This French dip sandwich is pitch-perfect (don't forget the shoestring fries)

The first French dip sandwich I ever tasted was at the Arby's on Beechmont Avenue in the mid-1980s. At the time, I thought it was the greatest sandwich the Western world had ever created. The tender roast beef on a submarine roll, sliced on the diagonal and served with a cup of meat and vegetable au jus. The longer you kept the sandwich submerged in that jus, the better it tasted. I ate ungodly amounts of them until a popular kid from my high school started managing a nearby Subway and I shifted my allegiances to their footlong steak-and-cheese, instead.

The French dip was invented in Los Angeles in the early 1900s at either Cole's, in downtown Los Angeles, or Philippe's, in Chinatown. After decades of debate, no one can figure out which establishment can lay claim. But given Philippe Mathieu (the owner of Philippe's) was French, and that he documented the story of its creation to a Los Angeles Times reporter in the 1950s, he might have a slight edge.

More semi-French things: The best french fries in Cincinnati, ranked

Unlike those steak-and-cheese sandwiches at Subway, the French dip still looms large in my memory. If I spot one on a menu, everything else just disappears. That's what happened when I visited J. Alexander's on a recent Friday afternoon. The Nashville-based chain located at Rookwood Commons, in Norwood, is a place I sometimes forget about, even though it's one of the most solid restaurants in town.

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They also serve a pitch-perfect French dip. The tender beef is carved in-house and topped with schmear of spicy horseradish and served on a squishy-soft baguette. Be sure to order it with a side of J. Alexander's shoestring fries, which are among the tastiest around.

Aside from J. Alexander's, several other Greater Cincinnati restaurants offer French dips worth trying. The Governor, in Milford, makes one with lamb and tops it with garlic sauce, fried onions and salsa verde. The Farmstand Market and Cafe, in Union, has a more classic version with house-roasted top round and provolone cheese. Jason's Deli's Beefeater sandwich comes with a half pound of roast beef with provolone on a New Orleans-style French baguette. And hey, in a pinch, that Arby's French dip still has its pleasures.

Highly Recommended is a weekly spotlight on some of food writer Keith Pandolfi's favorite finds as he eats his way across Greater Cincinnati. Find more of his recent food writing here.

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Why the French dip sandwich at J. Alexander's is pitch-perfect