One of the great cliches of the sandwich industry is naming sandwiches after someone famous.  I don’t really know a better way of operating, but you definitely get a sense of a restaurant based upon how they name their sandwiches.  A place that has a “portobello wrap”, “grilled cheese”, and “eggplant parmesan” will usually be a straight-forward no-frills type of place.  However, a place that has the Paganini, the Burt Bacharach and the Sgt. York may or may not have better sandwiches, but they will definitely charge you more (likely because they have to pay for their copyright violations).  Nick Varano’s Famous Deli definitely fits into the latter section of sandwich shops.  If you didn’t think the North End was overpriced enough, Nick Varano’s decided to associate all of the sandwich with local and national celebrities ranging from Eddie Andelman to Dom DeLuise.

I decided to order the eggplant parmesan (because that was the only vegetarian option on the menu), which coincidentally was Frankie D’s favorite!  Frankie D was apparently a famous tattoo artist who died (hopefully not from the eggplant parmesan).  I wonder if this sandwich was his favorite because Frankie D was also vegetarian.  Because if you want a non-eggplant parmesan sandwich here, you will not be able to get anything.

The eggplant parmesant was pretty tasty (if slightly greasy); I enjoyed the San Marzano tomatoes and the focaccia was quite tasty (despite not being made on-site).  But for over $10, I wouldn’t recommend it.  For having a lack of options as well as being overpriced, I’m giving Nick Varano’s Famous Deli two cheese sandwiches.  Maybe next time they could add a hummus wrap (“Natalie Portman’s Preferred Choice!”) or portobello melt (“Moby’s favorite!”).

Nick Varano’s Famous Deli
66 Cross Street
Boston, MA 02113-2314 
(617) 391-0050