P.M.P. Delicatessen

Name: P.M.P. Delicatessen
Location: 80 Harry L Drive, Johnson City, NY 13790
Phone: (607) 797-1131
Cuisine: Sandwiches/Subs/Eastern European specialty items
Price: $5 per person

Review:
The search for good subs continued today for lunch with a stop at the P.M.P. Delicatessen on Harry L Drive in Johnson City. This is a place I've driven by literally thousands of times over the years, but I've never bothered to stop in, and I wasn't sure if anyone else did either. My attempts to find out anything about P.M.P. on the internet always came up fruitless, and something about the place always looked kind of sketchy to me. Today was the day I found out I was wrong.

P.M.P. is a deli first and foremost, with the standard subs and sandwiches comprising much of their menu, but they also serve their own versions of regional specialty items like spiedies and City Chicken. This is one of the rare places you can get lamb spiedies, the original spiedie meat of choice at Sharkey's way back in the 1940's. There is a definite focus on Eastern European cuisine in P.M.P., as they sell traditional foods like kielbasa, holupki (cabbage rolls), and a shockingly good variety of German, Czech, and Polish beer. I was surprised to see things like Paulaner Salvator, Ayinger Celebrator, and even a few bombers of Southern Tier Back Burner, among others. P.M.P. won't put Sam the Beer Man out of business anytime soon, but they've got a nice little collection going. For those who want to eat there, there are a few tables set up, and the place is adorned with hockey memorabilia and other trinkets. It's an odd atmosphere, yet somehow kind of cool.

I walked in at 12:30 PM and was one of three patrons at the time. I got a chicken spiedie sub for myself and a turkey sub for Megan. The woman who took my order was extremely nice and seemed glad that I had such a simple order--apparently the previous few patrons had made large and complicated orders. In five short minutes our order was ready, I paid the friendly cashier, an older gentleman who kidded me that my $7 order came to "$50," and I was on my way.

My chicken spiedie sub was quite good. I was impressed with the meat and found the spiedie as a whole superior to Sharkey's, but not quite to the level of Lupo's or the Spiedie & Rib Pit. The meat was flavorful and juicy and was served on an Italian steak roll which did well to soak up the juices. Not amazing, but very nice, and at $3.49, very cheap.

Megan's sub was also pretty good. She was a little miffed about the fact that the meat was placed on top of the toppings she got (lettuce, tomato, onion, American cheese, mayo), preferring it the other way around. Her impression was that P.M.P. was "just alright." I tried her sub and I got the impression that the turkey and toppings were fresh and of decent quality, but it was fairly ordinary otherwise.

Living near Harry L Drive, I can definitely see myself stopping off at P.M.P. again, maybe next time trying out the City Chicken, pierogies, or other local fare, in addition to taking a closer look at their beer selection. I enjoyed the quick, friendly service and the spiedies were good. My search for the ultimate sub shop won't end here, but I will be glad to support this local business again in the future, and I'm hopeful this post will give them some online presence so that other curious parties can stop wondering from afar what the place is like and start giving them some business.

Grade: B

Sharkey's Restaurant

Name: Sharkey's Restaurant
Location: 56 Glenwood Ave., Binghamton, NY 13905
Phone: (607) 729-9201
Cuisine: Bar food (spiedies and steamed clams being "famous" offerings)
Price: About $15-$20 per person, depends what you order

Review:
Contrary to what some people I know might expect me to say, I love history. My wife is a historian, most of my friends are historians, and I have a deep appreciation for the history of the way certain areas have developed and changed as time goes on.

Sharkey's is historic. If there's a food that defines the Binghamton area, it's the spiedie, and Sharkey's is one of several places that claims to have started the whole fad. They've been operating out of the same location on Glenwood Ave. on Binghamton's West Side for more than 60 years, and one gets the sense that while the landscape around it has changed markedly over the course of that period of time, Sharkey's represents one of the last surviving vestiges of old-time Binghamton culture.

