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| - Primanti Brothers, though iconic, doesn't live up to its widespread popularity. While Primanti's sandwiches are acceptable, they're certainly not the best in Pittsburgh, let alone Oakland.
Primanti's take on cole slaw acts as the unsung hero of the sandwich. Rather than the traditional, mayonnaise heavy, leaden version of the stuff Primanti's delicately flavors their cabbage with vinegar, herbs, and black pepper. The result is sweet, tangy, fresh, and crisp. The sandwiches warrant a taste for the fabulous cole slaw alone. That being said, it does not complement many of the meats on the menu particularly well, so make sure you order a meat that offers a salty or spicy contrast to the tangy slaw. These include corned beef, pastrami, kielbasa, fish, and capicola. The more mildly flavored meats fail to meet the sandwich's potential.
The better known gimmick of course with Primanti's is the fries on the sandwiches, which makes their product instantly recognizable. Unfortunately, the fries are often improperly cooked and tragically underseasoned, so it's more like you're eating soggy, bland, boiled spuds rather than crisp, flavorful fries. I do appreciate the handcut slices of Italian bread, but the stuff has little character outside a crisp crust. It really serves no other purpose than holding everything together (which it surprisingly does well) but I like my bread with flavor.
All told, while Primanti's is a Pittsburgh icon, the sandwich fails to excel in most ways. Try it once for the cole slaw, then go elsewhere.
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