Ragonese Imports, 409 New Scotland Ave, Albany NY

Date of visit: 02/16/20

Overall Rating: 4.29/5

On a chilly February afternoon, we journeyed to Ragonese Imports on New Scotland Avenue.  I  had stopped at Ragonese only to buy meatballs on the way home from work, while Nature Boy had never been before, so eating there was a new experience for us both.  After a short hiatus, our Deli Quest began again.

Quality of Meat: 5

We found the meat to be absolutely delicious, the best part of the sub.  It was rare, plentiful, and evenly distributed on the sandwich to create a beautiful taste that we both found to be perfect and deserving of a 5. Unfortunately, Ragonese doesn’t prepare their meat in house, but the quality of meat was such that we can look over that detail.

Quality of Bread: 4

The bread was good-sized, but a bit dry, and we weren’t given an option for seedless bread.  We had gotten the sandwich around 3 pm (someone in this dynamic duo decided to have a late breakfast and go for a run during regular lunch hours), so I speculated that the bread was dried out due to the amount of time it was potentially sitting out in the store.

Fillings: 4.5

Overall, the fillings were excellent.  The lettuce was very green, crisp, large, and leafy, unlike some other chain establishments where lettuce is shaved and sprinkled on the sub like shredded paper.  The Ragonese subs looked ready for a close-up with such vibrant, healthy lettuce spilling out the sides.  The onions were red and large enough for their taste to come through, but they weren’t overwhelming.  I asked for extra mayo this time around, but realized too late that this was not needed, and I couldn’t taste the hot peppers well due to this rash decision.  Nature Boy believed the oil on his sub to be good and applied well so as not to make the sandwich messy, but was underwhelmed by the quantity of provolone cheese.

Construction: 4.75

Unlike the sandwiches at Fiorello’s with their unique, yet not optimal, construction, the subs at Ragonese were built more conventionally, with the bread split into 2 pieces and the ingredients laid over the bottom half of the roll.  We were very impressed with the precision and diligence of construction shown by the deli employees, none of whom seemed to be over the age of 23.  Our sub orders were repeated back to us with no notes taken, which, to us, displayed professional mastery.

Ancillaries: 4.5

Continuing the trend from Fiorello’s, Ragonese did not provide a complementary pickle with their subs, a great disappointment to me.  The delis I normally frequent still do, but why have other delis stopped gifting us these heavenly pieces?  Nature Boy was indifferent to all this and reminded me of the negative effects caused by assumptions.  There was no sarsaparilla, but the place offered numerous standard choices of drinks and chips.  In addition to its deli, Ragonese Imports is also a well-stocked Italian grocery, with many prepared options for sale.

Ambiance: 4.25

Ordinarily, Nature Boy and myself prefer a more “authentic” deli experience of outdated decorating, elderly employees, and questionable cleanliness, but the group of young whippersnappers at Ragonese was welcome and refreshing (this is saying something coming from us middle-aged men who tend to prefer history to innovation).  They were more than competent, conversant, and genuinely seemed to be having a good time working.  Nature Boy even received his sub in seconds, an impressive feat we recognized.  The deli itself is in an old house with parking out front, both great in our eyes.  There aren’t any hanging meats or cheeses, but the ceiling isn’t high enough for it, so no points were docked.  The place is clean with a small eat-in area in the back containing 3 high-top, 2-person tables.  The walls are adorned with family pictures and maps of the “old country.”  A delightful surprise came for us when legendary former Albany mayor, Jerry Jennings, made an appearance at Ragonese while we were there.  We took this as a point of great credibility, indicating this establishment to perhaps be one of Albany’s best.

• 

• 

• 

• 

Fiorello Importing and Luigi’s Deli, 1182 Western Avenue, Albany NY

Date of visit: 01/04/20

Overall Rating: 3.9/5

Our quest began on a cold, rainy January day. Though unsure of our rating criteria and method of communication to our throngs of supporters, we leaped into our challenge with glee. Within a short time, ways of categorization made themselves apparent as if divine intervention willed them to be. As middle-aged men, we believe ourselves to be uniquely positioned to bestow our wisdom surrounding sub sandwiches on the local populace. We have had a variety of experiences with subs throughout our decades of life and we feel that we know what it takes to craft the perfect sub (hint: it will involve lots of roast beef). With our eyes on the prize, we’re off!

Quality of Meat: 4

Meat begins our list because it’s the most important part of the sub, without question. We feel the best sub roast beef is rare, and Fiorello’s had more of a medium rare meat, very fine but not exceptional. However, we had to appreciate the fact that Fiorello’s meat is prepared in-house, not outsourced, so they certainly get points for that. The flavor was good, though the beef itself was a little dry which could be attributed to the medium rareness. Overall, Fiorello’s provides a well-prepared, very tasty slab of meat for your sub.

Quality of Bread: 4

Bread is also a very important part of the sub; we rank the best breads as being crisp on the outside without too much chewiness and Fiorello’s hit the nail on the head in these “sub”-categories. The bread-to-filling ratio was acceptable, as the amount of bread wasn’t overwhelming in comparison to the fillings. Unfortunately, there was only one option for bread (without sesame seeds) so this lowered our rating. But the bread we received was fresh and the perfect complement to our meat and fillings!

Fillings: 3.25

We didn’t have too much to say about the sub’s insides but we can claim that Fiorello’s missed the mark on moistness. We both agreed that there wasn’t as much mayo as expected which led to a relatively dry interior. Even Nature Boy’s sub was dry, despite the fact that he had both mayo and oil on it. It was for this reason that Nature Boy gave the fillings a 3 rating while I gave it a 3.5. However, we both liked that our onions were thick-cut and not overwhelming in taste.

Construction: 3

Fiorello’s subs are very uniquely constructed; what makes these subs particularly interesting is that the fillings are inserted closest to the fold in the bread and the meat layered on top. This results in a clear separation between the fillings and the meat, each bite consisting of either one or the other [see images at bottom]. This is less than desirable to us because we’d prefer to have all the ingredients together in one bite. However, there isn’t any seepage from the sub which contributes to a low chance of getting food or dressing on clothing. For this reason, we concluded that this style of sub is a good option for those dressed nicely and/or on the go.

Ancillaries: 4.75

The ancillaries at Fiorello’s were very interesting, given the good variety of specialty potato chips that they offered. They didn’t sell big name-brand chips like Lays, rather, they opted for smaller, top-shelf brands like Route 11. We felt these to be very good, high-quality options. The soda varieties were the same; we were thrilled to find that Fiorello’s sold Sarsaparilla and naturally, we gave them props for giving us reason to reminisce about Bugs Bunny. Unfortunately, there was no complimentary pickle with the sub, which lowered the rank to a 4.5 for me, but Nature Boy didn’t find this to be a loss so his score remained a 5.

Ambiance: 4.25

As middle-aged white dudes, we love old things. We believe that contemporary style and decorations decrease the ambiance of a deli, so we were glad to experience Fiorello’s atmosphere that had been untouched by time. The deli resides in an old retail storefront that hasn’t seen an upgrade since the 1970s. It’s also clearly family-centered; several family pictures adorn the walls of Fiorello’s and we know that the family has worked and run it throughout its history, a fact we greatly appreciated during our visit. We even spotted the deli cat lounging about which only served to increase the familial atmosphere. The interior was clean with uncomfortable seating (a perfect touch), though there weren’t any hanging meats or cheeses. That’s the reason why I gave this category a 4 while Nature Boy gave a 4.5. Overall, we were very pleased with the ambiance present at Fiorello’s.