September Sunrise Sandwich Spree Day 25: The Staten Island

The Staten Island

Loeb’s NY Deli 1712 I Street NW Farragut Square Open from 6:30 a.m. weekdays only $6.29

There seems to be a general acceptance among a certain segment of consumers that a tendency towards assholery is innate in anyone born within a shout of New York City (also anywhere in the entire country of France), and that therefore their brusque and impolite attitudes are to be excused, nigh celebrated. For how else to explain the number of the reviewers on the restaurant’s Yelp! page who are more than happy to overlook, if not glorify, the iciness of the service at Loeb’s NY Deli, whose Staten Island breakfast sandwich is the most recent entry in our month-long September Sunrise Sandwich Spree? This dynamic is complicated further in this case by the obvious fact that Loeb’s is located in Washington, D.C., not New York, and while it is presumably owned and at least partly staffed by individuals who hail from the self-proclaimed birthplace of all that is good and cool in the world, that the restaurant has been in constant operation in Our Nation’s Capital since the late 1950s would suggest it’s probably been quite a while since any of the proprietors actually lived in The Big Apple. Ah, but I digress. The staff at Loeb’s were friendly enough during my visit, and and really we shouldn’t go out to make friends, anyway. We’re here for sandwiches, and the Staten Island, with shaved steak, scrambled egg and melted cheese on a soft Italian roll, is a fantastic breakfast sub. While I might have preferred a runny fried egg in this case, I appreciated the sandwich’s one-napkin tidiness, and the beef, if a bit under-seasoned, was tender and plentiful. Having never been to Staten Island personally, I’m unaware of any special significance of the name of the sandwich, but I suppose if you’re going to posture yourself as a Gotham-themed eatery, you should beat it to death. Subtlety is for the birds, not New Yorkers.