Apparently eating 40 cheesesteaks, and 60 Italian hoagies wasn’t enough for 610 WIP’s Glen Macnow. This morning “The Professor” announced his Hot Specialty Sandwich Safari, an adventure to take down as many sandwiches as possible by June.

So what constitutes a “hot specialty sandwich”? In Glen’s eyes it’s anything besides cheesesteaks, grinders, burgers and hot dogs – roast beef, roast pork, meatball or chicken cutlet and others are all game. Macnow has already kicked it off with eight sandwiches; including some of our favorites like Paesano’s Arista, Bubby’s Brisket at Honey’s Sit N’ Eat, and the Chicken Cutlet from Tony Luke’s.

Macnow is taking user submissions, so head over to the official Sandwich Safari page and lend him your sandwich expertise. We’d love to know in the comments here what sandwich you submitted!

For a few months now we’ve been privy to Peter McAndrews’ and Nathan Baynes’ plans to introduce an Italian Market location of their wildly successful Paesano’s Philly Style. Last week word spread that the shop was nearing an open. Hastily, lunch plans were made for that Friday. However, those plans had to regretfully be postponed. Today, after impatiently waiting for five very long days, we were able to stop into the new location on the northwest corner of 9th and Christian, on their first day open to the public.

Following in the footsteps of the first shop on Girard Ave., the owners of Modo Mio have once again impressed us with a little bit of sandwich heaven. Generously, heaven has added four new angels on its menu: The Liveracce, Bolagnese, Meatloaf Parmesan and Pesce Fritti. Aside from new sandwiches, Minestrone soup and a Chopp salad will also find their place as fixtures. With the new location comes a larger kitchen and a dining area that will allow customers to sit down, and enjoy every breathtaking bite.

Like their predecessors, these sandwiches all have an explosive multitude of flavor in each and every bite, stemming from Chef McAndrews’ slow cooked approach. The Liveracce is seared beef liver topped with sauteed onions, iceberg lettuce, roasted tomato and gorgonzola on an Italian long roll with a spread of garlic mayo. Baynes remarked that as always, the sandwiches are constantly being improved, and told us that the Liveracce will most likely be finalized with the addition of hot sauce and salami in the near future.

The Bolagnese, is something of a guilty pleasure for McAndrews, apparently, he’s eaten it forever — and we sure are glad he’s decided to release it to the public. Crispy-fried lasagna bolagnese is dotted with smoked parmesan and topped with the chef’s favorite, a fried egg. Baynes tells us that it would be delicious when paired with red wine. A subtle hint that the shop is BYO? The Meatloaf Parmesan sandwich is, you guessed it, Italian-style meatloaf with Modo Mio’s signature Sunday gravy and fresh mozzarella. Finally, there’s the Pesce Fritti a fried Tilapia fillet with lettuce, tomato, onion, caper maionese and sharp provolone.

A majority of the original menu from the first location has also been brought down into South Philly, some of the notable favorites offered include the Arista (whole roasted suckling pig, broccoli rabe, italian long hots and sharp provolone), the Diavlo (spicy chicken breast, salami, herb cheddar, roasted tomato and broccoli rabe), the Daddywad (their award-winning Italian hoagie) and of course the namesake Paesano (slow-cooked beef brisket, roasted tomato, sharp provolone, horseradish mayo, topped with a fried egg). The rumored Paesano Burger hasn’t made the menu just yet, but is sure to come sometime soon, topped with fries, pancetta, gorgonzola and an aged balsamic vinegar mayo.

With locations north and south of Center City, downtown Philly has essentially become “sandwiched” in pure bliss. The South Philly location will have its hours of operation eventually fixed from 11am to 7pm, Wednesday through Sunday. While the folks over at Paesano’s have no intention of starting a separate brunch menu, we can only imagine that this availability on the weekend might just draw some patrons away from waiting in the long lines just across the street.

