Relish Sandwich Shop
November 28th, 2006 by eleet34
411 Central Ave. NW
Open: 11am - 5pm (Mon - Fri) ~MENU~
Other Locations:
8019 Menaul Blvd. N.E.
299-0001
Do you remember on the show “Friends” when Joey would say that his favorite food was a sandwich? He was stingy and never wanted to share, even saving it form a bullet. Where do they come up with this stuff! But what if there were sandwiches out there that were so good that you would consider saying, seriously, that your favorite food is a sandwich. After visiting Relish, the thought has crossed my mind. And I would say just “sandwich” because they have so many sandwiches here I like, it would be hard to pick just one as my favorite.
The Relish Sandwich Shop is located downtown in a small little area between two clubs. It’s easy to miss, I know because I overlooked it so many times and thought it was just some little bar. I didn’t give it a try until the name showed up on the “best salad” poll for this website. I found that Relish sandwiches and salads have some really unique and quality ingredients to their food as well as some delicious fresh breads.
The menu consists of five selections each for hot sandwiches, cold sandwiches, or salads. Starting with hot sandwiches, my favorites are the Cubano (house speicalty) and Grinder. The Cubano is made from seasoned pork roast, honey ham, swiss cheese and a cilantro mayo, all placed within a long baguette and toasted. This sandwich is very rich and flavorful, it is soft on the inside, but crisp on the outside, and the combination of chipotle pork roast and cilantro mayo blend perfectly. The Housemade Mozzarella is another favorite with roasted red peppers, arugula, and tomatoes are combined with mozzarella made in-house, lightly topped with a balamic vinegarette and served in an alpinetta roll. On the cold side, I would definitely recommend the Honey Roast Turkey which is a generous portion of sliced turkey, tomato, jack cheese, mizuna greens (I don’t even know what this is, but its good), avocado, and wasabi mayo all in between sourdough bread. This sandwich is a perfect mixture of my favorites with some unique touches to make a sandwich that is top notch. All sandwiches are served with your choice of house-made potato salad (thinly whipped), pasta salad (tangy like a balsamic dressing), or slaw (sweet and fruity).
Like I said before, I discovered this place form a salad poll, so even their salads are done right. My favorite is the Chicken Salad which it just loaded with flavor, from sweet to salty, all mended together for a different flavor every bite. Basically, the menu covers fifteen selections and one dessert (chocolate sandwich), but what they lack in selection they gain in quality.
Relish is very much like a small deli you would find in New York, with the same three people packed into a small place and a lot of people outside waiting. The cashier is always very nice, weather they are slow or jam-packed, and I know that can’t be easy. Even when its busy they get the food out quick because two guys are non-stop making these sandwiches with their back to the restaurant, and a girl pleasantly collects the money, takes calls, and gets the orders together and out. It’s so efficient you wonder if they have some more people in the back. Bottom line, the menu isn’t big, the place isn’t big, but the sandwiches and salads you get out of Relish will surprise you.
UPDATE:
The Double Stacked Ruben is one of the best sandwiches I have every had. I read somewhere that the downtown location is lowering prices to make it more affordable. I haven’t been to the downtown location to verify.
Taste:
[rate 9]
Service:
[rate 9]
Ambiance:
[rate 6]
Overall Reader Rating
[ratings]
While you look through your menu, they serve up some large bread wafers (a little hot) and three dipping sauces (look in the menu for Raita and Mango Chutney) that all have very unique flavors from sweet to spicy. To start with, you may want to try one of their appetizers. When I go I always get the Keema Samosa for $2.95, which are two crisp patties stuffed with spiced ground lamb and green peas, and tastes very good. They also have a diverse drink menu here with a good variety of imported wine and beer for India. I like to order the Mango Lassi which is a thick and traditional drink made of homemade yogurt and mango. Mango is a very common ingredient in Indian food, as you can probably tell from the menu.
I have had good service and conversation every time I visited here, which is impressive. Also, unlike most restaurants, the servers act attentive and professional while they are in view of the customers. Now I don’t know, they could be wild and chatty in the back, but it doesn’t matter because anyone who knows how a restaurant works, knows that the importance is in the illusion of making each guest/table feel appreciated, like they are the most important one there.