Let’s get to the meat of the matter: You’re starved, but not just any stale slab of bread stuffed with limp cold cuts and sweaty cheese will suffice. Why should it? New York is a city filled with overstuffed Italian heroes—tomato-sauce-slicked meatball, cheesy chicken parm, even fried-chickpea fritters crowned with creamy ricotta. Hungry yet? Good. Start by sampling some of our favorite mobile meals.
Ferdinando’s Foccaceria
Long before the BQE cleaved Carroll Gardens and Red Hook in two, this old-world Italian eatery was fashioning fantastic Sicilian specialties. Unadventurous diners can opt for good and gloppy renditions of eggplant, sausage and veal cutlet Parmigianas, but they pale compared to Ferdinando’s twin treasures: The panelle is pillowy bread filled with freshly fried chickpea fritters topped with ricotta and baked; substitute the fritters for boiled cow spleen and you have a vastedda, an offal treat that’s stood the tasty test of time. (151 Union St. between Columbia and Hicks Sts., Carroll Gardens; 718-855-1545)
Salumeria Biellese
The Buzzio family knows meat: Since Prohibition, this Chelsea-based charcuterie clan has been stuffing sausages and salamis, curing prosciutto and capicola, and manufacturing pillow-soft mozzarella. Ask a counterman to cut open a semolina roll and stuff it with your preferred scrumptious delicacies. Get one with mozzarella, peppers and sopressata, or select a simple mozzarella and marinated sun-dried tomatoes. Like it spicy? Add some peppers, too. Your stomach will thank you—especially when you escort home a couple sausages for breakfast the next morning. (378 Eighth Ave. at 28th St., 212-736-7376)
Caputo’s Fine Foods
Sure, you could visit nearby new-school Frankies 457 for a meatball parm packed into a Sullivan St Bakery pizza, but at venerable Caputo’s, the heroes are a harmonious union of bread, meat and fresh, silky mozzarella. A few slices of that sublime cheese can turn any hero—filled with Genoa salami, sopressata or whatever cured meat tickles your tummy—into a regal feast. Before you bolt out the door, nab some tender ravioli to boil up at home. (460 Court St. between Third and Fourth Pls., Carroll Gardens, 718-855-8852)
Leo’s Latticini
Find the green-neon cow containing the word “ricotta,” and you’ve found last-century gem Leo’s Latticini. At Leo’s, warm cheer welcomes everyone, from firemen to cops to Mets fans on their way to Shea (while it still exists). The lure: Every morning the mozzarella is made fresh. It’s a transcendent accompaniment to the rotating specialties, including springy meatballs and pork so soft you can cut it with a spoon. An everyday hit is the Mama’s Special, which stuffs a seeded hero with ham, salami, spicy peppers, ’shrooms and, of course, lots of creamy ’za. (46-02 104th St. at 46th Ave., Corona; 718-898-6069)
Lazzara’s
If Midtown’s Garment District may seem like a culinary wasteland, tromp to this second-floor lunchtime refuge. While the thin-crust pizzas are rightfully righteous, equally splendid are the jaw-stretching heroes so fabulously sloppy they’ll stain even the most cautious diner’s shirt. Though the chicken and eggplant Parmigianas have their fare share of fans, the meatball is Lazzara’s all-star. One over-heaped sandwich can tide you over for lunch and dinner. (221 West 38th St. between Seventh and Eighth Aves., second floor; 212-944-7792)
Photo by Jori Klein
