When it comes to Utah sandwich joints, there is one that holds more personal significance for me than any other - Gandolfo's. Sure the sandwiches there are solid, but the reason I will always have a special place in my heart for this spot is that it is where I had my first official date with my wife. We had met previously and even hung out together at a memorable show by the late great Elliott Smith at the now defunct Club DV8 in downtown SLC, but it was at the very sandwich shop pictured above where we first met for lunch on a warm spring day in 1999. I had a Burning Bridge, a fantastic time and the rest is history. My wife and I have returned often over the years and I've taken several friends here as well. And thus you see how my life has become inextricably entwined with a sandwich shop.On this day, knowing that this blog project was underway, I engaged in an ordering strategy that I tend to use at places I know I'll be coming back to. That is, I just start at the top of the menu and work my way down. I've done this with the shakes at Granny's in Heber, I've done it with the burgers at Training Table, and now I'm doing it with sandwiches at Gandolfo's. So, with that in mind, I perused the menu, noted that the Rocky Balboa (all the sandwiches at Gandolfo's are named after famous New York landmarks or figures) was in the top left corner position and ordered it immediately.
Now before I get too far along here, there is one important thing to note about Gandolfo's. Although it started as a local sandwich joint/deli, it has now been bought and sold and become a national franchise. And, as with any franchise, while there are constants from location to location, in the end the quality of your experience depends upon who is running the particular location you are visiting. With that in mind, I can wholeheartedly endorse two Utah locations - the downtown location pictured above as well as the store near the University of Utah campus. It is no coincidence that both these stores are run by the same person (at least the last time I checked) who really does an incredible job.
Now then, back to the menu and my sandwich. The sandwiches on the Gandolfo's menu are divided into categories based on the meat featured in the sandwich. The Rocky Balboa was the first sandwich listed under the "Chicken Breast Sandwiches" category and as such, was the sandwich of choice today:
So, with that visual introduction to the sandwich of choice out of the way, let's examine it's composition:- Type of Bread: Hero Roll
- Condiments/Dressing(s): Mayonnaise, Oil & Vinegar
- Toppings: Chicken Breast, Cappicola, Provolone, Lettuce, Tomato,
Onion
One more brief side note before we get into the scoring for today's sandwich. As you've seen, I am using my classic Han Solo action figure as a means for you to judge scale. But it occurs to me that I haven't yet told you just how tall the figure is. So for your benefit, I took out a ruler just now and measured Han at nearly four inches tall (somewhere between three and three-quarters and four, to be precise). So, hopefully that helps you out a little if you were wondering. Now, on to the scoring:
- Quantity/Value: 4/5 - As you can see in the photo above, this is a good-sized sandwich - probably not quite a foot long, but close. With that in mind, the $7.99 price tag is reasonable, but the price : what you get ratio is not quite enough to give this one a full 5 out of 5.
- Originality: 5/5 - One of the best things about Gandolfo's is the originality of their sandwiches. Sure they have classic standards like a Reuben and a French Dip, but for the most part, their sandwiches contain combinations of ingredients that you won't find anywhere else. The combination of chicken, cappicola and provolone was somewhat reminiscent of Chicken Cordon Bleu, but with a different and unique flair.
- Appearance: 9/10 - The moment you pick up your sandwich at Gandolfo's, you're struck by its appearance. Tightly wrapped in colorful butcher paper, it's sort of like opening a Christmas present. Once you free the sandwich from it's constrictive wrappings, it bursts open to reveal all the sandwichy goodness that was heretofore held within. You've also got to love the melted cheese bridge that remains when trying to separate the two halves. Awesome. The one thing that keeps this from getting full marks is something that will affect a couple other areas as well. After making up the sandwich, it got tossed in what looked like a microwave for a few seconds. While this obviously heated the sandwich to the desired temperature, it also resulted in some of the outer portion getting dry and crusty which looked a little less than optimal.
- Quality/Freshness: 8/10 - This is where the microwaving really hurt this one. I understand that we were there on a Saturday afternoon in downtown Salt Lake and there wasn't a whole lot going on (there was one other couple in the store, which was vastly different from the bustling scene here on work days), but I just wish that the ingredients themselves could have been prepared fresh so that they would have provided the necessary heat to warm this sandwich up rather than tossing it in the microwave. That definitely hurt the freshness factor. The shredded, from-a-bag Subway type lettuce was kind of a let down as well. However, the meat and cheese were great, the bread was soft and fresh, and that is key.
- Taste: 18/20 - Again, the microwave job hurt a little. It left that weird microwaved melted plastic kind of taste with the sandwich that marred an otherwise delicious effort. As I said earlier, the combination of chicken, cured pork and melted cheese was not unlike Chicken Cordon Bleu, although a less salty version. The soft bread and melted cheese were contrasted in texture by the crunch of the lettuce and outer crust of the hero roll. The mayonnaise was just right as well - enough to provide some creaminess, but not too much to over-power everything else.
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