The French Dip Sandwich at Seattle, WA's Volunteer Park Cafe Awarded a 4 of 5 DeliciScore™ (Really Good) on this 29th day of January, 2017 - Great experience, really good sandwich.

It was a slow, Winter Sunday afternoon and I was hungry.  I talked my wife into taking me to the Volunteer Park Cafe, to which I had never been, although it had been on my list of places to go for their French dip.  Here we are driving through Seattle's famous Interlaken Park on our way up there.

And we arrive at Volunteer Park Cafe.  I had never even seen it although I have lived in Seattle since 2000.  It is a very cute, very neighborhoody place and there were hipsters galore.  Here we see two face redheads going into the place.  I'm not judging, only observing.

My new Samsung Galaxy S7 has some sweet modes on it.  Not sure what this one is called but it's kinda sweet.  You can see their long, communal table which I think is great.  The table is one of my favorite features of Brave Horse Tavern in South Lake Union.  It gives things a good, cozy vibe.

Another one of the fancy modes on my camera.  This is a panarama of the inside as a did a full whirling dervish impersonation to get this photo.

As we could tell from the hipsters outside, there were clearly liberal hipsters running this joint as well.  I think it's great.  People in Seattle right now (and all over!) are losing their minds over Trump in office and some of his new policies and executive orders such as his "Muslim Ban".

And they love and I'm sure miss Obama.  I'll admit it 100%, me too.  Oh, Donald, what are you going to do to us?

And so we joined a fairly fast line behind the two faux redheads.  The place was really bustling and incredibly interesting.  It had an old and comfortable feel to it.  It was well worn but from loving patrons.  The vibe was casual and vibrant and basically awesome.  I was extremely impressed.

There were little nooks and areas that felt so intimate and nice.

They had what appeared to be homemade freezerves and just great things that I wanted to eat.

Zoom in and you will see that the French Dip is their headliner sandwich.  So I was hopeful.  I felt like this place meant business.  And given that someone had told me about this French dip I felt it must be special.  But I am not someone who likes to get my hopes up very far so I was keeping my cool even though I did pee in my pants just a little, from the anticipation and pure glee!

There she is.  "French dip.  $13.  house made roast beef, caramelized onions, gruyere & horseradish cream on the side."  I was happy about the caramelized onions and gruyere is not very common.  And I was also pleased that they are clear that the horseradish cream is on the side which to me is far more appealing than slathered all over in such a way that it will absolutely ruin your enjoyment of this sandwich.

And here they are peddling great looking cakes as we wait in line.  While waiting, I was asked by one of the ladies by the counter if she could start any food for me, so I ordered the French dip.  I don't have a sign on me that says I review French dips but I think people, by now, would just see it in my eyes and absolutely know that I was there to nosh on that product.

Here is a table of hipsters.  The couple there each had their own black hats and I am nearly positive that their two friends also had identical black stocking caps.  Clearly some kind of fad.  Fighting the system together, I'm sure.  Or were they pro-Trump!?!? 

Checking out.

Some fun ornamentation they had going on.  I love owls.

I talked to these people behind me in line at some point.  They were fairly interesting.  After I told them of my French dip hobby/habit/problem/addiction, the lady thought it was great and disclosed that she'd always wanted to travel the country "looking for Johnny Appleseed".  I had no idea what that meant and said as much.  She tried to explain but I was convinced she was a complete and udder lunatic.  I just did a little bit of research on Mr. Appleseed and it turns out that the lady is perhaps not entirely insane.  There are apparently many historical sites dedicated to that historical figure.  Not sure what her blog would do to honor the feller.

Another view of the long table and the hipsters.

Jessica had gone and secured us a table while I had ordered.  She had had a large breakfast with her friend Jessica B. so she wasn't hungry.  But I did bring her a mimosa.  I continued to be impressed with all of the sights and scenes including our very unique table.

My order was quickly called and I dashed to grab it.  You'll note that the au jus cup is pretty well filled up but I needed to go back to ask the ladies to fill it up more.  In the beginning they had been very skimpy (sad!) with their au jus contribution.  We see here that the jus is dark and rich, the plate is nice and white, the sandwich and bread look quite good, there is melted cheese and my horseradish cream is indeed on the side.

Let's get up close and personal with this thing.  We can tell that the gruyere is very nicely melted.  We see the bread looking quite handsome with its little flour patches and whatnot.  The beef looks good, too.

We're digging the look of the melted gruyere.  Our mouth is probably watering by this point if not definitely.

We can look at the jus again.

