On Saturday, Mindy, Rachel, Talos and I, had fun joining thousands of North Carolinians checking out the Greater Greensboro Builder Association’s 2007 Parade of Homes. We visited many impressive houses during the day, but the jewel of the parade was the 8600 sq. ft. property from R&K who’s listing price was $1.5 million. Houses in this range are always impressive, but this one stood out from all others in recent memory.

Obviously $1.5 mil. for a home is much more than 95% of us can afford. The house at Toscana Trace featured three full kitchens, a basement “playground” including a movie quality home theater, home gym, full bar, billiard room, wine cellar and a patio that was both huge and beautiful. Hundreds of people were filing in and out of the house admiring every aspect of it. We heard “ooohs” and “aaahhs” the entire time and left in a state of amazement. $1.5 million dollars evidently gets you a heckva lot of very cool house these days. That is unless you live someplace like, oh say, California.

I had been posting some picts of the house on Twitter Saturday night and friend Arlo Rose responded that the price tag of $1.5 mil. barely gets you a foot in the door in California. I knew prices there were high from Craig, who lives in Laguna Beach. But after a bit of research, I really wasn’t prepared to learn just how much the people of California pay just for the privilege of living on the west coast.

This 1040 sq. ft. home in sunny Palo Alto that Arlo sent me lists for almost the exact same price at the 8600 sq. ft. mansion in Summerfield. Yes, you read that right, this 2 bedroom home is only 1040 square feet. Its kitchen is about the same size as the Toscana home’s screened-in porch. If you’d like to see what passes for a “Patio” in California, just click here. Step out the back door, take 12 paces and you’re nose to nose with your neighbor’s fence. Not exactly the sprawling back yard one had hoped for. Click the image to the left to get a detailed view of the house’s “master bath” where the toilet is evidently 3 inches from the jetted tub.

People who live in California will tell you they wouldn’t trade it for the world, but I think all that sunshine is starting to go to their head. How else do you explain people wanting to live where wild fires and mud slides happen at the drop of a hat? Who cares about the high cost of living when you’ve got earthquakes to worry about? Sure NC gets the occasional hurricane every now and then, but the Triad itself is far enough from the coast not to have to lose any sleep. North Carolina may not be nearly as glamorous as sunny CA, but our beaches are just as pretty, we’ve got wonderful mountains and friendly people. I might just be a crazy “hick”, but if I actually had $1.5 mil. burning a hole in my pocket, I’d rather have a house like the one on Toscana Trace. Maybe that’s just me.

This past Saturday, Anthony and I headed toward downtown Greensboro and Tate Street to check out the submarine offerings of Manhattan Pizza and Subs. The shop was recommended to me a couple of times and I finally decided to check it out. I was looking forward to visiting a sandwich shop that was outside my normal hunting grounds, but I’m sorry to report that what I found left both of us less than enthusiastic.

The Location

Manhattan Pizza and Subs is located practically on top of the University of North Carolina Greensboro’s campus in the heart of Tate Street. Being so close to the college, Manhattan seems to have a clientele built in, which might help to explain how the place stays in business. When we arrived, we actually almost missed the restaurant completely. Manhattan’s street sign is faded and worn, with only a single large neon “Subs” sign on the building itself. If I had not been looking for it, I think we would have driven right by. This isn’t something a restaurant owner wants to hear, but I’m afraid it’s the truth.

Like the sign, the interior of Manhattan was a bit worse for wear. Its obvious the shop has been around a while and the seating, while spacious, was a bit on the run-down side. It seems as if the “high traffic” location next to UNCG has taken its toll on the little sub shop over the years and for some reason, the owners have not kept up with renovations. The entire dining area could use an update or at the very least a good scrub down. This, plus the fact that the dining room seats both smoking and non-smoking customers, lowered my expectations right away.

The Subs

As usual, I spied the classic Italian deli style sub on the menu and ordered an 8″ hoagie along with the Manhattan Special. The only difference between the Italian and the Special was the addition of roast beef on the latter. The size of the sub and its appearance seemed decent, especially considering the price. Both subs were just $4.29 and had a good amount of meat and cheese. Compared to the $6.00 sub I ordered at Giacomo’s from my previous review, I thought I was in for a bargain.

Unfortunately, unlike the fresh ingredients at Giacomo’s, the meats and cheese used by Manhattan were not particularly flavorful. The roast beef wasn’t very rare and didn’t pack a lot of that herby flavor you expect from a good deli roast beef. In fact, the addition of the roast beef didn’t seem to make any difference in taste from the Italian Sub and the Manhattan Special, both came with lettuce, tomato, onion and house dressing. The dressing itself tasted like a store bought Italian salad dressing and definitely over powered the natural tastes of the sub. When all was said and done, I would have gladly paid a bit more to have higher quality meats and cheeses on my sub instead of the rather bland fare we received. On the bright side, the bread Manhattan offers was indeed nice. I dare say it was homemade and was crunchy, fresh and just right for a sub roll.

The Wrap Up

There is a big part of me that would just like to report that Manhattan was a decent place to eat this past Saturday. The owners were pleasant and friendly, and seemed to care about the food they served. Manhattan has continued to offer up sandwiches and pizza to the good students of UNCG despite the fact that there is both a Subway and a Jimmy John’s Subs not half a block from their front door. I would have no problem recommending them and looking past the decor of the shop if the food had been outstanding, but it just wasn’t.

