The Italian Sub. The Good, The Bad and The Ugly

A summary of my adventures eating Italian subs from around the area. I'm not a sandwich guy since I grew up in another country. Reubens and Italians are just about the only sandwiches that I like. Feel free to recommend other places with excellent Italians٭.

This is a half Italian from, of all places, Market Basket ($4.99 for a whole Italian on sale). "Mortadella, ham, capicola, genoa salami, provolone." All high-quality meats. With everything except tomatoes and olives. Never seen olives anywhere else. Is that common? Flatten it out and rearrange the toppings. This is the only way to eat it and the only way that makes sense. Now I get a bit of everything in every bite. Don't tell anybody, but I put mayo on the bread and Gray Poupon on the meats. This is my favorite, especially for the price, despite that the bread could be improved. The other half is for dinner. The onions now are sliced and not chopped. Now I can get the ham and cheese when it's on sale. Chopped onions don't make the cut. It's fine on an Italian, but not on a ham and cheese. 08/15/21

Sub roll +1 Size +0 Premium meats +1 Provolone +1 Toppings +1 Price +2= +6

They will also wrap each half separately and package both. 25 seconds in the microwave will improve the whole thing immensely.

LaCascia's Bakery & Deli in Burlington is famous for a lot of things, great subs, steak tips, and Scali bread. Their PRIMO ITALIAN (10.50 large) is much talked about. "With mortadella, prosciutto, sopressata, dry capicola, pepperoni and provolone." A generous amount of the prime cured meats were sliced paper-thin. The braided roll was only available for small subs? It was a plentiful amount of toppings, including hots, but no banana peppers or lettuce. I did skip the mustard due to the high-quality meats. This was an excellent Italian and might relegate the one from MB to second place. Next time I'll ask them for only a few pepperoni slices since that dominated the flavors. 08/28/21

Bread +1 Size +1 Cold Cuts +2 Cheese +1 Toppings -1 Price +0 = +4

I removed half the pepperoni and added mustard when I consumed the other half. It went from really good to excellent.

Lucci's Market in Wilmington has an excellent deli that gets praised whenever subs are discussed. No choice of bread for the large Italian ($6.99). Everything except tomatoes, including hots. Mayo on the bread, please. Sound engineering when constructing the sub, so I didn't have to do much to be able to eat it flat. The toppings were good even if there were no banana peppers and the onions were a bit sparse. The cold cut was nothing fancy, but the amount was very generous. Way more than MB, but I like their cold cuts better. 10/04/21

Bread +1 Size +1 Cold Cuts +2 Cheese +1 Toppings +1 Price +2 = +8

Jersey Mike's Subs in Bedford opened recently. I was intrigued about their subs since they have been saturating the airwaves with ads. They also seem to be on an expansion streak in NE, with locations popping up all over the place. They are located in a small strip mall just before Whole Food.

This is a #13 Regular Italian ($9.50). "Provolone, ham, prosciuttini, cappacuolo, salami, and pepperoni." Hold the tomatoes, hold the vinegar, add mayo. For size, compare it to the half Italian above. It was 90% ham, as you can see. Decent amount of provolone. The hots was mainly absent. A few banana peppers and one gigantic slice of banana pepper. The requested pickles were sliced pickles and not the usual chopped ones. The onions were sliced thinly, but the mayo was only present on the top slice. Not impressed by the bread. I did eat the whole thing. I usually get two meals out of an Italian sub. Not at all impressed, even if they promise you a complimentary submarine on your birthday. 12/28/21

Bread -1 Size -2 Cold Cuts -2 Cheese +1 Toppings -2 Price -2 = -8

Sammy's Deli in Burlington. As far as I'm concerned, they are in Woburn 😀. Large Italian on Braided (9 10) with everything except tomatoes. Tomatoes lost all taste a long time ago. Braided is always good. A good amount of toppings including hots. However, the meats leave a lot to be desired. No premium meats were included. I had to ask for oil and seasoning on top. 01/28/22

Bread +1 Size +1 Cold Cuts -2 Cheese +1 Toppings -1 Price -0 = +0

I was going to get a cup of their Clam Chowder that I remembered as being very good, but it was a very thin potato soup, so I passed. Instead, I got the Jambalaya that was fantastic. Loaded with the good stuff and just a smidgen of rice and really well seasoned with a little kick. I'll be back for more of the Jambalaya.

