Jack's Whiz

An old deli/salad bar called the LA Cafe on 18th St. & Mass. Ave. in Washington, D.C. that I used to frequent for lunch closed down at the end of last year. This didn't disappoint me as the food was mediocre and the salad bar was always a disappointment. In late January LA Cafe was replaced by Jack's Fresh.

On the surface, Jack's Fresh looked just like the restaurant it replaced. But the difference is that the romaine is crispy in the salad bar and there are a lot more choices. They also offer a basic deli with chicken subs, burgers, reubens, tuna, etc. But what makes Jack's Fresh stand out is that they offer steak subs with Whiz. Yes, Cheez Whiz!

Cheez Whiz is a staple of legendary steak and cheese joints such as Pat's King of Steaks in Philadelphia. In fact, I think it's safe to say you haven't really had a steak and cheese if it didn't come with Whiz.

I have yet to see any other lunch crowd places or carry-outs in D.C. that offer Whiz as an option. So I had no choice, I had the "Beefsteak with Whiz" and fries, and a fountain coke for $7.30.

I have to say it made me long for the days when my old punk rock band used to play Stalog 13 in Philadelphia and after the show we'd go to Pat's at 2:30 a.m. and wait in a long line to order a "Cheez wit."

With that said, nothing else at Jack's Fresh really stands out. But if your hankering for a hunk of Whiz. This is the place.

(Note: There are some other reviews on Yelp, but they are for the Jack's Fresh location on 1400 I St NW, D.C.)