Taylor Gourmet

Taylor Gourmet is a model of contradictions: classic but trendy, basic yet innovative. One of the latest additions to H St. NE, Taylor Gourmet, which sees itself as the DC incarnation of a Philadelphia deli, is part Italian deli and part gourmet Italian goods shop.

Upon arriving at Taylor, one immediately realizes this is no basic Italian deli. The space, very long but only 20 feet wide, is a paradigm of modern trendy patterns. Designed by DC firm Grupo 7 (Mate, K Street Lounge), the restaurant has exposed brick walls, reclaimed wood adorned throughout, and a balance of natural light in front and modernistic track lighting behind. The visual attention Taylor’s owners paid to the space is especially obvious given the dilapidated and shuttered buildings immediately surrounding in every direction.  


The entrance of Taylor Gourmet...

The market inside combines high quality basics with trendy concoctions, ranging from fine Italian olive oils and a nice selection of Italian wines to champagne and wine flavored ice cream, including pinot noir and merlot. Other interesting additions include their soda fountain, which serves drinks that use suger cane rather than corn syrup.

But the real focus here is not ambience, setting, or specialty product, it’s the sandwiches and they are spot on. There’s scarcely something more classic or basic than deli meats served in a hearty roll, but Taylor Gourmet distinguishes themselves with only the best ingredients: meats and aged cheeses imported from Italy, tomato sauce homemade daily, and rolls delivered daily from Sarcone’s Bakery, the (literally) legendary Philadelphia Italian bakery. This fundamental respect for classic, basic, and delicious ingredients is what makes the difference in their sandwiches.

The deli counter

Further playing on the Philadelphia theme, all their sandwiches and salads are named after Philly streets and roadways. I ordered their signature sandwich, the 9th street Italian ($7 for 6-inch, $9 for 12-inch), which was prosciutto, salami, capicola, aged provolone, oil, and shredded lettuce in a seeded roll. The sandwich was heavenly. The overflowing meats and cheeses were top quality and more than enough food, but Taylor clearly isn’t the first DC deli to serve enormous portions of great cured meats (The Italian Store anyone?). However, the seeded bread from Sarcone’s was unlike any I’ve eaten in DC: golden, crisp, and crackly on the outside while soft and light on the inside. It was easily the best roll I’ve eaten in DC, the bread fundamentally changed and distinguished the sandwich.

The 9th Street Italian

My friend had the breaded chicken cutlet sandwich, served with tomato sauce on a seeded roll, a no cheese variation of the Benjamin Franklin Parkway ($7 for 6-inch, $9 for 12-inch). The chicken was nicely breaded and cooked well, while their homemade tomato sauce was light and fresh. Here, as well, the Sarcone’s roll reigned supreme and was the sandwich difference maker. The bread crackled on the outside, but sopped up all the tomato sauce inside for a delectable treat.

Taylor Gourmet may be a contradiction in many ways, but it works. Their respect for great classic ingredients, innovative products, a trendy and unique atmosphere, and a slew of food most anyone enjoys work together to make a successful Italian deli, err, hoagie shop, err, gourmet food store, err, well whatever you want to call it.

Taylor Gourmet

1116 H St. NE

Washington, DC 20002

202-684-7001

http://www.taylorgourmet.com

Aioli, Biryani, Café Trope close; Saigon Bistro opens in Dupont

Three, restaurants on one block in Dupont (P St. btwn 21st and 22nd) closed this month, showing just how badly the recession is hitting the restaurant industry. Just after New Years Aioli Meditalian gourmet shut it’s doors and now just this week the same fate met Café Trope and Biryani Corner. Here’s the (obvious) bad news: the economic downturn’s hurting the restaurant business in a very tangible way, and newer places are being hit especially hard since all three had been open less than a year and a half. Here’s the good news: a couple of overrated restaurants are gone now and better places are already coming in to fill the void.

I never went to Café Trope but I’ve eaten at both Aioli and Biryani and both were underwhelming. Biryani was a takeout Indian counter, which replaced Naan and Beyond a year ago and never even came close to filling Naans shoes. It’s not as if you expect much with takeout Indian, but on my last trip there I ordered the chicken tikka sandwich (wrapped in naan) and received chicken that hadn’t been marinated, alongside peppers and onions making for the first Indian chicken fajitas ever created. Enough said.

