If Manganaro's Hero-Boy is the put-together, friendly, and popular kid on the block, Manganaro Groceria is its somewhat surly (but still worth knowing) older brother. Indeed, this antique Italian market is owned by the older brother of James Dell'Orto, who until he retired ran the flashier hero shop next door.
The brothers haven't spoken in more than 20 years, which made it even sadder to go from bustling Hero-Boy into the spare Manganaro market.
It's easy to imagine how the Italian food market looked in 1910, with its pressed tin ceilings and ancient deli cases. It's cool as a cave, with the front of the store filled with meats and cheeses and a deli in the back, where a woman begrudgingly makes the sandwiches.
Thankfully, the sandwiches don't suffer, though the bread was slightly less fresh than the loaf at Hero-Boy. Other than that, it was delicious. I ordered the prosciutto, roasted pepper, and mozzarella, a classic combo that some think was the original hero recipe. I was surprised that they used roasted green peppers rather than red, but it was a nice change.
The prosciutto was sliced thin to bring out its decadent, oily flavor, and a drizzle of balsamic vinaigrette added the only necessary moisture and helped add flavor to the mild cheese. Otherwise, it was topped with tomato and basil and that's pretty much all it needed. Though the Manganaro's Hero-Boy eggplant sandwich was decadent and delicious, the Groceria's prosciutto hero offered a graceful and delicious simplicity.
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