G Sandwich Shop by Mike Isabella

Located at 2201 14th Street NW, this new Mike Isabella concept, G, is a "sandwich shop by day, tasting menu by night." I wouldn't have known about the sandwich shop's vegan options, were it not for Angela at The Veracious Vegan blog, who scouted out the place and also Kapnos, its Greek sister spot.

From the sandwich shop's wall menu, it wasn't evident what menu items were vegan, or vegetarian even. So I asked the helpful counter staff to double check for me. The ordering process was quick. I got an unsweetened iced tea and was pleased to find free lemon and limes wedges. I also ordered a side of the marinated veggies, namely the Giardiniera. And I ordered the "vegan-as-is" sandwich: the Roasted Cauliflower.

The "Cauli"

The cauliflower was nicely roasted with a great Romesco sauce on an excellent sesame seed roll. The three roasted hot peppers on the top were the bomb. And the herbs were a nice touch, including flat leaf parsley and dill. But OMG, this was an oily sandwich. The whole thing was drenched in oil. I needed extra napkins just to mop it up. And I felt like I needed to wash afterwards because I was covered in oil--inside and out. So next time, I'm going to ask for no extra oil.

Giardiniera pickle

Meanwhile, the veggies in the Giardiniera weren't oily at all. They were a perfect pickle trifecta of spicy, sour, and sweet. Inside the tub were carrots, more cauliflower, onions, and what I think were baby white radishes. So good! I wish this pickle were a sandwich filling option.

I visited on a weekday for lunch and G wasn't too crowded. However it was loud, due to a combo of bad acoustics and blaring 90's rock. They played the Beastie Boys twice in a half hour. Is this a Pandora station thing?

G Sandwich Shop exterior