Not sure how we missed this one, but thanks to Lunch’er Elliot for tipping us off… Mondello, the pizzeria on 37th btw. Mad+5th that was willing to put meat sauce on your chicken parm, shuttered about a month ago.  No word on why or what will be replacing it.

I decided to begin my search for a proper Italian sausage hero close to home at Mondello (on 37th btw. Mad+5th). Their chicken parmigiana hero has been a favorite of mine since I started working in the area nearly seven years ago.

The first sign that this wasn’t going to be the sub I was looking for came as soon as I saw the sausage and peppers on display in the steam tray. Piled up and soaking in who knows what sort of liquid, it clearly wasn’t going to provide that crispy char on the edges that comes from a good griddling. Still, I’d never know for sure if I didn’t try it.

I was surprised when the guy behind the counter put meat sauce and cheese on top, but decided to go with it. I wasn’t expecting a great sandwich, so cheese and sauce certainly weren’t going to hurt.

That was for the best, because they were pretty much the best part of the sandwich. Unlike the chicken parm, which is just one or two chicken filets, the sausage is cut up into many smaller pieces that all seem to want to go a different direction. Holding it all together was a bit of an ordeal.

Besides that, even with all the toppings and the time in the oven, the sausages still tasted like they were boiled or at least simmered. It didn’t have any of the crispness that makes a sausage worth biting into.

The sandwich wasn’t bad, it’s just not what I’m looking for and certainly not as good as the chicken parm. So, it’s onward and up(town)ward as I keep looking for a good Italian sausage hero.

Mondello Pizzeria & Restaurant, 3 East 37th (btw. Mad+5th), 212-684-2411

Back in September my quest to find the best chicken parm in Midtown took me to Mondello (on 37th btw. Mad+5th).  It was “satisfying, but nothing to write home about.”  And yet, it appears as if I missed something crucial that would increase the awesomeness of their chicken parm tenfold.

From the blog Ultraclay:

Where other places may dump pizza sauce on top, they offer a choice of regular and a meat sauce. Both have a salty, sweet flavor, but the meat sauce has a richness that adds another dimension to the sandwich.

Shut up! Meat sauce on a chicken parm!?! That… is… awesome. I don’t remember them giving me a choice, because if they had I would have obviously gone with the meat sauce.  Clearly it’s time to revisit this one.

Mondello Pizzeria & Restaurant, 3 East 37th (btw. Mad+5th), 212-684-2411

So on Friday after I walked by the still plywooded Washoku Cafe (the new Cafe Zaiya’ish Japanese place that is opening soon on 37th btw. Mad+5th), I decided against my better judgement to check out Mondello’s, a standard take out pizza and subs place right next door. I say “against my better judgement” because I pride myself on my strange sense for good Midtown Lunch’ish food. There is a vibe a place gives off that lets you know it’s going to be good, and this place didn’t have it.  But there were alot of people in there, and sometimes you just feel like a chicken parm.  

Most places will buy cheap Italian sub rolls, and attempt to cover their crappiness by adding tons of sauce and popping the whole sandwich in the oven before serving it. Mondello is no exception. The chicken parm is pre-made, but benefits from being the thinly sliced kind- so it wasn’t dried out.  The massive amount of shredded cheese they added was good, but the sauce was slightly sweet and nothing to write home about.  For the price ($7.25) they don’t add nearly enough meat, and should probably use a good fresh mozzarella.  This was more like a $5-6 deli chicken parm. Satisfying, but nothing to get excited about.

The pizza on the other hand looked good enough to be intriguing. At $2.75 you’re not getting any kind of bargain- but the slices are a decent size, and if you love that super thin slice of incredibly oily pizza than this is your spot. Nice and salty, I wouldn’t go out of my way for it- but if you work in the area, I’m sure you could do a lot worse.

I don’t normally like writing about generic Midtown places (there are so many, and if I did they would litter the site) but in this case I figured I’d throw up a quick review just in case there are those of you who had walked by and wondered about this place.

THE +

• Decent place, always crowded for lunch
• If you like the super thin crusted, very oily pizza that New York is known for- Mondello’s has got it
• Thinly pounded meat on the chix parm sub, so it doesn’t get dried out

THE - 

A little expensive for what you’re getting

Everything about the sandwich was pretty middle of the road.  Bread, cheese, sauce… just your typical Italian pizza deli in Midtown

Mondello’s Pizzeria & Restaurant, 3 East 37th (btw. Mad+5th), 212-684-2411