Hoagie Quest: Matt & Marie's Italian Stallion

Since opening in 2014 near Logan Square, Matt & Marie's has quietly built a solid reputation with their modern Italian take on sandwiches. Co-owners Nicole "Marie" Capp and Justin "Matt" Sapolsky are also expanding the concept to Rittenhouse Square and Washington Square. Apparently, the business plan they wrote at Wharton said to open locations near squares!

I finally visited the original location to find out if I missed Matt & Marie's glory days before the challenges of expansion hit home. The sandwich shop is set up similar to a Subway where you order at one end and the hoagie is passed along the queue. It's quick and efficient, but leaves you wondering if the pre-sliced meat is fresh and high quality.

No need to worry. After the first bite of their Italian Stallion, you know Matt & Marie's brings it with the meat. Their combination of Molinari fennel salami, Genoa salami and sweet coppa hits your tastebuds like a cured-meat Starburst. Unlike bland provolone used by so many other shops, Matt & Marie's uses Claudio's, which is actually sharp. Clearly, the foundation of the Italian Stallion has all the makings of a great hoagie. Unfortunately, a house needs more than a foundation and that's trouble with this place.

The bread lacked freshness and had a Wawa-like quality. Not, bad, but certainly not good enough match Hoagie Quest's best. My two biggest issues, though, were with the hoagie's construction and the pepperoncini aioli.

Good flavor but poorly spread 

As the pictures show, neither the cheese nor the pickled peppers, which were very good, were spread throughout the hoagie. That's a basic hoagie building block and a miscue that should never occur. The menu also says onions are included, but I only noticed a stray slice.

While the pepperoncici aioli tasted quite good, to a traditionalist like myself it's a sneaky trick to get around the no-mayo-on-an-Italian rule. The flavor also overpowers the quality meat and cheese. I would prefer to have a pepperoncini oil instead.

In the end, Matt & Marie's makes a good hoagie and I'd definitely go back to try others, but I'm leery of the expansion since the execution was already lacking at the original location. Also, be mindful of the "modern Italian" tagline and as you will want to hunt somewhere else for a traditional hoagie.

Italian Stallion from @mattandmaries. Both a great sandwich and disappointing from major execution issues. Meat and cheese are high quality but cheese not evenly spread along with the peppers. Pepperoncini aioli is good but hides flavors of sandwich and too close to the no mayo on an Italian golden rule. #phillygram #sandwichquest #22ndandphilly #phillyfoodie #hoagie #hoagiequest

A photo posted by 22nd&Philly (@22ndandphilly) on Mar 12, 2016 at 6:00am PST

Is this the Best, Cheapest Italian Hoagie in Philadelphia?

Major Wing Lee Grocery Market is a corner deli in East Falls known for two things: incredibly cheap hoagies and 15 minutes of fame courtesy of Parking Wars.

Even though I think the show is stupid and don't care to promote the meter gods, this Parking Wars episode is actually quite hilarious to watch (starts at 8:30) as the parking authority stakes out hoagie hunters who illegally park and rush in to get hoagies. The result is a $41 fine for hoagies that cost between $2.50 and $4.25.

Yes, that's how cheap Major Wing Lee hoagies really are.

A large Italian hoagie is $4.25, which is certainly a great price for the size and amount of meat. For comparison's sake, the Daddy Wad at Paesano's is $9 and the Spicy Godfather at P&S Deli is $7.25. But cheap does not always equal good. Where does Major Wing Lee rank on the scale of the best, cheapest Italian hoagies in Philadelphia?

I'd say it's right up there with cheap hoagie legend Wawa ($6-ish) on quality and almost on the number of hoagies made per minute, considering the consistent flow of customers during the five minutes I was in the store.

I've seen people claim this to be one of the best hoagies around. That's a stretch, but they do hit many of the basics - fresh cut meat, thick cut onions, shredded lettuce - although the unforgivable sin of asking if I wanted mayo was committed.

Major Wing Lee Grocery Market's large Italian hoagie

Like many cheaper hoagies, Major Wing Lee fell victim to a less than ideal roll. The Amoroso roll felt grocery store-bought and was a too chewy for my liking. The provolone lacked sharpness, also a common occurrence with cheaper hoagies.

