David's Brisket House
533 Nostrand Ave., New York (Brooklyn)
7/1/16
"You see, I don't mind American cheese 'cause I was raised on government cheese." - Shannon Picou
Brooklyn Cheesesteak (Gravied beef brisket, American cheese, sauteed onions and green bell peppers)
~Sides: Steak fries & (complementary) pickles... you could call it a pickle bonus--more on that to come
An aesthetic lunch plate (left), complete with an individually wrapped pickle. Upon unwrapping, as I gazed at the messy interior of the sandwich (center & right) I silently wondered if it was better left wrapped.
I think this was the first time I witnessed a sandwich that could make Marlowe smile (and there were even some mmm's coming from him as well). From that point on, I knew this was going to be a good review session.
Amidst the positive murmurs as people were getting their first bites in, we had the oldies playing in the background courtesy of Kris and Jack's Pandora station. There were just good vibes throughout the whole room, particularly with the fourth of July weekend coming up, our annual Expo having been a success, and playful discussion on who next year's keynote speaker would be (suggestions which I will not disclose in the rare case that we end up getting one of them. Probably not Flavor Flav, though).
So on to our sandwich, the Brooklyn Cheesesteak: it was incredibly tender, with melt-in-your-mouth, spiced brisket and gooey American cheese, a sprinkling of those soft onions and peppers, all enclosed in some nice bread that soaked up what Alex affectionately referred to as "the grease ring." Many folks loved the contrast between the deep, rich beefy tones from the brisket and the sharp artificial flavor of the American cheese (prompting the quote of the afternoon by Shannon, as featured above). The fries were alright (just not salted, but that was an easy fix) and the pickles were awesome. Sarah T. ended up tacking on extra points to her final score as a "pickle bonus." After careful consideration by our founders, this may soon be a general policy to be implemented throughout the office. (Ex. "Awesome call just now -- here's a pickle.")
There were many surprises that afternoon, like our sole bad review of the sandwich from Alan (who has had his fair share of Philly cheesesteaks and declared this to be a mush of meat. Now, although I myself haven't had any bonafide cheesesteaks, I agreed with that statement). Another shocker was when Pavel made the disclaimer before sharing his score that he was not a native of Philadelphia -- no way! Nick also revealed his spiritual sandwich guide to be none other than Foothold's very own Yehuda.
Overall, it was a really great sandwich. Solid flavors (if not a bit boring--but not bland), and a great size for its price at $9. I give it the government's cheesy seal of approval and a double pickle bonus.
FINAL SCORE:
4.2/5.0