French dip sandwich original; au jus dip shines

By Carl Snyder
Entertainment Assisstant

Arby’s, an international quick-serve restaurant, offers a French dip sandwich. The French dip is an iconic sandwich. Does Arby’s do it justice?
  For starters, since this is a fast-food sandwich, it will not be reviewed as harshly as food from a sit-down restaurant. That being said, this is a superior French dip for a fast-food restaurant. It is a simple sandwich, but its contents are mostly satisfying.
  The bread for this sandwich is a hoagie roll, without the sesame seeds. This bread is chewy, which is not typically the consistency for French dips. Usually the bread is toasted, so in a sense Arby’s is doing something original with the typical formula used for French dips. The originality is a good thing. However, if the bread were toasted, it would be a better sandwich.
  The meat in this sandwich is average, as is the cheese. Their flavors blend in with everything else. This can be a good thing for sandwiches, but for a French dip the meat and cheese need to stick out. Since the meat and cheese don’t stand out, one must take them out of the sandwich to taste their flavors. On their own, outside of the sandwich, their flavors are still bland. This makes for a disappointing inside of the sandwich.
  The last component to this sandwich is the au jus, which is the condiment that a French dip is typically dipped into. The au jus is the savior of this sandwich. It adds an immense amount of good flavor. Without the au jus, this sandwich would be boring, but with it, the sandwich is a fun adventure. It is salty and savory, which is just what this French dip needs to be successful.
  Overall, this sandwich is good for fast food. Despite the bland insides and the chewy bread, the au jus shines. Because of the au jus, this sandwich is fun to eat. For this reason, this sandwich receives a seven and half out of 10.