Unbreaded

The Savory Side Of Capogiro

Capogiro is widely acclaimed as the premier gelateria in Philadelphia.  The city has welcomed Stephanie and John Reitano’s Italian artisanal know-how like a breath of sweet, creamy air.  Capogiro uses the freshest seasonal ingredients, sourced primarily from farms around Pennsylvania, including Kensington’s Greensgrow farm.  An authentic Italian café, where the “bar” refers to the espresso, Capogiro’s food is artigianale, meaning made by hand on site.

Just next to the rainbow of frozen bliss, Capogiro has a lengthy Italian sandwich menu that incorporates some American influences along with the European.  Sandwiches are balanced; meaning, no one flavor overwhelms and fillings do not spill out of the bread.  Panini, like the Carne with Lancaster roast beef, gorgonzola and caramelized red onions, and the Formaggio con Jambon (swiss cheese with ham) are served on focaccia and pressed hard until the bread crisps, the cheese melts and the fillings are warmed through.

Toast sandwiches are gently heated so that the outer bread (from New York’s Hudson Bakery) crisps golden brown and the cheese melts but the ingredients do not get overly hot.  The Vegetable toast sandwich offers robust pomodoraccio sundried tomatoes, marinated artichokes, creamy fontina cheese and verdant pesto.

Tramezzini are sandwiches with three breads and two layers of filling.  They are meant to be mild, simple, delicate bites during cocktail hour.  Made with a combination of breads – country white and country wheat, tramezzini are minimalist sandwiches by design, but they are a flavorful and light accompaniment to a cocktail.  Capogiro’s tramezzini menu includes the Tonno, Italian tuna with sliced hard-boiled egg; the Speck, with salty ham and creamy stracchino cheese; and the Goat Cheese, where cool cucumbers and robust roasted tomatoes compliment the tangy, creamy goat cheese.

One of the tramezzini we absolutely had to try was the PBJ sandwich, an example of the American influence on the menu.  The peanut butter is different than the home-made product that goes into the PB gelato; it is actually Cream-Nut by Michigan’s Koeze Company, made with nothing more than peanuts and salt since 1925.  The strawberry jam, which is made fresh, is sweet and bright.  We must admit, we wished the PBJ was a little heavier on the PB and the J, but then it wouldn’t quite fit the tramezzini mold.

And of course, we had to try out the gelato con brioche, which is more of a sandwich than traditional ice cream sandwiches.  Two scoops of the divine gelato are served in a lightly sweetened brioche from Au Fournil bakery (which also provides the croissants) and is meant to be picked up and eaten like a proper sandwich.  Avocado and Coconut gelato gave us a lighter, fruitier flavor and Pistachio with Dolce De Leche offered a traditional, hearty fix for our sweet tooth.

Stephanie Reitano is an admitted cheeseburger fanatic, and names the Good Dog right at the top of her list.  She also frequents the sandwiches at Sansom Street’s Kabob House, a banh mi from any of the city’s great purveyors, the pizza sandwich at Ishkabibbles, and the braised shortrib bocadilla at Tinto.

Capogiro now has four locations (University City offers the most sandwiches) and is developing a large production facility and planned café in East Falls.  The production kitchen will allow the Reitanos to grow their business even further and expand their craft with the space and resources to try new flavors and new techniques.  And if patrons of the East Falls café take their gelato to go for a walk down by the river, they will be embracing another Italian tradition: gelato is the only food that Italians eat while walking.

Gallery

Capogiro
3925 Walnut St, Philadelphia, PA 19104 (Google Map)

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