lightly toasted) buttered bread.  The bread crust is shiny, which is nice effect.  One time I shaved using the reflection in bread.

Yes, these sauteed onions are indeed fairly al dente rather than very far gone.  The don't NEED to be caremelized but of course caramelization adds a lot of delicious flavor.  Brian also made a comment about the meat being well and not rare at all, which was a disapointment.

We can tell at this point that we are devoid of meat, which is a major buzzkill.

This is Brian's demonstration of the lack of cooking on the onions.  We can also tell that his jus-tank is quite low for as much sandwich he had left, which must have been a quite sad and lonely feeling.

Bon Appetito!

4 of 5 DeliciScore™ (Great) Awarded to Joker Pub & Grill for their Burger Dip Sandwich in Issaquah, WA on this 20th day of November, 2016 - Wonderful yet tiny Burger Dip.

Here Jessica and I are at the Joker Pub in Issaquah.  It was a Sunday in November and the Seahawks were playing.  Our current residence is without TV so we felt inclined to venture out to a sports bar to root on the 'Hawks as they took on the Philadelphia Eagles.  The outcome was a good one!

The menu.  We were lucky enough to be there when the owner, who we had never met, was there as well.  A table of folks next to us was partying it up and the people who we sat by were a very friendly couple originally from Toronto, Canada.

They have two dipped sandwich offerings on their menu: a French dip (which is actually a Prime Rib Dip) and also the burger dip.  I was feeling more like a burger dip (not sure what it is other than the wholesome, meaty goodness of tasty burger).

There's the burger dip and it comes with grilled onions and Swiss.  Both wound up being good complements and the jus, as they had claimed, was indeed rich.  Good job, Joker!

Here it is served.  It looks really normal but I laughed out loud at the size of the bread, which is quite small.  It is about the size of a hot dog bun, which I found a bit insulting and tricky.  The side salad was fine, the jus looked dark.  This meal followed a reasonable helping of Coors Light so I was ready.

Close-up of the sandwich innards including the grilled onions.  I'll have to get a better camera.

Jessica was somewhat disappointed that the salad dressing was oozing all over the fork.  I captured the disappointing situation.

Here are my detailed tasting notes as we devoured the food meal:

• The bread was very tiny and pathetic hot dog-like if not smaller in size.  LOL!  I had never seen a sandwich that small even though the owner made if very clear that it was A THIRD POUND OF BEEF.  Maybe true, sir, but the clear appearance of this sandwich is kind of silly.  I suggested to him that there be a "regular" and "large" size of it.  Perhaps a "hers" and "his" size.  The bread was probably two inches wide.  Sliders are bigger than this.   That said, of the snakelike looks, it was very tasty and looked very high quality as well.  Does size matter?
• The grilled onion was good and added to my overall satisfaction in the meal. 
• The Swiss cheese was well was generally additive. 
• The bread, albeit small, was white yet fine, receiving a score a 3 of 5.
• The sandwich when eaten alone without jus was uninteresting but also beefy and good, although tiny.  I give it a 3 and a 2 for size.
• The jus was indeed rich and quality as advertised, dark and good, winning a 4 of 5 possible points.
• The size of this sandwich was its biggest issue.  Had it been a little larger it would maybe even have scored a 5 of 5. 
• The meat was well done, good burger with a very pleasing caramelized flavor.  I truly loved the burger taste and texture, whereas Jessica claimed that she didn't love a burger dip.  A burger dip may be my singular favorite food. 

So in total, this was a really good Burger dip but its biggest issue was small bread.  It made me laugh how small it was.  It was like a kid's toy.  Very delicious and fine.

• Bread - 0 of 5 - for the size
• Meat - 4 of 5 - for tasty, caramelized, good-tasting burger
• Non-meat Toppings - 4 of 5 - for a conjoined benefit to the sandwich between the Swiss and grilled onion
• Jus - 4 of 5 - for its richness and serious, delicious flavor
• Sandwich - 3 of 5 - as it was not overly mind-blowing when eaten alone
• Overall 4 of 5 for this really tasty burger dip that could have been a 5 had the size of the bread not been something from Honey I Shrunk the Kids.

