Lady Jaye - A Sandwich for Dinner? Yes please!
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It was supposed to be a simple meal, really. The kind of meal I would not normally think of as dinner. To me sandwiches represent lunch, or a snack, or a powerful breakfast to start the day. But sandwiches for dinner? I think not.
Boy was I wrong.
I already knew that at Lady Jaye in West Seattle they do things different. From co-owner/bartender Sarah’s recklessly-creative libations to the variety of exceptional meat they famously smoke, this place serves up a menu that is hard to find anywhere else. And after an unexpected Winter brunch of astonishingly good smoked sausage gravy biscuits and (several) killer Bloody Mary’s, I sensed that the place was special. So, sure, I expected that this Daily Special sandwich-for-dinner would be good. But not this good.
The Smoked Pork Belly Burnt Ends Banh Mi for dinner at Lady Jaye is, simply put, not to be missed. One of the recurring specials, this is not your typical banh mi — that iconic Vietnamese sandwich revered by all who love a hoagie on steroids. Like everything else here, this one is different. Instead of sliced pork with paté spread on the bread like banh mis found on street corners of Ho Chi Minh City, these start with thick chunks of pork belly as the protein. And because it’s the folks at Lady Jaye — who know more about the 2000 pound pit smoker sitting on their patio than anyone around — the belly is not roasted, but smoked before being slipped into the crispy torpedo bun kissed with spicy mayo and dressed with daikon pickle, cucumber, carrots, fresh herbs and fresno chilis. In place of the traditional paté is the succulent fat from the cubes of the belly, replacing any need for a paté smear. The flavor and mouthfeel of this pork belly is absolutely, certifiably crazy.
I mean it. That first bite is almost mind-blowing, as the layer of pork belly fat squishes soft into what I can best describe as “meat butter” which one could easily spread with the back of the spoon. The texture is smooth and silky — to the point that you don’t think of pork fat but instead of perfectly roasted bone marrow. It forms a soft cushion for the underlying belly flesh, so moist and tender and as porky as can be. With every bite your teeth slide through the glistening fat like warm flan, causing it to ooze through the sandwich with its custard-like goodness as you barely chew and the porky moisture washes across your palate. It transforms this sandwich into something greater than the sum of its parts and which, for me, easily qualifies as “dinner”. Truth is, while this dish may be called a Banh Mi, it could be thought of instead as a “Vietnamese delivery system” for the best pork belly you may ever have. Pardon my poetic waxing but — yes — it’s that good.
Of course, cocktails were a requirement, and Sara’s list of specialties was intriguing and, um, deliciously potent. And a side or two were in order for the meal, for which the ultra crispy shoestring fries dusted with vinegar and dill along with pan roasted shisido peppers in smokey yougurt sauce were perfect. These sides were not just thrown in to make the sandwich a meal; they were excellent and the smokey yogurt elevated the already-excellent peppers to new, blistered skin heights.
To be clear, this post is about the banh mi because it merits individual attention and praise. But the rest of the off-the-mainstream items have me excited to eat, photograph and write about everything at Lady Jaye. No, they can’t resist throwing down some monster Beef “Dino” Ribs in their iron rooster outback — because why the hell not! — and, yes, they also have popular make-you-cry regulars like Smoked Bologna Sandwiches and Bulgogi Short Rib Melts, and smoker innovations like half-pound cheeseburgers, split chickens and 21-day dry aged Delmonicos turned into smoked cheesesteaks. And then there is my personal fantasy that sometimes appears, though I haven’t caught up with it yet outside of my dreams: a Smoked Ribeye Tomahawk Steak which by the looks of it makes me want to dine with Fred Flinstone. Yabba dabba doo!
Lady Jaye
4523 California Ave SW
Seattle, WA 98116
