What’s Cook’n
Garzelli’s Grinder & Pizza Co.
637 Ohio Pike 947-9000
You may be asking yourself...”what is a grinder?” Well we’ve
researched it exhaustively and we found that there is no real definition
or factual origin of a grinder.
Most experts agree it is a take-off from a submarine sandwich. Oddly enough
the sub and the grinder have a somewhat nautical origin. East coast shipyards
often employed Italian immigrant workers. These workers usually packed a
lunch, commonly the lunch consisted of a large sandwich on a french roll
stuffed with meats cheeses and an olive salad. These workers were building
submarines and ships. The workers assigned to grinding down the rivets in
the metal plates were often referred to as “grinders”. This Italian
sandwich was a common staple and restaurants serving the sandwich used the
names submarine and grinder. Whew! Enough of the history report, the real
question is “how good is a grinder?”
Well we headed for the local expert on creating the authentic grinders...Garzelli’s.
Realizing Garzelli’s also specializes in pizza, we just had to try
both. Garzelli’s grinders are essentially what we call hoagies, a large
sub bun, stuffed with meat and cheese with your choice of toppings. The one
thing I can say about the grinder is the roll is much better than your average
grease soaked bun. Fresh and soft on the inside, toasted crisp on the outside.
This is a great roll. My grinder was thinly sliced beef with provolone
(although they come in 23 varieties), bananas peppers, tomato, onion, lettuce
and mayo. Think of it as a Philly. It was stone cold delicious and it was
far from cold. Steaming beef, melted cheese and that fresh toasted roll,
it was perfect. Penn Station wants about $9 for their version, you can get
one at Garzelli’s for $6.29. Good deal. Pick one up as a special or
with a coupon and it’s a really good deal.
The pizza selection isn’t bad either, they range from about $7 to about
$17. Still with all the rising prices on pizzas these days it’s still
a good deal. They start with a fresh crust that’s not
too thick or too thin, smother it in the toppings of your choice and bake
to a golden bliss. I love hoagies, gyros and phillies. Now I love grinders
too! Garzelli’s offers good prices for the bar selections and the games
on the flat screen, so it’s part pub, part pizza, all good. Get this,
in the owners hometown the potatoes pictured below are called “Jo-Jo’s”.
If your in the mood for the food, get up to Garzelli’s and order a
grinder and some Jo-Jo’s or better yet stay warm and get it delivered
to the house, you’ll get the same great taste but you’ll have
to supply the brew and the flat screen yourself.
