The pricey yet stellar OMG sandwich from Heroic Italian in Santa Monica
By Kerry Slater
A Twitter thread showcasing the best sandwiches under $10 in Los Angeles has gone viral. Included on this list is the renowned Godmother (small size) from Bay Cities in Santa Monica. Just blocks away from the deli, however, an Italian restaurant offers a similar sandwich that is certainly not under $10, but is most certainly a top-notch sub.
Heroic Italian (516 Santa Monica Blvd) is a proper Italian restaurant with a full menu, but for lunch, I had my eye on one item: the OMG sandwich with imported Italian prosciutto, salame, capocollo, mortadella, porchetta, smoked mozzarella, artichokes, housemade giardinnaire, house roasted tomatoes, olives, mustard, mayo and Italian black summer truffles. Checking in a $17, this sandwich is not cheap, but neither is caviar and the OMG is definitely more filling than sturgeon eggs.
Aesthetically, this sandwich is perfect and before I bite in, I knew at the very least this sandwich was going to be tasty. Chowing down, this prediction was vindicated. While sticking to classic Italian-deli roots, the OMG still manages to stand out as a unique sandwich. This is accomplished by the red spread on the bread, which adds a nice kick while giving the sandwich an almost pizza-like flavor profile. The bread itself simple: similar to the warm soft bread served with meals at an Italian restaurant yet still sturdy enough to keep the sandwich together.
The OMG also stays intact thanks to its immaculate construction. The Godmother, while I think a slightly better product overall, is an annoyingly messy sandwich. The OMG, however, avoids this sloppiness by both using a drier spread as opposed to the wet dressing of the Godmother, while also keeping the condiments light.
Overall, while the price tag may be a bit high, the OMG is a serious player in the Los Angeles sandwich-scene. When gauging a restaurant’s rating, I like to tend to reserve ratings of 8 and above for places that I would take a friend from out of town to. The Godmother from Bay Cities, which I would give at least a 9/10 to, is an item I make nearly every person visiting LA eat. The OMG from Heroic, while not quite as good, would be something I would recommend for an out-of-towner if they tried a Godmother first and liked what they tasted.
Taste: 9/10
Quality: 9/10
Value: 6/10
Overall: 8/10
