Saldamarcos Saturdays

Have you been to Saldamarcos? It is the fabulous hole in the wall deli in Clinton, CT. If you live along the Connecticut shore, it is a shore staple frequently visited and even if you are not on the shore, it seems like most folks know about Saldamarcos. People travel far and wide to visit the deli. Our New Jersey friends visit us often and they always come up on Thursday and depart on Monday (not Sunday). They say it is because of the traffic, but I know it is so that they have one more day to enjoy a Saldamarcos lunch.

When you walk into Saldamarcos it reminds you of an old school Italian deli minus the hanging prosciutto; and with lots of references to the City - Knicks, Yankees, Giants signage adorn the establishment. No UCONN signage however – sorry UCONN fans – though you will see a cardboard cutout of Paige Bueckers. They are big fans of Paige.

I have been picking up sandwiches from Saldamarcos on Saturdays for as long as I can remember. My husband has a standing order – turkey and provolone on a hard roll, nothing else on it. (He has an issue with condiments – do not ask, I will save that for another story). I exercise on Saturday morning and on the way back from class and while listening to Wait Wait Don’t Tell Me (the NPR News Quiz) I call the order in from the car. Sometimes I will get a wrap – tomato and Swiss, honey mustard on a whole wheat wrap panini pressed. If you were to call Saldamarcos and order my husband’s turkey sandwich and my wrap and not provide any name, the guys would know it is Ava’s order. I always joke with my husband that the guys at Saldamarcos are my guys, and he is not allowed to go in and tell them he is my husband because he will “ruin what I have going on.”

During my nephew’s basketball season, I would pick up sandwiches for my nephew’s teammates as well. I have a text thread with them where I call them the other nephews. I would text “Who wants Saldamarcos” on the thread, “please place your orders.”

I ordered Saldamarcos for the screening of The Librarian’s at the Henry Carter Hull Library (great documentary if you are interested). There was a pre-screening gathering and I thought why not Saldamarcos, freshly made sandwiches for all to enjoy. (Not to not give a shout out to a few other Clinton locals – Thanks to Café Nola for the vegetarian sandwiches and mille grazie to The Italian Food Store for the cannoli).

So, it has become a thing. When it is Saturday, I send a message out into the cosmos. Okay well not exactly into the cosmos but I do send a message to friends and family, and I say “It’s Saldamarcos Saturdays what would you like.”

I have 2 dear friends who live close to us in Clinton. They are my favorite for the Saldamarcos Saturdays pick up. Two identical sandwiches - turkey, lettuce, tomato, mayo, and American cheese on a hard roll. I drop the sandwiches off on my way home and spend a little time catching up with my friends. We will talk sports (those conversations ran long during March Madness and the NFL playoffs), their children and grandchildren, and chit chat about my niece and nephew, travels, and life in general. We are still working on delivering world peace.

Saldamarcos Saturdays are for me a wonderful way to connect with family and friends.

I love traditions. Whether it is using the basket my brother made by hand in grade school as the Thanksgiving breadbasket, or decorating for Christmas as my mother loved to do; or going to Saldamarcos on Saturday mornings, my newest tradition. Have you been to Saldamarcos? Why not stop by.

Sweet Dreams,

Ava

Back to Sweet Dreams