Café Sicilia in Tewksbury. Everyone is raving about them, and despite being quite far away for me, I had to give them a try. This is half of the large Italian ($12) on braided. Look at the size of that braided! Comparing this to the ones above that are also on the same size plate. A good amount of very thinly sliced premium cold cuts. Plenty of hots, and I really like the sliced onions. There was just a minuscule amount of cheese. There was an abundance of pickles, and I have already removed about half of them. I removed a few more before starting in on this gigantic sandwich. I usually rearrange everything to be able to eat it flat, but this was soo big that I just put the bottom layer on top of the right side and had at it. This is a serious contender for best Italian. 02/08/22

Bread +2 Size +2 Cold Cuts +2 Cheese -1 Toppings -3 Price -2 = +0

Special mention goes to New Deal Fruit for their Top Shelf Italian ($14.99). "3 Slices of Everything Italian on Top Shelf." Worth trying at least once. I personally thought it was too many flavors mixed together.

Some that didn't make the cut.
Brodies Pub had an Italian on Special. Dry, stale bread and only two slices of meat. No, not two slices of each cold cut, just two slices, period.

Anthonys in Stoneham serves up a gigantic Italian loaded with meats. But, unfortunately, there were no prime cured meats, just the cheap cuts.

Bob's in Medford left out all the advertised prime meats. Not a good way to get repeat customers.

This is getting too long! I'm starting Part II.

٭The next writeup will include D'Agostino's, Borrelli's, New fruit Revere, Carls steak and Subs, butcher Boy.

Courage is the price that life exacts for granting peace.

-- Amelia Earhart

Milestone!

 

A significant number for me.

Sichuan Palace Chelmsford Part Deux

After I finished the last write-up of Sichuan Palace in Chelmsford, I still had a long list of dishes to try, so here is the follow-up. They have the best online menu I have seen anywhere.

Nothing new here. Move on.

Pork Belly with Chestnut ($14.50) was 10% off during August. "Braised pork belly with chestnut." The small side of white rice is $1, and that's the right price. Again, the food comes out on a gigantic serving platter. The pork belly was excellent, and I really liked the sauce and the spinach. I had chestnuts before and didn't like them. Tried them again here and still don't like them. The taste is OK, but I don't like the texture. 08/26/21

Garlic Pork Rib ($14.95). "Fried pork rib with garlic, red & green pepper, onion, and scallion." The scallion was absent, and they were sitting on a big mound of lettuce. They were garlicky, alright! They were also super crispy, but the ratio of meat to bone was overwhelmingly in favor of the bone. I chewed the meat off all of them and could have had a dozen more, and I'm a light eater. A small bowl of rice is still only $1. 10/03/21

They now have proper menus with pictures. The menu has also expanded considerably, and I was happy to see the Ribs and Potatoes dish back on the menu, this time named correctly.

Guess why I go up Rte 3 on weekends?

Chicken with Pickled Mustard Greens (13.50). "Stir-fried with pickled mustard greens and cilantro in white sauce." No cilantro. The veggies were cooked well, tender but still firm. The dark meat chicken was juicy and tender. The mustard greens were mild and could have been pickled longer. It was an agreeable dish but a bit too bland for me. I asked for some chili oil and was really glad that I did. The chili oil was delightful, not super spicy but very aromatic. I might ask for it regardless of what I order 😋. 10/31/21

Pork Ribs with Potato (14.95) with 10% of during November. On the new fancy menu, it didn't have any pepper, and that confused me. I know I ordered it extra spicy the last time I had it, and I don't do that unless it's marked as spicy. The owner took my order, and I ordered it extra spicy anyway. She knew that I complained about a three pepper dish that was just about one pepper, so this time it was EXTRA EXTRA spicy! It was a severe case of a runny nose spicy. I wasn't going to order any rice since it already had potatoes included, but It was soo spicy that I had to order a small bowl of white rice. It also helped to soak up the delicious sauce. I again had high hopes for this dish and wasn't disappointed with the tasty and tender pork that fell off the bone. Be aware that there might be bone splinters in the food, but this is kind of expected with anything on the bone. The potatoes were cooked perfectly. 11/25/21

Talkin to Yanni after I was done about the spicy versus the no-spicy, she checked with the chef, and it turns out the dish went from spicy to no-spicy. But, of course, you can always order it spicy, and you should.

SPICY TEA SMOKED DUCK (17.95 after 10% off). "Tea smoked duck sautéed with long leek, onion, ginger, red pepper, green pepper." It was really delicious, and it was 2 pepper spicy as listed on the menu. It was also sitting in a pool of chili oil that was shared with lots of peanuts. The duck was cut into too small pieces, and it was difficult to eat. The tea-smoked part didn't really stand out. 12/05/21

Every other Sunday, she has a Tastetest event. $20/pp, but the drawback is that it starts a 4:00 PM. That is precisely halfway between my lunch and dinner. Nevertheless, I decided to attend this event, and it was a delight. Small portions, of course, but I was happy at the end. This was a very reasonable way of trying dishes that I probably wouldn't order otherwise.

