The Italian Sub Series, Part IV - M & P Biancamano in Hoboken
Friday, February 24, 2012 at 7:00AM 
Although the blog has recently focused on Pizza, we haven't forgotten about the idea to feature my adoration for the Italian Sub, my quest to find the ultimate one, and my pledge to subsequently rank them when all is said and done. I have a long, long way to go, but so far, I've traveled to Lisa's in Hoboken, Faicco's in the West Village, and Esposito's in East Hanover.
As a Hoboken resident for at least six years now, I can state with certainty - and I believe I've said this before - that its Italian Delicatessens are the town's best culinary aspect. Most people can name the obvious ones - Lisa's, Vito's, Fiore's... maybe even Luca's (and I intend to review all of the aforementioned Italian subs in time). I've been to all of these, and some are better than others for certain things.
One deli I had yet to try, however, was M & P Biancamano on 1116 Washington Street. I'm not sure why this was the case. I had always seen the sign for the awkwardly named deli when stumbling home from drunken, cougar dodging nights at the Madison and thought to myself - "I've got to come back here!" And, thus, I never went back. But, recently, I read a New Jersey Monthly article from super knowledgeable and entertaining foodie/author Josh Ozersky praising M & P's "mutz", and I made it a point to finally check the place out. So last weeekend I went.
The deli itself - presentation wise - is not particularly impressive or handsome. It's a bit dark, and its inventory of canned/packaged Italian goods is fair at best. An old Italian woman, whose stern glare is simultaneously humorous and intimidating, sizes me up as I open the door. I make my way towards the counter, where a pleasant, heavy set man takes my sandwich order: Prosciutto, Salami, and Mozzarella on a roll. This is option "E" on their "menu." Prior to making my sandwich, the same man disappears momentarily into a back room, then reemerges with a juicy, jiggly mold of freshly furnished mozzarella. He cuts up the mutz and meats, and stuffs same into a bread roll sliced into a "v." This is my sandwich.
Upon settling back into my apartment and sizing up this beast, I marvel at the amount of mutz that is crammed into it. Since there is so much of it, I decide to try some of it "naked" - without the accompanying meats and/or bread. Ozersky is right, this stuff is amazing. Definitely the best mozzarella I've ever had in Hoboken; an ever so slight step above the more "reputable" Fiore's. It's moist, salty, delicate and creamy; a mozzarella dream scene of domination.
But as far as the sandwich itself and how it eats, M & P's preparation is need of some work. The ingredients are quite good - the meats are meaty, fresh, salty, delicious, and the mozzarella truly amazing - but the sub is so awkwardly stuffed (it is only cut from one side) that eating it is a serious challenge. And this is from the perspective of a true barbarian when it comes eating things like this. My first bite is accompanied by Armageddon-like free falling ingredients owing to the cut of the sub; chunks of cheese are either falling on the floor (I'm eating it as I sit on the edge of my couch), or sliding out edimame style towards the bread's perimeter whereupon I am literally having to re-insert the contents back inside the sub with my bare hands. I feel like I'm failing my 9th grade biology dissection experiment all over again. After a few bites, my sub is looking like this:
I also could have used a bit more pizzazz as well. The oil and vinegar is too lightly applied. No peppers or lettuce either. Granted I could have asked for this, but I feel the more serious sub shops don't need to overly defer to the customer's wishes for a great sandwich. The bread nonetheless is quite fresh and, despite the sub partially exploding in my grasp, I cannot say I was that disappointed with the entire product as a whole. The sandwich was such a hot, Lindsey Lohan type mess, that, in the end, it was still enjoyable. Plus, the mozzarella rocks. But as far as the sandwiches featured on the blog so far, I'd probably have to place it towards the back of the pack. Faicco's has yet to be dethroned from the top spot:
(1) Faicco's, (2) Esposito's, (3) Lisa's, (4) M & P. That's the order right now.
Reader Comments (1)
Well done to you, hope more achievement to you. If you are actually conscious about your health and want to keep yourself fit and healthy than keep in mind that good health absolutely begins from a healthy mouth.