Take a dive into Santoro’s

The submarine sandwich has as many aliases as a con man on the run. Depending on where you hail from, you may know the sub -- and it’s variations -- as a bomber, grinder, hero, hoagie, Italian, rocket, torpedo, Dagwood, po’boy, wedge or zeppelin. But in Burbank, you call it a sub and the real deal can be found at Santoro’s Submarine Sandwiches.

A Burbank institution for nearly 50 years, Santoro’s hits the sweet spot for great subs. It starts, of course, with the bread -- soft, fresh-baked Italian bread with enough structure to hold up under the strain of its contents without being too chewy or dry. Urban legend has it that the shape of the loaf inspired the sandwich’s name back in the 1920s. As the story goes, an Italian grocer in New Jersey christened his sandwich creation a submarine after viewing an actual sub on display. Another version purports that the sandwich got its start at a grocery in Connecticut located next to a submarine base.

Regardless of it’s historical roots, Santoro’s traditional sub begins with layers of your choice of cold cuts -- like ham, roast beef, capicolla, salami, pepperoni, turkey and more -- and then tops cheese and a medley of chopped tomato, pickle and onion that’s been tossed in seasoned oil and vinegar. Delicious. Happily, Santoro’s is not stingy with the meat and cheese, like many sandwich shops. My favorite subs are the Italian Cold Cut and the Ham and Turkey, but you can’t go wrong with any of them.

Santoro’s also features a selection of hot subs such as meatball, sausage, pepper steak and hot pastrami. The pastrami was very good -- lean, flavorful and great with mustard and provolone cheese. I have to say, though, the sausage was so mild as to be somewhat bland. A spicier variety topped with marinara sauce would be a step up. Santoro’s also offers small selection of side salads and packaged chips, sodas and ice cream.

Need to feed a crowd? Santoro’s is a great choice. They make sandwiches to order in 3-, 4-, 5- and 6-foot lengths. A guaranteed party-palate-pleaser. Which brings me to another thing to love about Santoro’s. They’re very active in the community and provide a lot of support to youth sports teams. Just check out the plaques on the wall the next time you’re there. When my son was playing football at John Burroughs High School, we always appreciated the annual Santoro’s-sponsored “Eat Off.” Held before the Burroughs vs. Burbank High game, athletes from each team would square off to see who could eat the most subs in an hour. It was a fun way to get them teams together and promote the game before the rivals took the field.

So, for my money, no matter what you call it -- a grinder, rocket, Dagwood or hero -- a sub sandwich by any other name is still a Santoro’s.

* BILL SCOLLON is a Burbank resident and President of Scollon Media Arts. You can reach him at ewscollon@hotmail.com