1 of 5
2 of 5
3 of 5
4 of 5
5 of 5
Some people like to go to Six Flags. There are many fun things to do there, goes the conventional scuttlebutt, we hear. Well, if you want to drive out to Eureka and get tossed around like a beach ball at an Up With People concert, you just go right ahead, buddy.
We prefer another kind of Six Flags, if you will, wherein food is digested and not upended and/or reversed à la Mr. Freeze. Our amusement park is called the Hill, and the rides are the surfeit of amazing sandwiches to be gobbled up at lunchtime in this quaint, lawn-statue-filled bailiwick.
There is an argument to be made that the thing the Hill restaurants do best is the sandwich. Think about it: the "Franco's Choice," with hot turkey breast, roasted peppers, onions, and Provel, at Adriana's on the Hill; the top-selling "Hot Salami" at Gioia's Deli; the "Extra Special," with roast beef, ham, mortadella, Genova salami, pickles, onions, pepper cheese, and a squirt of house Italian dressing at Eovaldi's Deli; the "Roman Torpedo," with turkey breast, Genoa salami, Provel, lettuce, tomato, and spicy Giardiniera at the Joe Fassi Sausage & Sandwich Factory; and the "Amighetti Special"—which we really don't have to describe to the St. Louisans in the audience, do we?—at Amighetti's.
After a 10-year drought, one of the Hill's anchor businesses is bringing back its sandwich counter with promises of the sort of fresh Italian deli food befitting a grocery store chock full of tempting delicacies. J. Viviano & Sons has recently re-opened its sandwich counter and kitchen--John Viviano & Sons Original Deli & Catering--bringing back old faves from circa 2002, said owner John A. Viviano, adding some new ones.
"The eggplant sandwich [at right] is our most popular, signature sandwich," he said. "It's eggplant slices dipped in egg and breadcrumbs, pan-fried, then topped with a marinated caprese salad of fresh mozzarella, tomatoes, and basil, served on toasted round muffuletta bread made across the street by Marconi Bakery.
The 'Italian Stallion' is hot roast beef on garlic cheese bread. The 'Big Viv' is a cold sandwich with capicola ham, mortadella bologna, Volpi salami, lettuce, tomatoes, pickles, and spicy mustard. Each comes with a bag of chips and a side cup of artichoke salad, pasta salad, olive salad, or poato salad, all made in-house."
Viviano said that the daily menu choices include 12-15 sandwiches, two salads, and a soup. One recent feature was an excellent chicken-sausage soup (at left), with a deep, rich flavor that only homemade chicken stock can provide, and a bargain at $3.95 a bowl.
"For the last ten years we've been focused on being a grocery store," said Viviano, "but everybody likes that little corner store with a sandwich counter, too. So many people have asked us to make sandwiches, so it was time."
Partner and sandwich maker Joe Parisi boasted that "no one makes a sandwich like we do." After devouring "The Soprano" (that overstuffed eggplant sandwich above), we have to agree. It was a mighty, mighty, mighty fine sandwich.
In a sidebar withinthe "The 50 Best Italian Restaurants in St. Louis" feature in August 2012, SLM listed our favorite Italian sandwich joints. If "The Soprano" is any indication, Viviano's would have been prominent on that list, doing the Hill proud.
The rest of the menu is below. Viviano said it should be online in a day or so.
John Viviano & Sons Original Deli & Catering
5139 Shaw
314-776-4300
Sandwich Counter:
11 a. m.–2 p.m. Mon - Fri
10 a.m.–3 p.m. Sat.
Closed Sun.
