by RonnieD » Mon Oct 20, 2008 1:33 am
A year ago the wife and I considered Spinelli's the go-to when it came to pizza and sandwiches, especially after hours. They were local, the pie was huge and good, and the sandwiches were always well made. Then things started to slide. The pizzas would arrive burnt on the bottom, the sandwiches would arrive with half of their intended ingredients or perhaps not even as ordered if they showed up at all. (Only once, but still very disappointing and inexcusable) Disillusioned we gave Spinelli's a six month vacation.
Tonight, we braved the waters again and I have to say we are both rather impressed. Still gun-shy on the pizzas, we ordered sandwiches, the wife an Italian Hoagie, and myself a Cheeseteak Hoagie. My sandwich was back to par, with plenty of lettuce and tomato, mayonnaise and steak. The cheese was a little light, and I was not asked if I wanted Cheez Whiz or American, I assume they picked American for me, but overall, it was just as good as it was before the slide. My wife's Italian, however, was incredible. As you may know, Spinelli's sandwiches come wrapped in foil, sometimes this causes the later unwrapped sandwich to look like it was ran over by a truck, sometimes not, but when my wife unwrapped her hoagie, the thing was a piece of culinary artistry. A truly beautiful sandwich (had she not eaten it, I would have submitted a picture for approval). Not only did it present well, post-delivery, but it was exceptionally well made. Previous unspectacular hoagies looked more akin to their sad Subway cousins, but this baby featured fresh cuts of meat that suggested that they came off a real ham and not a water-injected, processed "ham," SLICED tomato and lettuce (Not the typical rough chopped and shredded fare that once adored this sandwich) and thick slices of cheese. We were both terribly impressed, and my wife said it tasted as good as it looked.
So score one for Spinelli's taking their game back up a notch. I'm still not 100% sold, what with the pizzas still untested, but this first foray was extremely encouraging and we will try again.
Ronnie Dingman
Chef Consultant
The Farm
La Center, KY