Geraldi's

I'm always hopeful that GastroBoy will get off his keister and write something. But, in a painful acknowledgement of the truth, I find myself jumping the gun and posting about our lunchtime spot today.

I was planning on eating in (honest, I was). I have a package of my favorite Trader Joe's freezer burritos here in the office, waiting for their 3 minutes of nuclear (or, as JLowe and the Prez say, "nukular") exposure to prepare them adequately for consumption. But GB mentioned going out, and it got my juices flowing.

We couldn't decide where to go. GB threw out many options, even uttering our eventual destination once or twice. But I was so busy mulling bad choices that I failed to hear the good one, and then, suddenly, my mind seized upon it. Geraldi's on 4th! And, like a shot, we were off.

Geraldi's, for anyone who hasn't been there, specializes in quick Italian fare, but the primary reason to go there is the sandwiches. They come in two sizes, big and bigger. All are served on fresh french bread loaves, nice and warm and sliced down the middle. The half sandwich, depending on type, costs on average $6 to $7. The whole gets up closer to $9, a good value given the size, but too big unless you're regularly a pig.

I ordered the 1/2 Chicken Parm, shown below.



Not a flattering picture, for sure. The sandwich isn't supposed to look pretty, though. It's supposed to taste good.

And it does. The chicken is plentiful and filling. The sauce is always the same, which is nice in that it you want predictability in a regular haunt, and when something is so right, to change it would be a crime. And the mozarella cheese is plentiful.

GB got something different, but I was too busy madly devouring my lunch to admire his.

I don't have it in me to do a thorough expounding upon the virtues of Geraldi's. But let me say this: it is one of the most popular hero joints in downtown for a reason, and anyone who's had it swears upon it for life. If you're not a chicken parm guy, go for the meatball hero. If you aren't into that, JLowe usually gets the Chicago beef. Really, there's no way you can possibly go wrong. And, if you don't want a sandwich, I recommend the lasagna. Whatever you get will be filling, delicious, and you will walk away highly satisfied for about $10 every time. Go to Geraldi's once and you, like all three of us, will be a fan for life.