By Nicole Bayne
Dish: Chicken Sandwich, $12
Where: Open Road Grill & Icehouse, 8100 Lee Highway, Falls Church
Taste: Chicken, roasted red peppers, arugula and goat cheese. The ingredients aren’t revolutionary; this is just a great chicken sandwich with a sweet-and-sour flavor.
I’m more likely to order chicken salad over chicken breast, but an exterior pattern of black char-grilled stripes generally foreshadows greatness. I was right.
My first bite exposed a juicy white interior that looked as though the last of any pink color had been extinguished just moments before. The gooey goat cheese was complemented by naturally bitter arugula. Not once did I miss the crunch of iceberg lettuce.
I was most impressed with how easy it was to bite into the sammy’s surprisingly soft toasted ciabatta bun. These components encompass a fairly heavy meal, so stay away from IPAs and try it with the Port City Essential Pale Ale on draft.
As an added bonus, the sandwich keeps well. After a night in the refrigerator and 20 seconds in the microwave, the only major difference was a softer ciabatta that was not at all soggy.
MORE | Cravings
