You know that phrase everything in moderation? When it comes to making the best hoagies, we have to disagree. The ingredients we look for are anything but moderate. Take our Italian Stallion as an example. When we explain the Italian Stallion to our new team members, we ask them to taste each meat, cheese and topping individually. What they first notice is that each component is too spicy, too sweet, too tangy, too salty on its own. But when those ingredients are all combined on the hoagie they all balance out for a great taste. So next time you are standing in front of your refrigerator thinking about what to put between two pieces of bread, we have one piece of advice – go bold! Find the balance between big flavors, and you will be glad that you did. Or better yet, just order Matt & Marie’s and let us do it for you (click here to order)! Lunch is the best meal of the day. And we think Matt & Marie’s has the best lunch in Philadelphia.10/25/2016
Breakfast is constantly mentioned as the most important meal of the day. And dinner is a big deal for romantics on dates and families sharing an evening meal. It’s about time somebody stood up for lunch. Lunch is the best meal of the day, because it is the most necessary meal of the day. You start work first thing in the morning, full of energy, ready to conquer. And then slowly you feel your gas tank run lower and lower. It’s as if there is some internal clock telling you that you need a break around noon. Can you remember a day that you didn’t break for lunch – 3pm rolls around and you are completely out of sorts. More important than the morning cup of coffee, we all need lunch to power through the day. Maybe its 30 minutes. Maybe a lucky hour. Maybe just a short 10 minutes. Whatever it is, that little break in the middle of the day refills the tank and puts a smile back on your face. We understand how important lunch is at Matt & Marie’s. That’s why we were honored when USA Today’s 10Best called Matt & Marie’s the best lunch in Philadelphia. You heard it … BEST LUNCH PHILADELPHIA. (read more). Come by soon! Looking for a great hoagie on the weekend? Matt & Marie’s now has a great hoagie near you.10/24/2016
It’s Saturday at 3pm. You need to grab a quick bite to eat, so you run out to the nearest convenience store/pharmacy/café and grab a sandwich out of the refrigerator. Except now you don’t have to, because a little voice in your head reminds you “Hey, there are great hoagies near me.” That’s right. Easy eating is getting a huge quality improvement! Matt and Marie’s is now open 7 days a week in Rittenhouse Square and Washington Square West (by Jefferson Hospital). That is 7 days of fresh bread delivered daily each morning by our bakery. 7 days of crisp greens, quality cheeses and aged meets. So put down that soggy refrigerated excuse of a sandwich. And get a great sandwich made quickly at Matt & Marie’s. Or find us online and we’ll bring it to you (click here to order)! Because there are great hoagies near you, every day of the week. The year was 2013. Matt and Marie were two students with a passion for Italian sandwiches and a frustration that they couldn’t find them near their school. In meeting after meeting, it seemed that all that Philadelphia catering had to offer was pizza and classic deli sandwiches. Where was the capicola? Who was hording the fresh mozzarella? They knew it was out there! So they did what any food fanatic would – rented commercial kitchen space, negotiated pricing with Italian importers and suppliers, and started their own Philadelphia catering company. The daily schedule was meet up at 4am, cook all morning in rented commercial kitchen space, one person goes to class at 9am the other one prepares the sandwiches and delivers lunch between 10am and 11am. Matt had class on Mondays and Wednesdays, Marie on Tuesdays and Thursdays, so there was always someone available to deliver. A lot has changed in the three years that followed. All catering is now prepared out of the 3 Matt & Marie’s stores in Center City. Mornings still start very early, but there isn’t any class to get to after. But the dedication to providing great Italian sandwiches is still driving us every day. And hopefully we have been able to make at least a small impact on the Philadelphia Catering scene. If you haven’t tried yet, order us for your next lunch meeting! Click here for more information on catering We started as a catering company while Matt and Marie were in school. For several months we agonized over how to build a great catering menu. One of the best moments building our catering menu was the bread trial. We started by visiting individual bakeries around Philadelphia. We met with the owners, saw the ovens (many of which are incredible old relics that have pumped out bread for generations), tasted the product. One thing was missing – comparison. By the time Thursday came, we really