Everyone I know from the Cumberland, Maryland, area has one favorite restaurant: D'Atri's.



"Nestled in scenic LaVale Maryland, D’Atri Restaurant first opened its doors in 1971 when Robert D’Atri sought to supplement his income from the Kelly-Springfield tire plant by opening a small pizza shop in Cumberland. Surprisingly, rather than pizza, the crowd-pleaser turned out to be the family-recipe steak sub – a foot-long creation made with chopped rib-eye steak and lettuce flavored with the family’s blend of Italian seasonings. The steak subs were so popular that the D’Atri family opened another restaurant in 1976 in LaVale...



... Now the steak sub has become a regional favorite; so much so that former residents often have sandwiches shipped to their homes! And when returning to Western Maryland, former-locals always make sure to visit D’Atri Restaurant. Now owned by D’Atri daughter Antoinette and her husband Scott, D’Atri’s Restaurant is continuing the family tradition of keeping the highest-quality food and service at prices everyone can afford."



I had to try that famous steak sub, though the menu features a wide variety of breakfast options, salads, soups, sandwiches, burgers, pasta, and other dinner plates.



The steak sub features chopped ribeye, onions, lettuce, tomatoes and Miracle Whip on a roll. It is served warm and with some special Italian seasoning. It is large and served splayed open because it is stacked with toppings. It proves a bit difficult to eat, unless you smash everything down or cut it up.



But once I got in, I enjoyed this sub. The steak was of good quality, so there wasn't a bunch of pieces with fat or sinew. It ate well for that reason. The lettuce was crunchy and had a sweet and vinegary flavor. So, there was a great combination of textures, plus the freshness of the vegetables rounded out the sandwich.



The side of potato salad wasn't necessarily my favorite. I like a tangyp potato salad, not necessarily a sweet or peppery one.



Have you been?



Grade: A