Paninis Grill - Overstuffed Sandwiches

So as I mentioned in my review of Primanti Brothers I wanted to get to Panini's to do a direct comparison of the two Overstuffed Sandwiches. So after a hike at Penitentiary Glen this weekend, we headed over to the Panini's in Willoughby. Panini's has clearly followed the model set by Primanti Brothers, the overstuffed sandwiches with fries and coleslaw inside, the sports bar like feel and the overall menu are very similar. And I do have to note here one of my real problems with Panini's; in trying to find a name similar to Primanti, they came up with an Italian sounding name that starts with a P, good enough, except for the fact that there are NO PANINI SANDWICHES ON THE MENU. For those who do not know, a Panini is an Italian sandwich which is cooked on a panini press that compresses and cooks the sandwich, usually leaving very distinctive grill lines in the bread. When done right they are delicious and my panini press is a favorite item in my kitchen. Unfortunately, instead of actually offering these gems, Panini's decided to use the name only and offer a copy of the Primanti's sandwich. I understand that we as Americans believe in taking every other food culture and bastardizing it to suit American tastes, but at least come somewhat close to what you are copying, don't just redefine the meaning of a term. Rant over for now. For those who haven't been to a Panini's Grill, it is a restaurant/ sports bar set up with pretty good food and a pretty good decor. I haven't been to the Willoughby location since the expansion and I have to say they did a really good job. They have added an outdoor Tiki bar out back and to link it to the original dining room, they have also added a new bar/seating area with high ceilings and lots of glass; very nice with an island theme and a good open feeling. The menu is striking similar to that offered by Primanti's, although they have fewer options in the overstuffed sandwhiches, they do offer the option of the regular sandwich or the regular sandwich for $5.99 or the jumbo for $7.99. Figuring the price at Primanti's was closer to the regular, I went with a regular Tuna overstuffed. When the sandwich came it had the now familiar overstuffed stack: two slices of thick Italian bread, tuna salad, french fries, tomato and cheese. Lets go through the sandwich layer by layer. The bread was a very good Italian, I'm guessing from Orlando and I think it was better than the Primanti bread, although not by that much. The main difference was that the Panini's bread was a bit denser, although it still ended up falling apart, it at least gave some resistance. The tuna salad was a bit too moist for my taste, it ended up being a bit soupy, a real liability in a sandwich like this where it kept falling out the sides. The fries were good, hand cut and fried to a nice crisp, compared to Primanti, the fries at Panini's were a bit crisper, but the Primanti fries had a bit more potato flavor. The coleslaw was a major disappointment at Panini's, there was none of the sweet and sour notes that made the Primanti slaw so good, instead it was a rather bland although crisp heap of cabbage. The tomato slice was there and I am not even sure if there was a slice of provolone on the sandwich or not. The portion sizes were good, although I think that Primanti's was more generous with the fries and slaw. My overall impression was that the Primanti Brothers sandwich was far superior, with more distinct and pronounced flavors; although the crisp fries and the bread at Panini's were very good, they were not enough to overcome the better tuna and the far superior slaw that Primanti offers. My recommendation is that while Panini offers a pretty good sandwich, and a very good value at the price, Primanti Brothers offers a much more flavorful and filling offering, of course you have to head down to Pittsburgh to get it so there is that downside. Of course your taste may differ and I just compared the tuna sandwiches, the quality of the meats used could make a huge difference in the other sandwiches, so give them a try and let me know what you think. My choice is that Primanti is the clear winner with Panini's a clear imitation.