In this great city of ours, one could eat a different sandwich every day of the year—so that's what we'll do. Here's A Sandwich a Day, our daily look at sandwiches around New York. Got a sandwich we should check out? Let us know.—The Mgmt.

[Photograph: J. Kenji Lopez-Alt]

The Goodfellas Pizzeria on the Lower East Side may not be as Staten Island in looks or clientele as the original, but it's still a decent place to get a mammoth sandwich to go with a smoked mozzarella pie and a crowd that's proudly more bridge and tunnel than downtowner. The Eggplant Parm ($12; $10 for an 11:30 to 3:00 lunch special with a side salad) hits all the New York Italian standards: crisp breading, not too greasy, reasonably sweet tomato sauce, well-melted mozz, and a crusty bread that gives way to a soft crumb.

Sure, we would have preferred a breading without the dried herbs, and the sauce could have had a little more bright, interesting character, but it gets a surprisingly good fry job and balances the gooey mozz nicely. Not a destination eggplant parm, but certainly a fine one on the LES if Parm's waits are too long.

Goodfellas Pizzeria

144 Orchard Street New York, NY 10002 (map)
212-432-3200
goodfellas.com (warning: music plays on loading)