ON THE ROAD: Nardelli's Grinder Shoppe

One of the bennies of having a girlfriend who lives a 6-9 hour drive away, depending on traffic, is that I get to stop at what is probably my favorite sandwich shop. I've sampled a small arsenal of grinders they have to offer, and every single one of them has been absolutely stellar. So if you'd like to read a post kissing ass of a sandwich shop you'll probably never pass, proceed on, if not, may I suggest picking up a FGFB tee shirt from the link on the right with the time I've just saved you.

As an Italian grinder shoppe this place sings. Everything is made fresh and on hand, the displays of different salads, calzones, and cheeses is enough to bring a fat man to tears. They also boast a lobster bisque, which I'm told sells out within a few hours of them offering it. Every. Time. I suggest starting your Nardelli's experience correctly with an Italian combo. Pruzitini, capicola, salami, and provolone topped with diced veggies, tomatoes, lettuce, olives, mayo and hots on a freshly baked grinder roll. That's the sandwich that sold me on this place and I've never been disappointed. I often times go with the chicken salad when I come here, a sandwich that's probably heavier than most large deep dish pan pizzas.

So as a review for this place I decided to get a sandwich I often avoid to stay in favor with some kind of Italian theme, but hey, everyone in line snags this sandwich up, so I might as well pull the trigger.
This trip I went with a large buffalo chicken grinder with diced veggies, blue cheese, olives, hots, and provolone.

meal deal!

The chicken pieces they put in these sandwiches are huge, if not pretty. Biting into it for the first time reveals the freshness of the veggies, popped on top of it a strong classic olive taste, then in the background, comes rushing in the buffalo chicken.

As soon as the stage is set for the buffalo, the spiciness stays in your mouth, even after several swigs of soda and a few chips. After the next delicious bite you get to experience it all of again, but this time with the buffalo beginning, and ending, the sandwich. Like a grinder inside of a grinder. I tried for some Inception joke there, but I just couldn't hit anything solid.

Onto my gripes with the piece. That's right I call it a piece because we've transcended the realm of sandwich and into the realm of art. If Andy Warhol was still alive he'd produce a 7 hour continuous shot film of scantily clad men gyrating to images of this sandwich.

My problems are three fold. I realize that as a mere mortal man I have no business questioning what the Nardelli's God commands, but, I mean to deliver my people fire.....Prometheus reference on a food blog? You're welcome.

-Cheese
This thing should be COVERED in cheese, the way it stands now, they might as well offer it without it. There's so many other flavors and textures that the cheese is just lost.

-Chicken
 I wish it was slightly crispier, if only to break up the texture and separate it from the rest of the piece.

-Olives
Hey I dig olives, but these take over the grinder. Just like a Greyjoy, they betrayed their adopted family who looked after them, raised them, and then took the grinder for themselves. (Hey season two ended a year ago)

So as a whole, I give this place nothing but my absolute highest regards. It's a shame what I chose to review ended up being slightly better than mediocre, but hey, it's an Italian grinder shop, not a seedy Greek pizza place owned by a sweaty opened shirt gold chained man who can barely speak English. Now that man, KNOWS how to make a buffalo chicken sub.

Maybe one of its other 7 locations in CT has one of these such fellows at the helm.

I give Nardelli's an A

The buff chik, a B-

Josh