Why P&S Ravioli Company Led Me Eat Three Hoagies in One Week

Leave the ravioli, take the hoagie.

That Godfather-inspired quote came to mind after several visits to P&S Ravioli Company (or do they call the stores P&S Deli?) to try the Spicy Godfather and eventually the traditional Italian hoagie.

Made with this hoagie hunter in mind, the freshly sliced heapings of hot capicola, hot soppressata and sharp provolone on a Liscio's roll combine to make the Spicy Godfather one of the best sandwiches of 2014.

The Spicy Godfather will make you an offer you can't refuse.

Adding sweet and vinegary roasted peppers to the saltiness of the sharp provolone tapers some of the heat, but some bites would definitely still have been too hot for Kristy.

Hoagie Quest: PrimoHoagies in Ardmore

What does it mean when two cops are known on a first name basis at your local PrimoHoagies? A high likelihood that you've come to a quality place.

Jokes aside, Primo (at least the Ardmore location) does make a darn good Italian hoagie. That’s a good sign for hoagie hunters because, with more than 80 franchise locations, an authentic, high-quality and convenient hoagie is never too far away.

The Italian comes with prosciutto, hot capicola, natural casing Genoa salami and provolone. Freshly sliced meat was a pleasant surprise and packed the flavor that the Italian hoagie at Pastificio lacked. The capicola stole the show as its spicy kick really came through on each bite.

The soft vs. hard balance of the bread was just about right and made for tasteful bites without the chewy feeling. I also liked the amount of oil that was used, which is too often underdone for my taste.

I would have liked more sharp in the provolone so next time I'll go with the sharp version instead of the regular. The tomatoes were also bland and it didn't seem like the onions were cut fresh. But, hey at least they didn't ask if I wanted mayo - not bad for a chain!

PrimoHoagies is not in the same class as Salumeria or Paesano's in our Hoagie Quest, but definitely one to keep on your short list depending on your location.

Hoagie Quest Heads to South Philly for the Pastificio Classic Italian

Hailing from South Philly, the epicenter of great hoagies, and preceded by rave reviews from friends, Pastificio was one of our most anticipated Hoagie Quests.

After a long run to prep for the Broad Street Run I was ready to fill the calorie void and devour a great hoagie (plus half of whatever Kristy ordered).

The expectations swelled once we entered and saw a long line of locals, fresh bread and cheeses, and a selection of meats that would make any Italian pleased. I was sure this hoagie would be as memorable as Matt Stairs' moonshot home run against the Dodgers.

Instead this quest was more like Matt Stairs in the broadcast booth - solid with room for improvement - and certainly no match for Hoagie Quest leader Salumeria.

Pastificio hits many of the basics, such as slicing the mortadella, salami, prosciutto, capicola and provolone for each order. The Abruzzi bread is also high quality, a must for any good Philly sandwich.

This should have been the making of a great hoagie, but it fell victim to two unacceptable flaws...

First, the provolone lacked any of that sharp salty, bite that makes a good provolone so memorable, and instead resembled any old bland version from Acme. Second, the meat ratio was amiss. It’s hard to tell if they used all the required meats. I’m actually questioning if they gave me the wrong order by mistake...

I should have lowered my expectations when I was asked if I wanted mayo. You broke my heart, Pastificio!

Pastificio's Italian hoagie will beat many neighborhood shops, but it’s not even close to Salumeria or the Daddy Wad at Paesano's. The comparison below is Tyson versus Glass Joe really.

Salumeria Italian Hoagie

Pastificio's Italian Hoagie

Kristy ordered the chicken cutlet club, with American cheese, lettuce, tomato, mayo and bacon, which was quite good and lived up to Pastificio being a superb place for cutlets. For now, I'd stick with cutlets and skip the hoagie. All that said, Pastificio's marketing is actually all about their meatballs and pasta - if you've tried them, are they worth a trip back?

