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| - Only open for breakfast and lunch, Hero Factory caters to the downtown Phoenix lunch crowd with humongous, top of the line hero sandwiches. With veteran deli owners Nicole Dorio and Jay Friedman, quality and freshness are high while the prices are low. Hero only uses Boar's Head meats and cheeses, which you've probably seen before in the expensive side of the grocery store meat counters. This makes all of the difference in quality comparison to the places, left unnamed, who sell $5 subs. You'll notice the difference! Then there is the bread! Covered with toasted sesame seeds, the toothsome bread has a light bagel texture, slightly chewy while remaining tender. No wonder since the bread is sourced from our own local Chompies bakery.
When you set foot inside the first thing you're going to notice is the smell. A mixture of onions, meat and tomato sauce fragrances permeate the air inside causing an instant and raging hunger. The deli counter is broken up into 3 different areas, each more moth watering then the next. The first case is filled with all sorts of delectable salads and desserts. Then there is the meat and cheese case, where the owners slice the meat to order whether for a sandwich or by the pound. Then there is the hot section which has steaming hot dishes of deli classics like sausage and peppers and meatballs, the fantastically overwhelming smell was quickly fingered.
Ordering can be a bit tough due to the fact that everything sounds so wonderful. Signature Heroes both cold and hot, wraps, salads and sides make up the large and straight forward menu. Place your order at the counter, pay, then grab a seat and you'll be called when its ready. Once this process is started you can watch as your meat is sliced and your sandwich assembled. Ive always enjoyed watching my food prepared, you can learn so much for your own kitchen. Yes, Ive already ordered my very own meat slicer so I can do this at home on the weekends when Hero is closed.
The heroes at Hero are big, thick and piled heavy with meat, cheese and toppings. 2 big eaters can easily share 1 hero sandwich and a side no problem. Being the big bear that I am I did barely manage to finish one by myself and was quite miserable for sometime after that. Fortunately parking in downtown Phoenix is kind of spread out so a nice walk afterwards will really help out. The easiest method would be to park in mid town then take the light rail to the Hero Factory, it runs right by.
With so many heroes to chose from I went ahead and put my trust in the owner Jay. He immediately tells me that his favorite hero is the Manhattan ($7.95). Anything with "man" in it has to be good, right? A thick stack of roast beef piled high on toasted garlic bread all covered with melted mozzarella cheese. This sandwich was in its most pure form, no veggies and sauces to get in the way, just the simple flavor of good meat, cheese and bread. When he came to check on his sandwich I asked for some Russian dressing for a bit of a variation, this single element added that extra dimension that turned the Manhattan from good to great! Their Russian dressing is some of the best I've had. They really should bottle and sell this dressing, can't wait to try it on a salad! Of course the owner is going to know what's best to eat off of his menu. It was great that he didn't say the generic phrase, "everything is good on the menu".
Taking matters in my own hands, next up was the Crackerjack ($7.95). While not as anti-holiday as I was looking for this one was simply fantastic! Thin sliced cracked pepper turkey, oozy melted pepper jack cheese then dressed with lettuce, tomatoes, onions and their amazing Russian dressing. Each bite of the spicy turkey and cheese was a hard contrast to the sweet flavors of the holiday; this one definitely has some heat to it. If something all American is more your liking, then the Patriot ($7.95) will be a home run! Roast Beef, turkey, ham and American cheese topped with lettuce, tomato and onion. You can never go wrong with the basics at Hero.
What's a deli without trying some of the home made salads? The cheese and bacon tortellini salad ($1.75 1/2lb) was so creamy, smoky and tender, one taste was not enough. In fact this one was so good I didn't want to share with my table mates. The deli case also had a tomato and mozzarella salad ($1.75 1/2lb) that was perfectly dressed with balsamic vinegar and olive oil. Each cherry tomato exploded with sweet tangy flavor contrasted by the balsamic coated mozzarella, delightful.
The hours at Hero are limited to weekday mornings and afternoons which may be the only drawback to his location. Since the light rail is moving finally and more businesses are opening downtown, perhaps the hours will include a Saturday? I sure hope so, I really love this place!
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