$65 Shortrib sandwich from Joy by Seven Reasons in Chevy Chase, Md. (from today's Washington Post)
Two pounds of short ribs encased in seemingly a loaf of ciabatta, stabbed in the center with a knife, has that effect on a table. Open wide, like a python, if you treat it like a regular-size sandwich, which this definitely isn’t, starting with its $65 price tag. Before it’s packed into the ciabatta slathered with plantain butter, the beef is cured for a day and cooked to succulence in a water bath (sous-vide) for 16 hours. Black plastic gloves accompany the spectacle, amenities that allow recipients to tackle the dish, served with rich veal demi-glace, however they want with a minimum of mess — at least on themselves. (The two-fisted sandwich can easily feed three or four, although executive chef Jose IgnacioUseche says he’s seen individuals dispatch the whole enchilada, so to speak.) Even if you decide to use a knife, the substantial filling of smoked cheddar cheese, pickled onion and fried shallots rushes out from the house-baked bread, creating a debris field on the plate.
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