Restaurant review: Galileo Grill
1110 21st St., N.W.
Washington, D.C.
202-293-7191
Web site

UPDATE: Galileo Grill is closed until September 2007, but his sandwiches are available at Bebo Trattoria in Crystal City.

Smug (n) - marked by excessive self-satisfaction

Or...the emotion you feel walking back to the office with a sandwich from Galileo Grill each time you pass some workaday schmo with his limp Subway sandwich baggie.

Galileo Grill might just be the best value in the city. Not only can you pick up a delicious sandwich for just five bucks, you also get to chat it upwith chef Roberto Donna, Galileo's chef and occasional TV ham, who offers up a healthy dose of showmanship.

Donna serves this cheap chow in his open kitchen to the rear of the main dining room, the same space where diners cheerfully fork over $110 ($125 on weekends) to experience his Laboratorio del Galileo.

The Grill lives a frenetic life, opening at the whim of Donna's schedule. If you walk past Galileo in the early afternoon and see a red grill out front, he's open. The easier tactic is to sign up for the restaurant's newsletter at www.galileodc.com. The line begins to form at 11:45 a.m. and stays open until about 1 p.m.

The line can get quite long, especially in seasonable weather, but a cash box honor system keeps things moving. For first timers, a sandwich is a must. While the pork sausage is a consistent winner (especially with mustard and homemade sauerkraut), the pork shoulder often rises to the level of extraordinary. When the fatty and lean, crisp corners and rare interior combine, this sandwich is heavenly. Request a couple slices of provolone, maybe some of Donna's red sauce, and prepare to be transported. (Meatball and chicken are also available.)

Donna recently expanded the menu to include quiche and a salad to go along with the sandwiches, homemade hot dogs, pizza and soup. The black and white cannolis at $2.50 each make for the perfect, not-too-sweet dessert.

Bottom line: Sketchy hours and an oft-intimidating line, but all will be forgiven at the bottom of the sandwich.