2 of 5 DeliciScore™ (Not Quite There) Awarded to McMenamins Anderson School for their Prime Rib Dip Sandwich in Bothell, WA on this 1st day of November, 2015 - Give me a break, people.

Jessica and I went out and had a great time for Halloween and I was in need of a French dip on the way home.  We agreed it would be fun to go check out the new McMenamins establishment in Bothell, near where we live.  I was super excited to go there and was very pleased when I saw they had a French dip on their menu.

This is how it read:  Boilermaker Dip: shaved prime rib, Gruyere, peppered Hogshead onions & stout-onion jus $17

So I was pumped.  It looked like they'd put some effort into this thing and it was unique.  So we ordered a red beer (Coors Light and tomato juice which can be so good, by the way) and waited and waited for our French dip to come out.  Well, it did eventually arrive and I wish it never had.  It ruined my day and made me angry for the rest of it.  Sorry, McMenamins for this scathing review but I absolutely hate your French dip and really think you need to resolve that issue.  It should be an anchor and it should be delicious.  Take a look around this blog for ideas of things you could do right.  This isn't right.

This is and was a terrible French dip.  Do not get it.  Take my word for it.  I hated it with a passion and am still angry thinking about it.  It was $17 and absolute garbage.  Yeah, they tried to make it fancy with their fancy cheese and onions and beer in the jus but it's garbage.  And it was small and it tasted bad and took them a very long time to deliver and it was expensive!

Watch all the photos as a video slideshow.

Really cool new place in Bothell that I am super excited about.

One of their three super cool restaurants on site.  They also have a swimming pool, movie theater and hotel.  I really like McMenamins.

The menu showing the Boilermaker Dip: shaved prime rib, Gruyere, peppered Hogshead onions & stout-onion jus $17

It took way too long for us to get served.  I was not offered an alternative to fries, either.  First impressions were disappointment.  Small sandwich.  No real girth to this thing at all.  Sad.

More terrible evidence.

The jus had the 'floating fat' that I actually like and seek in a good jus but I would later come to find that I didn't really like this jus at all.

There's the sandwich, I wasn't impressed.  Gruyere was too bitter and the onions too sweet, coupled with the sweet jus.  And what are Hogshead onions anyhow?!

There's the sandwich.  It was no good.

Dunked.

Little bits of floating onion in this too sweet jus.

This was an incredibly disappointing sandwich for the price.  It was just no good.  Made me sad.

Bread 3 of 5  Whatever
Meat 1 of 5  Couldn't even taste the meat
Non-Meat Toppings 0 of 5  Waste of time with the Gruyere and onions
Jus 3 of 5  Too sweet.  Gimicky
Sandwich 1 of 5  Hated it
Overall 2 of 5  Hated it

Download the audio review

3 of 5 DeliciScore™ (Good) Awarded to Rain Shadow Meats Squared for their French Dip Sandwich in Seattle, WA on this 16th day of July, 2015 - Lots of hype, flame burnt.

Yesterday I went out to Rain Shadow Meat (RSM) in Pioneer Square of Seattle to eat and review their French dip, “The Dipper”.  RSM is pretty close to where I was working so it was a short walk away.

The place is casual and interesting if not cool-seeming.  They display attractive cuts of meat and the kitchen is exposed to show their work off to patrons.  There's a small but interesting menu with many sandwiches listed.  They take price in their sandwiches, and I assume, their meat.  I’d been to this place once before and had The Ranger, another sandwich.  I hadn’t previously been overwhelmed by the value I got with The Ranger and was hoping that the French dip was better.  While eating The Ranger, I ran into my buddy Matt who was there eating the French dip.   Mat had all great things to say about The Dipper (“best ever” if I recall) so my expectations were set pretty high for my experience.

I ordered from the counter and sat at the bar, right next to the cash register and watched the workers work.  I wondered which sandwich they were preparing was The Dipper.  Others were there for lunch that Wednesday and their sandwiches looked good and as if they were enjoying themselves.  After quite some time of waiting I was served my sandwich.

