This Sandwich Will Haunt Your Dreams: The Calabrian at Terzo's Porchetteria
Tuesday was our two-year wedding anniversary and we thought it would be fun to grab some lunch and check out some local hiking (Lebanon Hills Regional Park in Eagan was awesome, b-t-dubs). After driving past Broders' Corners countless times (what I now call the intersection of 50th and Penn because Broders' establishments basically dominate the intersection) and being tempted by the cute little sandwich window behind Terzo Vino Bar, we decided today was the day we would finally stop.
Last spring, we roamed the streets of Rome (ha!) in search of the best porchetta. After a million wrong turns, and likely some hangry terse words, we finally found the tiny hole-in-the-wall establishment procuring porchetta of epic porky proportions. The space only had seating for a handful, and there were two older, business suit-clad Italian gentlman there, enjoying ginormous porchetta sandwiches. They looked like the meant business, so we knew it would be good. We ordered plain porchetta, no bread, and demolished it on the street corner. Salty, herby, delicious.
I since haven't seen much porchetta in the US, so when we saw that Terzo Vino Bar had a porchetteria, the excitement ensued. It seems that Broders is a household name, a neighborhood (and Minneapolis) institution for all things Italian. Knowing this, my hopes were high. Little did I know their porchetta sandwich would haunt my dreams. Oh, yes, you heard that correctly. This sandwich will haunt your dreams and will go down as one of the best sandwiches I've ever eaten. Seriously.
The Calabrian is porchetta with a slightly spicy calabrian pepper aioli and a fennel-raddicchio-curant slaw on a ciabatta roll. The picture doesn't do it justice. My husband and I both loved the porchetta we had in Rome for its simplicity and pure flavor; we both agreed, though, that this sandwich was absolutely amazing. AND they have lightly seasoned housemade chips, which were also delightful.
While the sandwich window is only open 11a-5p Monday through Friday, I believe you're able to order the porchetta sandwiches at Terzo Vino Bar, as well. We stopped in for a glass of wine at Terzo the next night before eating at Broders' Pasta Bar and also grabbed a few Italian cookies from Broders' Cucina Italiana. It was basically like a 48-hour trip down memory lane, Italian-style.
