Roma Market Italian Deli ...
Ever been to Italy? … Want to go? Don't got the scratch for a plane ticket? No problem … simply put, it's time to GRUB at Roma Italian Deli in Pasadena. I definitely owe a debt of gratitude to my GRUB buddies Meg and Sam O. for turning me on to this quite-possibly-the-greatest-example-of-a-whole-in-the-wall / soon-to-be a favorite GRUB spot. Now don't get me wrong … I've been to some pretty amazing places along this journey through tasty-town and I've had some particularly mind blowing Italian sandwiches … from Bay Cities to Italia Deli, Claros to Eastside Market, each had something completely different and amazing to offer. So what's the deal with Roma? Well let me tell you … hands down it's the most bad-ass sandwich ordering experience you'll ever have. Meg and Sam gave us the heads up, but I still don't think you can ever be truly prepared … prepared for what you may ask? … GRUB Glory. I'll narrate your future trip to Roma Italian Deli … you'll approach the corner spot in a strip mall, with pretty much no windows on the wall, you'll head through the door and step through the portal to a tiny market in Italy. Pastas, olive oil, and artisan breads … all crammed into a tiny little space. You'll navigate your way through all the goodies, down the single file aisles and approach … the man. Yes … the man. Sitting behind a giant meat slicer and a case of delicious italian meats and cheeses, you'll find a tiny, old Italian GRUB-master ready to freshly prepare your sandwich. Which one do you want? I'm not too sure if they've got more than one, but all you need to do is ask for a sandwich … and the man will hook you up. It's the kind of deal where he knows what you want more than you know what you want … and as the ballet-of-meat-slicing begins, you begin to realize it really is a thing of beauty. A soft but kind-of-chewy (but in a good, hearty sort of way) Italian roll gets a healthy drizzle of olive oil, some generous slices of giant provolone, and layer after layer of mortadella, salami, and capicola … and that's it. Why would you want to add any condiments? … it'll just get in the way of the imported Italian treasures. The whole time, while his hands glided from one meat to the next, I wanted to ask to take a picture of the masterpiece he was creating … but I kind of felt like it would disturb the art. So we grabbed our sandwiches, took it back to our place, poured a couple glasses of blood orange soda, and ripped off bite after delicious bite … reliving just how freaking cool this place is. So take us up on it … go see the man … get the sandwich … trust us, you'll be glad that you GRUBBED.
