Pants Stance Parm: Joint that triumphed over hype

You have heard the story already: Torissi Italian Specialties opened on the border of Little Italy in 2010; its authentic, no-nonsense Italian food in an area of town more known for shtick than sauce quickly gained a large following and outgrew its original space. Parm was spawned to provide Torrisi’s customers with the Italian sandwiches and staples that they craved, while allowing more structured and formal dining to continue next door, under the Torissi name. Recent brand expansion has also given us Carbone- or actually, not us, other people who can get reservations, who from what we have seen are Australian supermodels and diplomats. No worries, though, all we need is Parm.

Its soda shop vibe and friendly service make Parm fun, and although waits can be long, the reward is worth it. Lunch time sees locals ducking in to eat at the bar, while tourists clutching Zagats excitedly wait for a table. Dressed up vegetables like buffalo-style cucumbers, greasy favorites like mozzarella sticks and even salads are well worth it, but to truly experience Parm means to grab one of their mouth-watering sandwiches with both hands and hold on. The house- roasted turkey with special spicy sauce lives up to its hype, and the eggplant parmigiana is by far the best in the city. Each sandwich is available in two sizes, or as a platter, which means breadless and accompanied by baked ziti or salad. The baked ziti is a marvel in and of itself- Jersey Italian at its finest; all we need are stuffed shells and we would be transported to the best dishes of our youth. There are nightly specials as well, incentive to go back every day of the week until every one is sampled. We crave this place on a regular basis, and have even picked up the sandwiches to bring home for a Parm party- because ain’t no party like a red sauce party.