And a ha!  We discover a very nice pickle spear that had not previously been disclosed or mentioned.  A nice and fresh treat.  We can't really refer to the pickle spear as a "side dish" for any reason so we'll just think of it as something supplemental.  We would later come to discover that--because the sandwich was not too large--that we would have wished that there was indeed a side to boot.  Yes, they sold chips and whatnot but how was I do know that this meal of food they were to give me for $13 would not be enough.  Yes, we are typically accustomed to getting fries or a side salad with our French dip so when that gift is not offered we get very sad.  Sad!

And we can take a look-see at the horseradish cream.  It did wind up being pretty good although I did not use it strategically, rather, I tried it out on my very last bite to see what I had been missing.  The only kind of horseradish that is really worth its weight in this context is not the creamy type but the real legit type that burns your nostrils. That's where it's at is in the nostril burning!  My mom and I absolutely love prime rib with good horseradish.

To me, it is very easy to appreciate the art and grandeur of this meal of food.  It is very pretty and simple, yet we also predict it will be fine and delicious.  Lots of words so far, right, for no tasting?  Well, we're going to get to that.  Right.  About.  Now!

Wait, one more picture of the beef.  Looks good and crispy.  Bread still looking really good.  And we can detect the caramelized onions if we stare really hard and cross our eyes.

At this point I am going to disclose my "raw tasting notes" so you can get a sense of what all was to follow and what I was thinking and writing at the time.

Raw Tasting Notes:

• Really good bread.  I must have liked it.
• Jus.  Au jus not hot, is dark, rich.  So it was good overall but could have been hotter, could have been more initially.  I know it didn't blow my mind but it was good.  4 of 5.
• The onions are nice. 
• The product overall is not especially salty, which is a good thing.  You can go too far with that. 
• The sandwich is very good.  It is balanced and complex. 
• Bread.  The bread is crunchy and chewy and gets a 5 of 5.  Afterward, I realized it had cut my mouth.  I don't think that scores negative points but it is a kind of difficult part of delicious bread.  I suppose I need to work up my mouth calluses.
• There is some slight hint of pepper flavor in it, which is nice and enhances. 
• The size is OK but nothing to write home about.  Because there are no sides, it was not the world's most filling meal. 
• The onions brought a slightly sweet taste, which was nice.  Well-caramelized onions really are a treat on some dishes. They have an amazingly rich and delicious, smooth flavor.
• The gruyere cheese is very nicely melted and was complementary to the rest of the sandwich. 
• I felt that the horseradish (on the side) was good and cool.  It was herby, but when was I to use it?  I find this to be a superfluous gimick that's really not necessary.  It is nice and gives the sense that people care about their meat and its partner, the horseradish, but I think it confuses the purpose of the French dip meal.  Which one do I dip it in?  How many dips do I need?  An array of 50? 
• Meat.  The meat was crunchy but not overly special or remarkable so gets a 3 of 5
• Non-meat toppings.  The cheese and onions overall were a 4 of 5.  They were very good and additive.  I think you have to do something really special in this category to get a 5.
• Overall 4 of 5.  This wasn't a perfect sandwich but it was really good.  The ambiance of the place in the neighborhood and the attention they paid to this very fine French dip sandwich is commendable.
• Location 5 of 5.  Such a cute little out-of-the-way place I would love to go back soon.  Maybe next time with my own black hipster beanie and faux red hair!
• In general, the flavor of this sandwich was not to die for.  

Okay, so now I am holding this thing and real things are starting to happen.  I took a bite and enjoyed the crunchy, chewy bread and the nice taste of the different and non-standard cheese and the onions.  Here we can much more clearly make out the caramelized onions, which were indeed additive and delicious.

But we know with French dips that we do not eat them all without dipping them.  So here I go with the immersion of the sandwich into its mate.

Let is soak good.

Oh, God, there it is!

There it really is, onions and cheese and rich jus and all!  Nom nom nom.  Yum yum yum.  Fast forward fast forward.

And I finally go for the last bite with the horseradish cream (plenty of it) to see what it is all about.  It was pretty good.  Not too heavy, was cold/cool and had a nice herb taste.  It was also additive.

And a tasty, crisp pickle spear for dessert and as a pallet cleanser.

Other fun things while there

This was a fun little garbage basket they had in the restroom.

And their sink was probably the tiniest I'd ever seen.  Like a sink for ants!

I did some sweet stuff with Layouts and Instagram after I had this thing and put that out onto the internet which people seemed to appreciate.  Making content for the internet (and people) is pretty fun.  You should try it sometime!

