'Wich Trip: Manganaro's Hero-Boy

nancyeinhart — Wed, 10 Jun 2009 06:47:45 PDT

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.

NYC Sandwichstravaganza

nancyeinhart — Sat, 30 May 2009 09:53:14 PDT

Please pardon my absence over the past week. I have been on vacation in New York City with my boyfriend Andrew, visiting family and friends, exploring the city, and eating lots and lots of sandwiches.

Researching the Reuben and the hero and random sandwiches in between, I sampled my fare share of sandwiches from many fine purveyors. Stay tuned for full posts, but for now, here's a sampling of the sandwiches we sampled:

Egg and cheese sandwiches from a Harlem corner store
Chicken cutlet hero and "The American" hero (roast beef, turkey, and ham) at Faicco's Pork Store
Eggplant parmesan hero from Manganaro's Hero-Boy
Prosciutto, mozzarella, and roasted pepper hero from Manganaro's Groceria
Pastrami sandwich (pictured) and corned beef Reuben at Katz's Delicatessen
Avocado BLT at Alias Restaurant
Maple peanut butter and bacon and tuna melt at Peanut Butter and Co.

Between the Bread

'Wich Trip: Manganaro's Hero-Boy

NYC Sandwichstravaganza