Sub Sandwiches

[garysanfran]

Within a short drive from Meredith, I'm curious as to favorite sub-sandwich shops, and why?

Italian, pastrami, meatball, etc...

[VitaBene]

I like the meatball subs from the WB. They are tasty and heavy!

[Shreddy]

You WILL NOT be disappointed with the Italian sub you can get at Skelley's. Tough to take down by one person (I have no problem ) but it is a HEALTHY portion to say the least.

[Bullwinkle]

Jo-jos (sp) on moultonborough neck road. Great meat quality and awesome sub roll

[Pineedles]

I find this so strange. Growing up in NJ we always knew these sandwiches as subs or submarine sandwiches. But, when we were in NH for the summer, they were called grinders. Now, if you do a Google search on "grinders" and add almost any Lakes Region town name, you get "0" results. Use "subs" and all the local favorites show up. I don't think it's Mass residents that have taken over in NH, it's Jerseyites.

[OFD232]

Its a Spukie, figure out from whence that comes

[phoenix]

I had a chicken parm at WB earlier in the summer and it was just ok. far too much bread( roll) for the contents and it was not toasted at all. I had the same at the Holderness general store and it was great

[Pineedles]

Originally Posted by OFD232

Its a Spukie, figure out from whence that comes

Thanks OFD232 I looked it up http://dictionary.reference.com/brow...ndwich?db=luna , and I never heard this variation in Boston. But this is what I found. Interesting, that the grinder reference below probably needs some updating or the Lakes Region is unique from the rest of New England.

Regional variation note:
The terms hero sandwich and hero, once largely associated with the New York City and Northern New Jersey area, are now too widely spread to warrant a specific regional label. This same sandwich is also called a submarine or a sub, esp. in the Northeastern and North Midland U.S., although this use has spread south along the Atlantic coast and as far west as Los Angeles. torpedo, though less common, has also spread to various regions.
The sandwich is called a grinder, chiefly in New England and the Inland North, though this use has spread to the South and West. Spuky is restricted to the Boston area, while wedge is a common synonym in Rhode Island and coastal Connecticut. Hoagy (or hoagie) is used chiefly in New Jersey and Pennsylvania, esp. Philadelphia, though it too has spread to other regions.
Poor boy is chiefly New Orleans use, originally referring to a somewhat different sandwich in which distinct sections of fillings represented the courses of a meal. Cuban sandwich, usually referring to a grilled sandwich with ham, pork, cheese, etc., is chiefly used in Southern Florida as well as the New York City area.

[RI Swamp Yankee]

while wedge is a common synonym in Rhode Island I never heard that term in RI.

I thought Grinder was a Rhode Island thing.

[luvmypups]

Originally Posted by Bullwinkle

Jo-jos (sp) on moultonborough neck road. Great meat quality and awesome sub roll

Jojo's all the way !!

[john60ri]

Yes, indeed, down here in RI, it's called a "grinder", but you don't hear that word as much as you used to. I wonder if it has something to do with the fact that there's a Subway Sandwich Shop on every other corner down here. And speaking of the Holderness General Store, they have a great little spinach and feta cheese pastry. We had a little party up there in August and our guests loved 'em.

[eillac@dow]

Spuky is restricted to the Boston area!


Nah, don't buy it. I spent 20 years working in Boston and live 20 miles south of Boston. Spuky! Never heard of it! Ok...maybe I have...but certainly in Boston.

But....Jo-Jo's gets my vote. Great place to stop on the way home. 100 times better than hitting that McD place.

[Argie's Wife]

What about "hogies"? Isn't that a grinder or sub?

[Lakegeezer]

It was always a hogie where I grew up (near Philly), but sub seems to be the going term around here. That said, the Subway in M'boro, especially the italian sub, satisfy's me. Jojos is better, but you pay over 7 bucks there and only 5 at Subway. Plus - Jojos will close in October and its a long time till they reopen in April.

[VitaBene]

Originally Posted by john60ri

Yes, indeed, down here in RI, it's called a "grinder", but you don't hear that word as much as you used to. I wonder if it has something to do with the fact that there's a Subway Sandwich Shop on every other corner down here. And speaking of the Holderness General Store, they have a great little spinach and feta cheese pastry. We had a little party up there in August and our guests loved 'em.

Grinder, in my neck of the woods, used to mean it was toasted in the oven after being made. My MIL who grew up in Boston always called them spuckies.

[jmen24]

Ginder or sub is the same for me and both get used about the same, but when is a sub not a sub, but a "CoffeePot". Tell me where that comes from.

[Pineedles]

Specifically, the Coffepot Restaurant in Bangor Maine. Very, very local name for a sub.

[jmen24]

Well done. Its funny as my wife is a Maniac from that location with family still in the area and we cannot pass by without stopping to get her one. I always seem to get into trouble by saying it is really a variation of an Italian sub, but I only say that to her, because if I said that aloud in the streets of Bangor I would probably go to jail and be called a terrorist. And I do not even think to say anything to her grandparents.

[Paugusbaby]

I am NH born and bred, and grew up calling them grinders. Not sure when they turned to "subs." Like "jeans" used to be "dungarees". . . probably a little off topic!

[garysanfran]

Spent many years living in Boston and other areas of New England...That term is new to me. Love The Forum!

The sub, hoagie, grinder, torpedo, spukie, etc. are one of the best convenience foods there is. They seem to have regional differences depending on what part of the country you are in.

