A sandwich at Diablo Foods, a corner store in Lafayette, California.
out of 100 · outstanding
Outstanding. Small moves left on the board.
Reads as a fully realized italian sub, six of six roles on the board.
Holding the summit: complete structure
More salt than 90% of the catalog.
Each bar is one pillar of the score, 0 to 100. The tick marks what a sandwich at the summit needs; an amber bar is the one holding this sandwich back.
sourdough french roll, served cold: coppa (high tier); danish ham; mortadella (high tier); salame; provolone; lettuce; tomato; onions; pepperoncini; oil and vinegar.
Balance
| Axis | Value | Catalog percentile |
|---|---|---|
| salt | 2.5 | 90th |
| acid | 1.1 | 75th |
| fat | 2.6 | 68th |
| sweet | 0.3 | 34th |
| umami | 2.3 | 85th |
| heat | 0.3 | 73rd |
| bitter | 0.2 | 61st |
100 Balance, out of 100
The seven flavor axes of the whole sandwich, each summed across its layers. The shaded ring is the catalog's middle 80%; the small number under each axis is where this sandwich falls in the catalog. A shape that sits inside the ring is in the range most sandwiches live in; a spike past it is where this one stands apart.
What each layer brings
| Layer | Role | Flavor and texture | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| sourdough french rollscored as Sourdough | bread | soft chewy crusty | the frame |
| coppa (high tier)scored as Capicola (coppa) | protein | salt 4 fat 4 umami 4 silky chewy tender | −4 |
| danish hamscored as Ham | protein | salt 4 umami 4 fat 3 soft silky tender | −5 |
| mortadella (high tier) | protein | fat 4 salt 3 umami 3 soft silky tender | −5 |
| salamescored as Salami | protein | salt 4 fat 4 umami 4 chewy silky | +1 |
| provolone | protein | fat 3 umami 3 salt 2 soft melty | +1 |
| lettuce | texture | crunchy juicy fresh | −3 |
| tomato | texture | acid 3 umami 3 sweet 2 juicy soft fresh | −3 |
| onionsscored as Onion | texture | sweet 2 crunchy juicy fresh | −3 |
| pepperoncini | acid | acid 4 salt 2 pickled crunchy wet | −4 |
| oil and vinegarscored as Italian Vinaigrette (oil & vinegar) | sauce | acid 4 fat 4 salt 2 saucy wet | −3 |
Points: what the Sandwich Score would lose if that one layer were left out, everything else the same. A negative number means the sandwich scores higher without it. Flavor runs 0 to 5 on each axis.
Pairings
- Capicola (coppa) + Ham: two cures, one sub: capicola and ham
- Capicola (coppa) + Salami: the italian sub's cured pair
- Capicola (coppa) + Provolone: spiced cure under sharp provolone
- Ham + Salami: salami and ham, the deli's double cure
- Mortadella + Pepperoncini: pickled pepper bite against soft spiced pork
- Salami + Provolone: italian sub spine: salami and provolone
- Salami + Pepperoncini: hot pickled peppers cut fatty salami
- Salami + Italian Vinaigrette (oil & vinegar): vinaigrette cuts fatty salami, sub shop law
- Provolone + Italian Vinaigrette (oil & vinegar): sharp cheese, sharp dressing
- Lettuce + Italian Vinaigrette (oil & vinegar): dressed greens, the sub shop way
- Tomato + Italian Vinaigrette (oil & vinegar): vinaigrette on tomato, salad logic
- Onion + Italian Vinaigrette (oil & vinegar): raw onion in vinegar, the quick pickle
How to raise it
- Judged as an italian sub: focus is not held against it.
- Between you and 90: complete structure (0.01 short).
All the sandwiches at Diablo Foods · The menu this was read from · Build your own in the Sandwich Builder