These things mean that Sharkey's is a place near and dear to the hearts of many. Where else can you still get your spiedies served to you right on the skewer as in the days of old? Where else can you sit in old-fashioned wooden booths and take in some steamed clams and a pitcher of cheap beer? Sharkey's is that place, and I admire it from a historical standpoint. It has weathered the storm of economic turmoil in a rundown part of town and lives on into the year 2010 and beyond.

It is regretful, then, that neither the food nor the atmosphere is really memorable or worthwhile.

We rounded up the troops to head to Sharkey's on a Friday evening a couple months back. Upon entering the restaurant (which you can do either from the front or from the rear) you will notice some old video games, a bar toward the front of the restaurant, and a number of booths at the back. The booths are old-fashioned wooden booths that are the exact opposite of comfortable. I get it: they've been there awhile. That doesn't mean I liked sitting in them.

I ordered a pork spiedie sub and a dozen wings. My buddy Tom went with an order of steamed clams, and Megan got a chicken spiedie sandwich.

The spiedie I ate was pretty good. I really don't think it could have held a candle to either Lupo's or Spiedie & Rib Pit, though. It was good with some nice flavors, but definitely a little bit "blah," lacking some of the smoky charred taste you get at the other places.

I tried one of Tom's clams. The clams at Sharkey's are allegedly famous; I have to admit that I see absolutely no reason why. Ordinary steamed clam in my book. I've had much better.

The wings were, frankly, an atrocity. Too much gnarly chicken taste and quite fatty, yet also overcooked and dried out. There's little worse than fatty wings in my opinion. These were worse. These were some of the worst wings I've ever had.

Sharkey's is also of course a bar, but there's nothing notable to drink there. Standard macro American pale lagers.

While I was in the Scranton area this past weekend, I went to a pizza parlor called Sabatini's. Like Sharkey's, Sabatini's has been around for more than 50 years and is famous for their food--in Sabatini's case, their pizza is noted as being some of the best around. The atmosphere was similar, with old-fashioned wooden booths (which were admittedly more expansive than those at Sharkey's). The difference is that Sabatini's has modernized in some significant ways, while still retaining their history. Sabatini's is currently host to one of the best beer selections in the state of Pennsylvania with a tremendous collection of rare beer both on draft and in bottles. When I walked out of Sabatini's after several hours of eating great pizza and drinking amazing beer, I thought of Sharkey's. Why couldn't they do the same kind of thing? Why not keep serving those famous spiedies while providing another reason to go there too?

I really wanted to like Sharkey's. I like the fact that it exists, and offers some glimpses into the area's past. I just really don't see much reason to go back. You can get better spiedies elsewhere, the rest of the food aside from the spiedies is average or worse, the booths are uncomfortable even for a person of average height like me, and it's in a somewhat seedy part of town. I really hate to be harsh on this one, but I cannot recommend a visit to Sharkey's for any reason more than the ability to say you've visited the (alleged) birthplace of the spiedie.

Grade: C

Lupo's Char-Pit

Name: Lupo's Char-Pit
Location: 2710 E Main St., Endicott, NY 13760
Phone: (607) 748-1916
Cuisine: Sandwiches/Subs (Spiedies)
Price: Less than $10 per person

Review:
The second of my spiedie reviews will cover Lupo's Char-Pit, a Triple Cities institution that operates on Main St. in Endwell. There's no doubt that Lupo's is among the best spiedie peddlers in the Binghamton area. They are famous not only for their restaurants but also for their line of sauces and marinades that can be purchased in local grocery stores.

The Char-Pit is not so much a restaurant but rather a take-out place. There are no tables to eat there, just a stand where you place your order and pay. The menu mostly consists of the usual chicken/pork spiedie options, with various toppings available at a higher price. They also have subs (I hear the cheeseburger sub is very good) and side dishes available as well.

I was of course most interested in the spiedies, and I ordered a 6-inch pork to give it a shot.


I opted for no toppings this time around since I really wanted to savor the taste of the spiedie meat itself. And I must say, this was quite delicious. Definitely just as good as the Spiedie & Rib Pit as far as the taste goes, and probably more "authentic" relative to the original spiedie parlors in the area. A bit greasier, perhaps, but the Italian sub roll did a nice job soaking up the excess juices. For under $4, this was a very good lunch, even if I had to eat it in my car.

