The muffuletta has few peers. After a night of overindulgence in New Orleans, there is nothing more restorative than ordering one of these rich and salty beauties from the Central Grocery and eating it on the banks of the Mississippi. All of the muffuletta's elements -- the Bread, Salami, Mortadella, Ham, Provolone, and Olive Salad -- play crucial roles. If one of them is off, it ruins the whole sandwich. Most muffulettas I've eaten in Atlanta have been awful. Maybe that is why I'd never tried the Star Provisions version until today.
The first thing I noticed was that Star Provisions did not commit the cardinal sin of heating their muffuletta. When the sandwich is heated, the fat from the meat renders, the cheese melts, and the sandwich loses the essential fruitiness delivered by the olive salad and oil.
As you would expect, Star Provisions really delivers in the cured meat department. The Mortadella, Copa, and Sopressa de Friuili were all excellent when tried separately. The olive salad was bright and fruity and soaked nicely into the bread.
The bread itself was the only weak spot, which was surprising because Star Provisions makes killer bread. A good muffuletta loaf is slightly crusty on the outside but extremely light and fluffy on the inside, which balances out all of the richness from the meat and olive salad. The bread on the Star Provisions version was crusty and firm, similar to a baguette.
Overall, this sandwich was more than adequate to hold me over until my next trip to the Crescent City.
Star Provisions
1198 Howell Mill Road, NW
Atlanta, GA 30318
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