If you can’t find something to eat at D.C. Sarnies, you’ve got to be the pickiest eater on the planet. There is literally something for everyone.
The question, really, is what to order. I thought my son’s head was going to explode because everything sounded so good to him he couldn’t choose.
Appetizers
Start out your carb adventure with the Bruschetta Tasting ($8.95), grilled slipper bread served with three distinct toppings (tomato, portobello and cucumber). Each one brings a different flavor profile, but all are successful. And the bread is just right: toasty outside but tender inside, not uber crunchy like some, so it doesn’t shatter when you eat it.
Fried Pickles ($3.95) were a taste treat, and not as salty as I’ve had at other venues. The Vegetarian Ravioli ($14.95), filled with spinach and mushrooms and tossed with sauteed spinach, tomatoes and a white wine sauce, were a strange consistency, but the sauce was great for dipping more bread.
Sandwiches
The sandwiches here are decidedly the stars of the show. Whether you select a burger or sandwich from the “Build-Your-Own Bar” or choose one of the many options off the menu, you will be pleased.
Try the Jamaican Jerk Burger ($12.95), jerk-seasoned beef with Pepper Jack cheese and Mango-Pineapple Relish on a Jalapeno-Ciabatta bun. Just typing it right now made me hyperventilate. Choose between seasoned fries, housemade potato chips and sweet potato tots as your “go with.” My advice? Get the tots. Yum.
My late father’s favorite sandwich was the Kentucky Hot Brown, so when I saw it listed on the menu, how could I resist? And this version is a beauty, served piping hot in a small skillet, the turkey, tomato and bacon piled unashamedly on sturdy white bread and topped with a Romano cheese sauce, run under the broiler to brown. Lord have mercy, it’s delicious. Dad would have approved.
We also loved the Grilled Tuna Sandwich ($15.95), a nice slab of tuna grilled to order and served on an old-fashioned egg bun with Wasabi Aioli, mixed greens, pickled ginger and a little daikon salad. It’s a beaut.
Also in the plus column: the Carne Asada ($13.95), grilled skirt steak nestled in their Sammy Tuscan bread with guacamole, grilled tomato salsa, mixed greens and Chipotle-Horseradish Mayo. It was spicy, juicy and really, really messy.
Desserts
Three of the 6 desserts offered are available in “mini” (read: normal) and “large” (i.e. huge) sizes. The Cherry-Chocolate Bread Pudding ($6.95) comes in one size, which is more than enough to share. Made with Chocolate-Cherry bread, it was rich, moist and so tasty.
The Key Lime Pie ($3.95/6.95) was serviceable, and the S’mores Cheesecake ($4.95/7.95) was just as rich as you would expect. One bite was enough for me, but the teens had no problem polishing it off.
The restaurant—owned by the famed Highland Bakery—is big and airy, with lots of light and plenty of comfortable seating. You could eat here for a month and have a different sandwich or burger each visit. I look forward to the challenge! Next stop: the Cheddar Pretzel Burger. Can’t wait.
Three-and-a-half out of five stars
DC Sarnies
649 Lake Cook Rd.
Deerfield
847-509-2000
