I’m an
Adam Richman fan–who didn’t love watching his glorious feats of gluttony on
Man vs. Food –so I’m excited to catch his upcoming Travel Channel show,
Adam Richman’s Best Sandwich in America, premiering June 6. But I was surprised at the local pick on his list: the chicken club sandwich at the W Hotel.
It’s not like Richman had to include a Washington sandwich and settled on a club. According to the press release, he “crisscrossed the country sampling countless variations,” and only then selected 30 sandwiches to compete for the title of best in the country. So what makes a typically humdrum hotel staple able to compete with the sexy contenders on the list, such as seared beef tongue with smoked onions from the Noble Pig in Austin, or the crispy shrimp po’ boy from Domilise’s in New Orleans? And how did it beat out local indulgences from the likes of Sundevich, MGM Roast Beef, or Taylor Gourmet? Did Richman just post up in a W suite after months of exotic eating and literally phone it in?
J&G Steakhouse chef de cuisine Philippe Reininger tells me his club isn’t your typical triangles of dry toast and deli meat. The W’s tower involves three slices of freshly baked sourdough, toasted and slathered with mayo, stacked with Nueske’s bacon, beefsteak tomatoes, Bibb lettuce, sliced avocado, herb-marinated chicken paillard, and a fried egg. Reininger says diners have even celebrated its deliciousness with a pairing of Château Margaux. The only downside (and it’s a big one for locals): Only hotel guests ordering from the room service menu have access to it. Too bad the hotel doesn’t rent rooms by the lunch hour.
Anna Spiegel covers the dining and drinking scene in her native DC. Prior to joining Washingtonian in 2010, she attended the French Culinary Institute and Columbia University’s MFA program in New York, and held various cooking and writing positions in NYC and in St. John, US Virgin Islands.
