PAESANO'S - Philadelphia, PA - FOUR SANDWICHES REVIEWED!

Where: 
Paesano's - 152 W. Girard Avenue
Philadelphia, PA 
267-886-9556 

Comments:

I know there are some truly great sandwich makers in the Philly area, Tony Luke's, Shank's Original, Tommy DiNic's, Dalessandro's, John's Roast Pork, to name only a few. I also fully understand and appreciate personal preference when it comes to food, but believe me, Paesano’s is in a class by itself. 

With that said, it's not going to be easy to describe these sandwiches with mere words. I should probably just step away from the keyboard and tell you to go there to taste them for yourself. I'm apologizing in advance for the half-eaten photos. (I'm sorry, I was hungry).

In keeping with the spirit of this blog, I owe you a little insight as to what you'll experience at Paesano's, so here goes...

Finding the best places to eat is very easy, all you need to do is look for one with a full parking lot or a line out the door - 

EMPTY PARKING LOT  =  FOOD SUCKS

The length of the order line at Paesano's proved my theory correct, so I poised myself ready to wait. 

The moment I set foot in the place I was hit with pungent aromatics and since Paesano's has very little square footage, the pots of sauces and gravy's steeping on the stove top keep the storefront windows fogged-up from Fall through Winter. The interior walls are plastered with chalkboards crammed with hand-written menu items. Reading them while waiting on line will certainly build your appetite. 

I'm not going to comment on the restaurant any further, it's time to get to the food...

I thought it was odd that so many sandwiches were topped with a fried egg - some fried light, some hard, (I don't think it odd anymore).

This is the PAESANO...  $8.50
Beef brisket, horseradish mayo, roasted tomatoes, pepperoncino (the generic Italian name for hot chili peppers), sharp provolone & fried egg.

The brisket was extremely tender and juicy with flavor and spices that were as undecipherable as they were delicious. The richness of the egg over-easy contrasted perfectly with the pepperoncino. The addition of horseradish mayo and provolone cheese was nothing shy of perfection. For me, this sandwich is on my list of one of the most memorable I've ever eaten.

More Paesano...

Here are some photos of the 9th street Italian market Philly.

Fresh produce...

Exotic meats butcher....

More street fare...






Claudio's Italian specialties...

Exotic coffees and teas...






Eastern State Penitentiary - A great road trip for Halloween

More markets...

Back to Paesano's sandwiches...

Workin' the magic...

The BOLOGNESE...  $8.50

Crispy fried lasagna bolognese, smoked mozzarella, red sauce & fried egg.

If you're a true macaroni lover, you're going to love "The Bolognese." Paesano's has managed to package pasta into a hand-held meal and it's fantastic. I was never a big fan of bolognese sauce, but it's clear to me now that I simply never had it this good.  The gravy is to die for and even though the "crispy" fried lasagna is not so crispy, it doesn't matter. 

Poor Anthony...

The ARISTA...  $8.50
Whole roasted suckling pig, broccoli rabe, Italian long hots & sharp provolone. 

For those of you who are experimenting with pork, broccoli rabe and sharp provolone, please step aside. Yours is not going to be as good as Paesano's. In fact, it won't even be close. Tender meat? This pork was cotton soft and the broccoli rabe was sauteed with garlic and oil to perfection with the sharp provolone adding yet another layer of flavor. With all these incredible flavors, there was only one thing that could cut through all the richness while adding a traditional Italian flavor; The Italian long-hots. They completed the flavor profile for this fantastic sandwich!

The Arista before we violated it...

The GUSTAIO...  $9.50
Roasted lamb sausage, sun dried cherry mostarda (Mostarda is a northern Italian condiment made of candied fruit and a mustard-flavored syrup), Gorgonzola spread, roasted tomatoes, fennel and arugula in a crispy flatbread.

We originally ordered three sandwiches, but I couldn’t get the ingredients of the Gustaio off my mind so I ordered it (you read the ingredients, how could I not order it?). The flavor combinations were perfect – if not for the overly salty sausage, this would have been in contention for my #1 favorite.

 Back end of the Gustaio...

Lastly... 

For me, it's not just the combination of ingredients that stand out in a Paesano sandwich, it's the PORTION of each ingredient within each sandwich that makes them great.


An honorable mention goes to Paesano's bread. I'd put it up against some NJ and NYC breads (I feel NJ and NYC breads are still some of the best in the world). 

Edited re-post from 2014