Food

from July 2021 Murfreesboro Pulse

by The Murfreesboro Pulse

Reviews

Food  RESTAURANT

Laney Special

A thin slice of Italy, on a roll, on the Square Domenico’s Italian Deli

STORY BY BRACKEN MAYO PHOTOS BY SARAH MAYO

BLT with avacado

An incredible aroma greets those walking into Domenico’s Italian Deli on the Murfreesboro Public Square. It’s not necessarily the strong baked-bread scent of many chain sandwich shops, but rather a meaty mixture of Italian beef, hot pastrami, bacon and meatballs that fills the air.

This sandwich shop has become a popular downtown Murfreesboro lunch spot. A large deli case containing all sorts of meats and cheeses sits just inside the front door, and just past this, hungry customers can place their order for the sandwich of their choice.

Other than sandwiches, Domenico’s offers chips, salads (pasta, potato and garden salads) and fine cannoli, but, otherwise, expect to have a sandwich at this sandwich shop—a very good sandwich.

With the wide selection of deli meats, most anyone can create a pleasing combination for their palate.

Jeff Dominic Murphy, a former MTSU Blue Raider football player and the grandson of deli owners, opened the spot on Maple Street in the spring of 2020.

The restaurant’s menu tells the backstory. Murphy’s grandmother, Letizia, immigrated from Italy to the U.S. in 1954. She married Domenico Cucchiara and the couple first opened an Italian deli in Alameda, California, in 1966. They sold this first deli in 1979, but returned to the industry in 1982. Their daughter and her husband, Jeff’s parents, still operate this West Coast Domenico’s Italian Deli today. Jeff’s football skills attracted the attention of MTSU and he came to Murfreesboro in 2010 on a football scholarship as a quarterback.

Now, building his home, family and business in Murfreesboro, he serves delicious sandwiches, such as the Family Recipe Italian Beef—Italian beef with choice of cheese on a lightly toasted roll with spicy giardiniera, dipped in au jus—and the pizza sub, with Italian sausage, ham, salami, pepperoni, parmesan, marinara, black olives, pepperoncini and red onion.

Another fantastically flavorful combination, The Smokey, blends smoked pulled pork, smoked ham, smoked sharp cheddar and smoked bacon, topped however you like it.

“This pulled pork stands up to any barbecue place in town,” Sarah said while trying The Smokey.

It turns out the pulled pork is from local establishment Rick’s Barbecue.

“My father-in-law [Mike Lanning] owns the local Rick’s Barbecue,” Murphy said. “It’s the same pork they use.”

Murphy formerly managed the Memorial Boulevard location of Rick’s Barbecue before it shut down as he transitioned into his own business on the Square, though Murphy still has ties to the existing Rick’s on Warrior Drive, the source of the delicious pulled pork used in the sandwiches served at Domenico’s.

The club sandwich contains “a good amount of bacon,” according to one young Domenico’s diner.

To customize a sandwich creation of your own, first choose a bread: either a white or wheat eight-inch roll, or sliced white, wheat, light rye, sourdough or gluten-free white.

Combine honey ham, smoked ham, roast beef, corned beef, smoked turkey, baked turkey, chicken salad, egg salad, bologna and even lamb among the many choices.

Among its abundant selection, Domenico’s has some deli meats a bit lesser known in this region: capicola (thin-sliced, whole muscle pork), prosciutto (dry cured uncooked ham), soppressata (a type of dry salami), as well as Genoa, hot and dry salamis.

“Lots of potential combinations,” Murphy says.

Cheese offerings include Swiss, cheddar, Provolone, American, Monterey jack, pepper jack and smoked sharp cheddar. And then the toppings, veggies and sauces; “everything on” means mayo, yellow mustard, pickles, pepperoncini, red onion, tomato and lettuce.

“Sky’s the limit,” the menu says.

The Soprano makes a popular choice, with hot salami, hot coppa, prosciutto, mortadella (a fatty, peppery pork), Provolone cheese, oil, vinegar and everything on.

Italian sausage is available at Domenico’s, and the juicy, warm and delicious pastrami

The Dish

RESTAURANT: Domenico’s Italian Deli

LOCATION: 106 S. Maple St. PHONE: 615-624-7474

HOURS: Mon.–Thurs.: 10:30 a.m.–8 p.m. Fri.–Sat.: 10:30 a.m.–10 p.m. PRICES: Laney Special (with pastrami, Provolone and bacon): $8.99; Chicago-style Italian beef: $8.49; 10-ounce pasta or potato salad: $3.49; Reuben: $7.79; Black Forest ham sandwich: $6.99; Cannoli: $3.49 ONLINE: domenicosdelitn.com

The Smokey

Cannoli

makes a great sandwich.

“There is absolutely no other place that makes sandwiches this fresh, filling and delicious,” a diner, Kavindra, said following a visit.

Domenico’s serves some sandwiches warm, some cold, but of course they can change this based on customer preference.

“Most of the Italian stuff is cold, but some come in and want to have it toasted,” Murphy said.

Some customers detect the smell, suggestive of home cooking and then realize their sandwich is cold cuts on untoasted bread, which is fine, but if you want a warm, toasted meal, be sure to specify.

“These sandwiches should be toasted by default,” a customer, Andy, commented.

Another diner, Joe, emphasized his ordering tip twice: “Make sure to request it toasted.”

But if you prefer fluffy, untoasted bread and cold cuts, Domenico’s has you covered as well. That’s only one of the customizable elements.

The restaurant itself has a fairly small seating area—including a bar by the window where patrons can view the courthouse clock tower and observe the goings on on the Public Square—and the dining room can get a little crowded during lunchtime, but many who work near the Square will pick up a sandwich to go.

Domenico’s does not contain a soda fountain, but offers a variety of drinks in bottles and cans, sodas, water, teas, some beer varieties and Powerade.

For dessert, a nice cinnamon flavor comes through in the cream filling packed inside the light, crunchy cannoli.

Another point that sets Domenico’s apart—the restaurant is a true deli. All meats and cheeses served are available by the pound for customers to take home.

The deli also offers charcuterie boards, for parties of two on up to prepared spreads for large events, as well as sandwich trays and catering options.

“That’s starting to pick up now more people are at offices,” Murphy said.