Bay Cities Italian Deli – Santa Monica

I rarely complain about a generously-portioned Italian sandwich under ten dollars, but after all that build-up, the Godmother was even more disappointing than the 5^th volume of Game of Thrones. (Yes, that does mean I read the first four. Don’t judge.) 

Although I loved the crispy bread that put Italy’s boot on the map, I expected a little more from a deli counter known for the permanent line in front of it. The thing is, if you're going to give a sandwich a chills-up-the-spine dominatrix name like the godmother, it needs to resemble the female version of the gambling godfather, not the slipper-synthesizing fairy godmother from Cinderella. And while the well-balanced mix of meat and veggies do form the kind of sweet harmony that can only be found in a fairy tale, the flavors are pretty fairy-dust weak. The miniscule slices of prosciutto don’t carry much flavor, and the ham is just okay. It’s pretty hard to tell the salami from the bologna-esque mortadella, and the coppacolla could have been absent for all I knew. “The works” are a winning combination, but the Italian dressing adds some unnecessary oil to this mess of meat that only tastes like a marginal upgrade from Oscar Mayer. I’ve had worse sandwiches, but I’ve also had better. Put this sandwich together and what have you got? Bibbidi bobbidi boooooo.