Secret Fork

For the Argus Leader

The quest for the ultimate meatball sandwich available here in Sioux Falls has come to an end. After a couple of weeks of running around town to sample the classic combination of tasty meatballs, tangy marinara sauce, melty cheese, and a modicum of flavor-enhancing toppings all nestled comfortably into some good bread, I’ve reached several conclusions. In no particular order, they are:

For a relatively standard sort of sandwich, we have a great variety of meatball subs around here. If you can’t find one that suits your personal liking, you aren’t trying very hard.

I won’t need any meatball sandwiches for a while.

Before we get to the most recent finds, let’s review where we’ve been so far.

Capriotti’s makes a pretty solid meatball sub. I liked the ability to get sweet and hot peppers on top and the marinara was on point. Unfortunately, I thought the texture of the meatballs was reminiscent of ones that sat in a crock pot too long while you were out getting carried away watching football too late into the afternoon with your pals. They had that slightly over done thing going and sort of melted into the toppings.

Firehouse Subs was a solid contender with their Firehouse Meatball. We liked the tanginess of the sweet and spicy sauce, and the texture of the meatballs that easily stood up to each bite.

But, alas, there were more to go, so we went ahead and left our gym bags in the vehicle as we tooled around in search of more meatballs.

A stop at Gregg’s Substation (1000 W. 41st St.) was definitely in order. Gregg’s is a long-time contender in our local sandwich game. It’s worth the trip just to encounter the friendly staff that will build your sandwich from the ground up before your eyes, including slicing each cut of meat for each sandwich. Seriously impressive.

Building a meatball sub at Gregg’s is a bit of a different exercise. No slicing. Instead, a portion of meatballs are nuked, while a wheat or white sub roll is decked with fresh-sliced provolone. The meatballs go on the bread along with marinara and then it’s back into the microwave.

I haven’t seen this much microwaving go into my lunch since the last time I decided I had to have a burrito at a convenience store.

Unfortunately, that showed in the end result. My sandwich was good enough. The meatballs tasted like they may well have been homemade. Once. The sauce was tangy and the cheese was great. The real downfall here was the overall effect the last trip to the microwave had on an otherwise fresh, tasty roll. Chewy. Real chewy.

Moving on, I decided a trip to Fazoli’s was in order. Fazoli’s is a chain joint offering all things carbohydrate (pasta, pizza, breadsticks, sandwiches) in a bright, fast-casual setting. It is located in the northwest quadrant of the Empire Mall campus. If you’re planning on running a marathon or are lucky enough to have the metabolism of a gnat, check it out.

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We went for the Meatball da Vinci. I personally went crazy and got it as a meal deal that got me a side salad and drink for a few extra bucks. I figured the leafy greens were worth it. Besides, the other option was a slice of pizza, but where I work passing out at your desk in the afternoon is frowned upon.

Fazoli’s Meatball da Vinci is a pretty straight forward meatball sub with marinara and melted sliced mozzarella. Fazoli’s adds a few bells and whistles in the form of serving the sandwich on garlic bread and adding some sliced pepperonis. Not bad. I thought the meatballs had nice texture and flavor. The bread was good. The drawback for me was the sauce. I felt Fazoli’s marinara was a bit on the sweet side. Chances are, marinara you get almost anywhere is chock full of sugar. Don’t take my word for it, next time you are grocery shopping, check some labels. But this was a bit cloying.

The folks at Fazoli’s tucked a couple of their breadsticks into a package along with my sandwich and salad. Good stuff. Those breadsticks alone convinced me I will have to visit again- which will probably happen in about a month after resuming regular gym activity so my pants fit better again.

We also hit up Potbelly (2101 W. 41st St.) sandwiches for their rendition of the meatball sandwich. By my calculations, Potbelly immediately had an inside track on a great meatball sandwich due to two key factors.

One, Potbelly sends their sammies through a conveyor oven, guaranteeing melty cheese and warm, toasty bread. And, two, giardiniera — the spicy Italian-style relish comprised of hot peppers, olive oil, and spices. It makes anything and everything better. For real.

Sure enough, my Potbelly meatball sandwich had warm toasty bread, a tangy marinara and melty cheese. As advertised, the hot pepper giardiniera gave it plenty of extra zing. The only drawback was the meatballs themselves. I suspect Potbelly uses pre-fab meatballs brought in by one of their suppliers.

Actually, I suspect a lot of the places I tried do the same thing.

With Potbelly, it was apparent, though, due to the tell-tale smoky sort of flavor in the meatballs. Sure, I know some forms of meatballs are grilled — ones with Middle Eastern or Asian sorts of twists. The old Italian-American red sauce version, though? Not so much. Even more to the point, that char grill flavor tasted more engineered or manufactured than being the product of a cooking technique.

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I’m remembering this next time and sticking to the tuna with extra hot pepper relish. That is phenomenal.

So, if I had to pick my personal favorite out of the bunch, I’d have to go with Firehouse Subs. For me, it checked all the right boxes. That said, I’d love to get some giardiniera on it.

Like I said, all of the places we tried had their own twists on a classic sandwich. Next time you’re out and about for a sandwich, consider switching up your game and giving one a try.