Sunday Sauce has finally hit Fiore’s Deli!
What’s Fiore’s you ask? Well, the shortened story is that
this deli is regarded as making the most delicious mozzarella this side
of....well…I don’t know. Maybe anywhere in the world if you listen to their
fans (allegedly Sinatra used to come here all the time). This Hoboken institution makes their “mutz" on site and not only do they
produce this famous product but they also offer a roast beef, gravy and mozzarella sandwich (“sambo”
in JonnyMangia parlance) that is unparalleled (according to many I have spoke to). It’s
standard practice for a line to file outside the door and down the block every
Saturday morning as an assortment of Hoboken-ites – old school Italians,
hung-over post College dudes with baseball caps pulled low, fireman and cops,
yuppie families and construction workers line up for sandwiches…with the roast beef and
mutz being the most popular.
I hit Fiore’s at about 3 pm last Saturday and it was
definitely an old-school joint – tin ceiling, old time counter and yesteryear pictures of Hoboken on the
wall and the smell of coldcuts and cheese that permeates Italian pork stores and delis. Unfortunately I
was told that they has just run out of bread thus there was no roast beef and
mutz to be had. The deli guy told me his partner had just run out to get more
bread, and fortunately after a 15 minute wait outside next to a chain-smoker
who was waiting for a sambo also (and seemingly going through roast beef and
mutz withdrawal as he nearly fell to the floor when told they were out)
the bread was replenished and I was soon out the door with a pound of fresh
mozzarella ($9 and change) and a roast beef-mutz hero ($10).
Photo: Cross-section of Fiore's Famous Roast Beef, Mutz and Gravy hero
I unwrapped the sambo when I returned to Casa Mangia and was
surprised at the brown mess (gravy folks) it was wrapped in. Thank God Nikki
wasn’t around because she would’ve gotten sick as it wasn’t an appetizing site.
I took my first few bites at room temp and frankly I was unimpressed. To me it
was any old roast beef sandwich with slightly buttery mozzarella. Then, I
decided to heat it up and the metamorphosis took place…
WHAM! This sambo came to life!
Photo: God Bless Fiore's Mozzarella!
The roast beef became
lively, tasty, somewhat smoky as it embraced the gravy. And the mutz? Madonna
mia, can you say re-incarnation? The mutz went under a complete transformation
from a lifeless block to a bonanza of taste and texture - soft, creamy and buttery with a hint of salt. This
cheese was born to be melted.
So the verdict is in – though we never shy from taking the
contrarian opinion, especially when it comes to debunking legends (if it’s
deserved) , we both concur (Nikki affirmed my opinion later that day) that
Fiore’s mutz is outstanding and simply the best we have tasted on these shores.
And the roast beef sambo is something to behold as well - just make sure to eat the sambo warm or it won’t
offer the goods.
Fiore's Deli
414 Adams St
Hoboken, NJ 07030
(201) 659-1655
Antique Bakery
The next day Nikki and I continued our Hoboken theme as we stopped by Antique Bakery
, one of the town’s venerable bakers who still make their bread on-site. We
picked up a sausage and mozzarella bread (they also offered a sausage and
pepper loaf as well as a pepperoni and mutz) as well as a
Photo: Nikki Improvises over Antique's focaccia, adding Fiore's mozzarella and then drizzling with olive oil.
focaccia with tomatoes
and a nice standard Italian loaf without seeds. When we returned to Casa Mangia
Nikki the improviser cut a few pieces of Fiore’s mutz, placed them on the
focaccia, and put it in the oven for 10 minutes then drizzled olive oil after
it was out. We both felt this had transformed into an astounding Sicilian style
pizza with tangy, lively tomatoes marrying with the creamy, buttery Fiore mutz
and the thick ,doughy crust.
Photo: Stupid nice!
Unfortunately we couldn’t say the same for the stuffed
bread. Simply put, it wasn’t stuffed with anything. Take a look
at the cross-section photo and you’ll see with your eyes.
A Salute!
Antique Bakery
122 Willow Ave # A
Hoboken, NJ 07030
(201) 714-9323
Photo: Antique Bakery's bread allegedly stuffed with sausage and mozzarella.
Can you find the saw-zeetch?