I have had them in many areas and wish I had made notes. The bread is probably the biggest difference along with local veggies and dressing. AND THE HOTS! But there is a certain flavor to a good Italian made in the North End Boston tradition that is a unique flavor found no other place.

I agree with the posts, VitaBene and Phoenix, about WB...The meatball is fantastic, I was not a fan of the chicken parm, but haven't had one anywhere else.

I like Taylor's, next to Cumberland Farms, Meredith and Louis' on Rt 104.

Unfortunately, they don't keep all that well...get a bit soggy, so should be eaten right away!

[Pineedles]

You got that right about the bread! That is soooooooooo important to a good hoagie! I have called them whatever the proprietor wanted to call them. I am lucky enough to have a branch of the sub shop that sells spukies in Southington, CT called GIANT GRINDER. Original shop is in lower Hartford on Franklin Avenue. SOOO GOOD Poor Boys!!

[Mr. Prop-B-Gone]

The Hot Pastrami Sub, Grinder, Hoagy, whatever, at Skelly's is fabulous! Lots of pastrami, all cooked up on the grill and loaded into the bread with some provolone cheese! When we were looking for a home in Moultonborough we made it a point to hit Skelly's every chance we got. Given the composition, it is sort of a heart attack on a bun for those of you who are arterially challenged, but well worth the adventure! At least you will die with a smile on your face!

[CrawfordCentury]

Funny - my wife and I had the grinder-sub debate last night.

I grew up in southern Rockingham county and everyone over the age of 30 called them grinders. Sub gained traction prolly in the 1980s at some point. Most of the people my age (late 30s) and younger call them subs. (I'm linguistically conservative and still stick with grinder).

My wife, OTOH, grew up in the Union/Brookfield area. She said she's never met anyone who called them grinders until she met me a decade ago.

I told her it was because the local population shunned ethnic food until relatively recently. As such, a localized term like grinder didn't have a chance to take hold until after the mass media made "sub" the default term.

Of course, this led me to ask if growing up they called pizza saucey pie with cheese. (My back is still kinda stiff from sleeping on the couch )

Anyhoo, back to the OP: for the seasonal/vacationers amongst the forum who have a presence in the Alton/W'-Tuftonboro area...if your travel takes you down Rte 125 in Plaistow, make a point to stop in at Danos. I have no specific recommendations. It's all good.

[angela4design]

This thread reminds me of the Mc Donalds' ad airing in New England now.

It's a testof sorts, between guys, before one guy gives the other his coffee:

Blizzard of... ['78]
New York 'a 'Chusetts? [Connecticut]
Drinking Fountain? [Bubbler]
What do they ask for at a packy? [I.D.]
Sprinkles or Jimmies? [Jimmies!]
Five inches of Snow? [Dustin']

Manhattan Chowda'? [Never heard of it]
.. and he gives him the coffee, since he passed the 'test'

See the ads here, it cracks me up McD New Englander Ad

[robmac]

I love that commercial,seen it a few times and still smile each time.

[Redwing]

I've never seen the commercial, nor did I know that Connecticut was referred to as New York 'a 'Chusetts . Very funny, Angela4design, and thank you for sharing!

[Grady223]

Originally Posted by Lakegeezer

It was always a hogie where I grew up (near Philly), but sub seems to be the going term around here. That said, the Subway in M'boro, especially the italian sub, satisfy's me. Jojos is better, but you pay over 7 bucks there and only 5 at Subway. Plus - Jojos will close in October and its a long time till they reopen in April.

The origin of the Hoagie (a Philly term) comes from Hog Island, which is where the Philadelphia International Airport is located. Prior to the airport it was a port and warehouse area, the Italian laborers there took to making sandwiches on a long roll - they became know as Hog Island sandwiches and then shortened to Hoagies.

And that's the rest of the story....

[SIKSUKR]

I like the hoagie history. It's easy to see where the name sub came from(submarine), but what would the background of a grinder be?

[KonaChick]

Grinder= Mass all the way!

[Argie's Wife]

KC is right...

The name Grinder was named after the men who worked the ship building
yards of New Bedford, Massachusetts during WWII.

Local Italian vendors would set up shop near these ship yards and
build overstuffed sandwiches to sell to the men who ground the hot
iron pegs used in the construction of our war ships. They were known
as “The Grinders”. These oversized sandwiches made on fresh homemade
Italian Loaves came to be known as a “Grinder”.

I searched extensively and this is the only mention of the origin of
"grinder". It seems a very feasible explanation.

[upthesaukee]

Originally Posted by Argie's Wife

KC is right...

The name Grinder was named after the men who worked the ship building
yards of New Bedford, Massachusetts during WWII.

Local Italian vendors would set up shop near these ship yards and
build overstuffed sandwiches to sell to the men who ground the hot
iron pegs used in the construction of our war ships. They were known
as “The Grinders”. These oversized sandwiches made on fresh homemade
Italian Loaves came to be known as a “Grinder”.

I searched extensively and this is the only mention of the origin of
"grinder". It seems a very feasible explanation.

North of Boston, at least in Middlesex County, Essex county, and close to Boston on the North side, they were Submarine sandwiches. My favorite:
Gregory's in Reading.

Oh for a large italian with everything including hots and oil. Oh my mouth is watering uncontrollably.

Oh my, see what you have done.