Aioli, on the other hand, was gourmet Italian takeout with a few tables in house. The food was reasonably tasty but also incredibly overpriced along with a generally unfriendly staff. More than anything else, I think Aioli was a case of a restaurant simply not understanding their customers. They could have garnered a very sizeable lunch business in Dupont but that never happened since they charged $13-$16 for takeout pastas and never offered lunch deals or lunch portioned sizes. They styled themselves (and charged) as a nice Italian restaurant, but in essence they were just takeout. I understand paying higher prices when being served at a restaurant, but Aioli had all of ten tables throughout the room, staffed by one waitress who was also the cashier. That’s not a restaurant, that’s takeout with some tables to sit at. The food was reasonably good but it was never worth the price, especially in an area where you can get wonderful pastas for little more money.

Now the good news… Within three days of Aioli closing, a Vietnamese restaurant called Saigon Bistro had already opened. I’m actually not exaggerating when I say for being three days in, it was really impressive. Their tables are filled, they actually have waiters, and their prices for entrees are mostly just under $10, with many options for less.

I have a cursory (at best) understanding of Vietnamese cuisine so I can't judge authenticity, but I was satisfied after visiting. The manager was behind the counter taking orders and could not have been more welcoming or helpful in selecting dishes. I ordered pork spring rolls, Vietnamese chicken pad thai, and a specialty soup called Pho Dac Biet (pictured at top). The spring rolls were light and crunchy while the chicken pad thai was fiery hot with chili pepper flakes sprinkled in - so don't expect Thai style pad thai here. The Pho Dac Biet soup was also a highlight. The soup was a mix of three meats: sliced rare beef, brisket, and tripe. The tripe was the highlight and the rare beef was good too, but the brisket could use some work, it was needlessly tough. It also had thin asian noodles, sprouts, a number of fresh herbs, and the normal accompaniments - sweet and fiery sauces. 

Saigon seems to have already gotten their act together, with some luck the crowds will sustain and they’ll be able to stick around. As for the other locations, hopefully they’ll be filled soon but I think that’s doubtful in this economy, especially Café Trope’s space.

Saigon Bistro

2153 P Street, NW 

Washington, DC 20037

http://saigonbistrodc.com

Teaism: Relaxed and simple brunch

I had a great simple brunch today, and I’m really not a brunch guy. I know, everyone and their mother has a bizarre fanatical addiction with breakfast foods and the idea of brunch, but it just doesn’t do it for me. Maybe it’s because breakfast is mostly made up of grains with only a few protein (red meat) selections, whereas lunch and dinner are the opposite. Maybe it’s because I don’t like to be bombarded with food early in the day, who knows.

Nevertheless, I had a really good experience today, at Teaism. I wasn’t looking for an expensive or necessarily enormous brunch and Teaism was a great alternative from the normal restaurant brunch fare.

Like their normal lunch and tea menus, brunch is Asian inspired. With that said, it’s diverse enough that you can find classics like French toast, eggs, and oatmeal. Plus there are a whole slew of cool teas and drinks, ie ginger limeade. And it’s cheap.

I had two slices of the French toast ($8), which came with strawberries, powdered sugar and syrup. The toast was extra crispy on the outside and doughy on the inside. It took a little work to cut through but was well worth each bite. Often it’s served with pears instead of strawberries, my preference, but any fresh fruit would do the job.

French toast with strawberries

My guest ordered cilantro eggs with smoked salmon ($8). Usually I’m hesitant to get smoked salmon outside of Jewish delis but the salmon here passed the test with flying colors. The cilantro eggs were light and fluffy while the salmon was fresh, brightly colored, and salty. The salmon added a ton of flavor and color to the dish.

Scrambled eggs with smoked salmon

To drink we had the ginger limeade, which was incredibly strong, and the iced Morroccan mint green tea. The tea list is expansive (to say the least) and there were also cool fruit drinks, like mango juice. The only drink complaint was that for brunch we couldn’t order a soda or even coffee (!) but I moved on rather quickly.

The ambience is both Asian and homey; the food can be either unique or classic, but always satisfying; and the prices are always great. For a non-traditional brunch, Teaism is a great option.


Teaism Dupont Circle
2009 R St. NW
Washington, DC 20009