Jimmy's Food Store: The Italian Beef Sandwich is sooooo Good!

Last Thursday, I spent the early part of the day collecting water samples from cities north of Dallas, while my friend Matt's job for the day was to collect water samples from Lake Fork, which is east of Dallas.  We knew that we'd be converging back in Dallas at about the same time, so we agreed to meet for lunch at Jimmy's Food Store, home of the finest Italian deli in Dallas.

James "Jimmy" DiCarlo, who founded Jimmy's Food Store at the corner of Bryan Street and Fitzhugh Avenue with his father in 1966, passed from this world on August 4th at the age of 92.  Matt and I, upon hearing of this news, decided at once to honor his memory by stopping by for a sandwich as soon as we could.  It took us a little longer than we expected, but on Thursday, at one o'clock in the afternoon, the stars aligned and we stood before the deli sandwich counter and ordered our lunch.

I ordered the Italian Beef sandwich.  To be honest, every sandwich on the menu looks delicious, but the Italian Beef may be the only sandwich I'll ever order at Jimmy's for the foreseeable future.  Yes, it's that good.  I tried it on my first visit in September of 2011 and was immediately hooked.  Still, the little voice inside of me that urges variety had me try the Philly Roast Pork on my next visit.  And, though the Philly Roast Pork, featuring mounds of porketta, gravy, broccoli, rabe, and provolone on a 6-inch bun was delicious, it just couldn't be as good as the Italian Beef.

The Italian Beef at Jimmy's is a towering monument to the art of sandwich making.  It's a 6-inch bun loaded with hot sliced beef, gravy, provolone, and pepper giardiniera.  When the  guy behind the counter called my name and handed it to me, it felt like it weighed five pounds.  I quickly found a bag of chips and a bottle of iced tea and headed for the register.  The tab was a little over $9.00 and I gladly handed over the cash, eagerly anticipating my first flavorful bite.

Grabbing  a handful of napkins from a stack on the counter by the front window, I found an empty nearby table, and got down to business.

The first bite did not disappoint.  The sandwich is dipped in a light gravy, and so the bread  is slightly wet at the top and almost soggy at the bottom.  I didn't let this deter me in the least----that's what the napkins are for.  The beef is perfectly tasty and the giardiniera---carrots, red bell peppers, hot peppers, and celery all swimming in olive oil---packs just the right amount of spicy heat.   My mouth is watering as I type this and I think that's about the best testimonial I can give for this delicious sandwich.

Matt, who'd tried the Italian Beef on his previous visit, ordered an Italian Sausage sandwich, which can be ordered with mild or hot sausage---Matt  took the mild---and comes with marinara, mozzarella, sweet peppers and onion on a 6-inch bun.  It looked good and Matt was cool enough to slice off a bit of the sausage for me to sample---it was very good, with a nice flavor and texture.  Though Matt enjoyed his sandwich, he couldn't help but look upon my Italian Beef sandwich wistfully and wish that he hadn't listened to his own inner voice urging variety.

I'm probably being a bit dramatic when I write that I'll never try another sandwich other than the Italian Beef at Jimmy's----I am, if nothing else, prone to drama.  They have a sandwich called the Italian Stallion, featuring mortadella, capicola, sopressata, pepperoni, provolone, porketta, coppa, mozzarella, and prosciutto that I'd be a fool not to try at some point.  Also, there's a Cuban sandwich that looks good with roast pork, ham, swiss, pickles and something called mojo sauce on a 6-inch bun.  Maybe I'll try these sandwiches at some point.  Or maybe I'll convince whoever I'm with to try them so I can have a taste while continuing to order my beloved Italian Beef sandwich.

Jimmy's Food Store is a cool place to eat.  I recommend that you give it a try!

UPDATE 8/23/13
I had the day off today!  We're a family that likes to get out early, so we headed out at about 0830 to Starbucks at Casa Linda Plaza for coffee and chocolate milk, then went to a park at White Rock Lake so the boys could play.  After that, we went to Target to do a little shopping.  And then, it was lunchtime and we decided to go to Jimmy's to give Jessica a chance to try the Italian Beef sandwich and to give me a chance to try the Italian Stallion.

The Italian Stallion sandwich was as awesome as I expected!  The mortadella, capicola, sopressata, pepperoni, provolone, porketta, coppa, mozzarella, and prosciutto combine to make a very delicious taste experience.  I had the six-inch and it was plenty.  To drink, I had a Dublin Lemonade Soda---made with pure cane sugar!

Judging by the yummy-sounds coming from Jessica as she ate, she enjoyed her Italian Beef sandwich.  And she had the Dublin Orange Cream Soda---she gave me a drink and it was very sweet and creamy, just the way an orange cream soda should taste.

Once again, I can't help but strongly recommend that you give Jimmy's Food Store a try!