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| Roast Beef Sandwich |
My affinity for Z-Burger is well known; but until yesterday, I hadn't had a chance to try its healthier sibling, Z-Sandwich. Tucked away in a cozy corner of its Tenleytown flagship restaurant, Z-Sandwich holds its own against big brother's formidable menu of burgers, hot dogs and shakes.
Service is terrific, and it's comparatively easy to order (Z-Burger has a lot more traffic.) Sandwiches cost $4.69, and you can customize to your heart's content. I kept it simple: Roast Beef with tomatoes on toasted white bread. Toss in a regular fountain drink and a bag of Deep River potato chips, and my total came to $8.45 (before tax.) Right in line with other fast casual sandwich shops.
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| Deep River Original Salted Potato Chips |
Z-Sandwich uses great bread, and earns kudos for toasting it. Sandwiches run small: I didn't measure, but it didn't look more than 5" total (they come sliced in half.) Tomatoes were thick and juicy, and the roast beef was high-quality and tasty. Overall, much better than Subway or Quiznos. Turnaround was extremely fast; but then again, they weren't very busy when I was there.
Hats off for using Connecticut-based Deep River chips, some of the best (but hard-to-find) kettle cooked chips in the DC area. Z-Sandwich shares the same dining area as Z-Burger; and as I've said before, it's usually immaculate in there (someone is always cleaning, even when it's busy.) Considering how many young people eat here (especially AU students) I can't thank them enough.
Best of all, founder/co-owner Peter Tabibian knows how to run a business. I doubt anyone (including Tabibian) expects Z-Sandwich to outperform Z-Burger. What it does however, is give its customers more options (especially parents, who may not want to order the same burgers and fries as their kids.) After just one sampling, I'd place Z-Sandwich in the top half of DC sandwich spots. Let's see what I think after two tries...
