When you eat a sandwich at Mema’s Italian Grinders, it will smack you in all your senses. The restaurant’s namesake sandwich is a homemade, 7-inch hoagie that's packed with a half-pound mix of Italian sausage and ground beef, sealed in with smoked provolone.

It’s weighty in the hand, and you’re instantly greeted with the smell of a secret spice blend and melted cheese. It fills its carry-out container to the brim. And from the first bite, you’ll likely realize that this is a different kind of grinder — something Des Moines hasn’t seen since the 1970s.