CLEVELAND, Ohio – “Holy torpedoes, Batman!” Whether you call them subs, torpedoes, grinders, hoagies, heroes or spuckies (I see you Boston expats!), a good Italian sub is hard to beat.
And yes, my friends, The Land is chock full of them. What’s not to love?
They always come with metric ton of ham, provolone cheese, salami, mortadella, gabagool and crisp veg crammed on an impressively crusty-but-tender sub roll, then dressed slippery mayo-EVOO Italian dressing.
Some add pepperoni. Salt, pepper, oregano and banana peppers to taste. Getting hungry just typing it.
When editorial content emerges about Italian food in these parts, the lion’s share of it points to the Feast of the Assumption in Little Italy. Rightly so, I might add. Arguably the Midwest’s premier Italian food destination event, it draws tens of thousands every year.
Look at that gorgeous cutaway. The Fragabomb is definitely “good eats.” Order hungry.Peter Chakerian, Cleveland.com
But there’s not much talk about the hero that’s there year-round for those who crave one. With over 200,000 Italians in the Cleveland metro area, it seemed like a topic worth putting out there.
We do Italian subs well.
Craving for an Italian sub always comes for me after a long day’s physical work. I’ve usually worked up quite an appetite and at most spots, you end up with a sandwich that weighs in at up to two pounds. When you’re tired, hungry and in that low-energy moment, it’s time to call in an Italian Navy vessel.
It’s always a multiple napkin endeavor. Or it should be. If you don’t have all that juicy veg and slippery dressing running down your chin and all over your hands, you’re doing it all wrong.
That some enterprising restaurateur hasn’t yet opened a shop called “Missile City Subs” is beyond me. Somebody get on that, please. I’ve got great names for the sandwiches.
There are some truly impressive Italian subs to be had around these parts and (thankfully) nearly all the places I’ve enjoyed them are still rolling along. Local West, Grum’s, Ferrara’s on Mayfield and (of course) Gust Gallucci’s have great Italians.
We’ll be talking about those last two spots in future columns.
The Fragabomb gives you maximum deli meat for your dollar. It’s a hefty sandwich and you could hurt someone if you threw it at them. But don’t you dare. Drop it off at our newsroom instead.Peter Chakerian, Cleveland.com
Dante’s Westpark’s “Dante’s Special” is a massive bomb of flavor and, at $20, can easily feed 2-3 if you’re feeling like sharing. Herb & Twine in Ohio City’s sando has red wine vinegar-dressed greens and marinated onion, which adds great layers of flavor and texture.
Gourmand’s in Valley View is a great Towpath Trail post-cycling stop, when you know you’ll be ravenous. Their “All-Italian” comes with a creamy Italian dressing, that’s lilting and tangy. We love that their other huge cold cut sub is called the “U-Boat.” It is. They are.
La Bodega in Tremont, T.J.’s Butcher Block & Deli in Lakewood and D’Italia Fine Foods in Westlake all have exceptional Italian sub sandwiches – with the latter having one of the best Italian beef subs I’ve had outside of Chicago.
Gentile’s in Parma is also a solid choice; I always ask them to add roasted red peppers and balsamic to my sub (which is usually found on their mortadella sando). That adds a whole other level of flavor to the festivities.
And as one might expect, you can’t go wrong with an Italian from Primo’s Deli or Deviti’s Italian Market in Akron, the Murray Hill Market in Little Italy or Fragapane’s Bakery & Deli in North Olmsted and Bay Village. It takes an enormous amount of restraint for me to resist their “Fragabomb.”
You could throw one at somebody and hurt ‘em, that’s just how hefty a Fragabomb is.
But don’t you dare. Some of us are hungry over here.
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