The Italian Sub to Beat: Editor's Choice

I'm the type of person that gets easily obsessed with something, often insatiably, for a brief period of time. Whether it be food or a product, these fanatical waves come and go like the tide. It's sometimes bittersweet to let go of an obsession, but there's usually an interesting new thing to push it out and fill the void.

With that preface, I'd like to share with you a recent local gem I've found that has provided obsessive fodder for the past few weeks now. 

I was in an apathetic rut one lunchtime; bored with the local sandwich options available and tired of the familiar and mundane. It was around the time we were running a Reuben Chowdown Showdown and an H-F Patch Facebook reader recommended Dunning's to me as an excellent sandwich shop.

He was right.

Instead of the Reuben, though (which is also awesome), another item caught my attention: the Italian Sub.

This is a serious sandwich. Over a pound and a half of premium capicola, salami and ham is stuffed into a crusty and generous portion of grilled Italian bread. The entire mess is draped in melted provolone cheese and dressed with fresh lettuce, tomato, onion and Italian dressing. As with any good Southland sandwich, it's also loaded with giardinara—adding the perfect, oily heat to cut through the heavy meat and cheese flavors.

At around $8 a pop, this sandwich isn't the cheapest on the market, but the sheer quality of the ingredients and enormous portion help to justify the cost. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if an entire sandwich could satisfyingly fill up two adults.

Put another way, if you're in the mood to send your mouth on a vacation from the confines of South Suburban Chicago to a rustic sandwich shop along the narrow, cobble stone streets of Italy, $8 is the best priced ticket you'll ever get.

I'll be back next week with my latest local obsession.