Lunch at Torrisi

My boyfriend and I went for a long run yesterday morning throughout the city.  We started in Brooklyn, crossed the bridge and did a tour of the southern point of Manhattan before making our way up the Westside Highway and then inward towards SoHo.  Pics from our run:

Brooklyn Bridge

One World Trade Center progress

To reward ourselves, I wanted a chicken parm hero (grinder, if you're from New England) from Torrisi.

Torrisi is a recent hotspot in Little Italy on 250 Mulberry Street.  I like that their lunch hours are from 11 - 4pm so I can still grab a late lunch sandwich at 3:30.  They have some strict policies to be mindful of...no cameras inside, no reservations, no substitutions, only one menu offered for dinner- which alluringly changes nightly.  Dinner is served from 6 - 10pm and they begin taking names at 5:30 in-person for the waitlist.  Their nightly menu is updated online everyday at: http://www.piginahat.com

Taken from their website: Our nightly menu is our only offering for the table; there are no menu substitutions available for vegetarians, children, or dietary restrictions.

Lunch is a bit of a different story.It's counter service with tables (around 15-20 or so) available on a first come first serve basis.  We walked in to the tiny restaurant around 12:50pm and a table happened to be open.  My boyfriend claimed the table and sat down while I waited a few minutes to order with the helpful gal behind the counter.  Order, pay (cash or credit card), and leave your name to retrieve your order when they call you.

$11 - chicken parm hero
$11 - house roasted turkey hero (no onion, no mayo)
$ 3 - whipped ricotta (comes in a little dish with some olive oil and herbs on top)
$ 2 - Dr. Brown black cherry soda

There is a counter by the window with carafes of water, glasses, silverware, various condiments, and napkins for you to help yourself to.  There are no "servers" per se, but there is a "maintainer".  The "maintainer" brings out the food to those people who are dining-in, clears the tables, keeps the carafes of water and supplies full, and answers the phone.  He might do other things too, but that was all I noticed yesterday.  With that said, I was very satisfied with the service.

By 1pm the place was a zoo with the line running out of places to wrap around to and most people began waiting outside.  We got our food within 10 minutes of ordering and were out the door after 30 minutes.  We were hungry and it was yummy.  The bread was fresh, the meat was delicious, the portions were on target- all in all, a great sandwich lunch spot, but try to beat the masses if you're want to make it quick.