Pop quiz time: It’s 1 o’clock. You’re sitting at your desk. The familiar animal of hunger starts growling in your tummy and the only thing to satisfy this beast is that
great catchall of carbs and protein: the sandwich. You want roast beef so rare that its ruby red juices dribble down your hands. You want bread so crisp that it crackles as you bite into it. You want cheese that’s sharp and vegetables grilled to perfection.
When you leave your office, you go to:
a) McDonald’s
b) Subway
c) Quiznos
d) None of the above
If you didn’t choose d, we would like to offer you our tutoring services, free of charge.
These new sandwich shops serve subs suited to any taste. And the growling monster in the bottom of your stomach will be slain.
At least until tomorrow.
RATINGS KEY:
1 sub = A notch above Subway
2 sub = Dagwood would approve
3 sub = Who needs lunch at Le Bernardin?
4 sub = Just hook us up to an IV, thanks
Cheap Chicago sammies draw New Yorkers in droves
Potbelly: 2 SUB
101 Maiden Lane, 646-289-4201; 150 E. 44th St., 646-289-4202; 30 Rockefeller Center, 646-289-4203; potbelly.com
Despite the dozens of patrons waiting every afternoon, the line at Potbelly moves swiftly for its hot sandwiches. The Chicago-originated chain has proved to be a sensation amongst the lunchtime throngs, offering affordable (no sandwiches top $6) Italian-influenced subs such as the “Pizza Sandwich” (pepperoni, meatballs, capicola and provolone) or, our favorite, “A Wreck” (salami, roast beef, turkey, ham and Swiss cheese) to its customers. Unfortunately, not every outpost has seating, but if you’ve got a nearby desk, this is a tasty lunch.
Average lunchtime wait: 12 minutes
Sandwich cost: $6
Delivery: Coming soon
Monster-size Italian heroes storm Park Slope
Zito’s Sandwich Shoppe: 3 SUB
300 Seventh Ave., Park Slope; 718-499-2800, zitossandwichshoppe.com
“I’d love to try out Zito’s,” we recently heard a Park Slope dad of two say. “I’m waiting for the line to die down.” And we can see why this handsome space with a backyard would be popular. Park Slope parents will not have to worry about whether there will be other kids for their child to play with. And the average sandwich at Zito’s should feed an adult human — and one or two of their kids. To say that the sandwiches at Zito’s are huge is to make a Zito’s-sandwich-sized understatement. They’re gargantuan, and very much in the tradition of the Italian delis Brooklyn is famous for. But they also offer a new age-y twist: Much of the meat is locally cured and organic. The bread is baked in Bensonhurst. Fixings are procured from NYC stalwarts Faicco’s Italian Specialties, Salumeria Biellese and Ottamanelli & Sons Meat Market. The beer is Sixpoint. And the sandwiches have the necessary deliciousness to make this “The goomba of sandwich shoppes” — as Zito’s proudly boasts on its Web site. (Is that a good thing? Well, no matter. This place is awesome.)
Average lunchtime wait: 15 minutes
Sandwich cost: $6.50 – $10
Delivery: Yes
A sneak peak at the new Torrisi sandwich spinoff
Parm
248 Mulberry St.; 212-993-7189, piginahat.com
We’ve got the old bad news/good news for you. The bad news is that Torrisi Italian Specialities, that one-of-a-kind hybrid of Italian deli and gourmet restaurant, is getting out of the deli part of the business and becoming a straight sit-down restaurant. The good news is that the owners just transplanted the sandwich part of the operation next door. And thank goodness for that because the sandwiches at Torrisi (which sometimes sells more than 300 per day) are among the best Italian-American heroes in the city. Parm, the new sandwich and antipasti joint, is expected to open by Oct. 31. (A Parm outpost has already opened inside Yankee Stadium.) The restaurant will have an old-timey feel with retro wallpaper, black-and-white tiled floors and a long stretch of counter space, plus tables in the back. And the celebrated Torrisi sandwiches, whether the house-roasted turkey or chicken parm (served on a hero or roll), are still on the menu — with a few new additions. “Instead of five sandwiches, we’ll have closer to 10,” says Jeff Zalaznick, a partner in the business with chef-owners Mario Carbone and Rich Torrisi. Think chicken francese and a meatball sandwich made from a blend of veal, beef and pork sausage. Draped with mozzarella, it looks almost as much like a hamburger as a meatball — and is soft, garlicky and delicious.
Prices will range from $8 to $10, and there will be no delivery – at least in the immediate future.
