These delis are serving up sandwiches in honor of the Mets and Yankees
These delis are bringing the “sub” to the Subway Series.
While New Yorkers salivate over the prospect both local baseball teams could face off in an all-Gotham World Series, local eateries are slinging hometown “heroes” — sandwich specials sliced in their honor.
Benateri’s Italian deli in College Point, just a few miles from Citi Field and a favorite among Mets players, is serving up a special called the OMG, stacked with chicken cutlets dipped in vodka sauce, melted fresh mozzarella, crispy bacon and hot crushed red pepper flakes on crunchy semolina bread.
“This sandwich is hot and fire, just like the Mets,” said co-owner Angelo Baretta of the sandwich, which is named for the Mets anthem made popular by infielder Jose Iglesias.
Taliercio’s in Middletown, NJ, introduced the Bronx Bomber on Friday, following the Yankees’ ALDS win over the Royals.
It consists of potato knish, shredded cheddar, corned beef, pastrami, swiss cheese, hot deli mustard and Russian dressing, explained Eric Taliercio, who said customers have been flooding the store for a taste.
One took a bite and gushed, “It’s so good Derek Jeter would unretire if that was the only way he could try it,” he said.
Even New York expats down South are getting into the game.
Rocky’s NY Deli in Savannah, Ga., is serving up the Polar Bear, a nod to Pete Alonso made with half-a-pound of roast beef, melted provolone and homemade onion rings in a horseradish cream sauce.
The savory special debuted on Tuesday, after Alonso clubbed a game-winning three-run homer to beat the Brewers in the ninth inning of Game 3 of the NL Wild Card Series.
“We’ve been selling 45 a day, making it our best-selling special ever,” said Rocky’s owner Bill Vissicchio.
“One customer said it looked like a polar bear with the cascading melted provolone. Another said the half pound of meat was larger than life, just like Pete Alonso.”
Vissicchio grew up on Long Island, and has filled the walls of his Georgia eatery with Mets memorabilia, including a railing from old Shea Stadium and a highway sign that reads, “Citi Field 821 Miles.”
He said 60% of his customers are New York natives.
Already gearing up to celebrate Aaron Judge winning World Series MVP, Joe’s Deli in Spring Lake, NJ, is adding to its lineup a hero stacked with proscuittini, capicola, salami, hot soppressata, pepperoni, fresh mozzarella and roasted and hot peppers.
Its owner, Joey Valentino, whose parents opened the deli in 1984, said the sub will likely bear the name #99, for the Yankees’ prolific right fielder.
“This is a Yankee deli through and through,” said Valentino. “We’re such Yankee fans that our cousin, Lee Mazzilli, used to play for the Mets and we were still Yankee fans.”
Meanwhile, Park Wood Deli in Midland Park, NJ, is crafting a grinder named the Grand Lindor — garlic roast pork, smoked Virginia ham, melted Baby Swiss, homemade plantains and sweet pickles, topped with yellow mustard and served hot on Italian bread.
Owner Roger Schnorrbusch told The Post he named the creation after the star shortstop “because he hit a grand slam last night, c’mon,” referring to Lindor’s sixth-inning series-clinching blast in Game 4 of the NLDS Wednesday.
On Thursday, After the Mets defeated the Phillies, Hobby’s Deli in Newark, NJ, playfully whipped up the Plucked Philly Phanatic Poutine — french fries topped with pastrami and cheddar cheese curds — poking fun at the City of Brotherly Love’s team mascot.
Michael Brummer, who runs Hobby’s with his brother, Marc, said they serve it with “Francisco sauce,” aka turkey gravy.
During the Phillies series, they invited Mets’ good luck charm — the “Rally Pimp” Max Weiner — to the deli and renamed their bathrooms “the Phillies Seating Section.”
They also changed their Philly cheesesteaks to “LFGM Flushing Queens Cheesesteaks” and served them with Polar Bear sauce, made of horseradish.
When they posted the renamed cheesesteak on X, they were bombarded with 75 comments, mostly from irate Philly fans, Brummer said.
“For most of the day pretty nasty comments were made, up until the Mets scored five runs in the game. Then they got quiet.”