The sandwich came on a rectangular white plate and came with a side of pickled vegetables, which aren't that delicious.  The sandwich was visibly blackened (burnt?) but looked fancy and I assumed it was the chef’s intention to give it to me this way.

The jus smelled good and I studied the sandwich.  I took a bite of the sandwich alone, without dipping it, and wasn’t overly impressed.  I dipped it into the jus hoping for improvement and was still not impressed.  The bread was extremely hard...roof-of-mouth-cutting hard.  The jus had a sharp taste that I didn't really love.

The meat was nice looking in small bits and crispy.  The cheese was there but kind of burnt.  There were quite a few chopped, caramelized onions in there and the horseradish sauce looked like visible peppercorns.

The flavor of the sandwich with or without jus to me was actually bitter from the horseradish sauce and there was even an alcohol taste from the jus that I didn't enjoy.  I wouldn't say that I suffered through this meal but it wasn't great.

For the price, this sandwich isn’t worth it and wasn't very enjoyable to me.  Because it was kind of fancy and it seemed liked really cared in putting it together, I give them credit, but it didn't suit my liking.

So that leads me to the following set of conclusions:

• Bread: 2 of 5 for it being too hard and burnt 
• Meat: 4 of 5 for its uniqueness and crispiness but it wasn’t succulent like a good prime rib
• Non-meat toppings: 2 of 5.  The onions were burnt, the horseradish sauce was bitter, and the cheese didn’t do anything for me.
• Jus: 3 of 5.  It was thick, smelled good but had an alcohol taste.  It wasn’t all that delicious.
• Overall: 3 of 5.  I didn’t care for this sandwich.  It was too expensive and didn’t do it for me taste wise.  It had bitterness, too hard of bread, and a flavor that I didn’t really love.  I can’t rate it a 5 by any stretch.  It could have been a 4 but I didn’t really love it, so it’s a 3 for being fancy and unique.

RSM is an interesting place and they have fancy, nice sandwiches that are expensive and I'm not all that pumped.

2 of 5 DeliciScore™ (Not Quite There) Awarded to Sluggers Sports Bar for their Burger dip Sandwich in Seattle, WA on this 14th day of May, 2015 - When you're in a pinch.

Finding Sluggers.  I went out to lunch from work today.  I am working in downtown Seattle these days,  near the stadiums.  I’d been looking online at French dip locations in my work-neighborhood, you know, making my plan, and read that Sluggers—a sports bar down the road from work...I’d been to before—had a French dip…and a burger dip as well.  I decided I’d go there.

On my way out the door, not fully sure I was ready to eat and review a French dip because I didn’t have my good camera on me and my cell phone camera is broken and only allows me to take selfies at this time, which just isn't workable, I walked past the cafeteria / convenience store on the ground floor of my building and noticed—coincidentally-- that they were having a French dip special.  A Thursday thing, I guess.  I’ll save that review for a future time (stay tuned).

I walked down the street looking for Sluggers but couldn’t find it and kept walking, and walking, and walking until I realized that I’d totally missed it and hope was lost.  I finally found what looked to be a suitable alternative establishment, Jimmy’s on First, after passing many a hot dog, kettle korn, and taco stand. 

At Jimmy's, another serendipitous coincidence presented itself: Jimmy’s had a French dip, too.  I was surrounded.  Jimmy's, just North of Safeco Field, was a somewhat swanky but really expensive place.  The prices on the menu were outlandish and nothing sounded good.  I asked the waiter what was good, and in an extremely cliche way responded, "Everything is good."  I was bored, drank my water, waited for a while thinking I'd just get a burger, tried to summon the waiter, couldn't find him, then decided to up and leave.

Jimmy's had a French dip on their menu but the prices were so high it just wasn't worth it.  That place wasn't worth it.  Jimmy's prices were similar to those one would see in a movie theater / ballpark, likely due to their proximity to Safeco Field.  Brief side note: the Mariners—currently 15 wins and 18 losses are on a home stand playing the Boston Red Sox.  Editorial note: the Mariners lost the game that night 2-1.

