Rosticceria Rossi & Sons — Restaurant in City of Poughkeepsie

I'd heard about Rossi for years, even before I got really hardcore into Italian food. This place is an absolute institution in Poughkeepsie; think Patsy's in East Harlem, where cars are allowed to double park in front without police trouble. It's located on a mostly nondescript corner right off the Mid-Hudson Bridge, in what still is to some degree an Italian area. Coming in, the place smelled great and there was a line for sandwiches from the door all the way to the back. After waiting about 20 minutes, I asked for two sandwiches: one for me and one for my dad to both eat the next day. After another 10 minutes waiting for the sandwich to be made and pressed, I paid about $10 per sandwich (they're big) and was on my way to check out some other Italian shops nearby. One sandwich was their rosemary grilled chicken with fresh mozzarella and pesto, and the other was their roast pork with herb mayo, fresh mozzarella, and roasted red peppers. The former I got based on the reviews here, and the latter the counterman recommended. The grilled chicken was a great sandwich. In particular I loved the bread; it was fresh, slightly salty, and fluffy and crisp at once. The chicken was a smaller portion, but it was tender and not overboard on the rosemary. The fresh mozzarella didn't keep great but was good otherwise, and the pesto was applied sparingly so that it contributed flavor but didn't dominate the other ingredients. Why only 3 stars, do you ask? The roasted pork was very disappointing. It was chunks of fatty pork, which were not tasty at all. Perhaps this is something that must be eaten fresh? Either way, the combo that the counterman recommended was pretty terrible. The mayo and peppers were a poor contrast, and the mozzarella was lost in the application. I wouldn't think these two sandwiches were from the same place, except for the bread. But even that couldn't save the sandwich; we ended up tossing it and splitting the chicken. I may come back for the chicken next time I'm around Poughkeepsie, but I don't think I'll be too...

Went in here yesterday and honestly don’t know what the hype is about.

I started making my order and the lady behind the counter goes “wait, you’re making a number 4” and I say “I’m actually gonna switch it up a little” and instead of letting me just list of what I want, this woman decided it would be easier to put in #4 and then subtract/add what I needed. This is a grown woman who thought that would be easier, I kid you not. Also, the number 4 is a kind of sandwich I have been making at my local spot long before I knew what a number 4 from Rossi’s was.

So after saying ok, I start explaining what I want, and she says I’m going “way too fast”. Mind you I have ordered 1000s of sandwiches in my life, I speak clearly, and give about 2-3 seconds in between my next ingredient to make sure they got it. She had to ask me three times if I wanted the red peppers. By this time, a line is formed behind me and another worker had to stop making. Sandwiches to address the line. I felt like I was being punked. After all that, I was the first one to order my sandwich out of my boys, but was the last one to get it, 2 of them got number 4’s, which was essentially the same sandwich in their eyes right? The irony was unreal.

That being said, don’t know if westchester is just the Mecca for sandwiches but I felt like I could get this not only at Dante’s (which i felt Rossi’s is essentially putnam/dutchess county’s Dante’s) but any one of my local delis is Harrison or white plains. Really wish social media would stop glorifying and overhyping things.

Also, how are your only options for a roll focaccia or ciabatta? I made sauce with my grandmother every 2nd Sunday of the month growing up, never in my life she put a chicken cutlet on focaccia bread, that’s just not it. But I guess that’s mass-appeal. Even disregarding my ethnicity and identifying as a New Yorker first, no chance in hell should you be having chicken cutlet sandwich on that kind of bread. The wedge bread did look good though. Will be back in hopes for a...

UPDATE: I vehemently take back everything I wrote below!!! My wife and I were so happy to see that they changed the sandwiches back to what they were pre-change. The bread is back to being delicious focaccia bread with a great crunch, stuffed with delicious ingredients. The sandwiches are round again, and huge! Everything is back to Rossi's typical perfection. Thank you so much for bringing these sandwiches back Rossi's!

This is painful to write. I ordered an imports mix, which used to be one of my favorite things to eat. I was sad to see that they changed the entire menu. What used to be an outstanding sandwich, which was fairly priced, with tasty meats and crunchy delicious bread is completely changed now. They no longer have the round sandwiches. My Imports mix was bland, and the bread was soggy. There was less meat, more lettuce and it was more expensive. It was packed mostly with the mortadella which made it feel like an expensive bologna sandwich. The old sandwhich also used to be in 4 big slices which was perfect for my family and I to split. Now its only 3 pieces. This used to be one of my favorite places to eat but unfortunately the sandwich is no longer worth the price. They changed perfection. The condiments are gone. Instead of the herb mayo, they put a lemon aoli on the sandwich and never told me that it was $2 more. I don't write this to complain, I write this in hopes that you will please change the menu back to the high quality and delicious offerings we were used to. If it doesn't change back to what it was, I can no longer recommend Rossi's to others, and I will not be going back myself. This was one of my favorite places and it is very sad to see the change. Might as well be a completely different establishment. Please change...