Hungering For a Hero

The world needs its heroes.  And in Merrick's case, it needs them around lunch time, generally speaking.

Rather than some noble warrior swooping in to save the day, My Hero on Jerusalem Avenue instead saves folks from a day of hunger.  The sandwich shop has been in business since 1968, and draws crowds throughout the area.  Why do they flock here, when there are scores of delis to pick from?  For the bread, apparently.

Heroes Only

That's the answer given by Anthony Farese.  His parents, Dominic and Linda, bought My Hero in 1994, and have kept a decades-old tradition going: all sandwiches are served on hero bread.  Rolls, breads, paninis? Nowhere to be found.

"My hero bread is the best around, no doubt, it's what makes the sandwich," Farese says, adding it comes from a couple of Long Island bakeries, Lakewood in Farmingdale, and Cardinali in Westbury.

"It's the way it was when we bought [My Hero], and it's the way it's going to stay," he adds.

My Hero offers the basics, keeping its menu slim, if not its sandwiches. The usuals are offered: cold cuts, cheeses, a handful of side salads. There's soup in the winter and a couple of pasta dishes thrown in, but folks mostly come to see (and eat) their heroes.

Old School in a New School World

It's a simple menu for a simple places.  Farese says the decor is largely unchanged from its early days.  Same wood paneling, same counter, and yes, same rotary phone.  Farese jokes that some of his younger employees probably don't even know how to operate it.

"My father's line is when you're in My Hero, time stands still," he says.  "You don't want to change anything."

They should, because that's how people place their orders.  There's no fax line here, no delivery, no website (what, you expected to find My Hero on My Space?) 

Those looking for a six foot hero to munch on during the Super Bowl would be best advised to phone ahead.  Farese says that's his busiest day of the year, with orders placed a month ahead of time.  In fact, Sundays are reserved for catering orders only.  Even heroes need their day of rest.

We All Have to Eat

At 3:00 on a recent weekday afternoon, there is still a line stretching to the door.  Even in a down economy, people need to eat.  Farese says My Hero is hanging in there, but like many businesses, has taken its lumps.

"Everybody takes a hit, it's a real tough time," he says of regulars who don't stop by as often.  "There's some construction workers I haven't seen in a year."

For those that still pop in for a bite, there reasons for returning, much like the food, are easy to digest.

"It's the best sandwich I can get in town, and it's the best sandwich I've had even out of town too," says Jason Sanders, of Merrick.

"Besides the taste, the price is good for the amount of food you get," says Shawn Haynesworth of Bellmore, who adds that he works in a kitchen in Melville, and still comes here for lunch.

According to Anthony Farese, that's not uncommon.  He says people that work in other restaurants in the area still come to My Hero.  Secretly, of course.

"They put their hat down and they sneak on line, it's funny really," Farese jokes.

Yes, even heroes have a sense of humor.