Planet Hoagie

30 W State St.
Media, PA 19063
(610) 891-1919
Website

Yes, there is a planet hoagie at Citizen's Bank Park; no, it's not nearly as good as the little spot tucked away on State street in Media. This is seriously my favorite hoagie spot, currently. I am obviously fickle, and this could change, but they just do everything right, all the time.

The inside is what you would expect of a little hoagie joint, nothing fancy, and with a meat slicer that probably costs more than anything else in the place, I could relate to their taste for the finer things as soon as I walked through the door.

In order to compare apples to apples, I offer up the turkey Schwartzie and the Italian. These are two staples at Primo's, but I think that Planet Hoagie does BOTH better. Don't get me wrong, Primo's is delicious, but Planet Hoagie has the rolls! Corropolese bakery rolls to be exact. They have the crunch and chew of a Sarcone's, but with a lighter interior. This roll is perfect.

The Rocco features hot sopressata, capacola, genoa salami, and sharp provolone. I usually get it with the works, which includes lettuce, tomato, onion, and banana peppers.

The deli meat is sliced exceptionally thin, and the sharp prov is quite a healthy portion. Everything is perfectly distributed, and the roll holds it all together nicely. It's the perfect Italian hoagie.

The Schwartzie boasts thin sliced turkey, coleslaw, Swiss, and Thousand Island. It's a perfect blend, and they don't skimp the dressing, which helps ease it all down my gullet.

Again, this sandwich is just wet enough, and the roll holds up perfectly. It's something you start to crave again not long after hosing yourself off from the sandwich you just ate.

But maybe that's because my hands smell for the rest of the day anyway.

La Bonne Soupe

920 8th St
Sacramento, CA 95814
(916) 492-9506

While I was out in Sacramento for work recently, I made it a point to try some places that were well-known in the city. This one was a soup cafe that was popular with workers from the Capital.

They offer a variety of homemade soups, and some pretty interesting Euro-inspired sandwiches.

I went with the blue crab bisque. It was nicely spiced, not overly heavy with cream, and had a solid amount of blue crab chunks.

I also got the highly recommended brie, apple, and fig sandwich.

This was served with matchstick apples and was nicely toasted, resulting in a deliciously gooey brie and fig melt.

This was a great little lunch spot, and if you are in the Capital area of Sac-town, I highly recommend it.

Kennedy Food Garden

1901 John F Kennedy Boulevard
Philadelphia, PA 19103
(215) 977-9655

Kennedy Food Garden is a hidden gem in Center City west. It's the ground level of a large retirement/older person apartment building. They have EVERYTHING there, from groceries, to rotisserie chickens, to a pretty damn good deli.

Also, the chip and drink selection is second to none. It's like a high-end Wawa.

Although you can order your food at the counter and eat it there, I usually get mine to go. Whether I am going back to work or headed to a park, its a perfect grab-n-go lunch. Now this may be surprising, but one of my favorites there (you really can't go wrong as long as you get something on a French baguette) is the veggie sandwich. This allows me to feel as though I am eating healthy, but I still get the "ingredients on crusty roll" experience I crave. Plus they load this one up with ripe avocado (every time!) and feta.

This one has tomato, banana peppers, cucumbers, avocado, sun-dried tomato, romaine, feta, and mayo. Fantastic. $7. The sun-dried tomatoes give it a meaty chew, the avocado adds the fat, and the feta has the salty kick that would otherwise be missing. I am also a sucker for cucumbers, fresh tomatoes, and vinegary peppers. Did I mention that the rolls are fantastic? This sandwich is more than enough to fill you up until dinner. Or five o'clock, the snacking hour.

Another big winner is the chicken Parmesan. Although its more of a chicken pizza steak, with chunks of chicken rather than breaded cutlets, it's really tasty. Melted mozzarella, tangy marinara sauce, and tender chicken is all it takes to make this one a winner.

It is by no means a clean eat, but its not overly sloppy either. Well seasoned, and again, served on this great roll, its a filling sandwich for about $8.

If you are working in the area, I recommend stopping by the Food Garden to give it a try. It's not the most incredible thing ever, but it's consistent and has the reliable familiarity of an ex. But in this case, it's a good thing.