I'm Only Here for the Food!

La Grotta Del Formaggio
1791 Commercial Dr
Vancouver, BC V5N

Sandwich… Ah, one of the simplest form of food. Sure, although the name is recent, I am sure the idea of a piece of meat in between a slices of bread is not. Anyway, it is a food that is totally customizable – different options for bread, you can add butter, mayo, oil, balsamic vinegar a spread, then veggies, cheese and/or meat. Add a little, add a lot, that is up to you. However, that’s a double edge sword; given all the possibilities, at the same time, you are increasing the chances something could go wrong.

As for me, whenever I really crave for a sandwich, La Grotta del Formaggio is the first place that comes to my mind. And, this is a really odd statement, because La Grotta del Formaggio is not even a restaurant at all… It is a deli!

I did not dare to bring out my dSLR, instead I sneak this picture using my cell phone. See the green lights in the middle of the picture? Those are the panini grills. Yup, in my opinion, that is what makes the sandwich in this place pretty darn good.

On that note, here is how it works in La Grotta:

1. Choose the size of the sandwich, which goes from small for around $5 to the full focaccia (around $10).
2. Choose the type of bread, i.e., white or whole wheat.
3. Choose the dressings, which includes basil pesto mayo, regular mayo, mustard, dijon mustard, balsamic vinegar and oil.
4. Choose your veggies, which includes lettuce, tomato, peppers, artichoke, olives and banana peppers.
5. Choose your cheese… Which cheese? Well, pretty much any cheese! After all, this is a deli!
6. Choose your meat (or not). Again, it is a deli, almost anything is fair game! (Though for some cold cuts, you might have to pay some extra).
7. Grilled or not… I think this is pretty obvious, eh?

Here is the sandwich I ordered – a half focaccia with provolone and Montreal smoked meat.

A close up of the sandwich, opened

So, how was this sandwich? Again, this is my favourite place so I might be overstating it by saying it was pretty darn good! One caveat, though, since it is cured meat and other salted veggies, you might end up having to drink lots of water in the end. Still, it is really worth it!

To close this entry, I have a question to readers out there… Where is the best sandwich place in your opinion? Now, I must be specific here: hot dogs and burgers are not an option! I mean, they still fall into the category of meat between slices of bread; however, they also belong to categories of their own. So, please, leave our comments below!