New sandwich shop brings Chicago-style hoagies to the Mississippi Coast

It may be that the whole thing started with the famous French ham sandwich on a sliced open baguette, the jambon-beurre, but we will never know for sure.

In some parts of the country, it’s a submarine or sub, in others it’s a hero, torpedo, hoagie or grinder, and of course on the Gulf Coast, it’s a po-boy.

It’s a lovely idea, and I never met a sub that I didn’t like, but our options have been pretty limited on the Coast — that is until Erik Robinson opened his new place in November.

Robinson comes from a family in Chicago that is serious about cooking, especially his grandmother. He has always loved to cook and had played with the idea of opening a restaurant, but the time never seemed right.

Then COVID-19 hit and he got furloughed, and he needed a way to care for his family. The time seemed right, he found a small shop on a busy intersection and decided what the Coast needed was a Chicago-style hoagie shop.

I asked him what the difference in his hoagies and a traditional Coast style po-boy was, and he said “Its all in the oil that I use, but I can’t tell you how I make it. That’s my secret!”

In fact, there are two oils, one just a bit spicy and a milder version. I was a bit dubious, but after just a bite or two, I had to agree.

The Italian-style Frank Nitti hoagie that I ordered, named after the famous Italian American mobster from Chicago, was the best hoagie I have ever had.

I split the Frank Nitti and an O.G. (original gangster) hoagie with my old friend Scotty Leatherman — the Italian style with the spicy oil and the OG, made with beef and ham with the milder version — and they were both great.

In a small concession to coastal ways, Robinson will press and toast a hoagie for you, and that’s what I chose to do with my Italian. A warm hoagie on a chilly and windy winter’s day — along with four Italian meats, spicy banana peppers and tomato and lettuce — was simply sensational.

Robinson is the type of guy that pays attention to detail, and hand-slicing the meats for his hoagies to order is a plus. The vegetables he uses are absolutely fresh, the bread a soft roll, just like it is supposed to be.

The chicken hoagie is made with his grandmothers’ chicken salad recipe, and he roasts and debones the chicken himself. Detail is that important.

He has kept the menu purposely small, as he feels his way along with his first restaurant, with just seven hoagies listed, but he has plans to expand as his business grows. He wants to introduce the Coast to a real Chicago-style hot dog, his own famous BBQ and mac and cheese.

Robinson told me that he knows times are hard, “But, people have to eat you know!”

I applaud his taking the chances he has to open a small hoagie shop in the middle of such uncertain times, but I have a feeling this shop is going to be expanding soon.

I just can’t wait to have a real Chicago-style hot dog again, but let me assure you, these hoagies are worth a drive from anywhere on the Coast.

Smoke-N-Hoagie

Location: 3709 Beachview Drive, Ocean Springs

Hours: Closed Sunday-Monday; 11:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesday-Wednesday, 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Thursday-Saturday

Phone: 228-337-0446

Website: https://www.facebook.com/SmokeNHoagies/

This story was originally published February 12, 2021 at 5:50 AM.