SPRINGFIELD – This week’s Best Damn Sandwich entails a review for a delicious roast beef sandwich as the second part of a four-part series featuring sandwiches from The Student Prince & The Fort.

I visited the Student Prince, located at 8 Fort St. in Springfield, for the first time with my coworkers last winter during the restaurant’s game night – also known as the “Hunter’s Dinner.” I tried pigeon, frog legs and rare venison, among other things. While I was pleasantly surprised that the pigeon tasted like chicken, I could only hope that my second trip to the restaurant for this week’s sandwich review was slightly less adventurous.

Playing it safe, I opted for the Beef on Weck sandwich, which features roast beef, horseradish and Au Jus sauce on a weck roll.

As an avid red meat-lover, the roast beef did not disappoint – it doesn’t hurt that the Student Prince is renowned for its quality meat dishes.  I will say, however, if you are into rare roast beef then this sandwich is not for you.

The Beef on Weck takes on the classic French dip approach, with flavorful, thoroughly cooked roast beef. A generous amount of meat was applied to the roll and the Au Jus was served hot and savory.

This was my first time trying a weck roll, which is a cousin to the Brotchen and Kaiser rolls. They are traditionally topped with coarse salt, poppy seeds and either caraway seeds or sesame seeds before being baked.

I appreciated that the roll did not get soggy after dipping the sandwich into the Au Jus sauce multiple times. The toppings added a nice texture to the sandwich as well.

Because I have no tolerance for spiciness, I asked for the horseradish sauce on the side. I did try a sliver of it – due to peer pressure from my coworkers –  and only re-established the fact that I do not like spicy flavors.

Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed my second visit to the Student Prince.

The atmosphere is always aesthetically pleasing and interesting to look at, and the service was tremendous. I will definitely be returning in the near future.