Restaurant Scene: Family from Ramallah brought Chattanooga scrumptious steak sandwich

No, this is not me uncovering a hidden gem. As much as I want to take the credit, I can’t. Anybody from Chattanooga or anybody who knows somebody from Chattanooga knows about Ankar’s Hoagies, whether it’s the location on Hixson Pike, Highway 58 or the original spot on Brainerd Road.

I compare its admiration to that of Gray’s Papaya. When I first moved to New York City, natives made it seem like I was guilty of breaking some type of cultural law if I didn’t eat there. I took heed and found myself standing on the corner of West 72nd Street chomping down on Gray’s Papaya’s signature, all-beef, beautifully charred frank covered in sauerkraut and mustard.

In a more genteel manner, Chattanoogans made me feel the same way about Ankar’s as those obnoxious New Yorkers made me feel about Gray’s Papaya, claiming my time in their city would be in vain if I didn’t eat at Ankar’s, and more specifically, if I didn’t eat the “steak in a sack.”