The State of Sandwich Love

I am not claimig to have discovered anything new here, both of these places are very well known and for the right reasons.

Primanti Brothers in Pittsburgh, PA

(http://primantibros.com/home.html)

As a born and raised Clevelander I must say, I’ve spent most of my time avoiding Pittsburgh. My first experience with a “Pittsburgh-style sandwich” was actually in Chicago at Lucky’s Sandwich Company (http://www.luckysandwich.com/). Completely unaware of what accoutrements adorn a ‘burgh-style sandwich, I insistedon trying the chili cheese fries in addition to my sandwich despite my well-seasoned waitress’ warnings. Needless to say I was APPALLED to find more fries on my sandwich topped with a mound of slaw the size of my face.

This time, however, I was prepared and pumped to get my hands on an original. The classic egg did not disappoint, next time I’ll be trying to the ham and egg for sure. I had a prime seat at the counter and watched them pump out sandwiches to a busy and hungry crowd. Don’t expect a plate and grab a pile of napkins to conquer this beast.

Tip: I got there around 11am and the line started forming around 11:30 for the lunch rush so its worth skipping breakfast for an early lunch!

DiNiC’s at Reading Terminal Market in Philadelphia, PA

(http://www.tommydinics.com/)

I was on the quest for a Philly Cheese steak this past trip to Philly. It’s been a while since I’ve had one and I was ready to hike as far as I had to for the best. Doing some research online I kept coming across DiNiC’s which doesn’t even sell cheese steak. Initially writing it off I continued searching until it came up again. Local after local kept posting the phrase “the sandwich Philly should be known for”. Well, this was intriguing as was the fact that it was about a five minute walk and I had been wanting the check out the famous market for some time now as well.

The market, first of all, is a must go: coffee, cannoli, herbs, produce and SEAFOOD SEAFOOD SEAFOOD. (http://www.readingterminalmarket.org/).

I’ve heard the lines at DiNics can be brutal so I went at an off-time. Now, you risk them running out of food if you do this, but it worked well for me. The roast pork is just so flavorful and moist, the bread is flaky and the provolone is sharp!  They were out of the famous broccoli rabe topping, so I opted for the peppers and they were tasty and paired with the meat really well. I added some hot peppers and was on a roll WHAT a great sandwich. I can clearly see why it won Adam Richman’s Best Sandwich in America.

Time for me to double up on the hotel-yoga to make up for these tasty but heavy indulgences!