Where to Get the Best Subs in CNY on National Submarine Day

Introducing my affable stepfather Matt Hutmaker, who commanded U.S. Naval nuclear submarines for a generation...and who also happens to love submarine sandwiches. Matt's the perfect host for National Submarine Day (April 11), which commemorates the first submersibles, including the Holland VI, the Navy’s first modern submarine, commissioned on April 11, 1900.

The first submarine SANDWICH is a little tougher to pinpoint. But historical accounts place it at a deli in either New London, Connecticut (the base of U.S. Naval ops in World War II) or Paterson, New Jersey, where it was pioneered by shop owner Dominic Conti, who had been inspired by the torpedo-shaped watercraft.

Meanwhile, the best spots in Central New York to grub a sub are debatable, but (using Yelp and other sources) here's a list, in no particular order:

• Mello's Subs, 242 Genesee Street, Utica
• Johnny's, 100 Genesee Street, Utica
• O'Scugnizzo, 614 Bleecker Street, Utica
• O'Baby's, 4126 Oneida Street, New Hartford
• Fatboys Deli, 4452 Commercial Drive, New Hartford
• Holland Farms, 50 Oriskany Boulevard, Yorkville
• Darwin, 110 West Fayette Street, Syracuse
• Brooklyn Pickle, 2222 Burnet Avenue, Syracuse
• DiBella's Subs, 5805 Bridge Street, Syracuse