Just one half of the Roast Pork Hoagie at the South Freeport Village Market. Photo by Peggy Grodinsky I’m not sure what possessed me to change my sandwich order at the South Freeport Village Market from a well-mannered Rachel, with turkey, Swiss and cole slaw on rye, to the mighty Roast Pork Hoagie, with smoked pork shoulder, ham (two types of pork!), Swiss and pickles on a bulky sesame hoagie roll. Did the sudden nip in the air fuel my desire for something substantial and meaty? Did the “hoagie” moniker appeal to this Philly born-and-bred woman? Or was it just my natural inner contrarian? When I, indecisive, asked the gal behind the counter to weigh in on my options, she volunteered that the Rachel was the store’s most popular sandwich.
OK, then, I’d get the hoagie. Unless I’ve been biking, skiing or hiking all morning at full tilt, I don’t expect to eat one all by myself again, even if I did split it between two meals; next time, I’d go halfsies. But whatever it was that possessed me, I’ve no regrets.
No disrespect to you, Ms. Rachel. I’d bet money you’re delicious, too.
The sandwich, a Cubano masquerading as a hoagie, if you ask me, was packed with hefty slabs of smoky, succulent roast pork meat. The kitchen sears the pork before building the sandwich, which adds a bit of crispness that echoes the meat’s crusty bark. The roll, too, had heft, chew and flavor, nothing like squishy, anemic hoagie rolls I remember from childhood.
It’s made by the Bidd.
