Italian Combo

When you step into this Mamaroneck Avenue Italian deli, you have to stop for a second and remember you’re in a place that only looks like it belongs on Arthur Avenue. Everything about it is spot on: the Italian grocery items, the prepared foods, and the intimidation factor when you’re called upon to place your order. When you hear, “Who’s next?!” you’d better step up, and you should order an Italian combo—on a wedge, so you can experience the bread’s chewy softness. The meat in combos differs from place to place, but at Cosmo & Alex, they’re giving us a variety of hams: domestic, mortadella, capicola, and prosciutto—all layered evenly, so as not to give too much of any single ham. All that is combined with a sharp and strong provolone, not too many veggies (lettuce and tomato) and a restrained use of oil and vinegar, so the cold cuts stand on their own. After all, that’s what you want to taste the most.