You may recall, a few weeks back, that I stamped my foot impatiently inside Rachel's Ginger Beer, demanding to know more about the long-promised pop-up, Sunset Sandwiches. Steady, boy. They've got all their issues sorted out now, and I'm pleased to report that the result is one of the tastiest morsels in Capitol Hill, at 1610 12th Ave.
The inventor of the Sunset, if we can designate such a person, is Monica Dimas, an imaginative Seattle chef whose travels have taken her to gastronomic capitals like Los Angeles and New Orleans, where fried chicken sandwiches are more common.
In the end, Dimas says, she reverted to the sandwich that was sometimes served as a staff meal at McCrady's, in Charleston, South Carolina, where she had interned: brined in buttermilk, dredged in seasoned flour, golden-fried, stacked high and topped with slaw, pickles and spicy mayo.
There are a couple of variations (spicy, vegetarian), but I'm inclined to stick with the original. As for the ginger beer, there are now several cocktail options, including a drink called the Porch Swing. It's made with gin and aperol -- sort of a mild, ginger Negroni, which makes a good aperitivo while you're waiting for the Sunset.
And yes, they're expanding to Portland soon, but this is here and now, and it's damn good. Eat your hearts out, Shake Shack and Chick-fil-A.
Rachel's Ginger Beer, 1610 12th Avenue
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