After last week, I have now done six of the Things Every Dallasite Must Do. Now I’m going for my 7th: Eat a sandwich at Jimmy’s Food Store.
I wasn’t quite sure if Jimmy’s would live up to my expectations when I first found the place. I’ve always heard how great the sandwiches are and how much I’d love the food. At first glance, I wasn’t convinced.
The market-style restaurant threw me off initially, until I got a good look of the layout of the place. I couldn’t help but notice the funny looks given to me and D Magazine’s shopping intern, Maggie, when we walked in wearing heels and holding our iPhones. It’s not the type of place where a dress code is enforced.
After stumbling past aisle after aisle of wine bottles, we finally found where you were supposed to order your sandwich at the back of the store. I took a look at the menu and ordered what the man behind the counter suggested was his favorite, the Cuban sandwich. The description read, “Toasted on a 6″ bun with roasted pork, ham, Swiss, pickles, and mojo sauce.” I didn’t ask what the mojo sauce was, but being the picky eater I am, I got my sandwich minus the pickles.
Since the sandwich takes 10 to 15 minutes of prep time, I thought I’d take a look around. The place is full of fresh food, any type of wine you can think of, and frozen food section with plenty of of ice cream, wheat pizza dough, and something called pumpkin tortellini (which I’m not brave enough to try). The concrete floors and cramped aisles didn’t really feel like a restaurant, but when my name was called to get my food, the guy ringing me up asked if we were dining in or taking it to-go. I said dining-in, and to my surprise, there is a small seating area behind the register to eat.
When I finally got around to trying the Cuban, I was pleasantly surprised. Like I said before, I’m a very picky eater. Outwardly the sandwich looks pretty normal, but the combination of ham, roasted pork and Swiss really tasted pretty good. I think the mojo sauce had something to do with it as well, but overall I was impressed with Jimmy’s Food Store. The ambiance of the place was also a plus, considering that Italian music was playing over the loud speaker and we even got to hear two men speaking Portuguese sitting at the table next to us. All in all, Jimmy’s Food Store has a good sandwich, and I will say it’s worth the visit.
Courtney Foreman is a D Magazine intern working her way through the Dallas Must-Do List.
