No. 7 Serves Shipshape Subs
No. 7 Sub | 1188 B'way (bet. 28th & 29th Sts.) | 212.532.1680 | www.no7sub.com
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[mappress]
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SOMETIMES I CAN just be that simple. Sometimes I labor over what place I am going to try next. And sometimes, in an effort to keep this list of eating intentions current, places I thought of some time ago might get forgotten.
So it was a pleasant surprise to come across a place (while I was online narcissistically checking to see if anyone had commented on any of my post on various foodie sites) I had heard about months ago but had skipped my mind since then.
It was, and is, a sandwich shop called No. 7 Sub, and not only were the people behind it presently enjoying a popular restaurant run in Fort Greene, Brooklyn, they were getting good reviews as well in their new incarnation in the Ace Hotel on West 29th Street.
This rainy Monday morning in no way stopped me from jumping on the train,taking it down to 28th, and walking the few blocks to its innocuous storefront, the painted logo on its windows being the only signage of a restaurant.
They officially open at 11 a.m., but at 11:15 they were still waiting the arrival of the bread that they bake fresh every morning in their Brooklyn outpost. The bread showed up soon enough; in the meantime, I got to scan the menu hanging on individual placards above the sandwich making line.
They have many innovative subs to choose from, from the Tuna Salad with Granny Smith apples, Mung Bean Sprouts and BBQ Potato Chips, to the Roast Beef with Pickled Blueberries, Smoked Gouda and Doenjang (Korean fermented soybean paste) to a Ceviche with Fried Hominy and Leche de Tigre Mayo.
Of the total ten options, I ordered the Braised Lamb, which comes dressed with Yogurt, Romaine, Pappadam (thin, cripsy flatbread), and Texas Caviar (black-eyed peas), which comes wrapped in wax paper and paper-bagged to takeout since there are no tables or counters at which to eat in-house. Unless you do what I did which was just stand around inside (it was still raining!) and eat like a tourist.
I didn't just love my sandwich; I adored it. It was "cute", playful with its flavors and textures yet serious about being a fully realized, filling meal. The lamb was extremely tender, not too gamey, and nicely spiced. The Texas Caviar had a smooth and light firmness and added its innate savory charms.
Each chew featuring, as well, that flaky crispiness of the flatbread that maintained it crackle throughout, and the yogurt serviceably cooling the tempered spiciness of the lamb.
Finally—and I bring this up last because this was one my last impressions after I scarfed down the first half of my sub—I was shocked at how much I didn't just notice, but enjoyed the great, great fresh-baked bread the whole bonanza was housed in. Light and airy in the inside, not too thick, doughy, or chewy, and a great crusty-without-being-dry nicely seasoned exterior.
I couldn't leave without sating my curiosity of the other sub preparations, and was lucky enough to have a kind, young lady allow me to photograph her Tuna Salad sub, which which looked as appetizing as any I'd ever seen!
In this era of specialty-themed fooderies (i.e., The Meatball Shop, This Little Piggy Had Roast Beef, etc.), this is a most welcome addition, as it makes the case stronger for concentrating on doing one thing and doing it as best as you possibly can, even in ten different ways.
My sub was delightfully complex in tastes in textures, but simple in their ideology. Which makes it that much simpler for me to jump on the 6 train for an 11 minute ride the next time I have a jones for another delicious sub.
Bun Apple Tea!
.kac.
No. 7 Sub | 1188 B'way (bet. 28th & 29th Sts.) | 212.532.1680 | www.no7sub.com