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Paesano’s Philly Style
901 Christian Street – Philadelphia, PA 19147 (Google Map)

Nothing says baseball like a hot dog.  So to celebrate the Phillies competing in the World Series, Paesano’s chef/owner Peter McAndrews has created an original hot dog inspired by the traditional ballpark fare, but with a “Philly Style” upgrade.  Starting with a beef hot dog with kraut and brown mustard, the dog is paired with scrapple, sharp provolone, long hots, onions, tomatoes and a fried egg.  Chef McAndrews is still playing around with the recipe, trying out little improvements to get it just right.

Known for now as “The Phanatic”, Paesano’s is soliciting name ideas from all of their customers.  Just stop in, try one, and suggest a name for the permanent menu.  A name will be selected at the conclusion of the World Series and the winner will earn a free sandwich at Paesano’s once a week for a year. Once you’ve submitted your name, leave it for us in the comments!

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Paesano’s
152 W Girard Ave – Philadelphia, PA 19123 (Google Map)

It is with great pleasure that Ben Kessler and Jeff Vogel, creators of Unbreaded, announce Sandwich Smash. The event will showcase five of Philadelphia’s premiere restaurant professionals, who will perform chef demos in front of a live audience and tell stories that go behind the food. This non-competitive event will be hosted by Esquire Food Editor Ryan D’Agostino, who will be interviewing the chefs on stage while they cook and moderating questions from the audience.

The audience will enjoy a five-course tasting menu of the featured sandwiches, plus beverage and dessert service from our sponsors.

Participants

Chef Michael Solomonov, Zahav
Chef Peter McAndrews, Paesano’s
Chef Arthur Cavaliere, Parc
Rick Olivieri, Rick’s Steaks
Mark Coates, Bebe’s BBQ

October 4th, 2009
5:00PM – 8:00PM
Park Hyatt Philadelphia
Grand Ballroom

Seating is limited and tickets are available now for reduced pre-sale pricing until 8/17. Additional information, including event sponsors and charity fundraiser, will be made available at on or before September 1st. Visit sandwichsmash.com to learn more and sign up for e-mail updates.

Paesano’s is not just Girard Avenue’s favorite neighborhood spot anymore.  It is now openly celebrated as one of Philadelphia’s very best sandwich destinations, a draw for food tourists from around the region and beyond.  An extension of Chef Peter McAndrews’ classic Italian BYOB Modo Mio (itself a Best Of Philly winner for Prix Fixe), Paesano’s was named Best Of Philly Sandwich Shop and was named Glen Macnow’s overall winner of the Great Italian Hoagie Hunt.  We caught up with Chef McAndrews to find out where he goes from here.

Paesano’s opened with a simple mission: Chef McAndrews wanted a decent lunch place for himself and the Modo Mio staff.  When the space across the street from Modo Mio became available, Chef and his partner, Nathan Baynes, jumped in and started making food that is affordable with integrity, cooked in the Italian theme and style.  Chef McAndrews believed that sandwiches could be made with more taste and love than most other places; he explained that there are a thousand cheesesteaks, but probably only 30 that are good, that achieve harmony of meat, cheese, onions and bread. (for the record, Chef McAndrews likes his steak chopped.)  The results speak for themselves: “the best sandwich I’ve ever tasted,” and “my favorite sandwich place” are common refrains among customers, who line up down the street to get a bite at lunchtime.

An Italian cooked sandwich shop, not a traditional hoagie shop, Paesano’s uses Liscio’s hoagie rolls because they hold up to wet sandwiches better than other rolls.  And they cut off the ends of the bread because in Chef McAndrews’ view, no one wants to feel like they got shortchanged on ingredients because of that end.  But don’t worry – you’ll find the ends reemerge as bread crumbs across the street.  The sandwich names are largely based in the Italian language: Gustaio (lamb sausage) means “good taste”; Arista (roast pork) means “the best part of the pig”; Diavlo (spicy chicken) means “the devil”.  But Daddy Wad (the award winning Italian hoagie) has a decidedly different etymology: it was Chef McAndrews’ childhood nickname, befitting a self-described “big kid.”

