Lexington Center Sandwich Tour: Via Lago

On the eve of national bakery-cafe titan Panera Bread's , we're going on a , searching for the finest deli sandwich in town.

 was , an italian speciality shop on Waltham Street that moved into town in 2006. Stop two was tough-guy sandwich shop Avenue Deli on Mass. Ave, where

Today's stop is Via Lago, by for the oldest stop on our tour. This Italian Lexington staple has been around for 23 years, and since then has been serving up its popular mozzarella, tomato and basil sandwich. Naturally we had to try it.

Where: , 1845 Mass. Ave.

The Sandwich: Mozzarella, tomato, basil (prosciutto optional) 

What's in the 'wich: In-house mozzarella, tomato, basil oil, and prosciutto, on a crispy baguette

Price: $6.75 without prosciutto, $7.95 with prosciutto

The Verdict: This sandwich was the simplest I've tried so far, but the ingredients are great, so it tasted great.

I had the Via Lago servers press half of the sandwich in a panini press, and tried the other half cold. Both ways tasted great, though I felt that the heat brought out the flavor of the prosciutto more, which in turn decreased the amount of flavor I got from the cheese --though to be fair, the cheese in the panini variety has a pleasant, melty texture.

According to Via Lago owner Allen Jick, the shop actually sells more of this sandwich without prosciutto, to vegetarians and school kids who aren't fans of the salty meat. But if you're even thinking about it, it's worth paying the extra buck for the delicious contrast of savory with the sweet tomato and fresh mozzarella.

Prosciutto makes everything better. This is an indisputable fact of culinary wisdom.

The only thing potentially holding this sandwich back from being the best in the Center is its lack of originality. Nearly every good Italian deli on the planet has some version of what many call a "Caprese" sandwich on its menu.

The combination of mozzarella, tomato and basil is classic, and Via Lago executes its take on the genre extremely well. 

But I'm looking for a sandwich combination that I haven't tasted before, something that will blow my mind, to name as the best in Lexington Center.