ottawa foodies

When I head out to Merivale for an all day shopping spree I often stop at Nicastro's for a midday meal. Their sandwiches are my favourite! They have a selection of buns near the sandwich counter so you can pick one then load up on fillings. Customers are given a choice of meats (you can pick up to three different meats), cheese and toppings. My favourite is prosciutto, provolone, spicy eggplant and hot peppers. They have now added chicken/veal parmigiana on a bun and meatballs on a bun. On a trip there last fall I asked for veal parmigiana on a bun however they were all out of veal so I had the chicken. I was given a generous portion of chicken and tomato sauce and my choice of cheese and toppings. I stuck with provolone cheese deciding that extra toppings would be too much for an already full sandwich. Everything was delicious although hard to manage since the sandwich was so well packed the superfluous chicken and tomato sauce squished out the end of the bun. That's just a small quibble though since their sandwiches are so good. On a trip to Merivale over the Christmas holidays I headed back to try the meatballs on a bun. The sandwich included two really big meatballs which they sliced then placed in the bun then topped with tomato sauce. I was also given a choice of cheese and toppings however I settled for some slices of provolone since the sandwich was already full. It was just as awesome as the chicken parmigiana I ordered on my last trip to Nicastro's. There are a couple of other restos on Merivale I would like to try but it will be a challenge to tear myself away from Nicastro's to try them...

These sandwiches used to be $3 until Cheap Eats Ottawa ousted them! Anyhow it's a great sandwich that rivals that of another local Italian grocer. The paninis are smaller and softer than that of their competitors (which I prefer) and they certainly give a generous helping of your choice of deli meat (prosciutto or pastrami being my favs) Love that pickled eggplant!

If I had a picture for every sandwich I've had over a lunch at Nicastro's, I'd have a lot of pictures. Assembled before your very eyes from a heap of delicious meats (your $4 sandwich will contain more than $4 of prosciutto, I swear), fresh cheese, and tasty condiments. I'm particularly fond of the marinated, chili-spiked eggplant that they offer.

Damn you, I need one of these at my face rtf now.

An amazing turkey and spicy salami sandwich on a soft panini with mustard, mayo, lettuce, onion, eggplant, banana peppers, tomato and mozzarella cheese. Fantastic and should have been enough for two meals but I ate at it all. This is definitely a good place to wear your mask, although they have directional arrows in the aisles, social distancing here is as difficult as anywhere I've been so far.

Loved the seriously craveworthy Porchetta Panino ($14)! Gorgeous chunks of lean-tender and fatty-crisp porchetta on warm ciabatta with provolone and giardiniera, accompanied by a nice salad.

In the meat on bread category of meals this knife and fork platter is top notch!

The Crostini appetizer ($10) works really well as a light meal. These are two slices of lightly toasted bread on a bed of arugula, topped with a layer of ricotta, a generous pile of perfectly sauteed rapini (with some chili flakes), and a final coating of fluffy grated parmigiano. Delightful!

Seriously!

Oh, the price has skyrocketed to $6.20+tax = $7. Still a bargain.

A new favourite! Italian ham with mozzarella on a delightful 'everything' bun. This particular bun isn't always available, but there's always something yummy on offer.

Totally worth waiting in line for 3 minutes! 😉

It's hard to beat the pleasure per dollar value of the sandwiches here! $6.50 tax-in for this Rustic Ciabatta sandwich, loaded with prosciutto and roast turkey, mozzarella, lettuce, tomato, olives, spicy eggplant, and mustard.

Here is a picture of the roast beef sandwich with onions and provolone with a side of salad. Me too, I have never been able to get a seat or go there when the restaurant is open in the back until yesterday. It was delightful. The sandwich was just heated enough (grilled) and the salad was fresh and dressed with balsamic vinegar and olive oil. I was happy to also have a can of blood orange San Pellegrino with my meal.

I have never had the chance to experience the little cafe at the back of La Bottega. It seems that it is always either closed or completely full.

