Pepper and Egg (Chicago)
Soft fried peppers folded into loose scrambled egg on a chewy Italian roll, made by a Chicago beef stand on its own griddle. The meatless-Friday order, sharp with long hots or sweet with bells.
The Sub, Hoagie, Hero & Grinder
New Jersey Sub
In New Jersey the long-roll sandwich is simply a "sub": a white-flour Italian roll, layered cured meats, a sharp oil-vinegar-pepper dress. The local thing is the word, not a recipe.
Meatball Sub
Meatballs in marinara with melted mozzarella on a sub roll.
Meatball Parm Hero
The New York meatball parm hero: bread-bound meatballs simmered in marinara, capped with mozzarella, and broiled on a hero. Soft filling on soft bread, the one parm with no crisp shell to defend.
Meatball Hoagie
Beef-and-pork meatballs in clinging gravy on a seeded Italian hoagie roll from Sarcone's, Amoroso's, or Liscio's, finished with aged sharp provolone. Philadelphia discipline, not a soft-roll sub.
Meatball Grinder
The New England meatball grinder: meatballs in marinara on a sturdy Italian roll, finished under a broiler with melted mozzarella until the cheese blisters and the crust deepens to mahogany.
Lobster Grinder
Picked lobster bound in mayonnaise or warmed in butter, packed into a foot-long sub roll over iceberg and tomato; the southern New England Italian-sub reading of lobster.
Jimmy John's #9 Italian Night Club
Genoa salami, capocollo, and smoked ham shingled with provolone on a soft French roll, dressed cold and built in under a minute for delivery, the #9 from Jimmy John's.
Jersey Shore Italian Sub
The Jersey Shore Italian sub is sized for the beach: a two-foot seeded roll shingled with capicola, prosciutto, and salami, dressed sharp with vinegar and hot peppers, sold by the half.
Jersey Mike's Original Italian
Six cured meats shingled to order and dressed "Mike's Way" with the vinegar and oil applied last over the top, the #13 Original Italian from Jersey Mike's.
Italian Sub/Hero/Hoagie
The generic Italian sub the US Northeast calls a hero in New York, a hoagie in Philadelphia, a grinder in New England, a wedge in the Hudson Valley, and a zep on the Schuylkill.
Italian Sandwich
A Maine Italian is ham, American cheese, green pepper, onion, tomato, sour pickle, black olives, and oil on a soft roll that folds shut. Traced to Amato's of Portland, dockside, 1902.
Italian Hoagie
Capicola, salami, ham, and provolone with lettuce, tomato, onion, oil, oregano, and hot peppers on a hoagie roll.
Italian Hero
Capicola, salami, ham, and provolone shingled down a long roll with oil, vinegar, and oregano. New York's cold deli default, and the unproven Paddleford story behind the name.
Hoagie
Philadelphia's term for submarine sandwich; specific bread and construction.
Hero Sandwich
New York term for submarine sandwich; typically on Italian bread.
Ham and Cheese Hero
The plainest cold sub a New York deli offers: sliced ham and provolone the length of a crusty roll, where the oil and oregano do the work the filling cannot.
Gym Shoe
Italian beef with corned beef, gyro meat, and mozzarella; fusion sandwich.
Grinder (New England)
Regional term for submarine sandwich; often toasted with melted cheese.
Firehouse Subs Hook & Ladder
Smoked turkey, Virginia honey ham, and Monterey Jack, toasted then steamed until the whole sandwich fuses into one warm thing. The Hook & Ladder is Firehouse Subs' firefighter-built flagship.
Fat Sandwich
Massive sub with cheesesteak, chicken fingers, mozzarella sticks, fries, and more; Rutgers University tradition.
Fat Moon
Cheesesteak, bacon, fries, mozzarella sticks, and ketchup.
Fat Darrell
Chicken fingers, mozzarella sticks, fries, and marinara on a sub roll.
Fat Cat
Fat sandwich with cheesesteak, chicken fingers, mozzarella sticks, fries, lettuce, tomato.