Ottawa’s hidden sandwich gem

• Name + address: Paninaro, 642 Somerset St. W

• Type of food: Italian sandwiches

• Prices: $15 (extra toppings $2-$3)

• Diet: Meat, vegetarian

• Wheelchair accessibility: Yes

• Licensed: No

• Website: www.paninaro.ca

Paninaro began in 1980’s Milan and was marked by an ostentatious consumption or display of luxury goods, mostly by young men.

Common meeting places for these groups were cafes and panino (sandwich) shops and later the movement spread to all of Italy which then further inspired the creation of magazines, films and television shows. Even the Pet Shop Boys got into the scene by writing a song called Paninaro.

Owner and creator of Paninaro, Marco Distefano, began work on his shop after he’d had a craving for a famous Florentine sandwich (video link under Quick Bites). Unfortunately no one in Ottawa made this type and an opportunity was born.

Marco had originally gone to culinary school with a view to opening his own sandwich shop but then pursued careers in real estate and software sales. Fifteen years later Paninaro was born out of the back of a house in Chinatown.

“Being a trained chef, I rolled up my sleeves and decided to figure it out on my own,” he told me. “With a lot of experimentation and recipe testing, I was able to replicate the bread known as schiacciata. Friends and family were so impressed with my creations that I began thinking about opening my own shop.”

“I had a vision based on my travels. No matter where I go, I always look for the hole in the wall food spots as they always offer the best food at reasonable prices,” he said. “Having a secret element makes for a fun experience which is why we ended up being Ottawa’s hidden sandwich spot tucked around the back of a building. So now we are that hole in the wall that makes amazing sandwiches.”

His father helped with the renovations and his brother created the menu board. Coupled with the energetic graffiti signaling all things Italian, you’re already intrigued and anticipating one of the best sandwiches in Ottawa.

There’s a level of care seldom seen when it comes to sandwiches. First, the bread is made fresh daily as is the ridiculously sublime stracciatella cheese that goes into the sandwiches. 

In fact everything but the meats are made in house and that includes the grilled marinated eggplant and pistachio creams that guild these masterworks. His sources for the meats remain a guarded secret, and tasting them on their own I noted how delicate and less salty they were than what’s generally available to us. Quality indeed.

The Tacchino Tricolore offered piles of mild turkey over top of pistachio cream, fior di latte, tomato and arugula and was a joy to eat. Although similar, the bread was thinner than your average focaccia and was in perfect proportion to the fillings and I couldn’t have been happier. For me, apart from poor quality ingredients, nothing ruins a sandwich as thoroughly as thickly cut bread. 

I also tried the Porchetta Paninaro, which included arugula, fior di latte, pistachio cream and spicy eggplant. Again, I found the porchetta (roast pork) to be less salty than commercial versions I’ve purchased and just a note: it does come served sliced with the skin still on. Very traditional. 

The sandwich was delicious although it might have benefitted from a splash of balsamic vinegar or lemon juice, to create a greater balance. With the oil cured eggplant and the fresh cheese it felt quite rich and required some acidity. I expect that even just grated lemon zest might have done the trick.

The skin of the eggplant had also been left on and I found the cellulose had become too tough making it nearly impossible to chew and so I removed the skins before continuing.

While they do encourage walk ups, at the moment they use an online ordering system that limits the number of customers every 15 minutes. These are handcrafted sandwiches that require some time after all. You can choose your pick up time at the check out.

For those who care about slow food and overall quality in general, Paninaro is the shop you’ve been waiting for. This is certainly a different kind of Italian sandwich but for me, it’s also the best.

They are open from 11 am to 2 pm Tuesday to Friday and from 11 am to 3 pm on Saturdays.