Taylor Gourmet: Perfection in the Sandwich Concept, but the Details Need Work

(Photo: http://taylorgourmet.files.wordpress.com/2009/08/2_1.jpg)

One of my favorite new sandwich shops in the DC area is Taylor Gourmet (http://www.taylorgourmet.com/). Located in the quickly up-and-coming H Street strip, Taylor’s specializes in Philadelphia-style Italian sandwiches (think cold cuts, chicken cutlets, house roasted turkey), which are served on fresh seeded rolls delivered daily from Sarcone’s Bakery in Philadelphia. While I have been to Philly only once, the customers eating behind yesterday (in between bites) were impressed with its authenticity.

In addition to sandwiches, Taylor’s offers Rocky’s risotto balls, which are delicious, fried 2 inch rounds oozing with a center of mozzarella cheese and served with a tasty, spicy marinara for dipping. I think I like these risotto balls even better than the ones at Two Amys – though I am sucker for these treats and will likely still order them anytime they are on the menu.

Yesterday I ordered the 9th Street (all the sandwiches are named for streets in Philly), an Italian cold cut sandwich with aged provolone and prosciutto, capicola, and salami. And B opted for the Church St., Italian chicken sausage patties with roasted red peppers. And of course, we had to share an order of the risotto balls. The food was fantastic – with the starter of those addictive balls and meaty, chewy, flavorful sandwiches.

My biggest complaint/criticism is that yesterday it felt like Taylor’s was in fact run by two 28 year old guys; it is, and I do not mean to be disparaging, but the place is supposed to open at 11:30am and when we arrived at 11:40am, the restaurant was still shuttered with a line forming out front consisting of both patrons and the bread delivery guy. On a cleanliness note, there is no way that the place was cleaned since the night before. The bathroom was dirty and had no paper products.

So, great food, will definitely go again, but hope Taylor’s gets their act together in the execution department, particularly given their franchising in the metro area. Hopefully, yesterday’s slip wasn’t indicative of a larger problem or lapse in attention to detail as they expand (newest location is downtown, with another planned for Rosslyn).