Midtown Lunch

 Yesterday, Profiled Luncher Michaelango  listed  Modo Mio’s sandwich spin off, Paesano’s, as his favorite place to eat in Philly and I have to add it to my favorite list as well. Paesano’s is the type of place where you can stare at the menu for way too long, because it is really hard to choose from so many tempting sandwiches. The original Girard received much accolades for their sandwich creations and the birth of the Italian Market location was much anticipated. The mix of familiar Philly ingredients  (long hots) and less familiar ingredients (cherry mustarda), Paesano’s balances the local and the exciting.

The signature Paesano (brisket, fried egg, prov, horseradish) and beloved Arrista (roasted suckling pig, long hots, broccoli rabe, prov) sandwiches live up to the praise they have received. As long as you are not opposed to any of the  ingredients (for example, I am not a broccoli rabe lover, so as much as suckling swine makes me swoon- I would order one of the other divine sandwiches), you will be in love with either. With the Arrista you can focus more on the juicy pork bits, while the Paesano is all about the layers of flavor and texture.

It is rare to find panelle in any restaurant. This is a very Sicilian dish made out of chickpea. I absolutely love panelle and was excited to see it on the menu. It is the cheapest sandwich option at $4 and is vegetarian friendly. I liked the chickpea taste with the fennel, however, this was very different from panelle I have had before- it was mushy instead of the lightly fried patty I was expecting.

The cherry mustarda in the lamb sausage Gustaio is brilliant. Lamb can be heavy, but this sandwich was completely hot weather friendly.

The newer and bigger Italian Market hot spot features a sandwich not available on Girard that I was dying to try- the fried lasagna sandwich called the Bolagnese. While some might not love the lasagna in bread thing and think it is overkill, I was into it. Though I may concede that the fried egg was overkill and the heaviness makes it more like a sandwich you would want on a cold winter day. I thought the fried lasagna hot mess tasted divine, with the sweet tomato flavor dominating.

The sandwiches are on the bigger side, but are even more filling than they look. This is the perfect place to show an out of town visitor what Philly is all about. And if you live in Philly and haven’t been to Paesano’s yet, you should give yourself a spanking.

THE + (What somebody who likes this place would say)

• Some of the best sandwiches in Philly
• Tons of creative yet locally inspired options to choose from that will please carnivores and vegetarians
• Friendly staff who clearly love their own products

 

THE – (What somebody who doesn’t like this place would say)

• So hard to choose!!
• Neither location is very close to a [Broad St Line] subway stop

 

Paesano’s, 125 W Girard, 267 886 9556 (Open Tues-Sat)

Paesano’s 2, 901 Christian, 215 922 2220 (Open Wed- Sun)