Sunday Sandwiches: Mona Lisa Italian Foods

Going through my photos I was surprised at the amount of sandwiches we've been consuming lately. It's probably due to the weather, we don't really feel like cooking, and grabbing a sandwich on the way home from work fills the bill. Mona lisa works pretty well for us, since the Missus enjoys the Imported Prosciutto, and I stock up on San Marzano Tomatoes, while waiting for our sandwiches.

 

The usual drill is, grab a number and wait. When your number is called, place your order with the folks behind the counter. This is your chance to wander around the fairly crowded aisles and grab stuff you need.

 

I'll readily admit that I'm always afraid that I'll have a moment of motor disfunction which would end up in my wiping out the shelves of the tiny store.

I'll usually get the Deluxe ($6.75), which is comprised of Mortadella, Ham, Salami, and Provolone. We also always get our sandwiches sans mayo and mustard, which we feel gets in the way of all the other flavors.

 

We both think the sandwich does just fine with the Italian Dressing. Proportion-wise, I think this sandwich is set-up pretty well. Not over-stuffed, but put together well. The one thing we noticed, was the bread. I swear that Mona Lisa used to use a different Italian style bread, this was overly doughy, dry, with a crust that was hard and tough.

The Missus usually goes with the Imported Prosciutto, at $8.50, the most expensive sandwich on the menu.

 

The sandwich contains a nice amount of Prosciutto di Parma sliced paper thin. The imported Prosciutto at Mona Lisa is vastly superior to the domestic version, which has a strange, almost plastic-like taste. As mentioned before, the bread really wasn't up to par.

I recently made a return trip to Mona Lisa to pick up some prosciutto for a dinner of antipasti, and just wanted to see if the folks at Mona Lisa had run out of their usual rolls and had used a back-up source. I had initially thought of grabbing the Caprese Sandwich, but ended up ordering the Capicolla ($6.75):

 

Well the bread was the same, too doughy, tough crust. The Capicolla was fine, a bit milder than anticipated, and ended up being a bit bland overall.

I think we'll look at other options for sandwiches unless Mona Lisa changes their bread. We'll stick to getting the prosciutto and make our own sandwiches.

One last little story about Mona Lisa. A few years ago, when all the condos were being built in Little Italy, while waiting for my sandwich, two construction workers walked into Mona Lisa. One of the guys pulled his shirt up, over his rather considerable gut, forming a "basket" of sorts. The other guy started grabbing these premade little sandwiches stacked up on the side of the counter and placing them in the guys shirt. I hadn't even noticed all those little sandwiches! He turned around and unloaded his bounty onto the cashier counter. He had nineteen sandwiches.....the lady rang him up.....and it came out to less than twenty bucks! The little sandwiches were 99 cents each!

 

Curious I bought three......the sandwiches aren't very big.....

 

But two of them left me sufficiently satisfied. Two slices of meat, a slice of cheese, a smear of butter.......just like mom used to make.

 

I bought one recently and it's still just 99 cents. I'm thinking this is great for kids, or maybe if you're kinda "short" before payday..... I still wonder how many guys that construction dude fed with twenty bucks.

Mona Lisa Italian Foods
2061 India St
San Diego, CA 92101

Hours: Monday-Thursday 9:00-10:00
               Friday & Saturday 9:00-11:00
               Sunday 10:00-10:00

You can read Cathy's post on Mona Lisa here.

Comments

[kat]

too bad about the bread, but those smaller sandwiches sound really reasonable!

[Lynnea]

We love Mona Lisa, those italian liquor candies are delicious, but it is very tight quarters.

[Carol]

Wow, 99 cents bargain! Bummer about the bread, tho. Were the small sandwiches on the same kind of bread? If not, buy a few of those, some sliced meat and load those little ones up.

[caninecologne]

hi kirk
cute tiny sandwiches....nice and simple. perfect portion if you want to eat light.

hey, maybe all those sandwiches were just for those 2 dudes. ha ha.

[nhbilly]

If ever get the chance swing by Claro in Tustin I think they make some really good Italian sub. I'm not sure if the price has gone up or not but there pre-made sub is under $5 bucks.

[Kirk]

Hi Kat - 99cent sandwiches .......can't beat the price.

Hi Lynnea - I'm always worried that I'm gonna knock stuff over....

Hi Carol - Different bread on the smaller sandwiches. Actually, we've been buying our meat at Mona Lisa, and walk down the street to Solunto's for the bread.

Hi CC - LOL! Yes, maybe....that's heck of a lot of bread though! ;o)

Hi Billy - We used to go to Claro's in Whittier, they were pretty good.

[Wendy]

They have a website.

http://www.monalisalittleitaly.com/

[foodhoe]

I love good prosciutto but not doughy bread with hard crust! Despite the bread the sammys sound good

[Kirk]

Hi FH - The bread was disappointing..... I think they've changed where they get their bread.

[Janfrederick]

Ah man, that stinks about the bread. Where do you get your own bread when you make your own sandwiches?

I can attest to the kid-friendly nature of the little sandwiches. My son absolutely loves them. I do too. I love grabbing a shirtful myself on our way to Shelter Island for doggie outings.

[Kirk]

Hi Jan - We go to Solunto's down the street, they have pretty decent stuff. I kinda like those little sandwiches myself.... not quite sure why, but I do.

[Frank]

If you're ever in New Orleans, go to a deli called Central Grocery and order a sandwich called a muffuletta (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Muffuletta). The sandwiches served at Mona Lisa are pale imitations. It makes me shudder to think of mayonnaise and lettuce on an Italian sandwich.

[Kirk]

Hi Frank - Central Grocery Company has been on my list for ages.... I just have to get down there. Did you check out Judy's post on her visit to NOLA???