While Anthony and I ate, several students came and went. Many seemed to be ordering slices of pizza or munchie foods like cheese sticks and onion rings. Manhattan is what it is – a college joint. It caters to students on a budget and offers quick, standard food fare to those on the go. Due to its proximity to the campus, I suspect it will do brisk business into the future, but its simply not good enough to travel more than a mile or so for. As we were leaving Tate Street and heading back home, we drove past a place called Yum Yum’s that was packed to the gills with people. I’m told that its “the place” to eat for UNCG. I wonder if they have subs…

Think I’m off my rocker about Manhattan? Wanna send me to your favorite Triad sub shop? Post your suggestions in the comments thread and give me the low-down!

This week we’ll be looking at Giacomo’s Italian Market (North side) on New Garden Road. But before we get into that, I just wanted to share something special that happened in the two weeks in-between. Two of my longtime friends from college, Anna & David, visited Greensboro this past week, and they were good enough to bring sandwiches from our favorite eatery – Dibella’s Old Fashion Subs. I’ve mentioned them before, but I had forgotten just how good they were. For the price of $7.50, you get a sub that is as long as your entire arm! The sub is packed with the best quality meats and cheeses and the bread is simply the most wonderful sub roll you’ll ever eat. All of us at the Iconfactory were all amazed that even after a two day journey in a travel cooler, Dibella’s still kicked the butt of any sub we have here in the Triad.

It is unfortunate that Giacomo’s subs are being reviewed after the Dibella’s visit, but that’s the breaks. Since I’ve decided to use Dibella’s as a yard stick for all reviews, I don’t feel I’m being unfair. On with the review!

The Location

Even before Hugh recommended Giacomo’s in the comments of the Penn Station review, I had wanted to try their subs for some time. I visited the High Point Road location when I first moved to Greensboro over a decade ago and remembered the market offering the freshest ingredients, although I don’t remember actually having one of their subs. So when I visited the New Garden location a total of three times this week, I had high hopes.

Giacomo’s is exactly the kind of small, mom and pop operation you might expect to see anywhere in New York or New Jersey. The New Garden Road Giacomo’s has several tables out front for fair weather dining, and the interior is warm and inviting, if a bit cramped. The deli itself proudly displays all forms of delicious looking fare including home made mozzarella & tomato salad, marinated egg plant, and a wide range of stuffed olives. Giacomo’s is probably best known for their traditional Italian sausages, meatballs, breaded cutlets and other staples. I’ve personally had several of the salads, various olives and even cooked up their meatballs. All of them are very good and worth a try if you get a chance.

The Subs

Unlike Penn Station, Giacomo’s offers a wide range of cold, deli subs to choose from. During my various visits, I tried the Italian Stallion (salami, capicola & provolone), the Nicoletta (salami, hot capicola & fresh mozzarella) and the Paesano (marinated eggplant, salami and provolone). At Giacomo’s one size fits all, so any sub you order is an 8″ hoagie on a crusty roll. All subs come with lettuce, tomato, onions and oil & vinegar. I didn’t see any additional toppings I could ask for, which was disappointing.

Both the Italian Stallion and the Nicoletta were similar in appearance and taste. The deli meats are top notch and unlike Subway or other sub shops I’ve been to recently, they are not shy with the amount they pack into the sandwich. I have to say that the bread is some of the best I’ve had anywhere. Its crunchy, but gives when bitten and does a great job of containing the sandwich without being overly doughy on the interior. My only complaint here is that the rolls themselves are small. When they say 8″, they really mean 6″ since the ends taper drastically and the contents usually don’t spill out from the edges. The small size makes ordering a sub from Giacomo’s seem more like an actual sandwich, which I was a little let down by.

While the meats and cheeses used on their subs are top notch, the oil, spices and dressing they use don’t seem unique and vary greatly from order to order. The Italian Stallion was heavy with dressing to the point that it tasted like commercial Italian salad dressing. By comparison, the Nicoletta had barely any oil and spices and allowed me to enjoy the fresh Mozzarella that they make on site. All three subs however, even the eggplant based Paesano, tasted similar to each other. It would be difficult to tell them apart in a blind taste test. I also did not get an opportunity to try one of their hot subs, like the Meatball Parmesan sub that Hugh recommended so whole-heartedly. Next time I visit I will give these hot sandwiches a try.

The Wrap Up

Its obvious from my few visits to Giacomo’s that the owner(s) care a great deal about what they do. They have gone out of their way to provide their customers with top notch food that is both delicious and authentic. If there is a down side, its that to get this official taste of Italy, you pay a premium. The subs are all priced at $5.95 and while they do contain a good amount of meat and cheese, they are small and do not come with chips or a drink. Many people would say however that the extra price is worth it if for no other reason than to help support an independent Italian market in the Triad.

The two locations in Greensboro are convenient to get in and out of, and are pleasant to visit. The establishments are clean and friendly and constantly busy (always a good sign). I suspect however that Giacomo’s is more appreciated for their behind the counter offerings such as sausages, salami, veal and cheeses than their subs. I give them full marks for baking their own, nearly perfect bread, as well as their homemade deli meats and cheeses, but something is missing. Since all subs come only with L,T,O O&V, most of them end up tasting nearly identical. This would definitely get old after only a short time. Standing head and shoulders above many other sub shops in the Triad, Giacomo’s is a great Italian Market and a solid sub shop. Its not however, the hoagie nirvana I was hoping it would be, and so my search continues.

Have a special place in the Triad that you think serves up the best subs? Hugh sent me to Giacomo’s and you can send me to my next destination! Post your suggestions in the comments thread and get my feet moving!