Past issues
Feeds
The Paper in print
Twitter
Facebook
Contact us
Email updates Twitter Facebook RSS FeedsIt’s the best thing on sliced bread.
Bay Ridge foodie Sarah Zorn’s high-end panini won top honors in the hotly contested Robicelli’s Gourmet Market sandwich tourney on Oct. 4, crafting an ethereal mound of imported prosciutto, roasted eggplant, roasted grape tomatoes, Brie, and a balsamic reduction atop a pressed ciabatta that earned itself a permanent spot on the Third Avenue eatery’s menu and, perhaps, the Brooklyn’s sandwich Pantheon.
The 74th Street resident — who named her sandwich “The Main Ingredient” after her food podcast site — beat out about 20 other sandwich creators.
And she did it by putting vegetarianism where it belongs — in the culinary dustbin.
Zorn’s original version of the delectable Dagwood featured heirloom tomatoes in place of the prosciutto — but she adapted her recipe after learning that Robicelli’s doesn’t waste time with the substandard fruit except during the height of harvest in the late summer.
“Robicelli’s very rightly doesn’t use tomatoes unless they’re perfect and prime,” Zorn said. “I understood where they stood regarding tomatoes, so I substituted prosciutto — and it tastes gorgeous.”
Deli owner Matt Robicelli — himself a cupcake genius — said Zorn’s sandwich surpassed runners-up, which included Asian-style and pub-influenced sandwiches, citing the saltiness of the prosciutto and its contrast to the warm Brie and the savory veggies.
“It was a great melody of flavors — hers was very unique,” said Robicelli, who told The Brooklyn Paper he has already sold five of Zorn’s sandwiches.
Not only will “The Main Ingredient” be available on the menu at Robicelli’s for good, but Zorn will also receive one free sandwich from the Third Avenue eatery each week. (That’s worth real money, considering that the Zorn costs $8.99 each.)
Ever the foodie, Zorn promised to use the award to sample the entire menu, instead of just noshing on her own creation.
“Maybe I’ll order it the first time I go in there, but then I’ll just order it every once in a while to make sure that it’s still quality,” said Zorn, who also won a cool $100 in the contest.
Robicelli’s [8511 Third Ave, between 85th and 86th streets in Bay Ridge, (718) 748-6804].
©2009 Community Newspaper Group
By submitting this comment, you agree to the following terms:
You agree that you, and not BrooklynPaper.com or its affiliates, are fully responsible for the content that you post. You agree not to post any abusive, obscene, vulgar, slanderous, hateful, threatening or sexually-oriented material or any material that may violate applicable law; doing so may lead to the removal of your post and to your being permanently banned from posting to the site. You grant to BrooklynPaper.com the royalty-free, irrevocable, perpetual and fully sublicensable license to use, reproduce, modify, adapt, publish, translate, create derivative works from, distribute, perform and display such content in whole or in part world-wide and to incorporate it in other works in any form, media or technology now known or later developed.
Enlarge this image
Print this story
Digg this
Del.icio.us