Best Ohio sandwich?

[SlideRules99]

As a kid I remember some amazing festival style Italian sausage sandwiches in the Mahoning Valley…served with grilled peppers and onions, some olive oil, and bonus points for a toasted hoagie roll.

Seems I had these at the numerous Italian street festivals and fairs that used to take place in Youngstown, Niles, Warren, etc. I remember two vendors once jokingly bidding for my business at the Canfield fair as a youngster…”best Italian in the Valley right here kid…”

Times have changed, so I don’t know who is serving these up nowadays. Boy they were good.

[WRnative]

Originally Posted by SlideRules99

As a kid I remember some amazing festival style Italian sausage sandwiches in the Mahoning Valley…served with grilled peppers and onions, some olive oil, and bonus points for a toasted hoagie roll.

Seems I had these at the numerous Italian street festivals and fairs that used to take place in Youngstown, Niles, Warren, etc. I remember two vendors once jokingly bidding for my business at the Canfield fair as a youngster…”best Italian in the Valley right here kid…”

Times have changed, so I don’t know who is serving these up nowadays. Boy they were good.

Still available in Greater Cleveland festivals, but perhaps without the grilled peppers! Anyway, they're always at the Painesville Party in the Park, where I go to get my annual festival food fix, as is the Slyman's (corned beef, Reuben) food truck! Perhaps also check out the Fairport Mardi Gras, which I haven't attended in decades, and county fairs -- great, great fun!!!



https://www.lasr.net/travel/city.php...=OH0404015e001


https://ohiofestivals.net/ohio-festivals/

[WRnative]

Originally Posted by WRnative

Note that in 2017, Larry Olmsted, the author of the list, included Michael Symon's Mabel's BBQ in downtown Cleveland on East 4th St. on his best restaurant list. Mabel's and the Map Room, also downtown, also reportedly serve up Polish Boy sandwiches, but I've never had them.


https://www.thisiscleveland.com/blog...h-boy-sandwich

Visited Mabel's this afternoon. They no longer offer a Polish Boy sandwich and I was told they never did; they used to have a sandwich called a Polish Girl. Now, Mabel's only offers a "Kielbasa sandwich" with coleslaw and Cleveland BBQ sauce (based on Stadium mustard) on a potato bun.

[JR_C]

Originally Posted by SlideRules99

As a kid I remember some amazing festival style Italian sausage sandwiches in the Mahoning Valley…served with grilled peppers and onions, some olive oil, and bonus points for a toasted hoagie roll.

Seems I had these at the numerous Italian street festivals and fairs that used to take place in Youngstown, Niles, Warren, etc. I remember two vendors once jokingly bidding for my business at the Canfield fair as a youngster…”best Italian in the Valley right here kid…”

Times have changed, so I don’t know who is serving these up nowadays. Boy they were good.

It sounds like you're talking about DiRusso's Sausage sandwiches. They are still very popular around here. I don't care for peppers and onions, so I don't get them. But, they can be found at just about every festival.

[JR_C]

Since I bumped this thread, I went back and read through the rest of it.

I'm not a sandwich connoisseur, but my favorite sandwich isn't made anymore. I would get it from Georgine's, a small restaurant located in the YMCA building in downtown Youngstown. (I guess she used to be in the YWCA building before moving to the YMCA, but I never went there) She retired, and the new tenants in the space had a different menu.

Anyway, she called it a Philly cheesesteak sandwich. But, from what I know about the actual sandwich this was nothing like a real Philly cheesesteak sandwich. Instead, if was sort of like pulled beef/pot-roast, but with a cheddar cheese sauce (pre-mixed; cheese not separate) served in a hoagie bun. I'm sure you could get it with peppers and onions, but like I said in my reply above I don't care for those.

[SlideRules99]

Originally Posted by JR_C

It sounds like you're talking about DiRusso's Sausage sandwiches. They are still very popular around here. I don't care for peppers and onions, so I don't get them. But, they can be found at just about every festival.

Yes, that’s it! DiRusso’s website says by the early 90s they were operating at 30 festivals around Youngstown, and 10 food trailers at the Canfield Fair. No doubt this is the sausage sandwich I’m remembering.

Wonder if any restaurants are serving these with the works…or just a festival / fair indulgence?

[JR_C]

Originally Posted by SlideRules99

Yes, that’s it! DiRusso’s website says by the early 90s they were operating at 30 festivals around Youngstown, and 10 food trailers at the Canfield Fair. No doubt this is the sausage sandwich I’m remembering.

Wonder if any restaurants are serving these with the works…or just a festival / fair indulgence?

I don't know. It seems like I've seen DiRusso's around, but I don't remember where. One of the vendors in the downtown food court had them, but they closed even before the pandemic. (I don't remember if there was a disagreement with the management, or if they retired.) I tried Google, but it just gave me results about where to find DiRusso's sausage in grocery stores, and festivals.

[WRnative]

Originally Posted by SlideRules99

Yes, that’s it! DiRusso’s website says by the early 90s they were operating at 30 festivals around Youngstown, and 10 food trailers at the Canfield Fair. No doubt this is the sausage sandwich I’m remembering.

Wonder if any restaurants are serving these with the works…or just a festival / fair indulgence?

Interesting website. In Greater Cleveland, DiRusso already is scheduled to have trailers at the Cuyahoga, Medina, and Lorain county fairs and at the Geneva Grape Festival. I suspect they will be adding locations.


DiRusso's Trailer Events | DiRusso's Italian Sausage


And, yes, they still have peppers mixed with the onions!

[SlideRules99]

Originally Posted by WRnative

Interesting website. In Greater Cleveland, DiRusso already is scheduled to have trailers at the Cuyahoga, Medina, and Lorain county fairs and at the Geneva Grape Festival. I suspect they will be adding locations.


DiRusso's Trailer Events | DiRusso's Italian Sausage


And, yes, they still have peppers mixed with the onions!

Thanks, I missed that page. Looks like lots of opportunities to enjoy a DiRusso’s!

[gentlearts]

Originally Posted by WRnative

Interesting website. In Greater Cleveland, DiRusso already is scheduled to have trailers at the Cuyahoga, Medina, and Lorain county fairs and at the Geneva Grape Festival. I suspect they will be adding locations.


DiRusso's Trailer Events | DiRusso's Italian Sausage


And, yes, they still have peppers mixed with the onions!

DiRussos sausage is sold in the freezer section at Buehlers and probably other grocery stores. It’s one of the things I missed when I moved. I was hoping to find it in GA or have it shipped, but they are local, only.