Stop number two on my NYC sandwichstravaganza was Hell's Kitchen, on the block that's home to both Manganaro's Hero-Boy and Manganaro's Groceria, two Italian hero shops owned by feuding factions of the same family. Brothers James and Sal Dell'Orto coexisted peacefully, until a disagreement over who could use the Manganaro name to market the 6-foot-long heroes that Manganaro's Hero-Boy became famous for in the late 1960s and early 1970s.
Today, James and Sal don't speak, but the restaurants are right next door to each other: the groceria is in its original location, still looking very much like a market serving Italian immigrants in the garment district in 1910. Hero-Boy is brighter and newer, almost like a Potbelly without the colorful signage, and filled with family-size tables. Both joints serve excellent sandwiches. On a recommendation from patriarch James Dell-Orto, I tried the eggplant hero at Hero-Boy. Get a closer look at the eggplant enormity by clicking on each photo.
Latest Comments