Not sure how or why it came to be, but I’m a ham sandwich kind of guy – a hamasaurus, if you will, who’s raved about the grainy mustard bite of the Black Forest ham paninis at Oggi Gourmet and big barbecue brioche two-hander at Pronto. Send me off to a carving station for sliced ham and I’ll be fine, but I’m all about getting that lean meat between bread and the creativeness of the accouterments.
Which brings me to Hot Tomatoes in Union Square, an under-the-radar joint that, like Oggi, goes beyond serving slices and sandwiches to be a warm, chill hangout spot. (Oggi’s serves alcohol as well and hosts jazz nights; Hot Tomatoes has a big-screen TV to take in the latest Celtics’ contest as the team continue its conquest for banner number two with Tatum and Brown.) Its spot in Ham-a-lot is called The Union Square, a Reuben that adds smoked turkey to honey ham with coleslaw, Swiss cheese and Russian dressing on marble rye. It comes hot or cold, but don’t be silly – get it pressed. It’s a big sandwich, hearty but not heavy, and the melded blend of lean meats, cheese, slightly tangy slaw and light dressing makes it hard to put down.
Your sandwich comes with slaw or potato salad, but since there’s slaw in the sandwich and I was recently intoxicated by the potato salad at Bred last week, I tried the Hot Tomatoes version. My streak of potato salad wins is becoming Mahomes-ian: This is a clean and simple side, creamy and solid.
Other ham-dos on the menu include a Cubano, Monte Cristo and The Nantucket (with melted Brie and seasonal jam – my next nosh!).
Other meaty sandwich highlights are The I-talian sub (sausage, broccoli rabe and cheese), a sloppy Joe and requisite chicken Parm. I’m looking to queue up for the Cowgirl, which is Hot Tomatoes’ meaty chicken salad sub, and The Tonno, with its tuna, capers, arugula, and olive oil, which looks to be reflective of the great Mediterranean tuna sandwich served at the recently closed Village Kitchen.
Hot Tomatoes moved to Union Square after stints in the North End and downtown Boston. I had been to the storefront by Downtown Crossing for a good eat, so after wondering where it had disappeared to I was happy to find it had settled in even closer to home. The new space is far more inviting and homey, and there’s now the opportunity for libation too. But the history explains why the tendency for locally named sandwiches is so wide-ranging, with a Tremont (bacon and arugula) and North Ender (chicken cutlet and arugula). The names go big on mob references:: The Don is a meatball sub, The Soprano is a classic Italian sub with balsamic and there’s a Whitey pizza (a classic white mozz and ricotta pie with spinach) named after the notorious Boston crime lord who did so much wrong to so many during his reign of terror. Some of the names are just funny, including for the Big Shrimp pizza.
If you go online to browse the menu, Hot Tomatoes – like a lot of places – makes you first check in for either delivery or pickup. While this is not that big of a deal, eateries should be aware that it’s really great to land at a website and be able to see what they are about and what they offer before having to jump into a order portal, especially a generic third-party ordering app.
Hot Tomatoes, 77 Bow St., Union Square, Somerville
Cambridge writer Tom Meek’s reviews, essays, short stories and articles have appeared in WBUR’s The ARTery, The Boston Phoenix, The Boston Globe, The Rumpus, The Charleston City Paper and SLAB literary journal. Tom is also a member of the Boston Society of Film Critics and rides his bike everywhere.
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