Kelly A.
Yelp
Now, if you go to Wikipedia and type in "Italian sandwich", then you will read that they were invented in Portland, Maine, by a baker named Amato, and even give you a year: 1903. Now, I am not disputing these facts, and clearly it is not apocryphal; just look at the chain of Amato's sub shops running up and down the southern Maine stretch of old Route 1. What I find hard to believe is that the Italian, that multibillion-dollar income generator for the world's largest fast food chain (i.e. Subway), had only one historical origin. Tell that to the folks at Virgilio's in Gloucester, MA, or the innumerable purveyors of Italians, subs, grinders, spuckies, hoagies, heroes, "wedges", etc ad libitum up and down the Italo-American Eastern coastways!
So what's up with the history lesson? It is my hunch that if you want to visit a Dinosaur version of the Ur-Italian sandwich, if you want to eat the coelacanth amongst the thousands of varieties of Italians, than you cannot probably get more echt than paying a visit to George's subs in downtown Biddeford. Tucked away on a side street, this joint truly looks like it has not changed, well not since 1903, but since 1953. Whenever I drop in, which is rarely since I like my Italian toasted, the scene is always the same. Two ladies behind the rear counter, with mounds of freshly-cut tomatoes behind them, prepping subs for sale over the lunch crowd, which begins essentially when they open at 9 AM since you got here working-class customers. In front of that rear counter, piles of freshly-made subs waiting to be sold to regulars who want the simple Italian. So, I'm not sure if this is a Mainer thing, but you never just order an "Italian sandwich" like you would down in Massachusetts; here you got your Ham Italians and your Genoa Italians and your Turkey Italians and your Roast Beef Italians and profane mixes thereof. Which can be confusing, because to my MA-trained ear, an Italian is a mix of Italian cold cuts, while a Roast Beef Sub is, well you get the picture....
So, here are your options for toppings: sliced tomatoes, crisp, very fresh green peppers, pickle spears, minced onions, and olives if you want 'em. You can go for "SPO", my way with salt-pepper-oil, or ask for Mayo if you wish. Oh, and they have sliced cheese of course; Provolone add two bits to the cost.
Some will find this boring. It is not pretentious, it is not gourmand, it is the Ur-Italian!! But every now and then, especially for a beach sub when you don't want to down a lead brick, the perfect thing!!!
So, consistently voted the best sub in the Biddeford-Saco-OOB area? Dunno. I have only sampled a minority of the sub shops around here. Like I said, I like my Italians toasted, and so I go to Saco House of Pizza where the toasting is perfectly done. But no doubt, this is one of the freshest subs you are gonna get. At this point, it is pointless to try to steer people away from Subway, so I am not going to go there. But Subway fans, give George's a try!!
Oh, and they only take cash!!