If you find the dark tower, you're near Danni Panini.
By new contributor Phil Castro
You would think that a guy with two sons at home knows a thing or two about tossing together a sandwich, right? Well, let me tell you Danni Panini at 42 Beech Street in Ottawa’s Little Italy knows what he’s doing. Located in the shadow of the Federal Government Booth Street complex and a stone’s throw from Preston Square, the place is busy at lunch time with about a five minute wait for a freshly prepared sandwich.
Danni provides 11 cleverly named pre-determined sandwiches (two of which, Mathias’ and Nic’s Sandwiches, are named after the owner’s sons) 11 toppings, 9 condiments, 6 cheeses and 5 different kinds of bread, revealing a whopping amount of permutations. You can also go custom. My usual lunch companion opts for a pork free combo of turkey and roast beef (not on the menu). Not for me though, I likes me some pig and religiously go for the Cosa Nostra.
What we do agree on is the Lepine bread, which Danni tells me is actually Yugoslavian. It is light, fluffy and delicious, taking nothing away from the sandwich itself. We also agree on a slice of spicy havarti perfectly melted by a conveyor toaster. (This is where Panini purists may cringe, but all things considered it does the job without squishing the bread and cooking the ‘cool’ ingredients.) The toppings come next and are always fresh. The spicy eggplant is the kicker in the deal and, with family within a stones throw of the factory back in the old country, Danni knows what he’s offering.
