It’s just now occurred to me that a full calendar year has passed since I’ve gotten in the saddle (logged into my WordPress site) and grabbed the reigns (my keyboard) to wrangle the cattle back to pasture (knock out another sandwich review). Yup, if I were a rancher I might be in some serious trouble. Fortunately, we’re only talking sandwiches, and the stakes are a bit lower.
But that doesn’t change the fact that I am very excited to deliver a make-good in the form of a brand-new sandwich review, with at least two more lined up at this point in time and coming very soon.
And folks….I think we have a really good one to kick things off. The location of today’s review is BY FAR the most requested sandwich spot I’ve received since I started the blog. And even better, this was my first time indulging in this charming corner deli. I love going into a new location blind when writing a review. So without further ado, here’s Eovaldi’s Deli.
This review takes us back to The Hill, St. Louis’ historic home to Italian-American immigrants and the nucleus of old-school markets, bakeries, and fine eateries. This is my third review of a deli on The Hill, but trust me, there’s a reason for that. Each establishment seemingly takes a great deal of pride in quality, locally-sourced ingredients as well as customer satisfaction. Eovaldi’s – located at the corner of Edwards and Bischoff – was no exception. I made my way there on a dreary March afternoon – I intentionally waited to miss the lunch rush – and stepped through the door to get the party started.
What happened next could have been straight out of a movie. After maneuvering through a couple of the seven or eight tables in the narrow seating area, I found myself in a short line and quickly made it up to the register. I was greeted by a docile, sweet, white-haired older lady who promptly took my order with a pen and scratchpad. The scratch paper was then brought to the kitchen window coupled with an “Order up!”, which was then followed by a cheerful “You got it, Ma!” from somewhere deep inside the kitchen. Family-owned business? Safe bet. And I absolutely love it.
Vendor: Eovaldi’s Deli
Sammie: The “Extra Special”
Bread: French
Dine-In/Carryout: Carryout
Ingredients
- Roast Beef
- Ham
- Mortadella
- Genova Salami
- Pepper Cheese
- Lettuce
- Tomato
- Pickle
- Onion
- Banana Pepper
- Mayo
- House Dressing
Tasting Notes
During my short drive home, I could not stop thinking about all of the delicious-looking sammies I read on the menu while waiting in line. I found myself planning my second, third, and fourth trips to Eovaldi’s because everything on the menu looked so dang good. But I couldn’t get too ahead of myself. Today was solely about the Extra Special, a legitimate cold cut piled high with four types of sliced meat, topped with the typical deli soppins’ between French bread. What had me really excited though was the pepper cheese, banana peppers, and house dressing which I hoped would give it a little kick.
Were my expectations a little high? Sure, maybe. But the first bite did not miss the mark. The most immediate feeling was the crunch of the fresh bread and the slightest smokey flavor from the barrage of meat. Yes, the meat really was fantastic, and believe me, there was plenty of it to go around. To my delight, the next flavor to stand out was the house dressing. I could definitely taste olive oil and vinegar, and maybe a little something else going on that I couldn’t put my finger on. Whatever it was, it was delicious and very light – it didn’t overpower the sandwich and gave it just the right kind of compliment.
The banana peppers gave it that sweet and spicy kick that I was hoping for. Everything was coming together exactly as planned. As more bites followed, everything remained delicious, however, there were moments when all I could taste was the mortadella. Maybe it’s just the flavor profile, but it seemed like the mort overpowered the rest of the meat quartet, which took away from it a little bit. The sandwich was also doused in onions – which I definitely did not mind. By the time I was nearly done with the first half it hit me: where’s the cheese? The pepper cheese sliced thin and white was almost entirely absent from the sandwich. I’m not sure if it was the brand of cheese that was just a little bland, or maybe there was simply too much going on, but I did not expect the cheese to be such a non-factor. Overall though, I was very impressed with this cold cut, and I have plans to make it back to try to other menu items in a big way.
The Maus Haus 