Atlanta etc.: Marilyn Wolf's Food Blog and Restaurant Blog

I passed through Douglasville and needed a quick, satisfying lunch. Bubba Mac's promised Philly cheesesteaks---how could I pass up the opportunity to check out their game? Inside, the decor is all sports. The service was extremely warm and friendly but the food took a long time to arrive. When my sandwich did come, it was a good representation of the Philly cheesesteak tradition. It came "wid" (that's with onions) as well as green pepper. The steak was very juicy. The cheese was of high quality---Provolone, I think. The bread had the right combination of crustiness and interior structure to catch all that juice. The fries were very fresh.

Cathy introduced me to Spinelli's Market in Park Hill. It's a real market with groceries. The meatl counter also serves as a sandwich counter that provides some excellent food. This is my classic Italian sub. As you can see, it's a big, thick sandwich that makes a very satisfying meal. It included three meats, all excellent, as well as some great Provolone cheese. The pickled red peppers are a classic touch. The bread was outstanding: the crust was crunchy with a nice caramel note; the crumb was soft and very wheaty. This is half of Cathy's sandwich, which featured chicken. She reports that it was ecellent.

Primanti's is a Pittsburgh classic; I visited the Oakmont location. They specialize in working man's food: big food you can eat fast. Primanti's solution to this perennial problem was to put everything, including the fries, in the sandwich. My friend Phil Koopman joined me. As you can see, our sandwiches are huge. I expected this to be a fun, messy treat. I was pleasantly amazed at how good my sandwich was. I think there are two reasons why Primanti's stands well above the standard greasy spoon restaurant. First, they use high quality ingredients. The very fresh Italian bread and the very fresh, tasty fries stood out. Second, they didn't coat those ingredients in glop. The sandwich has no mayonnaise or oil dressing. The resulting clean taste makes the meat, fries, salad, and bread really stand out.

I finally tried Sawicki's in downtown Decatur and I'm glad I did. They are a real, live butcher shop that also serves sandwiches. The service was friendly and efficient. Everything about my Cuban sandwich was great. The ham was satisfyingly hammy, the cheese was rich and oozingly tempting, the bread was crusty on the outside and just chewy enough on the inside. Smashing everything together in the sandwich press really gives the final touch to this sandwich. This was a great lunch.

Villains is a hip/casual sandwich spot and hangout in Midtown. The name refers to the sandwiches, which are named after comic book villains. The décor is metal/industrial but with one wall in the style of a subway. I wasn't impressed by the décor and theme. I guess the metal walls were supposed to suggest a villain's lair, but it just came off a little drab to me. But my sandwich was very good. This is my veggie meatball sandwich. Falafel played the role of the meatballs here. The tomato sauce was very sweet and it was matched with some amazingly sweet fried onions. There was nothing to play the role of cheese, but the sauce and onions at least partially distracted me from that concern. The bread was very good. Service was quick, too.

Crazy Cuban opened a few weeks ago on 14th Street, just a block or so from the Silver Skillet. It's a very dedicated shop: all sandwiches and for the moment only lunch. The owner did tell me that they plan to expand hours as the students start to flow in. A cuban sandwich, in case you haven't had the pleasure of a formal introduction, is a sandwich with ham, pork, and cheese as the main attractions, along with a special type of sandwich roll. The Crazy Cuban's version is pretty good---warm and succulent. As an accompaniment, they serve Zapp's potato chips, which I really like because they actually taste like potatoes, unlike too many of today's extruded chips. This neighborhood has needed more straightforward lunch places and Crazy Cuban fits the bill.