By Rachel Lebeaux – A green, white and red national flag flapping in the breeze steers you toward Vincenzo’s Italian Specialty Store and Deli, tucked neatly into a brick edifice between Washington and High streets in the heart of Dedham.
Vincenzo’s Store Products
March 24 is the deli’s two-year anniversary, and judging by the busy lunchtime crowd, it’s already gained a loyal following. Co-owner Giuseppe Musto hails from Avellino, near southern Italy’s Amalfi coast, which thrives on local ingredients, fresh produce and homemade cheeses. “He wanted to bring all that here,” said Marcella Musto, his wife and co-owner.
Menu on Blackboard
As a specialty store, the Mustos stock their shelves with all the culinary comforts of Giuseppe’s home country. The entire left side of the simple space is racks of Italian cookies, pastas, Arborio rice, olive oils, croissants, pizzelle waffle cookies and many other items imported from Italy.
The prepackaged items don’t stop there: At this time of year, Easter in the air, with myriad Easter chocolates and a raffle for an 11-pound chocolate Easter egg containing a surprise gift.
Vincenzo’s Counter
The biggest draw at Vincenzo’s is the fresh deli menu. Vincenzo’s produces its own homemade mozzarella and sausages; all of the cold cuts are sliced to order; and almost everything that isn’t prepared in-house is imported, the owners say.
The deli case at the counter features antipasto with fresh mozzarella, salami, tomato, cucumber, celery, artichoke and onion; and a Mediterranean vegetable salad, among other made-each-morning items; in addition, daily specials are posted on Facebook. Sometimes, customers stop in and find out that certain items are gone by 11:30 a.m.; that’s because Vincenzo’s wants to serve only freshly made food — no leftovers allowed, Marcella said.
The culinary finds can be a thrill for hopeful customers.
“Do you have homemade mozzarella?” one customer asks, nodding approvingly and smiling at Giuseppe’s affirmative response.
“Do you have sausages?” another customer asks. Giuseppe says yes, three kinds. “Oh, good, I’ll take three of each!”
Sampling of Four Vincenzo Sandwiches
Sandwiches – Sandwiches are the heart and soul of Vincenzo’s deli menu, served cold, hot and Panini-style. The breads – ciabatta and focaccia, largely — arrive fresh from from Iggy’s Bread in Cambridge. From there, they’re piled high with some of the best Italian fixings we’ve ever had.
The Italian ($7.25) with everything came with, well, everything: Mortadella with pistachios, salami, sopressata, provolone, lettuce, tomato, onion, banana peppers, oregano, olive oil and pepper. The meat was sliced almost impossibly thin, curling over the edges of the bread in wispy, delicious tendrils. All of the elements, crowning the cushy ciabatta bread, just worked together, leaving us to marvel at their simplicity and interplay.
Italian Sandwich
The panino($7.50) also featured paper-thin prosciutto, as well as sliced tomato, basil, olive oil and house-made mozzarella. The green basil infused the bread with an herby flavor, and the mozzarella was stellar –
The Panino
not just an add-on, as cheese sometimes is in a sandwich, but thick, substantial slices that leave you yearning to take some home.
The Genovese panini ($6.99) brought together grilled marinated chicken, pounded thin, with homemade pesto and mozzarella. Grilled on a press, the focaccia was perfectly browned around the edges. The freshness of each element really stood out, and we remarked on how alluring the warmed, stretchy mozzarella both looked and tasted.
Genovese Sandwich
Chicken Parmesan
Finally, we tried the chicken parmesan sandwich ($7.25), a breaded chicken cutlet fried crisp and covered in a chunky, homemade tomato sauce. It was loaded with more of that gooey mozzarella and served on airy ciabatta.
It should be noted that we sampled only half-portions of each sandwich. Given their size, we almost couldn’t imagine eating an entire one ourselves; Marcella confirmed that a lot of people split full sandwiches. Needless to say, you get your money’s worth here, and the quality is top-notch.
Desserts – Classic Italian desserts also get their due at Vincenzo’s. Some customers will just stop in for a cappuccino or espresso to enjoy alongside their cake or other sweets, with desserts ranging from lobster tails and tiramisu to cannoli and sfogliatelle.
zeppole di San Giuseppe & mini-cannoli
We had the pleasure of sampling the zeppole di San Giuseppe, named for the March 19 feast in St. Giuseppe’s name (it’s also Father’s Day in Italy). These delectable, ring-shaped pillows with a crunchy crust and airy insides are filled with custard and cherries — more sour than sweet — imported from Italy
And the mini-cannoli are perhaps the best we’ve ever had. The imported cannoli shells are piped with homemade ricotta cream scented like almonds and citrus, and are covered in a fine powdered sugar.
Per the customer norm, I enjoyed the desserts alongside a cappuccino, which was just right: strong, foamy and sprinkled with chocolate powder.
Assessment – You know you’ve just enjoyed a good Italian meal when you find yourself gingerly buttoning your jacket afterwards, trying to avoid getting tomato sauce and powdered sugar on your nice coat. Vincenzo’s is, bar none, some of the best Italian food I’ve tried in the Boston area, with fresh, authentic ingredients and classic preparations creating a knockout mid-day meal.
Address: 29 Bryant Street, Dedham, MA 02026
Phone: 781-493-6156
Website: http://www.vincenzosdeli.com/
Cuisine: Italian
Price: Appetizers: $9-$15.75, entrees: $15.50-$34.75, desserts: $7-$8.50
Hours: Mon-Wed: 9am-5pm; Thurs-Fri: 9am-6pm; Sat: 9am-4pm
Features: Private parties and catering, daily specials, Easter pies and desserts for order, specialty store.
Recommendations: The Italian, the panino, the Genovese, chicken parmesan, zeppole di San Giuseppe, mini-cannoli, cappuccino
Parking: Metered street parking and lots.
Payment Options: Major credit cards