Tour de Hamdel: Lunch on the Day of Your Daughter’s Wedding Edition

Tour de Hamdel virgins, click here for more details on my saga.

I lied. Today, I did not order Devin’s special Stallone sandwich, mainly because I feared that jalapeños were a bad idea at 10:30 am before class. Eventually, I will try that custom sandwich, and then write some unnecessary and annoying commentary on its pains and/or pleasures. Instead of the special Stallone, the sandwich of the day is the Godfather, Hamdel’s take on a classic Italian hero. Most delis near Columbia offer such a sandwich, and most include similar ingredients. In Hamdel’s case, the Godfather features ham, salami, pepperoni, mortadella, provolone, lettuce, tomato, hot and sweet pepper, onions, and oil and vinegar. Basically, Hamdel decided to combine all the Italian-ish ingredients in their pantry, creating a monstrous and monoflavor sandwich.

Despite the impressive number of ingredients, each individual component melds into the next, making the Godfather taste vaguely meaty and greasy. A sour note trickles up from the vinegar, and a monolithic wad of salty cured meat contributes to the corrosive flavor. This sandwich takes enamel off teeth and flesh off tongue; perhaps a jalapeño or two might offer a brief respite.

While I do not like the Godfather (the sandwich, not the movie), I used to order it whenever I went to Hamdel. As a lowly freshman, I felt intimidated by Hamdel’s vast menu, by their emphasis on gooey, sauce heavy heroes, and by the man behind the counter barking “next, next, next.” Without a few minutes to ponder dozens of lunch options, I shouted “the Godfather,” because then my speed and surety conveyed a certain confidence. Now, however, I have left the Godfather far behind, and only rarely revisit it to reminisce.

If I had a daughter, and she was getting married, I would not serve the Godfather to her guests. I would order the Godfather again though, if only for old time’s sake.

Next: the Buffalo Blue (chicken cutlet, fresh mozzarella, hot sauce, blue cheese dressing).

1 Comment

Filed under Columbia University, New York City, Tour de Hamdel

One response to “Tour de Hamdel: Lunch on the Day of Your Daughter’s Wedding Edition

  1. I was always a grilled combo kind of guy…grilled combo #4 or 6. either add bacon or ranch. or the breakfast burritos with tomato, egg, cheese, bacon and some ranch. as you can see there is this common theme of me loving bacon and ranch. haha.

    have you tried the sandwiches at appletree? they have quite a selection there as well.

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