That being said, their sandwiches at the deli counter are fantastic. My go-to La Bottega sandwich: foccacia bread, proscuitto, spicy salami, spicy capicollo, provolone, pickled peppers, pickled eggplant, mayo, lettuce, tomato. Fantastico! Great sandwich for a great price.

Best bang for your buck in terms of sandwiches in O-Town. I always end up eating them on the move and inevitably spill some (usually on my shirt). A testament to how deliciously overloaded these puppies are.

Still an incredible weekday lunch deal here! $5.99 got me a delicious Sicilian sausage and peppers sandwich with homemade chicken noodle soup.

This is truly one of the most amazing value lunches in the Ottawa area! The lunch special is $5.99 for a soup and any sandwich ($6.75 with tax). On my recent visit, the special sandwich was pork piccata and the soup was delicious vegetable with roast pork shoulder.

It feels exactly like going to your Polish grandmother's house for lunch, except she doesn't like you very much and packs your food to go. :D

Just enjoyed this made-to-order BBQ Pork Sandwich (lean chunks of roast pork with choice of toppings on a good bun) with an extraordinarily delicious (but not photogenic) bowl of Cabbage Roll Soup for $5.99 + tax.

I seriously want to make a list of places offering meals that are: cheaper AND tastier AND more nutritious than fast food!

If you're anywhere near Stittsville, there's no excuse to go to Subway and pay $5 for an inferior sandwich when you can get something like this roasted chicken one for $4.25!

They offer a pre-made special sandwich each day for $3.99 (plus tax). The day I went it was an amazing looking breaded pork cutlet.

Simply the best! Something new every day.Last week I had grilled Beef Kabob with smokey BBQ sauce ,mayo,roasted red peppers,onions,and a smoked imported cheese!...YUM!

The subs from here are among my favorite subs: Warm, foil wrapped & toasted in the pizza oven.

Georgies subs are pizza-oven baked, foil-wrapped, and come in full 12" and 8" lengths.

While I like their pizza (and especially their cheese budget), more often than not I'm eating a sub here.

Sandwiches are as good as they ever were and for $6 they are still a great deal. Got the turkey prosciutto with everything including spicy eggplant. Great sandwich, generous, quality ingredients and friendly service. What more could you want!?

Best sandwiches EVER. What more can I say?

Oh, always get the pickled eggplant. Always.

My son says, "Never eat a sandwich that's bigger than your head!" Yum, these are always awesome! :-)

God there good!

Funny that Micaylah was talking about sandwiches from here...I just was there this weekend for the first time! I too had heard sooo much about this place and how amazing the sandwiches are....I was going to be within the area so I decided this is the time to go...finally.

So I got 2 vegetarian sandwiches, one on a bun and one on a longer bun(?) and oh my, were they GOOD! My mouth is watering just thinking about it. Comes with cheese, tomato, lettuce, mayo, and spicy eggplant that has been marinated/pickled (not sure which)...doesn't matter since it was amazing. Fresh bread with fresh ingredients...simple, and how sandwiches should be!

I would like a sandwich right now please.

Is there really anywhere else to get a sandwich? Yum!

I just finished eating my sandwich (Prosciutto Cotto).

We decided to stop by as we hadn't been in for a good long time (since even before we met!) and found that the service was fast despite the lineup.

We got 3 big sandwiches for just over $10.

What I love about this place (other than the best sandwiches ever)is the interaction between staff and customer. You pick up your own bread (a big roll that is surprisingly light) and hand it over with your order! And they try to tempt you with ultra-ripe persimmons and cannolis at the cash counter. Those rascals!

I'm having DiRienzo's right now! I'm right by Beech.. so I treat myself there all the time..

soooo GOOD! for under 4$ too!!! well.. 4$ even tax in =) sooooo goood BEST IN TOWN!

Best sandwich deal in town. Much tastier than the chains.

My latest sandwich from this place. The Large Panino, mixed meat (spicy). For the same price as one of those over-sized $5 Subway subs, you can have a much higher quality product that is just as filling!