A01 SPRING ROLLS "Cabbage and Pork stuffing." This is actually A02 with A01 filling. Light a crispy.

CA17 SPICY MUNG BEAN JELLY "Cold Shredded Mung Bean Jelly in Sichuan Chili Oil Sauce." Tasty and interesting.

F06 FISH FILET WITH SOFT TOFU. "Braised with soft tofu and roasted soybean in chili sauce." Excellent.

C12 SPICY SHREDDED CHICKEN. "Stir-fried with green long pepper, chili pepper powder, peppercorn oil and powder." This was seriously spicy but very good.

P05 STIR FRIED SALTED PORK BELLY. "Sautéed with long leek and red pepper in Douban and chili sauce." Excellent.

P11 SHREDDED PORK WITH KING OYSTER MUSHROOM. "Stir-fried with red pepper, green pepper and green onion in white sauce." Surprisingly likable.

V02 EGGPLANT IN GARLIC SAUCE. "Sautéed eggplant in garlic sauce." Not a fan of eggplant, except in Chinese restaurants. Very good, and the sauce was excellent but a tad sweet. Interesting dish.

V14 CABBAGE WITH CHINESE BACON. "Sautéed with dry pepper." No idea I didn't get this.

DE01 SESAME SWEET YAM RICE CAKE. "Deep-fried and sprinked with sesame seeds." Much to my surprise, I really liked this one. 12/12/21

Address: 7 Summer St #17-18, Chelmsford, MA 01824 Phone number: (978) 256-8545

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Mexicali Danvers

Mexicali Cantina Grill in Danvers is part of a small but fast-growing chain, and this is the tenth location. They opened in late '18 in this location that was previously home to the British Beer Company. So it was time to go back and have my favorite lunch dish again.

I'm actually surprised and thankful at how many of my favorite restaurants survived Covid.

Everything is back to normal, so I could get my hightop in the bar again. You get thin and fresh warm chips and salsa. I really liked the multicolor chips, but they are gone now. The salsa was fresh and very good with a hint of heat. It was also seasoned really well. The salsa is almost a reason to go back. Rolled up silverware, but it was a good quality napkin with good quality silverware.

The Chili Verde is my benchmark for a Mexican restaurant, and if they do this well, they are likely to do the rest of the dishes well. Lunch Pork Chile Verde (12). "Chunks of pork loin cooked until tender in a mild green tomatillo sauce of green peppers, onions, cilantro and spices. Served with rice and beans". It was also served with corn or flour tortillas. I went with the flour ones that had been lightly grilled and were super fresh and tasty. They don't make their own tortillas, does anybody? The Chili Verde was excellent. Tender pork in a very savory sauce that was well seasoned and tart from the tomatillos. It was also a very generous lunch serving. The rice was light and fluffy, and the refried beans needed more seasoning but had a good texture. 11/15/21

Lunch Pork Carnitas (12). "Traditionally slow cooked pork loin prepared with garlic and salt and topped with a mild red sauce. Served with rice and beans". The carnitas was tasty, not sure where the "mild red sauce" is? It was a good dish, but not very exciting. The refried beans and rice are fine, as were the flour tortillas. 11/30/21

Nachos Supreme (11). "Choice of ground beef, chorizo, or shredded chicken. Served with tomatoes, onions, sour cream and guacamole". Chorizo, of course, and hold the sour cream. The cheese was a bit carbonized on this side, but the rest was fine. I was happy with the generous serving of guacamole despite it needing salt. There is a right way of serving nachos and a wrong way. The right way is to layer the toppings and cheese on every layer of chips, and this one was done right. The wrong way is to only put cheese and toppings on top. Who serves nachos without jalapenos? That was really the only fault with this. Two different kinds of cheese, BTW. 12/14/21

Lunch COMBOS Choose 2 (10). "Chile Relleno, Enchilada, Tostada, Burrito, Taco, Tamale or Chimichanga". So I went with Chile Relleno X 2. There are actually two of them underneath the cheese and sauce. I tried to get them with the offered Chile Verde, but that failed. Perfectly cleaned poblanos, not a seed left. One poblano was mild, but the other one was really spicy! A win! Excellent value this. The colored chips are back. 01/25/22

Lunch Taco Salad (9). "Choice of ground beef, shredded or grilled chicken, barbacoa or pork carnitas. Served in a taco shell with lettuce, cheese, tomatoes and sour cream". Hold the sour cream, and I asked for Chili Verde, and that was, of course, not a problem. I'm not much of a salad guy and hadn't really thought about what a taco salad is? As far as I can see, it's just the taco shell it's served in that makes it a Taco Salad. No dressing, nothing Mexican in the salad itself. I asked for Caesar dressing to get some pizazz into the greens. Unload the Chili Verde, then mix in the dressing. The bigger chunks of the Chili Verde were dry. Not the most exciting meal I have had. The basket of chips has gone noticeably smaller. 02/07/22

Address: 29 Andover St, Danvers, MA 01923 Phone: 978-304-1860

Genius is 1 percent inspiration, 99 percent perspiration.