I definitely recommend Lupo's Char-Pit. I wouldn't put it quite on par with Spiedie & Rib Pit, though. The inability to eat there is a major strike against it, and I do prefer some of Spiedie & Rib Pit's more exotic options like the chicken caesar spiedie or Greek spiedie. If you're in Endwell and need a quick lunch, though, Lupo's would be an excellent choice.

Grade: B+

Spiedie & Rib Pit

Name: Spiedie & Rib Pit
Location: Upper Front St., Binghamton or Vestal Parkway
Cuisine: Sandwiches/subs
Price: Less than $10 per person

Review:
This wouldn't be a proper Binghamton food blog if I went much longer without dedicating a post to perhaps the region's most popular native food, the spiedie (pronounced "speedy" for those uninitiated). Spiedies are chunks of marinated meat (originally lamb, but nowadays either chicken or pork) skewered and grilled, then served with some variety of bread (either regular Italian bread, a sub roll, or even pita bread). Coney Island has its hot dogs, Chicago its deep-dish pizza, Buffalo's got wings, Rochester has the...ummm...garbage plate. We've got spiedies (and to a lesser extent, their breaded, deep-fried counterpart City Chicken), and there are many, many places in the area that either specialize in spiedies or at least offer them.

So it's about time I jump headlong into the spiedie debate. Where in the Triple Cities can you get the best of this regional delicacy? In my mind, there are three main contenders: Sharkey's, Lupo's, and the Spiedie & Rib Pit. There are TONS of places in the area where you can get spiedies, but I think these are the three that most people would mention first before any others.

Sharkey's is often considered to be the birthplace of the spiedie. They've been operating from their West Side Binghamton location on Glenwood Avenue for more than 60 years and specialize not only in spiedies but also in steamed clams and holupki (cabbage rolls). I will dedicate a post to Sharkey's at some later date, but for now I will say that I am not too impressed with their offerings.

Another contender is Lupo's, who bottle the famous Lupo's spiedie marinades and sauces that are ubiquitous at local grocery stores so that consumers can make their own. They have a couple locations in the area and are considered by many to be the best the area has to offer.

Then there's the Spiedie & Rib Pit, founded in 1993 as (I believe) an offshoot to the Lupo spiedie kingdom. In addition to the spiedie, they also offer various other items like more traditional subs and ribs. They offer their spiedies in some untraditional ways (Buffalo style, Greek style, etc...) which seems to bother the "purists" who prefer their sandwiches unadorned. But they do indeed have a legion of followers.

Today I'll focus on the third of these choices.

Megan and I were headed out of town on Friday and were in need of a quick lunch before we got on the road. We happened to be on the Vestal Parkway and ended up at the Spiedie & Rib Pit. The store is pretty small and laid out kind of like a typical fast food place. She ordered a Blue Cheese chicken spiedie on a sub roll. and I went with the Greek spiedie, which has chicken, lettuce, tomato, onions, feta cheese, and tzatziki sauce on a pita.



This spiedie was fantastic, much like just about every other I've had in the place, and at this point I've probably had just about all of them at one point or another. It's hard to describe the taste of the spiedie meat itself. It has a lot of flavor, with all sorts of other unique seasoning from the marinade process. A healthy mixture of Italian herbs, vinegar, and lemon juice is my guess. Whatever it is, it's great, and the grilling process brings out those flavors so well. The feta cheese and tzatziki sauce added favorably to the mix. With a side of fries (which are also quite good--Megan thinks they are the best fries she has ever had, I beg to differ but they are still very good) and a drink, I was a pretty happy camper.

Spiedie purity be damned, for a quick, fast-food style meal in the Binghamton area, it's hard to do better than the Spiedie & Rib Pit. And if you are a newcomer to Binghamton and have never had spiedies before, first of all, you MUST, and secondly, the Spiedie & Rib Pit would likely get my vote of where you should head first.

Grade: A