How the Hoagie Dom Pop-up at Bardot Cafe Became Philadelphia’s Most Popular

“Philadelphia is the best sandwich metropolis on the earth,” says Dominic Rocconi, higher generally known as Hoagie Dom. Rocconi’s declaration is each a affirmation of Philly’s culinary heritage and a promise: That’s as a result of Hoagie Dom is a contender for the best sandwich maker within the metropolis.

So who or what’s Hoagie Dom? It’s an occasional and sensational wildly widespread pop-up, a cheeky and appetizing Instagram sandwich account with nearly 18,000 followers, a love letter to Italian American foodways, and the alter ego of the visionary Philly-area native behind all of it. His now-famous pop-ups promote out on Instagram in beneath a minute. Hoagie Dom is a dreamer, and Hoagie Dom is a riddle, wrapped in a thriller, stuffed in a roll.

Rocconi has held the Instagram account @hoagie_dom for a few years and beforehand used it to evaluation sandwiches from outlets across the metropolis. The humor and enthusiasm in his writing drew followers, and in 2019, he determined to go from describing different individuals’s hoagies to creating his personal. The pandemic lockdown gave him time to good his craft and collaborations with firms like Tired Hands Brewing Company and Kismet Bagels, which put his sandwiches on the map. Now, with a self-styled “hoagie residency” at Bardot Cafe in Northern Liberties, Hoagie Dom is entering into the highlight.

Rocconi is relentless in his pursuit of hoagie excellence. He makes a speciality of basic Italian American combos — assume chilly cuts, fried hen cutlets, veal parmigiana — and pumps them up with high-quality substances and surprising twists. He sources imported Italian cured meats and cheeses from Di Bruno Bros., however depends on Cooper sharp when it’s meant to soften. He bakes his personal tangy and toothsome bread, an additional course of that requires him to begin work at 2 a.m., and pickles his personal peppers. When he makes hen cutlets, he coats them with love, not a speck of breading misplaced. To ensure that each sandwich is as contemporary as doable, he permits a line cook dinner to fry the cutlets however, apart from that, this can be a one-man operation. A striver and a gastronomic perfectionist, Rocconi compares himself to hometown hero pizza chef Joe Beddia and Jiro Ono of Jiro Goals of Sushi fame. And he’s solely half-joking.

In its present iteration, Hoagie Dom is a pop-up, and it’s the most well liked ticket on the town.

On a latest Sunday afternoon, Rocconi was doing a hoagie take a look at run at Bardot. He was there to observe his subsequent providing, maybe the platonic best of sandwiches: an Italian hoagie. Stepping inside Bardot throughout its off hours seems like a clandestine mission, however his cowl was blown when a perceptive stranger shouted from the road, “Hoagie Dom? You’re the person!”

Rocconi has a full-time job in promoting, which he loves. To name this a aspect hustle can be to attenuate what he’s engaging in. It will be like saying Clark Kent moonlights as Superman. When requested how he balances all of it, Rocconi shrugs, smiles impishly, and says, “There’s 24 hours in on daily basis.” Due to Rocconi’s exacting requirements and full management over the method, Hoagie Dom pop-ups are Herculean feats. “That is gonna sound corny,” he admits, “however I deal with this just like the Tremendous Bowl.”

Contained in the bar at Bardot Cafe, Rocconi begins by scooping a bread path out of the middle of the sliced-open loaf, a step he calls “gutting” and describes as a Philly factor: It creates extra room for fillings and ensures the structural integrity of the hoagie. The feel of Hoagie Dom’s bread is craggy and pliant. “The crumb — that’s what bakers name it.” However then, as if to dial again the impression of experience, Rocconi demurs, “I’m not a baker. I simply … make hoagies.”

