Lisa of Tis Travels is on a three-month journey through Italy, exploring, eating, and living like an Italian. Follow along on “Tis Travels” on Facebook and Instagram!
Today was a busy workday that ended at 9 pm local time. However, I was determined to find a way to explore more of Genoa
As I’ve walked around, I keep seeing an area with fast food stores that is always packed at lunch. Locals line up outside a few of these places which is always a sign to me that I must try whatever they deem worthy waiting in a queue to get. I did not have time to cook, so this was the perfect day to get outside for a few minutes and try one of these popular places.
After weighing my options, I joined the line at “Roast and Roll”. There were 16 roast beef sandwich choices alone, as well as pork, chicken, and vegetarian options. All had “rock and roll” themed names. You could have the “Roast and Roll” which had eggplant caponata and pecorino cheese which was very tempting. The “Smashing Pumpkins” option was also a frontrunner, topped with pumpkin chutney, pancetta (Italian bacon), gorgonzola, fried onions, and nuts.
“The King” at Roast and Roll, Genoa Italy
In the end, I settled on “The King”, topped with pancetta, cheddar, fried onions, homemade slivers of potato chips, and of course, BBQ sauce. Finally, my name was called and I grabbed the warm sandwich, excited to take the first bite. The roast beef was perfectly cooked, juicy, and tender. All the flavors were perfectly balanced. There was just enough pancetta to give you that addictive bacon taste without overtaking all the other flavors. The amount of BBQ sauce was a tease, being just enough to give you a hint of a kick. A nice slice of cheddar adding the cheese required in any sandwich. The surprise in all of this? Definitely the potato chips. I was very skeptical of their addition, almost taking them off at first. However, they worked well, adding a harmonious flavor that brought them all together in this fast food perfection.
“Fast food” has negative connotations but there is nothing negative about the options here. Everything has high-quality ingredients, plenty of interesting choices for customizing your meal, all at reasonable prices. It is going to be hard not to work my way through the menu!
Ciao for now!