Simply Sandwiches » mozzarella

Alidoro is Italian Magic

Ben — Sat, 03 Oct 2009 20:25:34 +0000

Alidoro (105 Sullivan St, between spring and prince) is a little nook-and-cranny shop packed with delicious, lots and lots of delicious. It’s got tiny sandwich counter and the rest of the closet is decorated like an apartment (there are shelves of DVDs, music and who can forget the ceramic dogs and cats). How very adorable!

The sandwiches are phenomenal. It’s run as a human business, not a robot business (skynet?): when they run out of ingredients, they don’t serve those sandwiches that day. When you order something, it’s made fresh: you can see the huge chunks of cured meat being trimmed and sliced. To top it off the sandwiches are fantastic combinations of complementary flavors. The smoked turkey and the sweet peppers go perfectly together. The prosciutto and hot peppers and oil mix wonderfully. The bread is chewy and crusty without making you feel like an animal ripping through food with your teeth.

I had the Michelangelo (prosciutto, provolone cheese, hot peppers, arugula for $10.50) and tried my companion’s Marina (smoked chicken breast, fresh mozzarella, sun dried tomatoes, arugula, for $10.50).

Go to Alidoro, it is amazing.

So fresh (and so clean):

Prosciutto heaven:

Thank god there’s another half:

Fresh roasted Marina:

I’m lookin’ at you delicious turkey:

Champ’s Gourmet Deli is My Work-Lunch Champ

Ben — Mon, 28 Jul 2008 22:54:15 +0000

Champ’s Gourmet Deli (71 Broadway, NY, NY) is a bustling hive of downtown sandwich love, often full of brokers and traders (WAY downtown.) I went for lunch on Thursday around noon and was apprehensive of the lunch rush from bankers and tourists. Thankfully, they work at a blistering speed and it wasn’t terribly crowded (most people take their food to go). They have a decent amount of tables and solo seating along the windows where, thanks to the proximity of the WTC, Wall st and Century 21, you can watch the tourists look at maps. Champ’s looks like a slightly cramped version of the same deli layout that everyone in New York knows: there’s a salad station, a grill station, a sandwich station, some drinks and a cash register. I read through all the usual sandwich offerings (Rubens, tuna, burgers, etc.) and settled on the “Manhattan Special”, because Thursdays are always good for roast beef.

While seemingly nondescript, the sandwich is well constructed. The soft, hot roast beef never exhibited any signs of filling creep, the mozzarella was melted through and the bun kept it all in a neat package while helping the texture and not masking any flavors. That is what this sandwich is all about: texture first flavor second. Sure it tasted good, but the thoroughly soft and warm texture was more inviting. Never was it mushy, or crumbly. Each ingredient provided a slight resistance and came together to soothe like a warm blanket. The portion was large, but not holy-crap-I-can’t-believe-I-finished-it-,-I-can’t-stand-to-walk-and-will-just-take-a-nap-here food-come large. It was the right size.

While I wouldn’t make a weekend event of it, I’d head back there without hesitation. The prices are a little high and the food certainly isn’t gourmet, but Champ’s Gourmet Deli is worth a stop if you’re in the neighborhood (or really like to help tourists with directions). The entrance is really on the south-east corner of Trinity and Rector Streets.

Manhattan Special: Roast Beef, Mozzarella cheese on garlic bread (or in this case a sesame seed roll), $6.75

The sign on Trinity St:

Christmas Surprise:

See all that delicious:

Mmm:

Nederlandse liefdesandwiches: Finally a Perfect Basil, Tomato and Mozzarella Sandwich

Ben — Tue, 15 Jul 2008 23:00:47 +0000

To conclude our feature on Dutch sandwiches, I have a fine beauty that is often thrown together rather haphazardly: the tomato, basil and mozzarella. You see this sandwich everywhere (Cosi calls it the ‘TBM’) and it’s a staple foodstuff for vegetarians on the move. In the states, these are awful, soggy bland sandwiches. The mozzarella is usually old and tasteless, the basil thrown in without thought and the only taste from the tomatoes is cold and mushy. They get even worse when they are pre-made and wrapped in plastic food wrap as the tomato leaks into the bread and the mozzarella drys out. Just the thought makes me thirsty.

This one is another story entirely: the mozzarella is abundant and fresh, the pesto sauce is flavorful and gently drizzled, and the tomatoes are fresh and crispy. Even the roll is a fine choice: soft and multi-grain, it compressed nicely and wasn’t chewy at all. The pine nuts and arugula provided a nice variation in texture. The only mistake: all those frizze greens. I hate fighting with frizze greens. I tried to flatten them on top and include them with their filler companions, but gave up and removed a bunch of them like unruly school children for a time-out. I appreciate that the chef was trying to add more texture, but the arugula did a good enough job. Moral: frizze greens are almost always a waste of time in sandwiches.

Look past the forest of frizze:

Delicious:

Bite Sandwiches Not People

Ben — Mon, 31 Dec 2007 19:43:31 +0000

Today’s double header is two panini’s from Bite (14th st, not Lafayette). Both are delicious. Bite is a great go-to spot for tasty sandwiches that aren’t too expensive ($6.25) or too experimental. They’ve got a decent menu of boring stuff (apps, salads, soups, zzzz), and a nice not-overwhelming list of hot and cold sandwiches. Aside from the two below, I recommend the spicy middle eastern mushroom. It’s delicious.

Both of these were delicious, crunchy and decently balanced. Neither of them had any trouble staying together, thanks to the pressing and cheese. Both were filling and left the eaters tapping their belly purring ‘tastycakesssss.’ Which is exactly the response a good sandwich should induce.

In order of appearance:
“Prosciutto and Mozzarella with sundried tomatoes, chopped basil, and a touch of olive oil”
“Genoa Salami with fresh mozzarella, roasted pepper tapenade and sundried tomato and basil mayo”