Food stylists make dishes for photo shoots look better than real life by painting them with all kinds of photogenic stuff. (photo by fair use)

I don’t take pictures of food!

One of the newcomers to the Lyons Photo Jam group organized by Ken Wajda was a photog from Estes Park who specializes in taking pictures of food.

Anyone who wants, can bring 20 digital images to be shown to the group. He showed 20 pictures of finely displayed food from cupcakes to slices of ham.

He said that there are “food stylists” who prepare the set for each shot. I didn’t know there was such a job.

I knew there was a good reason I don’t like to take pictures of food and post it on social media. When I do a review for TripAdvisor, I generally will snap an image of the surroundings or store front, but not the food. – I want people to go there, not be turned off by my unappetizing iPhone pix.

Anyway, I’ve had a hankering for Italian sandwiches lately and have had a few around the county – Boulder, Lyons, Longmont, Lafayette.

Here are my evaluations.

As I mentioned, I don’t like to take pictures of food. Generally, all Italian sandwiches have the same ingredients, salami, various types of pork meat, provolone cheese; and similar mix of toppings – mustard, mayo, lettuce, various pickles. The prices were all around $10 to $11 with a drink and chips.

The Deli Zone in Longmont has TVs for your sports viewing pleasure. (photo by fair use)

Deli Zone, Longmont – I was buying cheap gas at the Safeway there and saw the Deli Zone in a strip mall on Ken Pratt near the grocery store. The original Deli Zone opened about when I came to Boulder. I’ve eaten there before on University Hill. The Italian sandwich there was pretty good. They put oil and vinegar on it and the one thing that happens is the vinegar sogs up the bread. There’s a TV there and lots of seating, so it would be a good place to meet a group of people and watch sports.

The Pizza Bar 66 is on the far end of Lyons just before the turn to Estes Park. (photo by fair use)

Pizza Bar 66, Lyons – The Photo Jam takes place the first Sunday of each month at the Lyons Photography Art Center. I like to meet with others early at the Pizza Bar 66 since it’s a block from the art center. This was the most unique Italian sandwich. It had the usual ingredients, but was served on a homemade toasted ciabatta roll with a choice of either chips or a side salad. It would stand to reason that a pizza place would have the where-with-all to bake their own bread. There are also lots of TVs in this place. It’s also a full bar and a great local crowd. The night I was there, the local fire department showed up with lights and an ambulance to check out a woman who apparently was asphyxiated.

d’Angelos Italian Deli serves great sandwiches including the Philly cheese steak with Cheese Whiz. (photo by fair use)

D’Angelos’s Italian Deli, Boulder – This place is fairly new, within the past couple years and located in the strip mall next to the north Boulder Safeway. It’s operated by a mom and her kids who moved here from Philadelphia. What I usually get here is the Philly cheese steak with Cheez Whiz. This time, I tried the 7″ Torresdale, which is their version of the Italian sandwich. Torresdale is a part of Philadelphia where Italians must live. It was very dense and neatly served – nothing leaked out. I was thinking that I didn’t order any toppings and maybe none are included, except upon request. The lettuce has iceberg and some sort of dark lettuce. It was very tasty.

Salvaggio’s has three Boulder locations. This is the mother ship on Pearl Street. (photo by fair use)

Salvaggio’s, Boulder – There are three locations in Boulder, I happened to be near the one on Pearl just off 28th Street by the old Olive Garden. This place is a Boulder classic. The sandwiches are made either on a round roll – small; or on a hoagie bun – large. The hoagie is too big for me to eat. I got the Italian on a roll. Unless you’re going to sit there in the shop and eat it, I recommend not getting any oil and vinegar. Those fluids leaked out all over the bread. It was messy and drippy, but still a good sandwich with good ingredient distribution in the bun.

Snarf’s has numerous locations, but this is near the original Snarf’s shack on Pearl Street. (photo by fair use)

Snarf’s, Boulder – Snarf’s also has multiple locations. This trip, I went to what I consider the “classic” restaurant on Pearl Street – but not on the mall. The sandwich here is toasted all the way through. I generally get the 7″ size. Not much leaked out and it stayed warm through my entire lunch. The other great thing about Snarf’s, they offer Zapp’s potato chips from New Orleans. I’ve ordered them from the Big Easy, now I just have to go down to the Snarf’s and pick up a bag.

I think the Pinocchios in Lafayette is the flagship for this Italian restaurant. The Italian sandwich here is called the Sylvester. (photo by fair use)

Pinnochio’s, Lafayette – I’ve been to the one in Longmont, but came here on my way to the doctor’s office in Lafayette. The Italian sandwich here is called the Sylvester. This is more of a sit down restaurant, compared to the others which provide service over the counter.

This go around, I didn’t bother to try the national chains that offer Italian sandwiches – I’ve had them, but no need to give them any free publicity. I ate at the local joints, and I’m pretty sure I didn’t cover them all. I didn’t get up to the mountain towns or all of them in the cities. I think I’ve had my fill of ham for a while, but regardless of your palate, support local businesses when you can.

Buon Appetito!