-- Thomas Edison

Birthday Delights

Many places will give you something for your birthday if you sign up for their newsletter/club membership etc. I'm a big fan of free stuff, so here's what happened during January.

The Serenitee group will give you a free Entree and Dessert good for the whole month with no limitations. Maggie's Farm had an Australian Rack Of Lamb on their specials menu. "Served with Mashed Potato, Broccoli, and Cilantro Chimichurri Sauce." The broccoli quickly got replaced by asparagus. I ordered the rack of lamb and again got lamb chops. I meant to ask my server before ordering but forgot. This seems to be a common thing these days. A Rack of Lamb ≠ Lamb Chops. The lamb was tender, well seasoned, and actually tasted of lamb for once. The mash was very pleasing, but the asparagus was not appropriately trimmed since the woodsy ends were left on. Serius kitchen fail. The chimichurri was excellent, very flavorful, with a hint of heat. Service here is always excellent.

Key Lime Pie with whipped cream & lime zest. This was excellent the last time I had it. However, this time it was more of a cake than a pie. Very dense and dry. Not their best effort.

Fogo de Chao Gives you a $25 gift card good for two weeks around your birthday for lunch or dinner Churrasco experience. It is also valid for brunch, and the Sunday Brunch was wicked busy. You get $15 just for signing up.

Millers Tavern $10 off during your birthday week. Cast Iron Macaroni and Cheese ($14.49). "Five cheese baked elbow macaroni and cheese, topped with Ritz cracker crumbs. Add Bacon (1.95), Lobster (7.95) Buffalo Style-Fried buffalo chicken, scallions, blue cheese crumbles (3)". I added Bacon and Buffalo Chicken. Guess what happens when you add crispy chicken and smother it in the sauce instead of leaving it on top? I expected crispy bacon, but that was not to be. It was just heated up in the sauce. The sauce was tasty with the buffalo seasoning and the blue cheese. However, it had split badly. When I mentioned this to my waitress, she offered to have the kitchen redo the dish. At this time, I was so cold that I needed some hot food in me, so I declined. The temperature when I arrived was 56 and had reached a balmy 59 when I left. I don't recommend going for lunch unless you want to wear your coat. There were no crackers on top, nor did the promised scallions make it. I just tried the app I downloaded for the temp at home, and it's not very accurate. It was still cold inside.

After putting this review on their website, they quickly reached out and gave me a refund. The review was also removed.

Not Your Average Joe's $15 off exp June. I visited the Peabody location since the Burlington location isn't very good.
BBQ MEATLOAF ($17.95). "grilled meatloaf made with beef, pork, smoked mozzarella, veggies and herbs, with a tangy bbq gravy, mashed potatoes and seasonal veg, topped with crispy onion strings". The seasonal veg was quickly swapped with green beans. The beans were crispy to the point of being uncooked. The mashed was the real deal since it had lumps of unmashed potatoes. It also had slimy skins left in. The gravy was actually pretty good this time. The meatloaf was tasty and well seasoned. The promised onion string had morphed into onion rings that were sort of crispy and not bad at all. I also added a small Caesar salad (+2.50). The greens were fine and came with the dressing on the side. The problem with this was that the bowl was so small that the dressing could not be mixed in. The bread plate comes to the rescue. The croutons were soo hard that they weren't edible. The warm focaccia and the dipping oil were on point. My server was excellent and friendly.

Tavern In the Square gives you a free appetizer during your birthday month. Appetizer BBQ Chicken Pizza. "Bbq sauce, sharp provolone, fire roasted corn, bacon, onion jam." This was a pleasant pizza with a nice thin crust and appetizing toppings. The pizza was tasty, even if the bacon had been carbonized. Wish there was more bacon. Putting BBQ sauce on chicken doesn't really make it BBQ, does it?

Jersey Mike's 72 Points added for a free small sub. I'll pass on this for now. Not impressed with my previous visit.

6 free birthday Wings from Buffalo Wild Wings. Used, no picture.

Red Heat Tavern Free Dessert Pass
Chick-fil-A Free Cookie Good for a month Pass
Blaze Free Dessert Pass
Burtons Appetizer with an entree. Pass No lunch menu and too expensive.
Fiorella's Free Entre IF you buy one at the regular price. Pass
Frank Pepe Program has ended.
Margs Nothing this year.

Did I miss anyone?

Is not life a hundred times too short for us to bore ourselves?

-- Friedrich Nietzsche