I was walking back from my long walk, towards work, completely pissed, hungry, and dejected.  I was pissed at the high prices at Jimmy’s and thinking that maybe I’d have to settle for that French dip in the deli in our building, which I really didn't want.  But.  Then.  I spotted Sluggers!  The tables had turned, a strike of good luck, I thought!  I realized why I hadn’t seen Sluggers on the walk down: it’s a very narrow place, I’d guess maybe 12 feet wide, and nested right next to the Elysian Fields restaurant which is quite large.  So I ran across the street and entered.

Inside Sluggers it was pretty empty and quiet in there: there was just a single seated table of other dudes eating lunch and I sat at the bar and handed an ice water by the barkeep. 

The menu and ordering.  It didn't take long to look at the menu and spot my muse, the Burger dip.  At just $8.25, served with tots, fries, or salad (I got tots) and topped with mushrooms and onions, it was a screaming deal compared to what I'd seen at Jimmy's.  I ordered it immediately without much thought.  The bartender gave me the option of adding cheese to the sandwich but--following my rule of no alterations to the chef’s intention as documented on the menu--I did not alter said  sandwich unit.

Arrival and initial taste.  The Burger dip came out pretty rapidly and looked okay.  It had blue-tassled toothpick skewers.  I tasted the sandwich by itself (no jus) for starters to get a notion of its quality.  It was a 2 of 5 (at best): it had a bit of a burnt-meat taste, it wasn’t too juicy, the meat was only okay and was kind of dry.  It was bland.  The onions and mushrooms didn’t add much to the overall experience either.  The sandwich was very flat in overall quality, the meat probably over-cooked. 

The plunge.  I dipped the Burger dip into the jus to see what was going on there and for the hopes the jus could save the dull concoction.  Upon taste, I struggled with the score: was it at 2?  A 3?  A 2.5?  I knew it wasn’t that good.  3 is the best that it possibly could have realistically been.  I’d say it’s a 2.5 to be right in the middle.  It just passes as a reasonable, somewhat acceptable but not all that good burger dip.  It was only okay.

I do not like being overly critical about things (or maybe I love to?) and love food a lot (or maybe I just like it?  No, I really love it) but this was just an okay sandwich.  It gets a barely passing—just barely—grade.  I could be mean, cruel, evil, etc. and score the meal as a 2 but I don't think I'll do that.  I’ll say it’s 2.4 to be nice and let that round down to a 2.  That way, I can blame it on math, logic, and the system and I, personally, don't have to take the fall.  

Other. The tots were fine and as you’d expect, crispy and good: 3 of 5.  I dipped them into French’s yellow mustard only.  I’d typically use a 50/50 ketchup/mustard system but didn't roll that way today.

Summary.  What’s against this burger dip is that it was somewhat burnt, had dry, overdone meat, and the toppings were not value-added.  The jus was only okay, definitely not remarkable at a 2 of 5.  I wouldn’t recommend this burger dip to anyone but odds are if you were totally hammered it would taste fine.  This is not a standout sandwich in any way.  I would refer you to the Kidd Valley or Pump House burger dips instead.  They are way better and more buttery.  And in the case of Kidd Valley burger dip, more garlicky.

2 of 5 DeliciScore™ (Not Quite There) Awarded to Matts’ Rotisserie & Oyster Lounge for their French Dip Sandwich in Redmond, WA on this 11th day of January, 2012 - Give me a break.

Background
Went out to lunch with some coworker friends, Joel and Leo, today.  Went to Matt's Rotisserie at Redmond Town Center because I hadn't had their French dip yet and was able to talk my guys into sitting through the review with me.  


About a month ago, I did go to lunch here with another coworker, Hansen, and he had the French dip, so I'd seen it and had the impression that he didn't think it was all that great, but I had to know for myself (and write a review!!!) 

The view from our table.  They originally sat us by the door, where this picture was taken, on a 35 degree day and we asked to be seated elsewhere away from the draft during busy lunchtime, which they promptly obliged.

Matt's is a nice little spot with a good vibe at Redmond Town Center.  I've been here for drinks and happy hour countless times and have had a lot of good times here.  They have good cocktails, wait staff, bartenders, and oysters.


