Soko Butcher, Takoma Park, Montgomery County, Maryland

Soko Butcher sits at 7306 Carrol Avenue, just down the street from Cielo Rojo, where Nancy and I dined recently. After dinner at Cielo Rojo, I’d noticed Soko on our path back to our car, and recalled that it had received plaudits from a number of people who responded to posts on my quest to find the area’s best Italian sub. I took that as a sign to try Soko and so I drove over. I saw that the municipal parking lot (two hours of free parking!) was just as full as it had been on our visit to Cielo Rojo, but I easily found a nearby space on the street, and walked over to Soko, a small storefront with two tables outside.

Inside there is a menu on the wall

with more detailed menus on a basket at the counter at which you order, and two cases of gorgeous meats. Here’s one.

They also have a locker for aging steaks, and lots of other specialty items — I don’t see quail eggs that often — and just enough room.

I first asked about their Italian sub, specifically whether it was available on a hard roll. No? Then I’ll have The Montreal. It’s a pastrami on rye with sauerkraut and Russian dressing, but I asked that it come with mustard rather than Russian dressing, and that I get the sauerkraut on the side. Basically, I asked for a pastrami on rye with side of sauerkraut. I’d done the same thing at 2fifty and HammerDown so that I could compare the same sandwich — pastrami on rye with mustard — without distraction. They were happy to comply..

As you can see, the bread was toasted, their default setting. Let’s look inside.

Isn’t that pastrami pretty? Here’s a side view of the sandwich.

That’s wonderfully moist meat. It’s made in-house, and while it’s very lean, the pastrami is succulent. Amazing! I took a bite. The mustard is Dijon, and it is a truly great Dijon. If you ever have a sinus problem, order a sandwich with Dijon mustard at Soko. It was so … forceful that I went back in and asked what brand of mustard it was, but no one seemed to know. If you know, please tell me. I love it!

Unfortunately, the Dijon mustard was too strong for the sandwich. It dominated the flavor so much that the mustard stole the show from the pastrami and the bread. I did manage to pull out some mustard-free pastrami for a taste, and it was good, especially for lean pastrami, and beautifully seasoned.

I took the sauerkraut home and ate it separately. It was an appropriate amount — two little plastic containers — and it tasted very good. I’ll bet it’s made in-house. The bread also was good, toasted though it was, and I determined to go back ne day and try the sandwich as the experts at Soho suggest. And I think I’ll break down and try the Italian sub. I have a prejudice against soft sub rolls, but the meat at Soko is special, and I want to try more of it.

Head to Soko Butcher!

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