Charging extra for eggplant?!

Just enjoyed this generous sandwich. It's a Large porchetta panino ($4.99) with hot pickled eggplant (+$1 for olives/eggplant). It was tasty and huge, although the bread was a little on the dry side. The meat was excellent. The eggplant was tasty but the oil oozed out and soaked the bottom of the bread, making it somewhat messy to eat.

This is still good value!

HFF, I think maybe it depends alot on who makes your sandwich. The older guy (Roberto?) seems to be cheap on the meat. Used to get generous portions of meat with other staff but they don't seem to work there anymore. It wouldn't be so bad if the buns were not as dense/thick/inconsistent freshness. The amount of meat would be appropriate for sliced bread but with these buns, I pretty much only taste bread now.

Very nice place, I've just been let down too many times in a row to go back :-(

Chopper- went here today and my sandwich (plus my companion's) were all big and very messy with lots of toppings. i had the vegetarian. no picture though.

I don't know what happened to this place. I have to say I've been disappointed the last 5 or 6 times I've been here. This is a panino with EXTRA meat. You can see the difference between this and the other photo I posted below. All I taste now is bread with a hint of meat :-(

I've enjoyed the sandwich chopper mentions. It strikes a good balance of meat flavours, and it is the best cold-cut sandwich I've found west of Amo Italiano Foods. I seem to remember it costing around $4, which is a very fair price. Much better to get one of these than spend the same or more on a fast food burger!

This is a large "panino" with porchetta and spicy calabrese (extra meat). Was awesome today. Great place with great service. Only problem is that they are a little inconsistent. The buns are too thick for me. I feel like ripping out some of the thick center before eating. And depending who serves you, you will get quite a bit more or less meat.

Just had a Reuben Sandwich from this Bistro in Kanata Centrum. They only sell them from 11am - 4pm or until they are out...they cook 2 smoked briskets a day and when they are out they are out. A pile of meat, saurkraut and swiss...6.99

My wife had a turkey sandwich....same ideal as above....they cook 1 turkey, so roast turkey, stuffing, home made cranberry horseradish sauce,

6.99....These sandwiches are really good and I love sandwiches....

I see they have a beef dip and double cheese burger 6.99....Could be my new lunch time hang out..oh ya late breakfast too!

I had a very, very good pulled pork here a couple of days ago. In fact, I lived in the southern United States for several years and would rank this sandwich as one of the better ones I've had. Different people like different things in their pulled pork, but this, to me, had just the right balance of sweet and tang and salt and sauciness. Yum. I prefer it to the one available at Piggy Market.

Usually, I am a fan of their sandwiches, either the tofu/peanut butter spread, or the cheese and tomato, with wicked Dijon.

However, much to my sadness today, the person who made the tofu spread at their kitchen left out the peanut butter. It was, as my friend's 2 year-old says, a bit yuckty.

But, I know I will eat one again next week.

The very generous meat for these sandwiches is sliced to order. The ingredients aren’t really at the La Bottega Nicastro level of quality but they’re certainly decent enough, and a great deal for $5.95!

It may seem simple to make a sandwich...but the truth its hard to get it right. I dont need anything fancy...thats why my favorite is the BLAT (Bacon, Lettuce, Avocado, Tomoato) with a garlic aoili = GENIUS! It might not say much for me...but i sometimes catch myself thinking about it at my desk;) The bread is always fresh and yummy...think it is a multigrain ciabatta (not sure) but it certainly not white bread. And the added touch it comes with a yummy dill pickle!
Trust me...healthy or not...there is something for everyone! You wont be disappointed.

