Salume 06-10-2011

Location: 330 W. Broadway

Time: 12:30pm

People: RB and myself

Feelings: On this particularly hot Friday afternoon, I naively decided to check out the Opening Ceremony sample sale. The line was insanely long and completely wrapped around from Howard street to Crosby. There was no way I would stand for hours in this scorching heat. (even for Alexander Wang...90% off.)

In Japanese, there is a term: "i"(clothing), "shoku" (food), and "jyu" (shelter)-- the three necessities in life. When defeated by a sample sale, I ran to the next on the list, "shoku." Coincidentally, RB was available for lunch, and he took me to a Milanese style Italian panini shop, Salume. In the U.S., panini are referred to as pressed sandwiches, but an authentic panino is usually never pressed. Instead, the bread is lightly toasted.

At Salume, you can taste the best of real unpressed panini. The decor is a bit circa 2000 casual modern vibe, but it is very clean, and the staff is friendly. They also serve beer, wine and desserts like chocolate salami and tiramisu.

They utilize the best of ingredients for their panini. My "Bellazio" ($9.5, Gorgonzola, fennel and tartar sauce) was full of powerfully pungent cheese, sandwiched between fresh Italian roll. Thankfully I had four packs of Lactaid handy, otherwise I would have been in a big trouble. The aroma of cheese was so strong that I could not taste anything for a while. I am not a wine drinker, but I really wanted to wash down the flavor with a glass. This sandwich would be a cheese lover's heaven.

RB's "Cortina" ($12, speck, fontina cheese, roasted peppers, tartar sauce) was fresh and delicious. The tender and flavorful spec was complimented wonderfully by the cheese and crispy bread.

The panini here are not cheap, and the portion is not large, so if you are looking for a voluminous New York style Italian sandwich, I would recommend Alidoro instead. However, if you are a believer of "less is more" and enjoy high quality Italian sandwiches, this is the place for you. Often times, sandwiches are not considered as a part of sophisticated food, but Salume succeeds in a creation of high quality, delicately flavored panini.