REVIEW
Carmen’s Deli has achieved a measure of national fame from a visit by The Next Food Network Star winner Aaron “Big Daddy” McCargo, Jr. His sandwich of choice for The Best Thing I Ever Ate was a Carmen’s cheese steak with fried onions and cherry peppers. That combo is now listed on the menu as the Big Daddy, and we gave it a try (“we” being Bruce and the ayersian couple of Chris and Amy). It was quite alright, with plenty of meat, but it didn’t blow us away. Needed more onions and cheese, and the peppers were sparse and too timid. Better than average but not LAF-worthy.
A Big Daddy cheese steak adds cherry peppers and fried onions to the meat and cheese.
We were on a cheese steak sampling tour, but our radar told us we ought to also order a hoagie, and it’s lucky we did because the Rose’s Special was a very fine hoagie indeed, with both sharp and mild provolone, sopressata, prosciutto, hot capicola, roasted peppers, onions, tomatoes, oregano, and oil. The hoagie roll, which didn’t seem quite up to the task with the cheese steak, offered the proper amount of crust and chew around the cold meats and cheeses.
Carmen’s offers cheeses, olives, and hoagie oils to go.
There’s nowhere to eat inside Carmen’s; it’s strictly takeout. The trunk of our car and the sunny winter’s day worked just fine for us. I’m not sure how Chris and Amy feel but speaking for myself, I’d love to return for another Rose’s Special, as well as the Papa John with fresh mozzarella, prosciutto, and salami. We could probably even “special request” a cheese steak more to our liking, with extra onions and cheese, and long hots instead of cherry peppers.
Two showpiece hoagies
There’s nowhere to eat inside Carmen’s. Take your sandwiches home or eat off the trunk of your car, as we did.
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