I tried this place a few fridays ago and ordered the hogie (spelling???) which was deep fried oysters on a bun, and the fish chowder soup. TO be honest I didn't love either. I guess I am comparing the sandwich to a similar one I had in PEI. In contrast this was quite greasy and probably should not have had a creamy dressing (mayo?). It was really heavy, and I think if they tried a different bread like art-is-in it would definitely lift this to a new dimension. To top it off the chowder was overwhelmingly rich. Though I don't have a lot of experience with chowder I found this one was really creamy with a thin layer of grease on top and the fish didn't stand out very much, as well I tried but couldn't taste any herbs :(
I'm going to try again because I love what they are doing (I.e sustainable farming) and the people behind the counter were above and beyond friendly. great customer service!

I found the halibut cheek to be an incredible value. It had a lobster texture to it. I also had a perch sandwich and loved it. The chowder was delicious, but under-seasoned.

This halibut sandwich was very nice indeed. At a little over $7 it aint cheap compared to somewhere like Dirienzo Foods but it's much better value than Subway or Quiznos. And of course, it's made with sustainable seafood!

My quibbles: they used iceberg lettuce which doesn't add much of anything to the experience, and I found the spicy mayo to be an overpowering choice to accompany a fairly delicate fish. I was glad I didn't pick up a sandwich for my kids because they would have found it too spicy.

Stopped by today at lunch to give Piggy some lovin. Ordered two sandwiches off the board. Spicy Brisket with pickles greens and mustard. My wife got a roast beef with greens grilled peppers cheese and mustard. Hate to do the negative but both sandwiches had a bitter taste. I'm thinking the greens. Brisket was shaved and flavorless. It was hard to tell the difference between the two sandwiches. Could be we were early for lunch yet even the buns seemed a little off on the stale side. Think I will stick to the patties for a quick snack. The didn't even warrant a pic :(

Jumpin' Jimminy. I might have to nominate The Piggy Market for Best Sandwich in Ottawa. It's not the cheapest, but it is certainly one of the most delicious and one of the best in terms of value.

The one that I had today held roast pork (which had the perfect balance of meat/fat/seasoning), pickled kohlrabi (think pickled turnip, but with a bit more of a cucumber crunch), caramelized onions (!!!) and cheese between two slices of the buttermilk grain bread from Art-is-In.

Sure, there are less expensive sandwiches to be had, but I double dog dare you to find me lunch in Westboro for cheaper that is anywhere near this tasty.

The Piggy Market sells sandwiches now, in case anyone was not aware. They have a schedule of what type are available on what day - which I can't remember. They use their own meats and cheeses of course, and Art-is-in bread which they carry. I have absolutely no idea how much I paid, as I bought a bunch of other stuff at the same time, but it was worth every penny! Delicious (like everything else that the sell).

I ate the gouda, roasted potato, arugula and olive tapenade sandwich for lunch today and it's pretty much the most delicious sandwich I've ever eaten. Highly recommended.

Their sandwiches are also amazing. I am hopelessly devoted to their brie and tomato on sourdough, only to occasionally cheat with the avocado-sprout . . .

Their breakfast sandwich of egg and bacon with aioli on a croissant is awesome.

Smoked beef brisket sandwich with onions and chipotle Mayo. Brisket was juicy and tender with just enough smoke on it. The side salad was nicely dressed and the sweet potato chips were tasty as well. The quality of ingredients was evident, however I wish the ratio of bread to filling was a bit more balanced. Great joint, I'll be sure to be back!

Chicken: Grilled chicken, strawberry balsamic cracked pepper compote, rosemary mayo, Brie, red onion, cucumber, and greens. Served with a 1/2 cup soup sampler. $8.25+tax

Nice healthy lineup here at lunchtime! Tasty, healthy sandwiches too. Soups and sandwiches lean towards the sweet end of the spectrum, so bonus points if you also lean that way.

"Roast beef, bruschetta mix, provolone cheese, caramelized onions, roasted garlic mayonnaise, spring greens on a rustic roll $7.50"

Super juicy, loaded with beef, and very nice!

It was busy when I arrived at 12:10 but the masses cleared out quickly after that, so there seems to be a short, sharp rush right at noon.

The 4 oz "dipper" of soup is a nice touch. While I found the Minestrone's flavour to be a little too mild, it was chock full of welcome veggies.

