Another vote for Togo’s It was a special treat when I was a kid and we’d get up to the bay area. When I live in Bakersfield they had one near my house and I think I ate there at least once a week. Now I make due with Whichwich as my favorite but I still dream of Togo’s easily #2 on the best chains in California next to only In-n-Out.
The last time I got a muffaletta at Central Grocery was in January, and the sandwiches were being made to order then–the speed of the line was determined by the speed of the sandwich makers. I could certainly imagine them making sandwiches ahead of time, but would the oil soak through the paper wrapping? It certainly did with the muffaletta we bought (we bought it on the way to the airport, and enjoyed it at our layover en route home).
The first thing that defines the muffuletta is the oily, vinegary, garlicky green olive salad spooned copiously over the other fillings. That stuff is so delicious I could eat it out of the jar with a soup spoon. Or Cuisinart it and inject it directly into a vein.
The other thing that defines the muffuletta is the weird flat round roll. I find these unpleasantly dense and biscuity and tasteless (maybe no enough salt in the dough?).
The rest of the inside of the sandwich is the usual stuff you’d find in a basic Italian hero in New York or an Italian hoagie in Philadelphia: capicola (or good ham), genoa salami, mortadella, and provolone.
So another vote from me for Best Sub would be a home made muffuletta on a good fresh Italian hero roll, oozing with green olive salad.
We used to have a Mr. Goodcents in my hometown in northern Michigan. Sadly, it closed years ago before I moved away, and there are none nearby where I live now. I can’t even get it when I go back… Who knows if I had it today whether it would live up to my memory, but that is my favorite sub of all time. These days Firehouse is pretty good.
No love for Potbelly?
I love a Muffuletta but I wouldn’t normally consider it a sub… it is a sandwich unique to itself. Since not all of us are within a lunch drive of NOLA McAlister’s Deli, which is pretty widespread (24 states), makes a pretty good one.
imho, Firehouse makes the best meatball sub, fabulous toasted cheese.
For the money, Wegman’s supermarkets has the best traditional subs. the most expensive Jersey Mike’s are twice the money and only a teeny bit better, imho.
When I was a young man I spent part of a year in upper state New York, near Watertown. Carthage to be precise. Followed a girl whose family had moved there. And there was a regional sub franchise called Jrecks that made some great subs. A search says they started the business in Carthage and have about 40 stores now.
I don’t know if they still are so good but I looked and they are still making them. An upstate New Yorker might update on them.
After I had approximately 100 introductory conversations with locals my age similar to: “You are from Oregon? What the hell are you doing here!? We are all trying to get out!” I returned to Oregon, the girl followed me and we got married.
That didn’t work out, but is still miss the Jrecks. Her, not so much.
I was out with a friend today and we had to pick up some things in that shopping center, so I said to him “Look over there…Jersey Mike’s!” and we went.
Jersey Mike’s, FTW!
Well, in many cases it is the “rural areas” that have “mom and pop” stores and other independent joints that are good and a lack of chains. The best sub I ever had was in rural convenience store on a back road, and when I was a kid it seemed every little corner store or convenience store or small-town luncheonette had subs and extensive deli products. I was used to being able to ride my bike just about anywhere and find a sub shop that would have a decent Italian and/or cheese steak. Pizza wasn’t quite as common, but that was usually from your neighborhood family restaurant or pizza and subs joint, often call “(Town Name) Pizza” or Bubba’s or whatever. The first time I went to a Subway, I tried to order a cheese steak and they’d never heard of it. Then I got some Italian sub that reminded me of something that would come in the $1.10 school lunch most kids would throw away.
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Jimmy John’s is convenient for their speed, but that comes at the expense of variety (I don’t think you can even customize your toppings), and all of their subs taste kind of bland and nondescript to me.
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I always order them delivery online. I guess that makes them different than the other chains, too. And they deliver super fast, of course. Every single thing can be customized from the toppings to amount. You can add bacon, avocado, hold the mayo. Whatever. When I’ve been inside I’ve asked for different toppings. Subway always turned me off because of the way they did the toppings and how they advertise certain subs with specific topping combinations and then don’t know how to do it that way.
That said, my wife loves Jimmy Johns. It’s just OK and convenient to me. I think I like Jersey Mike’s best of the other chains I’ve tried lately.
One of the best we had last time we were in the US was from Bunk’s in Portland. In fact, it was on the list of places that must be visited while we were there!