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This past winter, I found a great, cheap pizza place just south of Florida Mall. It was called Main Street Pizza and Subs, which is confusing because it was on Orange Blossom Trail. The pizzeria had giant New York-style slices and great $5 lunch specials. This month, I went back to finally write about the place — and it was gone.
Maybe Main Street's deals were too good or maybe people gave up when they couldn't find it actually on Main Street. Either way, the address is now Joe's Pizza and Subs with a new owner and a new menu.
At Joe's, the focus is on the food, which is a polite way of saying that the dining room is a bit ignored. The laminate tables are worn and look to be recycled. The flat panel TV is turned off and the only other decoration is framed prints from an Italian food wholesaler. Still, as long as the place is clean and the food is decent, you can forgive scanty fixtures.
Joe's does pizza, pasta, wings and subs. For Cheap Eats, we'll be sticking to the lunch specials, available seven days a week from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. The best deal would be two slices of cheese pizza and a small fountain soda for $3.50. Joe's slices are NY-style; hand-tossed, thin, and large enough to overlap both sides of a dinner plate. Light on sauce, the crust is airy and crisp. Unlike some NYC slices, these aren't dripping in orange grease. It's up to you whether that's a positive or negative.
Ham and cheese, turkey and cheese, and Italian combo subs are all $4.99. When the cashier handed me my lunch to go, I thought, “Man, that feels like a solid sandwich in there.” Like Joe's pizza dough, the sub bread is airy while still substantial. The onion, tomato and lettuce are noticeably fresh. Each sandwich comes with a little container of Italian dressing on the side. If you're a sub purist, ask the kitchen to not put mayo on the Italian combo along with the pepperoni and salami. (I'm not a purist.)
Usually, a gyro is $5.99, but the lunch special version is $4.99. It's a little light on meat and looks pre-sliced, but again, the veggies are crisp and fresh and the pita has a nice char from the grill.
You can also get a lunch cheese steak, meatball sub or sausage and pepper sub, but those are all $5.99 and outside my self-imposed Cheap Eats limit of $5.
Dish: I caught a peek at the guy making my lunch and was surprised to see he was dressed like a full-on chef, right down to the white jacket and the thermometers sticking out of his pocket. Doesn't he know I'm only spending $4.99?
Damage: You can get a longer sandwich from a sub sandwich chain, but I always get the feeling that my sandwich is being assembled rather than “made.” Maybe it's the careful way my Joe's sandwich was wrapped, but I got the vibe that someone in the building actually hoped I'll enjoy lunch.
Decision: You can also buy an “Eat at Joe's” T-shirt. I didn't, because I'm cheap – but I thought about it.
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