Eats : USA : Washington DC : Taylor Gourmet
Eats : USA : Washington DC : Taylor Gourmet
About Taylor Gourmet
Philadelphia natives and high-school friends Casey Patten
and David Mazza saw Washington as the place to settle after college. “I’ve
always loved the energy here,” says Mazza. “Philly was a little too close to
home, and New York was a little too unachievable for what I wanted to do, which
was flip houses.”
Flip houses he did—until he and Patten decided to try
replicating a taste of home. While they loved DC’s energy, they found no hoagie
to satisfy their longings. So they opened Taylor Gourmet in Northeast DC’s
burgeoning Atlas District.
The deli’s sesame-seed rolls are couriered daily from
Sarcone’s in Philadelphia. Crusty on the outside, soft within, they have that
unmistakable fresh-baked aroma. You taste it immediately with the standout
Ninth Street Italian hoagie ($6.90 for a six-inch sub, $8.90 for a foot-long),
stuffed with prosciutto, capicola, salami, and aged provolone cheese. You don’t
have to be a Philly transplant to appreciate the marriage of the spicy, sweet
cured meats and the sharp, creamy cheese.
Also satisfying are the well-seasoned and perfectly fried
risotto balls, or arancini, and the fried ravioli—an order of each costs $4.50.
Both are pleasantly salty, flecked with dried herbs, crusty, and hiding cheesy
centers. And each is enhanced by the house-made marinara sauce that comes with
them.
Salads are composed of arugula tossed with pastina—tiny
pasta similar to couscous—and are named after Philadelphia parks. The Roosevelt
Park salad with mushrooms ($7) is filling enough for a lunch on its own, or you
can add grilled chicken ($2). The pan-fried chicken-cutlet sandwiches ($6.70 to
$9.50), cooked to order, are good, but sometimes the bread dwarfs the filling.
The H Street neighborhood is being redeveloped, and it can be
jarring to enter the spanking-new Taylor with its industrially inspired design
and clubby music. But Mazza says the deli has been embraced by old-timers and
newcomers. And Taylor delivers to most areas of DC for a $2 surcharge.
It sure beats a road trip to Philly.
Taylor Gourmet Review By Cat P. : Burke, VA
Taylor Gourmet makes great sandwiches. This I've been told
by many. But if you're not feeling a sandwich, that's okay. Get the Lanier
Park!!!!! I haven't tried Sweetgreen yet, but I imagine that Taylor Gourmet's
salad is on par with its quality, if not better.
The Lanier Park comes with arugula, pastina (tiny, tiny
pasta), roasted red peppers, and goat cheese. It's a simply luxurious salad---
beautiful, fresh, but most importantly, delicious. You get globs of pressed
garlic (claps for joy), high-quality greens, peppy peppers---a textural and
visual delight.
My favorite part of the salad was probably the paste-like
bits of garlic dispersed throughout. I'm not sure pressed is quite an accurate
description. You really get these small jam-like chunks of garlic that go so
wonderfully with the veggies. The goat cheese adds just the right amount of
richness while the roasted peppers, garlic, and light yet flavorful dressing
make it fresher and just so good. I am absolutely in love with this one dish
and could return for it alone. However, my next visit I'll have to sample the
assorted veggie sandwiches.
Meateaters can certainly rejoice. They serve some cuts of
pork with their bread that are similar to Chinese char siu. (Some well-seasoned
pork belly?)
Service is friendly and efficient at this location. I have
yet to try other area Taylor Gourmets, but I'm always going to be one happy,
happy patron if all stores follow the same formula.
Contact Taylor Gourmet
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