I get the impression they err on the light side with salt, which is probably a good thing. One can add salt but not take it away. There's a salt and pepper shaker on the condiment table that I will make use of next time I order a baconless sandwich. :-)

Second day open! Today's special was the grilled chicken, smoked bacon, aged cheddar, caramelized onions, guacamole, lettuce, tomato, chipotle mayo sandwich. I lifted the bread in the pic for better photo access, so sorry if it looks a little more biological than it should.

This was $7.50+tax and included a sample-sized container of soup. Nice touch!

This was one of the best sandwiches I've had in a while. The only non-stellar part was the bread, which was a soft style a bit like a long hot dog bun. But really, the bread is just there so your fingers don't get messy while you snarf the luscious fillings!

The folks running this truck are super friendly. Cute little patio tables, with orchids and Ikea lanterns. No deep fryer in sight. This is not a chip truck!! :-)

A nice picture from the article in the Ottawa Metro

Saw this in the Ottawa Metro and just had to try the place!

www.metronews.ca

A small, but creative, sandwich menu. I had the César and it was delicious. Also, huge. I could only eat half! Marinated chicken with provence herbs, aioli, brie cheese, and basil.

I had the Grilled Cheese with Caramelized Onion sandwich for brunch at Art-Is-In at the beginning of July. It was all the things a grilled cheese should be, perfectly gooey provolone and gruyere with wonderful savoury flavours. The buttermilk multi-seed bread had a great texture, just enough crisp.

Smokey pulled pork from The Big Green Egg, creamy slaw with pear shards, jalapeno spread, spicy dip, crispy toasted bread.

Absolute Masterpiece !

Most Delicious Sandwich! oh my, I wish they would let me live in their store.
This is the AAA ANGUS STRIPLOIN sandwich. The meat was so tender and flavorful. The entire sandwich, from first to last bite, was a thing of beauty.

Here is the infamous Spicy Crispy Pickle Melt Sandwich.

Yes, it's as good as others have reported in other areas of Ottawa Foodies.

The spiced aioli and caramelized onions make this puppy sing.

Save room for the bread pudding.

Tracinho - I've devoured my pickle melts so quickly that I'm not the best source on what makes it so delicious, but the sauciness seems to come from a chipotle mayo. I was actually there for lunch (again) today and thought it best to order something else, as my regular order of "pickle melt and bread pudding, please" was getting kind of embarrassing. I had the buttermilk chicken caesar instead, which was very good, but... it's no pickle melt. The sandwich also seemed to be missing some of its previous spiciness. Not sure if they've tamed down the cheddar jalapeno bread or if it was just the slices I was dealt today.

AAA angus striploin sandwich - yum, yum.

Dying to try the Spicy Crispy Pickle Melt.

We visited Art-is-in for lunch today and split a Spicy Crispy Pickle Melt and an AAA Angus Striploin sandwich. Both were great, but the spicy pickle blew us away.

The genius of the latter sandwich is twofold. First, the pickles. They were sliced into strips, breaded and fried. The pieces were big enough to be toothsome and crunchy, but not so big that you felt like you were taking on a gigantic pickle with each bite. Second, the spice was handled with a deft hand. There was enough of it to get your attention and hold it, but not so much that it overwhelmed the sandwich. A great lunch.

Can anybody share what's on this spicy pickle melt? I make dills and would love to have some new ideas on how to use them up. I also don't work near Artisin so might not be able to try it for lunch for a while. Thanks...

I tried the spicy fried pickle sandwich last Thursday and am still talking about it to anyone who will listen. If this sandwich had been around when I was pregnant, I would have been a goner. I normally don't like a lot of fried foods but this wasn't heavy or greasy, had a nice tang that didn't overwhelm and each mouthful made me love it more.

Here is the Angus Steak Sandwich. It had a garlic sauce, arugula, havarti and tomato. Served on Multigrain fennel bread. Amazing!

