With Joe Biden in Office, D.C. Could See a Rise in Thanksgiving Sandwiches

From here on out, any morsel of food that passes through Joe Biden’s lips becomes instantly notable, because it will have been blessed by the presidential chompers. Barring an attempted coup based on baseless voter fraud claims from the people who introduced the world to Four Seasons Total Landscaping, Biden will be inaugurated as the 46th president of the United States on January 20, 2021. Naturally, people will be curious about what the person in that lofty office eats, and restaurants far and wide will look to capitalize on that information (think: the “Prez Obama Burger” at Good Stuff Eatery).

Leading up to Election Day, a few D.C. restaurants were already running a special affiliated with one of the president-elect’s favorite foods: a Thanksgiving leftovers sub.

Capriotti’s [official]

In Biden’s case, the sandwich ties back to his love for Capriotti’s, a 44-year-old chain of sandwich shops based in Wilmington, Delaware. When Biden visited a D.C. location for its grand opening in 2013, he said Capriotti’s had “the best sandwich in America.” One sub he walked out with was Capriotti’s signature Bobbie, piled high with turkey, stuffing, and cranberry sauce.

On Election Day this year, Capitol Hill sandwich pop-up Fight Club rolled out a $14 take on “Biden’s Bobbie,” complete with roasted turkey, sausage stuffing, cranberry sauce, and a mayonnaise whipped together with potatoes and salt. Fight Club, which represents a pandemic pivot for Beuchert’s Saloon chef Andrew Markert, plans to bring the sandwich back for limited runs that tee up Thanksgiving and Biden’s inauguration.

In Arlington, Virginia, chef David Guas’s Bayou Bakery offered a “Bobby 2.0” with roasted turkey, a Cajun cornbread stuffing, and cranberry vinaigrette, on Election Day. The sandwich will be back on the menu at the Southern cafe on the weekend after Thanksgiving.

Fight Club [official]

Bayou Bakery [official]

Given their affordability, portability, and natural grab-and-go habitat, sandwich shops (and new sandwich pop-ups) have been in high demand throughout the novel coronavirus pandemic. In the District, where Biden has won 91 percent of the reported votes, a heavily blue constituency should be receptive to sandwiches honoring their chosen president. So it stands to reason that more Bobbie facsimiles are on the way.

The lone Capriotti’s in D.C. closed in 2018, but there are nearby locations in Rosslyn, Virginia, and Annapolis, Maryland. D.C. has a cult favorite Thanksgiving sandwich at Jettie’s, the D.C. sandwich chain from Georgetown Events group.

Your Only Friend, the sub shop operating out of fancy Blagden Alley cocktail bar Columbia Room, recently released what has to be the most thought-out version of Turkey Day sandwich on the market. Paul Taylor mixes Duke’s mayo with herbs, miso, and a turkey base he makes from the bird’s bones. The sandwich features a homemade stuffing that’s meant to mimic the salty vegetal essence of Stove Top, and includes a jelly sauce made out of raw cranberries simmered in apple cider, Normandy cider, and apple cider vinegar. It’s served with a handful of arugula and a side of turkey gravy for dunking.

Gabe Hiatt/Eater D.C.

Other food tributes that may appear in a Biden presidency will likely include ice cream — his campaign spent more than $10,000 at Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams — and angel hair pasta pomodoro, a consistent part of his rider from previous paid speaking engagements.

Once Joe and Jill Biden enter the White House, D.C. will again have a presidential couple who enjoy supporting local restaurants. The only District dining venue Trump visited was the steakhouse inside his downtown hotel. But before that, Barack and Michelle Obama frequently made headlines with their dining decisions.

• The D.C. Area Restaurants Offering Election Day Freebies and Specials [EDC]
• Diner-in-chief: How the Bidens might eat and entertain in and out of the White House [WaPo]
• Where Joe Biden Has Eaten Around DC Over the Years [W]
• Capriotti’s opens to fanfare, and a visit from Biden [WaPo]