Cambodian-style subs spice up Midtown East: 3 SUB
Num Pang
140 E. 41st St., 212-867-8889; 21 E. 12th St., 212-255-3271; numpangnyc.com
We don’t know how it happened, but sometime in 2009, New York experienced an invasion of Vietnamese sandwich shops. (Michael Huynh was probably the prime culprit when he began opening his Baoguette shops at a Starbucks-worthy pace.) As great as these places are, we would also recommend trying the Cambodian sandwiches at Num Pang, the East Village cult fave with a new Midtown outpost. These sandwiches are served on soft semolina rolls and usually arrive with simple adornments: cucumbers, carrots and chili-spiked mayo. But, man, what the fellas at Num Pang do to their proteins! Be it the tender, spicy brisket with pickled red cabbage or the peppercorn catfish with a barely discernible hit of soy sauce, chef-owners Ratha Chaupoly and Ben Daitz treat the insides of these sandwiches as serious chefs would. And darned if we can think of a Vietnamese or Cambodian restaurant anywhere in the city that whips up a better meal! The new location only has a modest amount of counter space, so the corporate park next door is often used as a de facto lunch room.
Average lunchtime wait: 8 minutes
Sandwich cost: $7- $9
Delivery: Yes
Hoagies with history hit Sixth Avenue
The Earl of Sandwich: 1 SUB
1290 Sixth Ave.; 212-247-9246, earlofsandwichusa.com
A knowledgeable foodie might dispute the claim that the sandwich was invented by John Montagu, a k a the Fourth Earl of Sandwich, sometime during the 18th century — when, according to legend, the aristocrat couldn’t be bothered to get up from a gambling table and asked for his supper to be delivered to him between two slices of bread. But we can’t dispute that the Earl of Sandwich locked down the name. His descendant, the 11th Earl of Sandwich, John Montagu, and his partner Robert Earl (the founder of Planet Hollywood) recently opened this Midtown venture, where the signature is “The Original 1762” — well-done hot roast beef, sharp cheddar cheese and horseradish. The sandwiches are OK — the “fresh baked” white roll is nothing special, and the roast beef is slightly dry — but it certainly beats Subway. And the Earl has struck a chord with nearby desk jockeys, who line up in droves for these babies before dutifully heading back to the office. (Unfortunately, there’s no space in this shop to sit.)
Average lunchtime wait: 10 minutes
Sandwich cost: $5.99
Delivery: Coming soon
Chinese buns with a twist by Union Square
BaoHaus: 4 SUB
238 E. 14th St.; 646-669-8889, baohausnyc.com
Not sure whether you want chicken, fish or beef in between your bread? At this month-old Union Square spinoff of the now-shuttered LES original, you’re encouraged to order two — or even three — Chinese sandwiches known as baos. Served on chewy, sweet little white Taiwanese buns, they’re almost too cute to eat. (They’re essentially Asian sliders.) But when you do taste them — be it a little nugget of crunchy fried chicken called the “Birdhaus Bao” or the “Uncle Jesse,” a fried tofu sandwich — their cuteness will dissolve into deliciousness. (The “Haus Bao,” a beef cheek sandwich, has meat so tender it melts in your mouth.) While more spacious than the original, the new outpost has only a couple tables and not much more than a handful of seats — so takeout or delivery is a good option. A word of warning: Only those with a very high metabolism should try the “Chairman Bao” — a slab of pork belly that looks like it’s 75 percent fat.
Average lunchtime wait: 3 minutes
Sandwich cost: $2.50 – $3.50
Delivery: Yes
Gourmet grinders worth the schlep to Hell’s Kitchen
City Sandwich: 3 SUB
649 Ninth Ave.; 646-684-3943, citysandwichnyc.com
Unlike PB&J or egg salad, octopus has not yet been hailed as a lunchtime staple. Which seems like a shame when you bite into “The Fatima” — City Sandwich’s octopus salad with diced onions, peppers, arugula and mustard-vinegar olive oil on a light, crispy sub-shaped Portuguese roll. Of course, octopus is only one of the few unheralded ingredients on offer at this Portuguese/Italian sandwich shop, whose owner was born in Italy, lived in Lisbon and opened this Hell’s Kitchen shop a year ago. Portuguese paio (ham) appears on “The Maria” (with egg whites, broccoli rabe, mozzarella and more), and you’ll also find other porcine exotics such as alheira (chicken and pork sausage) and morcela (blood sausage). Of course, there are plenty of less-obscure sandwiches on the menu of this skinny, quiet eatery, where you can sit down and enjoy your sandwich with a bottle of strong, dark Portuguese beer. The roast beef, for example, is topped with mozzarella, onion, roasted peppers and broccoli rabe, and will make you swear off Arby’s for life. Service sometimes takes a while, but when things are made to order (and made so well) you have to wait.
Average lunchtime wait: 8 minutes
Sandwich cost: $7.25 – $11.95
Delivery: Yes