struggled to compare the bread in our hand to the one from Monday. The solution was clear. We drove around South Philly, and picked up bread from 30 different local bakeries. Next, we brought the food to a co-working space shared by a bunch of start ups and offered a deal – they could eat as much as they want, as long as they gave feedback on all 30 loaves. Armed with 30 loaves of Italian bread and 20 hungry entrepreneurs to taste it, we rated each piece of bread on crunch, taste, size, and harmony with the provolone and salami we brought to taste. Our dedicated crew of entrepreneurs ate, and ate, and ate until they made their way through all 30 loaves. Some were sour, some were sweet, some had seeds, some were crunchy, some were soft – but only one would become the staple of our catering menu. Liscio’s! Click here for more information on catering Matt & Marie’s is an Italian hoagie shop. We are most well-known for our best-selling hoagie, the Italian Stallion. It is an Italian hoagie featuring three types of aged salumi, imported sharp provolone, and sweet pickled vegetables. A few months after opening the restaurant, we started offering our second version of the Italian hoagie. Called the Brown Bag Special, it uses great quality deli meats and mild cheese with lettuce tomato and onion. In South Philly they would refer to the Stallion as “Imported” and the Brown Bag as “Domestic”. But there are much more than two ways to make the Philly classic sandwich. People walk in the door every day and ask for mayo, no mayo, oil and vinegar, oil only, vinegar only, oregano, salt, pepper, cherry peppers, long hots, hot sauce, and more. So next time you are in Matt & Marie’s, don’t be shy – tell us how we can make your next hoagie the best Italian hoagie you have ever had. There is only one non-negotiable for our Italian hoagie – the great Italian seeded bread. We couldn’t imagine eating it any other way. It is hard to imagine a city that has made more contributions to the sandwich world than Philadelphia. The Italian hoagie, the Roast Pork, the cheesesteak. There is great history and tradition here. One thing is certain – Philly respects the hoagie. That is why we were overwhelmed when Visit Philly listed the Italian Stallion from Matt & Marie’s as one of the best hoagies in Philadelphia (read more). It is an honor to serve hoagies in Philadelphia. We spend so much time thinking about the perfect hoagie that we ended up putting two versions of the Italian hoagie on our menu! One uses great quality deli meats, mild cheese, and the classic lettuce tomato and onion topping. The other uses aged meats and cheeses with house made sweet pickled peppers for a more powerful flavor. But we know there are no shortage of opinions on how to make the best hoagie in Philadelphia. Let us know how you like your Italian hoagie best… We may just have to add it to our menu. 5 Things you didn’t know about our classic Philadelphia roast pork sandwich at Matt & Marie’s10/19/2016
In case you missed it, Matt & Marie’s was honored to have the Testarossa sandwich named as a top Philadelphia roast pork sandwich by Visit Philly (article here). The Testarossa is one of our favorite sandwiches. It took us over a year to find a roast pork recipe that we liked. Here are some fun facts about the Testarossa sandwich:
We love the Italian Stallion at Matt & Marie’s. It was the inspiration for our entire restaurant. It is a pleasant balance of aged and imported meats and cheeses, taking intense flavors and pairing them together for a satisfying bite. And we were thrilled when Visit Philly agreed, calling it one of the best Italian hoagies (read more).
But the search for great taste is never complete. The Italian Stallion is a staple of our menu, but we like to offer fun and ever changing options to our regular visitors through the weekly special. So in addition to our menu staple Italian Stallion, we’ve offered the classic combination of Italian meat and cheese, and paired it with some less commonly seen toppings for our rotating weekly special. Some toppings we have tried – long hot aioli, spicy pickled vegetable medley, habanero sauce, sauerkraut Reuben style and olive tapenade muffaletta style. We are on a quest to find new and unique ways to make Philly’s beloved Italian hoagie. So please share your hoagie inspiration with us. You never know, it just may become our next weekly special! Until then, come join us on the quest for the best Italian hoagie. Matt & Marie's is excited to launch illy COLD BREW, made with MonoArabica single origin coffee beans. Our coffee preparation creates a low acid concentrate that is full and dense, yet has a pleasantly smooth body. The lack of acidity leaves coffee full-flavored with a pleasantly smooth finish. The high concentration of coffee flavor means that the flavor stays strong and does not dilute over ice. Come and try one out today! |