Then his secret weapon: a thick slathering of mayo laced with ’nduja, a spreadable pork sausage from Calabria, which he says provides “additional unctuousness.” Subsequent, Rocconi locations a layer of sharp provolone, adopted by tissue-thin slices of meat: scorching capicola, pistachio-flecked mortadella, candy soppressata, fennel salami, and sliced porchetta that smells of sage. The hoagie is topped with shavings of uncooked white onion, pickled peppers, and shredded lettuce. Rocconi typically makes use of arugula in his hoagies, however he says iceberg is best at absorbing the following ingredient, a beneficiant squirt of do-it-yourself “basic hoagie dressing.” That’s OORWVSPO to his Instagram followers: olive oil, purple wine vinegar, salt, pepper, and oregano to the remainder of us. Lastly, a flurry of Grana Padano falls from a grater held so excessive above the sandwich, it might make your biceps ache to look at. However that’s the one strategy to get it to fall excellent.

One thing adjustments when the peppers are added: A lightweight activates in Rocconi’s eyes. Immediately, the aroma of a hoagie fills the room. He smiles, not out of pleasure however from sheer pleasure. He’s planning on making two extra variations, however the sight of this primary sandwich of the day is an excessive amount of to withstand. “Ought to we attempt it or wait till the tip?” he asks, with all of the anticipation of somewhat child who simply noticed a pile of Christmas presents. He slices the hoagie in half and pulls it open to disclose the cross-section, the savory layers he’s constructed up, the ’nduja mayo already soaking into the bread. Vast-eyed and gleeful, he exclaims, “That’s fuggin’ juicy.”

All eyes are on Hoagie Dom proper now, however the hype doesn’t make him nervous. “I’m dreaming large, I’m not apprehensive concerning the stress … I like competitors, it’s that Jordan mentality.” And he’s simply getting began. 5 years from now, Hoagie Dom could evolve from the most well liked pop-up on the town to a longtime neighborhood sandwich store. Solely time will inform. However there’s little doubt no matter occurs sooner or later, we’ll all know his sandwich creations because the GHOAT: the Best Hoagies of All Time.

Hoagie Dom at present presents just one sort of sandwich per pop-up, however he has concepts for tons extra. Eater requested Rocconi to plan hoagies for some notable Philadelphians.

Ben Franklin

“I feel Ben Franklin would simply crush a roast pork. Conventional roast pork Italian, sharp provolone, broccoli rabe, like garlicky broccoli rabe. I can see him sitting there along with his excessive socks, having fun with a roast pork.”

Rocky Balboa

“Rocky. The Italian Stallion. He’s the basic Italian American, he needs to be the basic Italian hoagie, like basic basic, like no mayo. He wouldn’t do mayo, he would ship it again.”

Rocky’s girlfriend, Adrian Pennino

“Italian tuna hoagie for her. Tomato, somewhat little bit of mayo, you want mayo.”

Questlove

“He must be a cheesesteak. He has his vegan meat cheesesteak, it’s made out of a vegan meat, they promote it at Residents Financial institution. [Eater note: Questlove debuted his Impossible meat cheesesteak at Citizens Bank Park in 2019. It’s now gone from the stadium concessions but available on Goldbelly.] However I might do basic cheesesteak for him with Whiz, house-made Whiz, Cooper sharp Whiz, onions. Cheesesteak on an Amoroso roll.”

Gritty

“Gritty would really like one thing tremendous spicy. I might give Gritty my Calabrian hen hoagie, however I might ramp up the spice with my home Calabrian chile scorching sauce. However there’s Calabrian chile powder, I might sprinkle that on high, make it tremendous spicy. I feel spicy for him, he’s a vivid orange-flavored man.”

James Harden

“I’ll do a cutlet. I’ve this sandwich referred to as Hell in a Veterans Stadium Jail Cell, however possibly I’ll change it to Spectrum. I don’t assume there’s a jail cell there however no matter. It’s a Calabrian hen cutlet, soppressata, and contemporary mozzarella, another accouterments on there. Like a cutlet and meat combo for him. But when James Harden got here to me, I’d make him no matter he needs.”

The subsequent pop-up at Bardot is Sunday, March 20; $35 will get you an Italian hoagie and both one glass of pure wine or two bottles of Miller Excessive Life. Observe @hoagie-dom on Instagram in your probability to order a spot. Activate notifications: The final pop-up bought out in 57 seconds. Within the best sandwich metropolis on the earth, it’s not sufficient to dream. You need to hustle.