I’m back on the bulgogi sandwich beat. The more I think about it, I believe that a roll or bread filled with Korean-style marinated beef should be the official food of Northern Virginia. It’s an apt representation of what’s special about our fusion-fueled, global cuisine. And we’re lucky to have more iterations of the dish than anywhere else I’ve lived. Happily, it’s time to report one more.
Semicolon Café is Virginia’s first link in a small chain out of New York. It recently landed in the form of a kiosk inside Chantilly’s mini food hall, Tilly Kitchen. Though Semicolon’s menu is most robust in its drinks section, featuring coffees, lattes, and smoothies, guests shouldn’t ignore the food. Yes, Tilly Kitchen’s main counter stocks everything from Japanese okonomiyaki to Korean army soup, but the Semicolon counter has egg sandwiches.
Eight different versions, to be exact. Each day, the staff bakes sweet brioche. Once toasted, this serves as the base for a moist, striated scramble of eggs and grilled corn. What happens from there can go many ways. My dining companion tried creamy avocado with a paprika sauce. Other options include mushrooms with mozzarella, balsamic vinaigrette, and truffle sauce; spicy chicken with jalapenos; and lox with yogurt-dill sauce.
I might return for those, but there was no question that I was on a path leading straight to bulgogi. The thin slices of tender beef weren’t as deeply marinated as I might have hoped, but still betrayed a pleasantly garlicky sweetness that played extraordinarily well with the soft, lightly sugared brioche. Tomatoes and green leaf lettuce (the sandwich makers left off the onions) added a bit of fresh crunch, but were mostly an afterthought. This is a sandwich that is all about beef, eggs, and a bit of mayo-like “bulgogi sauce.” And yes, it should absolutely be on our state flag.
13915 Metrotech Dr., Chantilly
Feature image by Alice Levitt
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