The Sandwich: Dacha Club
Where: Dacha Market, 1602 7th St. NW
Price: $8
Bread: White sandwich roll
Stuffings: Ham, turkey, bacon, arugula, red onion, tomato, mayonnaise
Thickness: 3.5 inches
Pros: While Compass Coffee across the street serves pre-packaged sandwiches, Dacha’s offerings are made to order. Just like any club sandwich, this one contains turkey, ham, and bacon (which is cut in quarter-inch-thick strips). But Dacha wisely swaps lettuce and sliced white onion for arugula and diced red onion, giving the sandwich an extra zing.
Cons: The ham, cheese, tomato, turkey, and roll all have the same squishy texture, leaving you with a sandwich that’s easy to chew, but repetitive. A good club sandwich should have some crunch. If the jerky-like bacon was crispier or the bread toasted, the sandwich would improve fivefold.
Sloppiness level (1 to 5): 1. A liberal slather of mayonnaise keeps the contents glued inside the roll, with no frilly toothpick needed to hold it together.
Overall score (1 to 5): 4. Shaw was in need of a place to grab a quick and simple sandwich on the go, and Dacha Market fills that void well. Give it some bacon that actually snaps when you bite into it, apply significantly less mayonnaise to the bun, and you’ve got a reliable lunch.
Photo by Caroline Jones