Some would say a sandwich is just a sandwich. But to some restaurateurs, a sandwich is a work of art — especially if you ask anyone that works at a deli. DiSalvo’s Deli, 113 Colorado Ave. Suite 133, is yet another addition to Ames’ growing list of quick sandwich havens.

DiSalvo’s, with its emphasis on East Coast-style sandwiches, has a lot to prove and some stiff competition to beat. The Daily’s critics look at a new deli’s attempts to beat some of the best at the meat-cheese-bread combination.

Atmosphere:

KB: They’re new. I’ll forgive them for the lack of … well, atmosphere. They have blank walls and some chairs. That’s about it, but the guy at the counter said DiSalvo’s has only been open for two-and-a-half months, so it’s forgivable. But they better buy some wall art soon, so I don’t have to wear my sunglasses inside.

KF: After walking in the door, I couldn’t tell whether I was going to lunch, or toward a pair of pearly gates. After a few steps and my eyes adjusted, I realized that Kim hadn’t killed me — the walls were just really white. The sterile environment and cold lack of people is easily forgivable though since the deli has only been open for two months. Patience. If you build it, they will come.

Service:

KB: It’s just like any other deli, walk up, tell the guy what you want on your sandwich and/or pasta and sit down to wait. The biggest surprise to me was the speed. I had barely stolen one of Kate’s chips before my Italian sausage was sitting in front of me, waiting to be eaten. The owner is also incredibly friendly. At least twice she stopped by each table to see how everyone was doing. You aren’t going to get that at my other favorite deli, which is located on West Street.

KF: Ordering at DiSalvo’s was a fairly easy process, if you are from the East Coast. After taking turns gawking at the menu on the wall and the one in my hand, I concluded that I was a little overwhelmed as a first-timer in this deli. The dude behind the counter looked at me impatiently as I tried to sound out the names of the 2,345,676,543 different ingredients on the various sandwiches. None of the components had easy names like “cheddar” and “turkey.”

After ordering “The Imported,” I waited a little less than 10 minutes for it to get to my table — which made me think that they really had to fly it in from somewhere.

Quantity/ Value:

KB: Good God, this might have been the biggest sandwich I’ve had in a while. My Italian sausage was $6.25, but it was so large I barely drank my water. I was also contemplating saving my Hot Pepper Shooter for later. This thing was huge, that’s all I need to say.

KF: My sandwich, chips and water cost me around $7.50. That may cost more than just heading to Subway, but my food could have been enough to support an Ethiopian village for at least a week. When finished, I felt like I needed to put on stretchy pants — and I stayed full for the rest of the day. And into the next day. Basically, I stayed full for as long as the aftertaste of my “unidentifiable ingredient” sandwich remained in my mouth.

Quality/Taste:

KB: I’m a bread purist. I can’t eat anywhere that serves bread with a meal without appreciating the bread — and the bread at DiSalvo’s is baked fresh. Fresh. You don’t get that at many other places, and Subway does not count, since the bread doesn’t taste like much more than cardboard. It’s also better than Jimmy John’s bread — a campus favorite — since it is soft and not as crumbly. The sausage was also full of spices, and the marinara was a complementary sauce, not something to hide the sausage. My hot pepper shooter was a great addition for 50 cents, a spicy little pepper filled with cheese and a slice of meat.

KF: Considering I couldn’t even pronounce most of the meats and cheeses on my sandwich, the taste was phenomenal. The blend of herbs in the vinaigrette covering what I think were tomatoes and peppers was refreshing and full of flavor. Combine that with the meat and cheese I had never tried before, and I had one great sandwich.