La Spada's

I'd heard a lot of good things about La Spada's, so I finally decided to check them out for myself. The sandwich I had was indeed very good, but there were a few missteps along the way, too, so I'm not sure I'll be going back.

First of all the food.... I ordered the Mushroom Cheesesteak, basically a Philly cheesesteak (steak, cheese, onions) with the addition of mushrooms. It was a very good sandwich, very, very good--all that a Philly cheesesteak should be, I'd say. The steak was flavorful, the mushrooms and onions hot and adding a lot of flavor, and the cheese, definitely good, typical American type cheese. The bread it was on was up to the task of holding up to such a good sandwich, too. I ordered the small which the menu said was 8", but for some reason, when i picked it up, it was the 10". Not a big deal, and I managed to eat it all, but not exactly what i ordered. I guess the order taker was not paying good attention....

Tommy had the cheesesteak special, an 8" with fries and a drink. The sandwich was very good, and the fries as well, nice and hot, though the fries were rather ordinary. I'd guess they come frozen in a bag or the like. His came with a drink, and I ordered a drink separate. 

Now, to be honest, both the sandwiches were very, very good. I had no qualms about the quality of the sandwich. But there were a few other issues that I had.

First of all, when we got there, the place is pretty "ordinary" on the outside. Let's just call it tired. The outside could use a bit of care. There's a corner by the door that just looks neglected. It could use a plant or two, something to say "we care about the looks of this place. Secondly, the interior is a bit dated. The "wallpaper" is peeling in places, it could use some attention. A few carpets or rugs were still piled atop a garbage can. I got the impression that "we don't really care a lot about how this place looks."

When we found a table, we had to clean it ourselves. In our whole time there, no one came out and wiped any of the tables. Even though they had time to stand around. Again, not once did anyone come out of the kitchen area--even though at times they were standing around--to pay attention to and clean up the dining area. This, to my mind, is a cardinal sin. 

The three employees there were not very professional looking. All were wearing whatever t-shirt they decided to wear, nothing that said "we are La Spada's." I watched while one employee, wearing gloves from (I assume) handling food, came out and did some stuff in a freezer out front, still wearing the same gloves, then went back behind the counter, and continued to work with food, still wearing those same gloves. 

Upon leaving, I took a good look at the grill area. The wall behind the flat-top seemed, to me, a bit dirty with a greasy build up. The stainless front of teh grill seemed to be dirty, more than just from the day's activity, I'd guess. As we were sitting and eating, I noticed the windows were really dirty. The whole interior looks like no one really cares a lot or cleans a lot. It was really rather dirty and dingy, overall.

On top of that, the counter was cluttered, the signage was messy and sloppy, and the whole feeling I had while there as "we don't really care a lot." The "daily specials" sign at the counter had been edited with sticker over the prices--I'll assume raising prices. But at any rate, it was sloppy and unprofessional. There were a bunch of signs there, one falling off. It just looked sloppy and messy. Very unprofessional, like a really old, greasy diner that is past its prime.

So, overall, while the food was good, I was totally unimpressed by the decor, the cleanliness, and the unprofessionalness of the employees. It just did not impress me at all. Will I go back? I doubt it. I know where to get an equally good cheesesteak in a better maintained atmosphere in Sanford. Should you go there? Well, that's up to you. The food was good, but the service and value were lacking, in my mind. But go and see for yourself. Feel free to disagree with me. But take a good look around when you go there and see if you see what I saw. And be ready to sit at a dirty table or clean it yourself--that's what we experienced.  

La Spada's

I'd heard a lot of good things about La Spada's, so I finally decided to check them out for myself. The sandwich I had was indeed very good, but there were a few missteps along the way, too, so I'm not sure I'll be going back.

First of all the food.... I ordered the Mushroom Cheesesteak, basically a Philly cheesesteak (steak, cheese, onions) with the addition of mushrooms. It was a very good sandwich, very, very good--all that a Philly cheesesteak should be, I'd say. The steak was flavorful, the mushrooms and onions hot and adding a lot of flavor, and the cheese, definitely good, typical American type cheese. The bread it was on was up to the task of holding up to such a good sandwich, too. I ordered the small which the menu said was 8", but for some reason, when i picked it up, it was the 10". Not a big deal, and I managed to eat it all, but not exactly what i ordered. I guess the order taker was not paying good attention....

Tommy had the cheesesteak special, an 8" with fries and a drink. The sandwich was very good, and the fries as well, nice and hot, though the fries were rather ordinary. I'd guess they come frozen in a bag or the like. His came with a drink, and I ordered a drink separate. 

Now, to be honest, both the sandwiches were very, very good. I had no qualms about the quality of the sandwich. But there were a few other issues that I had.

First of all, when we got there, the place is pretty "ordinary" on the outside. Let's just call it tired. The outside could use a bit of care. There's a corner by the door that just looks neglected. It could use a plant or two, something to say "we care about the looks of this place. Secondly, the interior is a bit dated. The "wallpaper" is peeling in places, it could use some attention. A few carpets or rugs were still piled atop a garbage can. I got the impression that "we don't really care a lot about how this place looks."

When we found a table, we had to clean it ourselves. In our whole time there, no one came out and wiped any of the tables. Even though they had time to stand around. Again, not once did anyone come out of the kitchen area--even though at times they were standing around--to pay attention to and clean up the dining area. This, to my mind, is a cardinal sin. 

The three employees there were not very professional looking. All were wearing whatever t-shirt they decided to wear, nothing that said "we are La Spada's." I watched while one employee, wearing gloves from (I assume) handling food, came out and did some stuff in a freezer out front, still wearing the same gloves, then went back behind the counter, and continued to work with food, still wearing those same gloves. 

Upon leaving, I took a good look at the grill area. The wall behind the flat-top seemed, to me, a bit dirty with a greasy build up. The stainless front of teh grill seemed to be dirty, more than just from the day's activity, I'd guess. As we were sitting and eating, I noticed the windows were really dirty. The whole interior looks like no one really cares a lot or cleans a lot. It was really rather dirty and dingy, overall.

On top of that, the counter was cluttered, the signage was messy and sloppy, and the whole feeling I had while there as "we don't really care a lot." The "daily specials" sign at the counter had been edited with sticker over the prices--I'll assume raising prices. But at any rate, it was sloppy and unprofessional. There were a bunch of signs there, one falling off. It just looked sloppy and messy. Very unprofessional, like a really old, greasy diner that is past its prime.

So, overall, while the food was good, I was totally unimpressed by the decor, the cleanliness, and the unprofessionalness of the employees. It just did not impress me at all. Will I go back? I doubt it. I know where to get an equally good cheesesteak in a better maintained atmosphere in Sanford. Should you go there? Well, that's up to you. The food was good, but the service and value were lacking, in my mind. But go and see for yourself. Feel free to disagree with me. But take a good look around when you go there and see if you see what I saw. And be ready to sit at a dirty table or clean it yourself--that's what we experienced.