The Daddy Wad’s coronation as Best Italian Hoagie has catapulted it to the top selling item at Paesano’s, displacing the Arista, a porchetta sandwich with broccoli rabe, Italian long hots, sharp provolone and natural jus.  The broth is the key to the flavor, according to the Chef, who sources locally-raised Lancaster suckling pigs (under 21 lbs).  The roast pork is topped with broccoli rabe that is cut properly for a sandwich (bite-sized) and enough sharp provolone to add that creamy, tangy burst of flavor.   The Gustaio, Paesano’s lamb sausage sandwich, is a harmonious balance of flavors: intense gorgonzola, sweet heat from the sundried cherry moustarda, hearty lamb, and sweet fennel on flatbread.  And the Tuscan Tony, Paesano’s decadent take on the Texas Tommy, serves up a fried hot dog wrapped in soppresata then smothered in Bolognese sauce.  With options for vegetarians and meat lovers alike, Paesano’s satisfies all comers.

The formula is working.  Customer service is personal, gracious and natural in its diverse, dynamic, integrated Northern Liberties neighborhood.  So it is clear why Chef McAndrews wants to keep things the same.  But with the surge in popularity, Paesano’s is struggling to keep up with the volume.  They need more space, and see a broader opportunity (including Center City) but are not in a hurry and want to make sure that any change is fully thought-through.  No matter what the future holds, it is clear that today, Paesano’s has found their niche and has earned their spot at the table among Philadelphia’s best sandwiches.

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Paesano’s
152 W Girard Ave, Philadelphia, PA 19123 (Google Map)

Sports talk radio in Philadelphia is usually fixated on the Eagles, Phillies, Sixers or Flyers latest news, but if you tune in to Glen Macnow’s show, you might just find the conversation has turned to sandwiches.  That is because Mr. Macnow spent the past two months sampling over 50 Italian hoagies from around the region.  His exhaustive search spanned from South Jersey to the Main Line to the Far Northeast, with more than a few stops in South Philly along the way.  But Macnow’s winner is Paesano’s in Fishtown, the new gourmet sandwich shop that has emerged as a true contender for the city’s absolute best.

Mr. Macnow has previously blanketed the region searching for the ultimate Philly cheesesteak.  So what’s next?  Roast pork?  Chicken cutlets?  Hot dogs?  Yes, please.

A big Unbreaded tip of the cap to Glen Macnow.  You are an inspiration to our entire organization.

See Glen Macnow’s rundown of Philadelphia’s best Italian hoagies and cheesesteaks over at 610 WIP.

This morning I woke up, rubbed my eyes and was disappointed to find myself at home, lying in my bed. Why was I so upset? Because yesterday after paying a visit to Paesano’s the new sandwich shop from the owners of Modo Mio, I thought I died and went to sandwich heaven.

Upon entering Paesano’s, you’re greeted by strong aromas of simmered meats, hot peppers and spices. The menu, which aims to improve on the classic Italian sandwiches of South Philly is both diverse and well priced.

The Paesano, which is the namesake sandwich, consists of strongly seasoned slow-roasted beef au jus, sweet and sour red cabbage and pepperoncini. On first bite, the tangy quality of the jus plus the sweetness of the cabbage and bite of the peppers is almost overwhelming to the taste buds. If I were asked to name another roast beef sandwich with such impressive flavor profile, I wouldn’t be able to do it. As with all Paesano’s sandwiches, it is served on a sesame seed covered hoagie roll with perfect crust on the outside and chewiness on the inside from Liscio’s Bakery.

The Arista stays true to the Philly-famous roast pork sandwich with brocolli rabe, and long hots. Although the sandwich wasn’t as juicy as I like my pork, the meat was tender and extremely flavorful.

Despite their incredible take on the classics, there is one sandwich that will put Paesano’s on the map. The Tuscan Tony is an Italian take on the Texas Tommy, a butterflied beef hot dog wrapped in soppresatta and sharp provolone then topped with bolognese sauce and hot peppers. This is a destination sandwich and at only $4, it’s a steal and will fill you up for the rest of the day.

With sandwiches of this caliber, I’m confident that Paesano’s will quickly become a Philly institution.

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Get your sandwich on:

Paesano’s
152 West Girard Avenue Philadelphia, PA 19123 (Google Map)