Ordering

The menu.

French Dip: Applewood rotisserie beef, sauteed red onion, swiss (forgot to capitalize) cheese and horseradish mayo on a sourdough roll with au jus for dipping.  Half $9 ~ Whole ~14.  I got the Whole based on the recommendation from the waitress that "she always gets the Whole".

Meat 
Waitress said that it all comes "Medium well" and that it's the same beef product that they use for their tacos.  I was immediately not impressed.  I wondered if it would taste like taco meat, for example!!!


Sandwich
This sandwich is "fully loaded" (added this new term to the glossary): it has mayo, onions, Swiss cheese, and sourdough bread.  Due to the sourdough, and fancy toppings I would also refer to this sandwich as "gourmet".  The price for the whole (which wasn't all that huge of a sandwich, it turns out) is $14, pricey for non-Prime Rib.


Appetizers
They provide good, soft, salty, nicely-textured bread and butter as a free appetizer, which was a nice touch.

The bread and butter appetizer, which comes with all meals.  Great, fresh, soft bread and good butter.

Served


Salad

The side salad with Bleu cheese dressing.  This picture makes it look like it might be good but I didn't even have a bite.  The lettuce was flaccid and you can see that the tomatoes are kind of translucent, which I wasn't digging and asked for it to be comped.  ...looks too moist and wet...ugh...

The salad was ok-looking at first glance but the lettuce was pretty white and "pithy" (Leo's word).  We were fairly critical of this salad and I decided not to eat it.  The greens look nearly fancy but I think they seemed old and didn't look all that fresh.  Flacid, aged.  Bad.




A warning about their pepper mill
Although a nice touch, their pepper mill was more like a pepper SHOWER that blasted pepper out at a wildly rapid rate.  If you weren't careful, you got way too much pepper on your food.  So, be ready to say "that's enough"!!!  ...Joel stammered and wound up with a ton on his salad.

The French dip, plated.  Good looking overall with the exception of the meat.  You can see the melted cheese.  The ratio of meat to bread was too much bread.  Fancy toothpicks.  The gray color of the meat and the out of whack ratio of meat to bread was off-putting and I immediately got a negative vibe.

Au Jus
The au jus was steaming when it came out, which is always important but the taste of it overall was ho-hum due to the the too-powerful flavor of the sourdough and horseradish.  Jus Score = 3.

The au jus: dark, steaming on arrival, had enough for the dense bread.

Bread
The bread looked really good: it was a nice, fancy golden brown color with little bubbles in it, perhaps a shimmer of being brushed with oil or butter.  It came skewered with fancy toothpicks.  The taste of the bread on the other hand was way too much for what should be a delicate sandwich.  The sourdough really made the sandwich taste sour and not all that good.  In fact, the overwhelming flavor of this sandwich is SOUR between the sourdough bread and horseradish mayo.  Fail.  Bread Score = 2.

The sandwich, which you can see isn't overly meaty with a lot of pretty dense bread.  There was enough au jus provided.

Meat
The meat by itself was fine.  It was good and crunchy, kind of chewy meat that seemed, if a bit greasy, probably from the cheese and mayo on it.  It's color was grayish brown and I wished that there was more of it ratio-wise (or less bread) and that it could be provided medium-rare.  Meat Score = 2.

Non-meat toppings
The horseradish mayo on this thing wasn't any good.  It tasted sour.  The grilled red onions were useless and not all that tasty.  The Swiss cheese also added nothing but grease.  Non-Meat Topping Score = - 4.



Overall rating, taste and texture
The horseradish and bread made it sour and the cheese and mayo made it greasy.  No one wants a sour, greasy sandwich; Joel only ate half of his and sent the rest back.  There was too much bread and not enough meat.  The au jus was fine.  The sandwich overall wasn't that good and I'm giving it a generous 2 for its fanciness and fine bread.  Overall Score = 2.  

	Score (0-5)	Comments
Bread	2	Good bread but too dense, sour for this sandwich.
Meat	2	Not juicy, chewy, crunchy, well done.
Au Jus	3	Was fine, came out steaming, which is good.
Overall	2	It's a gourmet dip with too much sourness and bitter, bad flavor.

