Dish by Dish: Nico and Vali's "Muffalatta"

variation of the classic New Orleans style Muffaletta is an excellent departure from all of the traditional food most of us have been stuffing our faces with over the Holidays.

The "Muffalatta" is served on a made-in-house Ciabatta loaf. The Ciabatta is crunchy and mildly salty on the outside, with a delicious, dense center that's perfect for soaking up the flavors of sandwich. When eating the "Muffalatta", right away you'l notice the course tapenade-style olive spread. The spread is highlighted with green and black olives, pepperoncinis, hints of garlic, and a light olive oil that binds the ingredients together.The spread is a refreshing departure from the heavier mayonnaise or cream based sauces that we've grown accustomed to covering our sandwiches with.

The tapanade spread provides great compliment to the stars of the dish: the thinly sliced Italian cold cuts. The center of the sandwich is stacked with equal and generous portions of capicola and mortadella, both cured Italian meats. The mortadella is peppery with a soft texture while the capicola packs a bit of spiciness and is ribboned with balanced and flavorful fat. When combined, the two meats explode with salty and savory taste.

No Italian-style sandwich is complete without cheese, so lastly, the cooks melt two slices of Provolone over the meats. The cheese does a wonderful job balancing the salt of the dish.

While the sandwich is more than enough by itself, it's impossible to ignore the hand-cut russet potato chips that the "Muffalatta", as well as all of Nico and Vali's sandwiches are served with. The chips are well-salted with a powerful crunch and every so often you'll find an oversaturated, almost chewy chip in the pile reminding you how fun eating house-made ingredients can be.

At only $6.95, Nico and Vali's "Muffalatta" is well-balanced, inexpensive, and is an exceptional representation of the care and passion that the restaurant puts into all of its food.