Columbia Room Partners with Duke's Mayo and Crystal Hot Sauce to Build “Return of the Mack”
/Meet DC’s Newest Fried Chicken Sandwich
By Tim Ebner | Edible DC Contributor
Photo courtesy of The Columbia Room
When it comes to essential condiments, Southerners frequently reach for Duke’s, a thick and smooth mayonnaise with a lemony edge, and Crystal Hot Sauce, a vinegar hot sauce filled with aged cayenne pepper spice.
I don’t claim to hail from The South, but I did write about the history of Crystal Hot Sauce, and with apologies to Hellmans’s, it’s got to be Duke’s if I’m making a BLT on sourdough.
So last week, when I heard rumors that Paul Taylor and the Columbia Room were partnering with Crystal and Duke’s to create a new fried chicken sandwich, as part of it’s Get a Hero, Be a Hero pop-up to feed medical heroes, I was giddy with excitement.
The chicken is breaded and fried to golden-brown perfection, and the sauce is subtly spicy and zesty, think Big Mac meets Chicken McNugget on a sandwich.
Yes, this sandwich is a subtle nod to the Golden Arches, Taylor says, and to pay tribute, he even named it the “Return of the Mack.” The Mack debuts this Wednesday, May 27, for delivery and contactless pickup at Columbia Room.
Tim Ebner: Explain the inspiration for this sandwich? How did the Crystal and Duke’s partnership come about?
Paul Taylor: The inspiration for this sandwich comes from late nights and fast food, sort of my early twenties motto. It is all the things I like after a night at the bar turned into something I would not feel bad about eating during the day. The inclusion of Duke's Mayonnaise and Crystal Hot Sauce is also a match made in sandwich heaven for our birds "special sauce." Duke's is thick and creamy and tart, and Crystal is spicy with all the right umami notes. I genuinely love these brands and already use them regularly, so pairing up with them is a dream.
The partnership came about through the hard work or my good friend and media savant, Erick Sanchez. We had previously worked together on the Drink Company pop-up bars, but our real friendship arose from our mutual love for sandwiches. Erick is friends with his New Orleans neighbor Pepper Baumer of Crystal Hot Sauce. He connected all of us with Duke's Mayo. Both brands immediately were down to support a good cause and a delicious sandwich. Now, we are all friends—it’s a friend sandwich.
TE: What's it like to flex new ideas and sandwich concepts as part of a pop-up? Any chance sandwiches stay on Columbia Room’s menu?
PT: Making sandwiches for people who like sandwiches and helping the people who help us is like a dream come true, albeit during an undesirable situation. I would love to keep making sandwiches for as long as people want them. And after the “Return of the Mack” debuts, I hope people will say, “They go together like Duke’s and Crystal."
TE: Finally, how many sandwiches have you guys donated? What should people do to secure their chicken sandwich?
PT: So far, we have donated over 1300 sandwiches to medical heroes, and the response we have received so far from the community has just been so awesome. We will put this sandwich, along with another new option on Columbia Room’s TOCK menu on Tuesday. And in addition, United Public Affairs, a new public affairs firm launched by Erick, will match all donations on the first day sales of this exciting new partnership.
Meanwhile, the other sandwich is called Panes con Pavo. It’s a Salvadorian stewed turkey with salted cucumber, Crystal fried chili oil, and Duke’s on a baguette. This is my take on a celebration sandwich traditionally served by Salvadorians during the winter holidays. My wife is part Salvadorian, and I first made this sandwich last year for her family, who absolutely loved it. The star is the stewed turkey, which is cooked in tomato, onion, and spices. Where this sandwich veers away from tradition is in its topping. It’s spiced up an umami bomb of fried chili oil that is blended with Crystal hot sauce to bridge flavors together. To add freshness and crunch, there’s also the addition of a slightly salted cucumber and, of course, a generous helping of Duke’s Mayo to balance it all out.
The Columbia Room, 124 Blagden Alley, NW Washington, DC 20001
