French Dip & Pasta Salad @ La Madeline
The french dip is probably one of my top five favorite sandwiches of all time. Other members of this exclusive group include the philly cheesesteak and the monte cristo, but we’ll get to those another time. A french dip isn’t made of a whole lot–you basically have some bread, meat and cheese. Maybe a bit of onion strings depending on the establishment, so there isn’t a lot to go wrong with, but if you mess up on any of those–bad times. Luckily, La Madeline uses delicious roast beef, crunchy crusted bread, perfectly salted au jus sauce, and a mild cheese that blends perfectly into a mouthwatering, though a tad undersized, french dip sandwich. I say undersized because I always get the half-sand/half-soup combo, and while I always leave La Madaline filled to the brim, the half french dip always seems a little scrawny when it’s first presented to me. Anyone else? I’ll have to try and just order the sandwich next time, but I’ll be honest, if they just multiply the half by 2, I’ll be sorely disappointed and have to resort to the free bread/jam/butter to fill my emptiness (not a bad alternative actually).
Included with this meal is a surprisingly awesome pasta salad too. It’s full of all kinds of little bits of vegetables and deliciousness. Sometimes it comes out a little oily, which I think happens later in the day. On all my trips to La Madeline it seems that I only get oily pasta salad in the evening. Weird I know, but something to be aware of. Other than that, this pasta salad is one of the best I have ever had the pleasure of eating and I keep telling myself it’s good for me too. It has vegetables in it — what’s more healthy than vegetables drowned in an oily delight?
UPDATE: I ate at a different LM between the time of this review and me posting it, and guess what? The pasta salad that came with my meal was completely different. WTF mate? Does this happen all the time? I guess I wouldn’t be surprised if consistent quality was an issue between different LM locations, what with all the griping and dissatisfaction I have been reading about from the food bloggers/commenters in the area. Maybe there is something to their complaints. Either way, the location on Collins in Arlington has never done me wrong, so I’ll stand by them for the time being.
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I am definitely trying this when I come out to see you. I love me a good french dip sandwich!
Oh yes, this was a special treat. When I last visited Dallas, I had the wonderful experience of being introduced to la madeline’s fine food. Since I had never seen the menu, I just ordered what my son Brian was ordering…and I was very pleased. I especially loved the pasta salad. Will have to have it again when I come to visit next time.