By RICHARD DAVID CHAMBERLAIN
Whoever said size doesn’t matter has never walked through the front door of Primanti Bros., a Pittsburgh institution since 1933, and a local Fort Lauderdale favorite since 1970. While many know the place for its pizza—along with Humpy’s in Wilton Manors, it’s easily the best pizza in town—the big attraction at Primanti Bros. are its huge Almost Famous Sandwiches.
Legend has it that when the brothers Primanti (Joe, Dick, and Stanley) opened their original location on Smallman and 18th Streets in the warehouse district of Pittsburgh, they created a sandwich that included side dishes of fries and slaw between two super thick slices of Italian bread. The concept suggested that the sandwich and sides could be eaten by truckers with one hand after unloading their beds and getting back on the road.
This behemoth of an item comes in the usual assortment of flavors: Genoa salami, Italian sausage, bacon and egg, cappicola, turkey breast, roast beef, tuna fish, pastrami, corned beef or your basic burger—all mounded with provolone cheese. The resulting sandwich is easily three-inches thick, with the slaw and fries alone accounting for a good inch. It’s messy and gooey and heaven on earth. The sandwich ranges in price from $6.29-$6.69, so it’s easy on the pocketbook, especially considering that it’s a two-meal serving.
Less popular but definitely worth considering: the Lotsa Mozzarella Cheese Oven-Baked Hoagies. Served on a crispy crust 9” Italian bun, our favorite from this group is the Sicilian Cheesesteak ($6.99).
This traditional favorite includes premium cut sliced beef with grilled onions, mushrooms, and a ladle of marinara sauce, all smothered in mozzarella. The sauce is what makes it Sicilian, but the taste is what makes it our favorite.
As if to prove that it’s more than just a pizza joint, Primanti’s offers up full course meals with housemade bread and a side salad. These are definitely not the Bros. specialty, and as if to prove the point, they make you wait extra long to receive your meal. However, when you do, there is a whopping portion with equally great taste.
Recommended here is the Chicken Marsala ($11.79), served with a pasta. The chicken is sautéed in Marsala wine with mushrooms, extracting a flavor that’s both subtle and defined.
In an unusual treat, the Home-Style Baked Cheese Raviolis deliver a delightful spin on the Italian standard. In the Primanti version, the raviolis become akin to mini lasagnas with their ricotta cheese filling. The fresh marinara sauce is prepared with fresh tomatoes, mushrooms, peppers and onions, and all for $10.99. Mamma mia!
Primanti Bros. has a 24-hour location on the beach, at 901 N Atlantic Blvd. as well as branches at 516 E Oakland Park Blvd. in Oakland Park. (954-565-7100) and 2019 N University Dr. in Sunrise. (954-578-3900).
At the non-beach locations, Tuesdays and Thursdays are boys-night-out Family Pizza Event from 5 p.m. to closing. On those nights, $16.99 gets you an 18” pizza with three-toppings and a pitcher of soda pop. (A pitcher of beer costs $1.50 more.)
The delicious single Big Slice Pizza ($2.49) may just be the best bargain not only in Primanti Bros. but in all of Fort Lauderdale and Wilton Manors. It measures a full 12-inches along the top crust, and only the most gluttonous will be able to consume two. Try anyway, and tell them Agenda sent you.
