WHAT'S A GRINDER?

You may be asking yourself..."What is a grinder?" Well, we've researched it exhaustively and we found that there is no real definition or factual origin of a grinder.

Most experts agree it is a take-off from a submarine sandwich. Oddly enough, the sub and the grinder have a somewhat nautical origin. East coast shipyards often employed Italian immigrant workers. These workers usually packed a lunch, commonly the lunch consisted of a large sandwich on a french roll stuffed with meats, cheeses and an olive salad. These workers were building submarines and ships. The workers assigned to grinding down the rivets in the metal plates were often referred to as "grinders". This Italian sandwich was a common staple and restaurants serving the sandwich used the names submarine and grinder. Whew! Enough of the history report, the real question is "How good is a grinder?"

Well, we headed for the local expert on creating the authentic grinders...Garzelli's. Realizing Garzelli's also specializes in pizza, we just had to try both.

Garzelli's grinders are essentially what we call hoagies, a large sub bun, stuffed with meat and cheese with your choice of toppings. The one thing I can say about the grinder is the roll is much better than your average grease soaked bun. Fresh and soft on the inside, toasted crisp on the outside. This is a great roll. My grinder was thinly sliced beef with provolone (although they come in 23 varieties), bananas peppers, tomato, onion, lettuce and mayo. Think of it as a Philly. It was stone cold delicious and it was far from cold. Steaming beef, melted cheese and that fresh toasted roll, it was perfect. Penn Station wants about $9 for their version, you can get one at Garzelli's for $6.29. Good deal. Pick one up as a special or with a coupon and it's a really good deal.

The pizza selection isn't bad either, they range from about $7 to about $17. Still, with all the rising prices on pizzas these days, it's still a good deal. They start with a fresh crust that's not too thick or too thin, smother it in the toppings of your choice and bake to a golden bliss. I love hoagies, gyros and phillies. Now I love grinders, too! Garzelli's offers good prices for the bar selections and the games on the flat screen, so it's part pub, part pizza, all good. Get this, in the owners hometown the potatoes pictured below are called "Jo-Jo's".

If you're in the mood for the food, get up to Garzelli's and order a grinder and some Jo-Jo's or, better yet, stay warm and get it delivered to the house. You'll get the same great taste, but you'll have to supply the brew and the flat screen yourself.

From the Eastside Vibe, August 2007