About a week ago I went for lunch at the Corner Grinder on Franklin Ave (see below). I was hungry yesterday afternoon and I was also feeling a bit guilty that I had chosen to review the Corner Grinder and not Franklin Giant Grinders. Now, there really isn't much (if any) difference between the two, other than location (Franklin Giant is at Franklin Ave and Brown Street and the Corner Grinder is at Franklin Ave and Elliot Street) and the fact that Franklin Giant is open on Sundays, but I prefer Franklin Giant and I am a big believer in loyalty. So, I decided to kill two birds (or at least chicken cutlets) with one stone and go to lunch at Franklin Giant.
Like the Corner Grinder, Franklin Giant serves up "whole" and "half" grinders, and just like the Corner Grinder, the Franklin Giant "half" grinder is more than sufficient for a single meal. Franklin Giant also serves pizza, and like the Corner Grinder you can also get pasta, though the Corner Grinder has more menu options (why, however, anyone would order pasta at a grinder shop is beyond me).
I decided to have a half capicolla with peppers, lettuce, and tomatoes. Capicolla should be spicy and it was; very spicy. As were the peppers. Offset by the cold of the lettuce and tomatoes, however, they were perfect. I have had a bunch of different things from Franklin Giant and it has all been delicious. And, just like at the Corner Grinder, you can get your grinder slathered in sauce and garnished with hot peppers. Delicious.
If there is one real difference between the Corner Grinder and Franklin Giant it is that the Corner Grinder seems to have more old-school South End, Italian-American customers. Sometimes when you go there, you can really get a sense of what Franklin Ave was like 35 or 40 years ago.
On the other hand, Franklin Giant seems to have the more diverse customer base and it is not uncommon to see rich and poor; blacks, whites, and Hispanics; Italian-Americans and everyone else; and urban and suburban all crowded around the counter waiting for their orders. Indeed, in a city known for tribalism and divisions, Franklin Giant is one of the few institutions that seems to be able to unify people, if for no other reason than their common love of hearty food. Perhaps if we could just get Franklin Giant to put together one of their party plates (no sausage, salami, or capicolla!) and send it over to the Middle East, the Arabs and Israelis could sit down over veal cutlets and hammer something out.
Anyway, like the Corner Grinder, Franklin Giant does not have a website. Here are some links to directions, reviews, and the menu -http://www.yelp.com/biz/franklin-giant-sandwich-shop-inc-hartford; http://www.menuchest.com/connecticut/hartford/franklin-giant-grinder-&-pizza-shop/143/; http://www.menupix.com/menudirectory/menu.php?id=720067
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