Taylor Gourmet

it's like reliving every lunch in grade school, except better. sandwiches.

although sandwiches are definitely equally a big kid as a little kid meal, i definitely have the fondest sandwich memories from my childhood. nevertheless, as a veg, i have found that many times the most veggie friendly non-salad thing you can find on a menu, is a sandwich, so they have grown to become a very significant part of my life. moreover, there has been some sort of sandwich explosion throughout america as most restaurants, cafes and even sandwich specialty shops (ie Panera, Cosi, Corner Bakery, Au Bon Pain) have taken the average BLT, Ham & Cheese, and PB&J to new heights.

not to be out done, the district has recently seen the entry of a Philly Style Sandwich shop, Taylor's. Taylor's first sprouted up in DC on H Street (yup, H street) back in 2007 when two young philly natives were looking for the same italian style deli hoagie that they were accustomed to. however, they could not find their childhood love in DC, so they decided to start their own. they recognized that H street Corridor/Atlas District was on the up and up, so that is where they decided to open their sandwich chain and has seen tremendous success since. in the past year or so, they opened their second location in Mt. Vernon Square/Convention Center and they are soon to open their third location in Bethesda.

everyone who enters Taylor's has been known to be overwhelmed by the numerous options of a sandwich almost every kind a way. their menu is divided into hoagies, chicken cutlet sandwiches, veggie sandwiches, pastina and fritto (essentially a couple of appetizers). the hoagies and the chicken cutlet sandwiches definitely dominate this meat heavy menu, but as a vegetarian I do appreciate that they have four veggie sandwiches on their menu. however, it really would be easy for them to have a few more with similar flavors that are highlighted already on their menu. they also have a few pastina options which are pasta salads with veggies and you can also add chicken to them. that also offers a nice veggie option, but every good veg knows how to make their own pasta salad, so there is nothing special about that. furthermore, although i do understand that this is a sandwich shop, a few regular salads would be welcomed here because a half salad/half sandwich is always a great lunch (sans some of the carbs). also, best buddy of BOOF, Mo, is unable to partake in any of the deliciousness that Taylor's has to offer simply for the fact that there is NOTHING that is gluten free on the menu. the only gluten free thing is the fountain soda (which is SUPERB, especially the cream soda), but really? they should definitely improve upon this major issue in their menu. also, a soup in the wintertime would also be a well-welcomed addition.

since i am on the swing of mentioning the not so good things first, i will continue to mention that despite the fresh ingredients, good seasoning, nice sizes and delicious fountain soda, that special bread that they have shipped in every day from philly is really quite hard. perhaps that is the way that the philly hoagie bread is supposed to be and although the bread tastes good, it is so hard to bite through which definitely takes away from the sandwich.

onto the good things: taylor's has a very great feel to it and you definitely feel comfortable when you walk in. for the H street location, they have a large clear retractable door and during the warm days and warm evenings, the whole front of he store is walk in. they have limited seating in the front but it's comfortable but they also have a lot more seating on the back porch. all the guys working are super nice and the rapid rate at which they turn out sandwiches is super great.

as briefly mentioned before, despite the tough bread, the sandwiches are really good. the ingredients are fresh and they definitely take different ingredients and put them together in a very tasty way. i have tried all of the veggie sandwiches at taylors and i think that both the christian street (Portobella Mushrooms, Arugula, Roasted Red Peppers, Goat Cheese) and spring garden (broccoli rabe and sharp provolone) are my top two. they both have a really great and fresh flavor with the nice balance between sharp, savory and a touch of sweet. moreover, although i have nothing against iceberg lettuce, i am a firm believer that iceberg lettuce has no place in specialty sandwich shop. either romaine, baby spinach or arugula, PLEASE and preferably spinach or arugula. iceberg lettuce belongs on a cheeseburger or in a salad but not on a specialty sandwich.

nevertheless because i lived around the corner from taylor's, i maybe only at their once but i always took took it home which was very convenient. another plus to taylor is that they deliver without a lot of DC, so even if you don't live close to any of the locations, you should be able to get taylor's right to your doorstep. :-)

Grade: B

Additional Note: ALWAYS order the 12 inch. even if you can't eat the twelve inch in one sitting ( i never can), it is always the perfect meal for lunch the next day.