Tried the Chicken Parm Sandwich today, on a multigrain bun. This is really quite nice! Light garlic butter, breaded chicken breast, baby spinach, and just enough tomato sauce and cheese. And then it's all toasted on a panini press.

Full disclosure: I ended up eating at the same picnic table as the co-owner (Jamie), which gave me insight into the dedication and enthusiasm they have for this place. They showed me the kitchen and it really is as clean as it looks from the order window!

Andrea0102 slipped me a little freebee: the side coleslaw ($0.75 on the menu). This was a well balanced slaw, with some Craisins tossed in to differentiate it from the other well balanced slaws out there. It's a worthy addition to a sandwich!

How much does a sandwich from the manx cost? Do you think the green door is expensive? Bowich combines a quality sandwich with organic ingredients. I do not think the manx, greendoor or bowich are expensive. The cost is dictated by the ingredients.
I am no expert but I am pretty sure that the bank automatically provides the option of tip, it is not a request of the establishment.Plus the tip does not go to the owners.

Excellent roast beef sandwich on a nice soft, kaiser with carraway seeds I believe. Great fruity relish (apples and nutmeg I think), spicy and sweet, a little mayo, very fresh cole slaw, and the best pickle wedge I've had in a very long time. So crunchy and fresh. Serving the pickle in a little plastic sleeve is a nice touch.

The white-chocolate/cranberry scone was as excellent as always, as was the coffee to round out a perfect lunch on a sunny Wednesday.

you can get a giant sandwich + a pop for $5. they'll grill the sandwich for you and it makes a nice crispy exterior. a coworker and I got one to share - yum - will be back here for these!

This picture is of the beef spezzatino sandwich from my other review. This was my favorite!

You have got to try the smoke meat sandwich. It's amazing! This little place (on Preston St) is easy to miss but worth looking out for. I highly recommend it.

Having tried many sandwiches from Italian Delis throughout the city, The sandwich from Luciano's has emerged as my favourite. Top quality ingredients, excellent price (around $3.25), and lots of care in the preparation. Worth checking out if you can get there during the limited hours -- it is a grocery store after all.

Pulente's gives DiRienzo's and other assorted italian sandwich haunts a run for their money. I had a meatball sandwich and my SO had an eggplant parmesan sandwich... excellent stuff! The sauce was very well made, and the meatballs were very moist and tender, not overcooked or too lean. I highly recommend it if you're in the Ottawa South/Carleton U area.

Tried a roast beef sandwich here and have to agree with the Ottawa Express reviewer -- it's the best deli roast beef I've had! It's all about the meat though.. no lettuce or other vegetable matter. The bread is a choice of a croissant or pre-sliced whole wheat bread (I chose this). Get it with mayo and Dutch mustard. Delicious!

I tried their new *Lobster Sandwich* and true to their marketing prowess it did contain real lobster meat in there....lots of claw meat...couldn't distinguish (if)any tail meat in there amongst other lobster meat...It's produced en masse so I doubt this is La Pointe's quality seafood.

Downsides: You get two little scoops of the lobster salad (it's held together with a little mayo I assume.) Lobster is such a delicate taste that it just gets hidden under everything else (I only had mine with cheese, lettuce and a bit more extra mayo) not to mention the bread.

Plus at $8.49 + tax--for a 6" it is one pricey little sandwich. Might be better if you try it as a wrap or salad.

I wouldn't try it again but judge for yourselves.

The brunch special was this yummy scrambled egg, cheese and pancetta panino. The pancetta was quite spicy and cut into thick slices. It tasted good but I felt kind of bad all afternoon (I blame the calamari rather than this sandwich though).

Dropped in for lunch today after shopping with my daughter. Friendly service although we waited 25 minutes after ordering for our sandwiches to be brought to the table. To be fair, it got busy soon after we arrived and there were only two people working. Good cafe lattes served nice and hot. Tasty quesadillas also hot with fresh, crispy veg and just enough cheese to ooze. Lunch for two was $17. Loved the casual, friendly neighbourhood vibe.