Hoagie Quest Visits The Corner Foodery

"Would you like mayo, oil, vinegar or balsamic with that?" With that question I had to make a split decision whether or not to cancel my order at The Corner Foodery.

The last time someone asked if I wanted mayo during Hoagie Quest it turned out to be one of worst Italian hoagies ever. (I’m looking at you, Dolce Carini!)

Corner Foodery menu of specialty sandwiches

Good thing I didn't walk out because The Corner Foodery turned out to be a pleasant surprise albeit with some execution errors. It reminds me of Jake’s Sandwich Board in that neither shop necessarily gets talked about much.

There is no straight Italian hoagie on the Corner Foodery menu, but I found out later that you can create your own sandwich from a selection of meats. I ordered The Godfather, the closest menu item, with prosciutto, pepperoni, coppa and sharp provolone (3 out of 5 of necessary ingredients).

Despite the overplayed name, The Godfather was quite good, but won't make it into the upper echelon of my Hoagie Quest list.

The Daddy Wad Takes on Hoagie Quest

An all-time Sandwich Quest favorite is Paesano’s Bolognese, a brilliant combination of fried lasagna, mozzarella, provolone, red sauce and a fried egg served on a delicious roll. No wonder it was the 2011 Scarpetta Award winner for best sandwich.

The question for Hoagie Quest, then, was: would Paesano's Italian hoagie, called the Daddy Wad, inspire the same level of love?

The short answer is that the Daddy Wad fulfills all the requirements of a great Italian hoagie and is one of the best in Philadelphia.

We'll get to the actual hoagie in second, but Paesano's itself needs some explaining.

It's often the atmosphere of a hoagie shop or the care a chef puts into his creations that can elevate a meal or sandwich from good to great. For me, being in the heart of the Italian Market conjures up images of the young Vito Corleone roaming the streets with his fellow immigrants, surrounded by push carts sharing their wares.

Yes, most of that image is from a bygone era, but the dreamer in me still likes to think I can recreate it, if only for minute.

On any given day, Paesano's is filled with locals just looking for a good sandwich. It's a small space so you need to sit elbow to elbow on a crowded day. You'll find yourself talking to others and asking them what they think of their hoagie, helping others know where to order, etc. It's that type of experience that helps make a place like Paesano's stand out. I'm sure others that reach the top of Hoagie Quest will also offer similar experiences. Salumeria surely benefits from the liveliness of Reading Terminal Market, but in turn creates a different, but equally special, experience.

Okay, on to the hoagie already.

Salumeria Kicks Off Hoagie Quest In Style

The bar has been set for Hoagie Quest.

The Italian Hoagie at Salumeria in Reading Terminal Market is as good as any I've ever had.

Just how good was it?

It was so good that I wrapped up half and took it with me on vacation in the Poconos just so my dad could try a bite. And it traveled just fine.

The roll had the perfect soft inside / firm outside blend that did not result in hoagie jaw, an infliction that I hope doesn't become too common on Hoagie Quest.


Salumeria doubles as a cheese and meat shop (a good trick when looking for a good hoagie). The result is a hoagie packed with capicola, mortadella, salami and prosciutto. The provolone is sharp, but not overpowering.

Readers suggested ordering it with house dressing. Thankfully I listened. The dressing is the real kicker of the hoagie even though I normally prefer only oil. You must order it with the dressing.

Hoagie Quest is on folks! Stay tuned.

If you have a suggestion, leave a comment. You can email or tweet us pics of your own favorites too. We'll be sure to share them.

Yo Philly! Who's up for a Hoagie Quest?

One of our favorites from Ray's in Lansdale, PA

This post has good and bad news.

First, the bad.

We have written about no less than 29 sandwiches since the start of Sandwich Quest in 2011. Can you believe we haven't written about one Italian hoagie? Not one. Shame on us.

The Italian hoagie is not only iconic Philadelphia, but one of my favorite types of sandwiches. I could give some weak excuses like the desire to try different or overlooked sandwiches, but that would be worse than Ruben Amaro trying to explain how John Mayberry is underrated.

Unlike Rube, I’d rather just admit my error and fix it.

Hence the good news!