The French Dip Sandwich at West Seattle, WA's Shadowland Restaurant Awarded a 3 of 5 DeliciScore™ (Good) on this 14th day of January, 2017 - The Cream-meal

Driving over to West Seattle before a podcast recording.  Beautiful, sunny, cold day in Seattle.

Here's Shadowland from the south side.  Bamboo and sun.  Feels like West Seattle.

Their menu.  It was a Saturday at about 11:30 AM.  They had brunch and lunch options.  I wasn't in a brunch mood and was basically there seeking their French dip.

Picture from the bar.  My new Samsung Galaxy S7 has a way better camera than the S5 did.  I upload all of my photos automatically to Google Drive using the Google Photos auto-backup feature.

The bar.  All of the wait staff was basically awesome.  They were very friendly and nice.  I asked about the history of Shadowland, which they readily and knowledgably disclosed.  I guess it's been there for 12 years and was formerly a florist.

And I see the French dip.  $13.  Braised Beef Brisket, White Cheddar, Garlic Aioli, Au Jus, Horseradish, French Roll.

In the meanwhile, my wife and producer Christian showed up.  We enjoyed beers and a seat in the sun.  I really liked it in there and they played a lot of music from the early 70's so had a good vibe. Our waitress, Lauren, was extremely nice, warm, friendly, helpful, funny, etc.

There's the sandwich.  A few comments: the cheddar is not melted, so that's too bad.  The bread is not too big nor does it look too fancy so I wasn't overly stoked.  The beef looks fine and tasty.

Here's the other side of the sandwich.  Also cheese that is not melted.  That could *perhaps* be resolved by a very hot jus, but that, my friends, was not my fate on this day.

This wedge salad side gets bonus points.  You don't usually (ever?) get a wedge salad as side option.  And this was a good wedge.  But I became overwhelmed by the creaminess of both the bleu cheese on the salad, the cheese and mayo on the sandwich.  I will go on in more detail in just a bit.

Here I am, about to punish this thing.  About the jus: it wasn't to die for.  It was dark and rich and stuff but it wasn't hot enough and just not remarkable.  3 of 5 for the jus.  And back to this "creaminess" issue: you can see I had mayo on my finger; the problems had already started.

Looks good.  I am excited.

The "money shot".  Also looks good.  But the aioli mayo killed and overwhelmed it.

As I mentioned, it is a very nice feature when your salad blooms and becomes a second meal.  This happened to me at Georgetown Liquor as well.  The wedge was good.  Not perfect but good.  It gets a 4 of 5 because it's rare to be a side dish option for a French dip sandwich, but in the realm of  possible wedge salads it is just average.

More data for you on the wedge.

Jessica got a chicken sandwich with a salad of arugula on the side.  Very lovely salad and she said it was great.  She preferred the salad, by far, to the sandwich, which was also what happened to me.  As I ate and photographed and took notes and fully immersed myself to the sensation of the French dip, Jessica and Christian, who were meeting for the first time, chatted.

Tasting Notes

So there you have the photos and story and whatnot.  Here are the detailed tasting notes:

• It was good overall but not great.  3 of 5 overall.
• The size was basically small.  It had a lot of cheese on it, a fair amount of beef, fairly small bread area.
• Neither the sandwich nor jus were hot enough.  I was at least one IPA into the meal at this point.   
• I made a huge mistake and did not request for the aioli to be on the side.  I had made this decision before but ordered in haste.  It is a rule to never get the aiolio on the French dip.  
• The sandwich had a 3 in flavor.  Nothing really to write home about.  The horseradish flavor was not memorable either.  And it wasn't on the side either, so I couldn't overindulge in it.  You want spicy Beaver horseradish not in the cream variety. 
• The bread was small and classic so I'm only going to give it a 2 in this context.
• Beef was fine but also not notable. 
• Jus was fine, also unremarkable. 
• And I come back to the salad, which was actually the highlight of this meal (not to mention the Fishhead IPAs).  It was a good wedge probably 4.

Summary

Bread 2 of 5

Meat 3 of 5

Non-Meat Toppings 2 of 5

Jus 3 of 5 

Overall 3 of 5

Bottom Line

I wasn't overly impressed with this French dip.  At its most basic, it was too creamy.  It didn't need all that mayo and cheese.  French dips should be a simple food and if you are going to gussy them up with a bunch of other stuff, choose very wisely.  And don't think that aioli tricks anyone beyond mayonnaise.  I gave all of this feedback to the waitress which of course overwhelmed and cracked her up.

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.