My new favourite place to pick up a quick lunch! This was at the Hazeldean location.

They offer a "Duo" with choice of sandwich and salad for $6+tax. There was a nice selection of salads -- I opted for the Lentil Mandarin and Almond and it was really tasty (described as "Lentils, mandarins, almonds and cranberries with fresh herbs in a citrus dressing")!

The sandwiches were diverse and appetizing: veggie on baguette, turkey wrap, roast beef on a whole wheat bun, and Chicken Club Focaccia. I had the latter, as pictured here. It's real food, just like you'd make at home if you happened to have fresh ingredients on hand.

It's pretty hard to justify paying more than this for a fast food meal. Good job, Farm Boy!

Went to the Farm Boy on Tenth Line...this one has the full in store kitchen with a chef cooking up dishes that you can take home. Not all Farm Boy's have this in-store kitchen. Anyways, I bought the roasted vegetable sandwich on the Premier Moisson olive ciabata bread. Roasted red pepper, zucchini, and eggplant with hummus and green leaf lettuce. It was soooo yummy! Pretty big too, satisfied me quite nicely.

Although I have heard others gripe about the sandwiches at Richtree, I have been really happy with the Swiss style Egg Salad. I love egg salad and Richtree's is really nice on the soft white triangular bun. The other sandwiches look good but I'm too much of a sucker for the egg to switch.

This place isn't too far from where I work, so I find myself dropping in once in a while for a tasty sandwich. For around $4 (price depends on meat choice) you can get a nice cold cut sandwich. They also have a special "mixed meat" sandwich for $2.95 or so. It makes for a very reasonable and satisfying lunch choice!

Their paninis were delicious! I had one with brie, walnuts, grilled chicken and a few other things that escape my mind. Husband had one with roasted veggies, goat cheese, pesto and chicken if memory serves me correctly. Both were very delicious and served with a small side/garnish (?) of some type of potato salad which I didn't eat since it had peas in it (eww!)

The panini here won me over on my first visit when I had the roast beef panini special. Since then I always have one with the soup of the day.

I just started a job across the street from these folks so I stopped in for a quick sandwich today.

I had the roast beef and my goodness was it good. I was skeptical at the $6.95 price tag, but it was fab. The beef was perfectly cooked--it had just the right amount of pink left in it, and the horseradish/mayo ratio was spot on.

My office used to have Fettucine's cater for lunches once in awhile and they had these great paninis and sides of pasta salad/broccoli salad. Thumbs up.

A great sandwich on a round kaiser reminiscent of Nicastro's/La Bottega. They really pile on the meat here. Priced reasonably. The store also carries other Euro treats like perogies, Ajvar, and a wide selection of chocolate.

This is the veggie sandwich I had for lunch today. Roasted red pepper, artichoke, spicy eggplant, choice of cheese (havarti, mozzarella...that's as far as he got before I blurted HAVARTI), lettuce, mayo, mustard, salt & pepper, tomato, and choice of white or whole wheat bun.
Ummmm....too much bottled items in one sandwich for me, red pepper, artichoke, and spicy eggplant, which sort of made it soggy. The bun was fresh and soft. I guess no sandwich, as of yet for me, will live up to Dirienzo's! :(

We tried their panini today at the Westboro location; delicious but a bit overpriced. I tried a vegetarian roasted vegetable one and mendel tried a Tuscan chicken one. Each was on a different sort of bread (mine was a rosemary bread) and had nice fresh toppings. But at 6+ dollars each, they were a tad expensive.

The DiRienzo/Nicastro sandwich war (if you can call it that) has to come up as a tie for me.

DiRienzo sandwiches are really good, and really cheap, but the shop itself is pretty cramped.

Nicastro sandwiches are really good, and a bit more expensive, but the shop itself is more welcoming.

Nicastro's may actually win, simply because they're closer to my work!

But I like 'em both, and the variety of sandwiches at DiRienzo's is staggering.