Each week, Justin Bitner goes hunting for DFW's most interesting sandwiches. Have a sandwich suggestion? Leave it in the comments and he'll check it out.
Venue: Jimmy's Food Store
Sandwich: Philly Roast Pork Sandwich ($6.99)
Bread: Soft, half-jus'd hoagie
Toppings: Roast pork, broccoli rabe, peppers, auricchio provolone, aujus
The Case: Jimmy's Food Store, the revered East Dallas institution, has been on the to-do list of the 'Wich Trials for some time. The tiny, labyrinthine grocer's wares are featured on the menus of some of Dallas' finest restaurants (Bolsa, Cane Rosso), and it's been said to have some of the craftiest sandwichsmiths in town.
Choosing a Saturday afternoon at the peak lunch hour can sometimes be a foolish call, but in this case it turned out to be perfect. The small, packed store was moving at full tilt, with people surveying the variety of foodstuffs geared to the discerning diner. I made my way through the casual Saturday browsers and to the legendary butcher counter, turning an eye to the board of sandwiches posted surreptitiously on a post to the right of the display case. My attention was drawn slightly higher by a neon yellow poster board with a new item scrawled on it. As soon as I spotted the words "roast pork," my decision was made.
I glanced around the store as I waited for the sandwich to be ready, seeing how many half thimbles of wine I could cajole out of the lady giving out samples. By the time my church buzz kicked in, the man behind the glass case called out my name and handed me a large styrofoam box with my name scrawled across the top in black marker. Spotting a table out front, I pulled out a chair and hunkered down to enjoy the weekend's comings and goings along the street.
Opening the container I expected my face to start liquefying like in "Raiders of the Lost Ark." The sandwich is that gorgeous. A sumptuous bed of roast pork and melted provolone are the resting place for excellently cooked broccoli rabe and hot peppers. Beneath all of it, a tender hoagie with its bottom half soaked in aujus defies culinary physics and holds the heft of the sandwich together. Though the weather was fairly moderate on my visit, this sandwich would be perfect for the cold days ahead. The warm aujus and light nudging of heat from the peppers keep all senses at attention, while the pork and cheese make you seriously contemplate dropping to one knee and proposing to a sandwich.
The Verdict: Send out the nuptial announcements and change your Facebook status -- this sandwich is a keeper.
Follow @cityofate and @j_bitner on Twitter. More 'Wich Trials: The Prosciutto Panini at Cavalli The Bobbie at Capriotti's The Sliced Beef at Hard Eight BBQ Granny's Sunday Gravy at Gennarino's The Balis Bad Boy at Mr. G's