Honestly I don't know what you mean by "authentic New Orleans hero". We got authentic po-boys, and we got authentic muffalettas. We have some authentic Italian and banh mi too but those aren't really New Orleans-specific.

Stein's, Milk Bar, CIBO, Trilly (although they are closed, seeking a new location I believe), Cochon Butcher, Fharmacy, Piece of meat, Turkey and the Wolf, Martins wine cellar - make the best non-poboy and non-traditional sandwiches around town in my opinion. Liberty Cheesesteaks is good, and they do import real hoagie bread, but I find their sandwiches have gotten kind of skimpy over the years.

But if you go scouring delis around town seeking subs/hoagies, I'm afraid you're gonna see lots of French bread. Steins (and CIBO or NOLA Pizza for Italians/meatball) are the closest thing to real NY Deli sandwiches you're gonna find around here. I understand the craving for real hoagies, but you might need to just embrace the Po-Boy if you want options.