Ispirazione Italian Sandwiches delights diners with its crispy flatbread

There is little I won't do for good bread. A (penciled) line has been drawn at murder, but humiliation isn't out of the question, and inconvenience a given. My grandfather made it clear: The choice to be at his favorite Philly doughnut shop at 6 a.m. was no choice. Narrowing the window between oven and mouth, a do-what-you-must imperative. Good bread, especially in the States, still requires a similar degree of sacrifice, and I'm willing to twist my life into balloon shapes for a perfect crust and crumb — even brave the trek to the westernmost reaches of Orlando. To Orlando that is not Orlando.

Ocoee — I'm told it has its charm. I'm told this by my dining companion. By the grinning lobotomite on a billboard. Debatable. Input shelved for pondering. What Ocoee does have, and of this I'm certain, is a sandwich shop worth going out of your way for — a sandwich shop named Ispirazione.

They call it tigelle. And by "they," I mean generations upon generations of Italian bakers in Emilia-Romagna. I now also call it tigelle — tea-jelly, teege-jeleh. Similar to piadina, and also known as crescentine, it's a small round flatbread from the Apennines often sliced and stuffed with cheese, meats or sweets. It's also the belle of the ball at Ispirazione, where it's made fresh daily and crisped to order.

The small, independent storefront is the vision-made-real of co-owners Daria Lytvynenko and Claudiu Gabriel Iordache, who created what they could not find — a stateside source for the tigelle sandwiches they love. Its menu features a range of riffs on said lovable, as well as desserts and espresso-based coffees. There are salads, yes, but don't be the buzzkill that orders salmon at the steakhouse.

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photo by Rob Bartlett

Options. So many options. When asked, Claudiu touted the Tigella Delicioza ($7.80) as his personal and people's fave. Done. And quickly done. A classic combo of prosciutto, burrata, pesto, arugula and tomato made for a bite that is more than aptly named. I also opted for the Picante ($7.20), an entirely different type of wow — soppressata, mozzarella and arugula livened with spicy olive oil and mellowed with green olive cream. A meat-free Dolce Verde ($7.20) was well-enjoyed by my vegetarian in tow, buoyed by creamy stracchino and the sweet tang of sun-dried tomato.

The sandwiches are human-sized, which means most Americans will think they're small. The adjacent table tripped over themselves to giddily order seconds.

We were smart. We ordered seconds first.

To be clear, one is enough — you just won't want to stop there. Sandwich fillings are high-quality; the various creams, from pesto to pistachio, serve as beautiful binder; and the bread — the bread. Putting teeth into tigelle is the eater's equivalent of popping bubble wrap — thin and lovely and crunch and fluff and yes and another please.

There were desserts — siren-singing, house-made desserts. We paired a delicious caramel, peanut and Snickers tiramisu ($7.80) and a well-made but muted Nutella cannoli ($6.80) with espresso macchiatos. A sweet and sparky way to holler finito.

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photo by Rob Bartlett

Pistachio tiramisu at Ispirazione

Despite being a savvy carbophile who's spent significant time in the boot, I'll admit to this being my first bite of tigelle. Granted, it's hard to eat a sandwich with a glass of Brunello in each hand. It was a good first bite. There will be second and third bites. Umpteenths. And these bites will undoubtedly be bitten at Ispirazione, the best and only tigelle game in town, where the startup passion and commitment to quality are genuinely inspiring. Yes, yes — Ispirazione is inspiration. It is also testament to the fact that a simple thing done well is well worth seeking out. Even if it means driving to Ocoee.