Zagat Names Rhode Island’s
‘Official’ Sandwich
Tracey Minkin, GoLocalProv
Features Editor
We love them, and now Zagat has named them
Rhode Island's state sandwich... the hearty Italian Grinder.
Rhode Island may be best known for
stuffies, gaggas and coffee milk, but now, it's got an official sandwich: the
Italian Grinder. At least that's the pronouncement of Zagat, the well-known
restaurant rating guide.
In honor of August being
national sandwich month, Zagat set out to name one classic sandwich for every
state in the union, and for Rhode Island, the honor fell squarely on the
humble, but never bland, grinder.
Of course, the Zagat editors
felt it necessary to interpret the moniker. "In case you were confused, a
grinder is the same as a hoagie, or a hero, or a submarine sandwich," they
say. "Basically, it’s a long, soft white roll stuffed with thinly sliced
meat, lettuce, tomatoes and condiments. An Italian grinder traditionally
consists of hot capicola, pepperoni, genoa salami, provolone cheese, iceberg
lettuce, tomatoes, mayonnaise and Italian dressing."
Zagat gives a special grinder
shout-out to Hudson Street Deli in Providence, "where they make their
grinders in two sizes, large or extra large."
What sandwiches were crowned the
state special in New England's other 5 states?
Connecticut: Connecticut-Style
Hot Lobster Roll
"While many consider the
cold, mayonnaise-driven Maine lobster roll to be the quintessential version of
the sandwich, the first lobster roll was actually a hot, buttered one served at
a restaurant called Perry’s in Milford, Connecticut, in the 1920s,"
according to Zagat, sending the curious (and hungry) to Abbott’s Lobster in the
Rough in Noank. "They take the simplicity of the Connecticut-style hot
lobster roll and turn it into an art form."
