Donatello’s Pizza is probably best known for its Super Dominator – a 28-inch behemoth of a pizza that requires a vehicle and a doorway large enough for it to fit through. But, like most self-respecting pizza shops in the Northeast, there are a couple of seafood options, too.
Being a huge lover of seafood, this Food Snob decided to head over to Donatello’s last week and try something from the ocean. It was basically between fish and chips and a fish sandwich, so I opted for the sandwich – Deep-Fried Fish Sub, as it’s called on the menu.
The menu description painted a pretty straightforward picture: “With our homemade tartar sauce, lettuce, tomatoes, American cheese.”
After about 7 or 8 minutes, the meal was served. I was surprised – pleasantly – to see a smattering of potato chips filling out the place, since there was no mention of chips or any kind of side on the menu. The sub also looked big and full, and the side of tartar was also bigger than expected.
Upon taking the first bite, I noticed the piece of fish was on the thinner side, which was a slight bummer. It was, however, very crispy and crunchy without being burnt. The lettuce also added some nice crunch and a touch of moisture – the sandwich came without any sauce on it.
After a couple bites, I added some of the homemade tartar, which I felt was necessary with this particular sandwich. The tartar sauce could have used a bit more relish for my liking – spoiler alert: tartar sauce is just mayonnaise and relish – but it was still pretty good. I would have also loved a lemon wedge to squeeze over the whole thing, but there was none to be found.
The sub was a little tricky to keep together. It wasn’t a traditional sub roll, which is closed on one end, so it was a balancing act trying to keep the contents inside with every bite. The tomato was the toughest part to keep in, but since it was on the soggy side anyway, I decided to pull it out all together.
I made my way through the rest of the meal with little drama. Tomatoes discarded and tartar sauce applied liberally, it made for quite a tasty sandwich. In hindsight, not being a huge tomato fan, I should’ve just ordered it without the tomato, but I wanted to get the full experience for the sake of this piece.
All in all, if you like a fairly plan, straight-up fish sandwich, this is certainly worth a try. If you’re a seafood connoisseur who prefers a spiced aioli and arugula and exotic spices and the like on your sandwich, you may find the Donatello’s offering underwhelming.
