Heyo!!!!
I’m in Detroit now. Wow.
I’ve been having a lot of fun bouncing around from restaurant to restaurant, chatting it up with bartenders, and getting a lay of the land. All of my landmarks in Detroit are places that I’ve eaten. Ahhh yes, I must be close to the post office because I had great shawarma right around here.
Most of the people I know in Detroit are strangers, but everybody here is super nice. So nice that it’s almost off-putting. If you just sit at a restaurant bar alone, people will come up and talk to you. Very bizarre stuff. I’m not used to so many people asking…genuine questions?? About my life??? What the heck???
I had the pleasure of visiting Selden Standard for the first time, a mainstay in the Detroit restaurant scene and a place I plan to patronize regularly. I also went across the street to Mad Nice, a restaurant name I want to physically punch in the face. I’m going to talk more about the pasta at Mad Nice next week, but Jesus Christ I have to get this off my chest while it’s fresh:
This restaurant is one giant cocaine mirror; a caviar bump come to life. I hate the suicide cult workwear. I hate the sterilized, futuristic interior and the air of self importance that wafts through the room. More than anything, though, I can’t get past the obnoxious invocation of Southern California throughout the drink menu. Ahhh yes, I go to L.A. twice a year on business and stay in West Hollywood, can I get the Saturday at The Santa Monica Farmers Market??? Restaurant groups farting out Italian concepts and charging a premium needs to stop here and now. I would rather get T-boned by a semi-truck than pay $26 for a mortadella sandwich. Oh, and please see through their not-so-subtle dress code implication. You dumb fucks—Los Angeles is the last place that cares about a dress code.
Boy that felt good to get off my chest.
Look, I also wish I wasn’t like this, but alas I am often a shit head about things I don’t like. Now let’s talk about Italian sandwiches!!! Italian sandwiches are my comfort food, so I’ve been trying a bunch in Metro Detroit. I’m full of thoughts about two in particular.
Rocco’s Italian Deli
Rocco’s is a modern deli with a wide selection of meats, sandwiches, groceries, and other Italian provisions. The first time I visited Rocco’s over the Summer, I bought all of the necessary ingredients to make pasta sauce. The grocer section has a variety of tomatoes, olive oil, canned seafood, aromatics, and spreads to choose from. Works great in a pinch if you need supplies for Sunday dinner. Really, though, you want to visit Rocco’s to get a good sandwich.
The Il Rocco ($13) features mortadella, hot soppressata, fontina, shredded Romaine lettuce, spicy red pepper relish, and garlic-lemon aioli on some focaccia-style bread. It’s not a closed roll hoagie, but it gets pretty darn close to the vibe.
The spicy red pepper relish is more sweet and spicy, but that’s just how I like it. I wrote about hoagies in Philadelphia a while back, and I much prefer sweets to hots, like the old world hoagie at Ricci’s (truly one of the best sandwiches in America.) Sweet peppers tend to accent the deli meats more, whereas hot peppers distract. That’s my preference, anyway.
The Il Rocco is a cheesy, rich Italian sandwich that’s loaded with condiments. My only knock on it is that it features a bit too much mayonnaise. I’m not one of these assholes (David Chang) who believes in strict condiment rules for Italian sandwiches, but if you’re going to use mayo, I think it needs to be applied carefully. Rocco’s kind of glops it on, and the garlic-aioli makes the sandwich a little too creamy and rich.
The move at Rocco’s? Ask for light or no mayonnaise. Your sandwich will be better for it. In my time eating hoagies in Philadelphia, I found that the best hoagie shops ask you a shitload of questions. Do you want hots, sweets, mayo, mustard, oil & vin, what kind of veggies, etc. Hoagies, at their core, are a personal choice full of options. Take the opportunity to customize your own wherever you are; it’s the Italian hoagie way!
Also of note: Rocco’s makes their own simple syrups for light and refreshing sodas. I got the orange bitters, and it was delightful. If you like a subtle, refreshing drink that’s light on sugar, get one of their sodas on tap. It’s going to hit the spot this Summer.
Rocco’s Italian Deli
3627 Cass Ave.
Detroit, MI 48201
The Original Gonella’s
I fuck heavy with a sandwich shop in an industrial area, and Gonella’s is a historic Detroit deli in a forest of factories and semi-trucks in Oakwood. It’s a great place to get a cheap sandwich, and many Detroiters have been going here all their lives.
As mentioned, friendly doesn’t really begin to describe the strangers I’ve met in Detroit so far. I think authentically talkative is more to the point. I told the lady working the counter at Gonella’s that it was my first time ordering their sandwich, and she was very kind and helpful. This isn’t one of those delis where people take pleasure in telling you to go fuck yourself (which is, if I’m being honest, my favorite kind of deli.) She was very sweet and we shared some pleasant sandwich banter.
Then, the guy next to me struck up a conversation about how Gonella’s is his favorite sandwich shop. I asked him where else he goes for sandwiches in Detroit. “Here,” he said. Soon after that exchange, a man to my right, who was audibly missing a few teeth, said he’s been going to Gonella’s for over 40 years. I noticed that his son couldn’t pronounce the word muffuletta. I think it was his first time seeing the word out in the wild. I hope he gets laid soon.
How’s the sandwich at Gonella’s? Really good, especially for the price which is a measly $7.50. The provolone isn’t sharp, so it doesn’t have that funky bite I like in a good Italian sandwich, but it’s still milky and great. The prominent flavor here is the Italian dressing, which is a tangy blast of red wine vinegar, rich oil, and spices. I would love to know what kind of red wine vinegar they use here at Gonella’s, because it’s really good stuff. Punchy and vibrant. Big points for using great red wine vin.
The quality of the meat here didn’t necessarily blow me away, though. The Italian sub features salami cotto, mortadella, smoked ham, and capicola. I got a bit of a rubbery vibe from some of the meat, and most of it carried a sort of bland, Oscar Meyer taste and texture. I much prefer some quality mortadella, hot soppressata, and prosciutto in my Italian sub. Again, though, this thing costs $7.50. A steal.
If I had to put Rocco’s and Gonella’s head to head, I think I’d choose Gonella’s. It’s a classic deli-slicer sub. Everything—the meat, cheese, lettuce, onion, tomato—is sliced paper thing on a slicer. The sandwich also proves that you don’t really need mayonnaise to make a good Italian sandwich work. Quality vinegar and oil get the job done every time.
Detroit: I wasn’t familiar with your Italian sandwich game. But, I am now.
The move? I’d recommend anybody visiting Detroit to stop by Gonella’s. It’s a great way to experience the city, and if you need to save some cash for lunch, you can do a whole lot worse than this place.
The Original Gonella’s
295 Oakwood
Detroit, MI 48217
That’s it! Thanks for reading The Move. I know I can be a bitch sometimes, but hey that’s part of the fun. Mad Nice will be just fine without my endorsement. Oh, if you haven’t yet, please subscribe!!! Share the newsletter with friends if you wish. I’d love to beef up the numbers here.
So long! I’ll be back on Monday with some recipes!
Corner Deli + Giard @ Rocco's is a favorite.
Ordering Gonnella's for the whole plant floor is the best, and cheapest way to make sure your jobs get done first.
Didn't you have a girlfriend in Detroit?