The Primanti Brothers' Sandwich

I had the pleasure of living in Pittsburgh for about a year, and one of the things I consistently miss is the amazing Primanti Brothers sandwich. Often in conversation with friends and aquaintences, the subject of Pittsburgh will come up and sometimes I will bring up the Primanti Brothers' sandwich. When I do so, I am most often met with a blank stare. It is both a shock and a shame that most of the world has never heard of this gem.

The Primanti Brothers' sandwich is a Pittsburgh institution that has even been shipped out to my present home, San Francisco, by some Pittsburgh transplants, although not Primanti's themselves. The sandwich consists of two hulking pieces of fresh Italian bread bookending your choice of meat, cole slaw, tomatoes, and french fries! They serve it up on a piece of wax paper and let you go to town! It sounds crazy, but this is one of the best meals you are even going to have, and its origins date back in Pittsburgh lore.

According to the Primanti Brothers' Website, www.primantibros.com, the sandwich started at a hole-in-the-wall shop in Pittsburgh's Strip District, where the original Primanti Brothers stil stands. Back in the 1930s in the middle of the night, workers were busy unloading crates of fruits and vegetables for the many markets in the Strip District and they needed a hearty meal. So, one of the old Primanti's opened up a restaurant, but they forgot the forks and knives, allowing the workers to eat all the fixings with one hand and keep on working with the other! Nothing like a little quirky history with your food.

The sandwich, or "sammitch" as they call it in Pittsburgh, is such an institution that they have thirteen Pittsburgh locations (city, suburb as well as locations in the 'burbs!), and you can even find two original Primanti Brothers down in Fort Lauderdale, FL. A testament to their popularity would have to be the fact that you can even find locations in both the Steelers and Pirates stadiums! Practically every Pittsburgh newspaper or TV show has bestowed awards and honors on the establishment and its sandwich. But they have also received lots of national attention. For example, Primanti Brothers was included on a Travel Channel list of the Best Places to Pig Out and the sandwich was even featured in a recent edition of National Geographic! Samples from their menu: how about the Deluxe Double Egg and Cheese or the Imported Sardine and Cheese sammitch (what would we do if they were not imported!?). Of course, your normal fare (turkey, capicola, just cheese, roast beef, tuna, etc.) can be found on Primanti's menu as well. The price at Primantis is right too, as you will not find a sandwich with a higher dollar value than $5.99 in the city (for the Colossal Fish and the Black Angus Top Sirloin Steak) or $6.29 in the suburbs for the Colossal Fish AND Cheese. Most sandwiches come in at the moderate price of about five bucks with city prices, on average, running a tad cheaper than suburban prices. Could it be that Primanti's have taken note of that affluence disparity between city and suburb? Wow, they are even socially aware. Or maybe the beer flows faster in the city, so the number of urban sandwiches consumed is higher, thereby allowing for a lower price tag? Who knows? Who cares? All I know is that for a fin this is a tasty meal, chock of history and quirkyness!

Primanti Brothers will also sell you various salads and sides such as cole slaw, a large kosher pickle, cheese fries, chili fries, chili cheese fries, and Smallman Street Fries, which are topped with chili, cheese, bacon, and sour cream. But, we come here for the sammitch! With Primanti Brothers having such a pervasive presence in Pittsburgh, how is it that your run of the mill fast food restaurants can even survive? Yet another mystery that will have to go unsolved.

I would suggest that if you find yourself in Pittsburgh you try one of my two favorite city locations, the original in the fantastic Strip District or the location in Oakland near the University of Pittsburgh. Both find late night revellers chasing the beer with a hefty bite. The Strip District location is even open 24 hours, a rarity for the 'burgh!