Reason to go back:  Matt's has fun drinks, a good vibe, nice oyster selection, and a good happy hour.

French dip review: Redmond's Bar and Grill, Redmond, WA Smoked Onions Prime Rib Swiss, 4.5 of 5

The Redmond's Bar and Grill Menu cover.

The bar with big screens above.  Our friendly bartender Charlie was good and reportedly heading back to Hawaii.  Good luck, Charlie!!!

Behind the stranger's head in the bottom left of the frame you will see "Christmas Lights", which is actually a stage where musical talent can play.  Pretty cool.  I guess the building that this restaurant is in is 108 years old!!!

The French Prime Dip: French roll, smoked  (NICE TOUCH)  onions, seared (NICE  TOUCH) Prime Rib and Swiss served with au jus and fries or salad.  $13.  I went with the salad.

Here's the dip and you can see part of the salad.  Medium rare Prime Rib, and you can see that the greens are nice and dry.

Another view of the sandwich.  Sorry, my other pictures of the plate didn't turn out.

I was a real fan of this pen, BTW.  I honestly thought about either stealing it or asking the owners if I could have it.  Here they are on Amazon for your enjoyment.

The Review of the French dip sandwich and such:

Au jus amount: 5.  Very large.  They gave me a bowl of it.  Great (see Adam's bowl at Gere-a-Deli for comparison's sake. 

Bread color: Whitish

Bread texture: 4.  Absorbent

Overall sandwich size: 4.  Big

Bread toasting: 4. Well-toasted

Salad comments: Nice looking with very cute--extremely thin--sliced carrots

Salad dressing: Bleu cheese that was really garlicky, great and flavorful.

Salad greens: Very great.  Dry greens.  Gourmet greens.  

Other salad toppings:  Cukes and HALF-GRAPES!!

Au jus temp:  2.5.  Additional jus was not steaming.

Bread/bun size:  Wide

Meat done-ness:  5.  Medium rare with visible pink.  I prefer to see some pink on my Prime Rib...

Sandwich characteristics:  Soft, good, not greasy

Bread characteristics:  Really good 

Au jus characteristics:  "Oilyish" but good, authentic jus

Salad description:  4.5.  Sweet good, half-Grapes on salad, nice, dry, fresh, hearty, and CHEWY (which I think is something you want!!!) greens...lots of red (which I think of as nice and fancy/gourmet) greens.

Other sides:  A nice Kosher-style pickle spear that was good.  I think this is a good addition to every French dip meal is a nice pickle.  As if the sandwich and jus weren't salty enough, right?!!  But I think because it is cool and crisp, it is very refreshing...as is the salad and that's why I typically choose it instead of fries, BTW.

Skewer type:  Fancy toothpicks

Other comments:  Smoked onions are a nice addition, had to order hot jus, which they brought out rapidly.  Jus can be TOO hot, BTW...  I burnt my tongue/mouth but it was better hot, so I was grateful.

Cheese comments:  Mild but good Swiss

Overall sandwich comments: 4.5.  GREAT flavor, the smokiness is a real winner.  Overall it's really good with big, soft, absorbent but not too soft bread.  The side-salad also really made this meal with its garlicky, creamy bleu cheese dressing, good greens, and cukes.  There were no "crunchies" (like croutons or sunflower seeds) on the salad but they were not needed with such good lettuce and cukes and thin carrots shreds.  Oh! and there was just a little bit of feta cheese on top of the salad which made it really good.  More salt but hey!  Hotter initial jus may have made this a five.  Additionally it is not exactly a "fancy" French dip like that at The Keg but it's real good and the smoked onions really make it interesting and unique.

Overall:  4.5.  Great experience, pretty crowded in there.  Friendly owner Tim and bartender Charlie.  Patrons seemed happy to be there and there was good ambiance.  It was crowded on a Wednesday night and my date and I had fun.

Editor's note about the score.  After later reflection, this sandwich really is as good as the dip at Canyon's restaurant that got a 5, maybe better.  We are in the process of recalibrating our scoring system.