Lou Sarcone Jr., the fourth-generation baker on 9th Street in South Philadelphia, is known among his family simply as Junior.  His father, also Lou, and his son, Louis, share more than a name – they share a commitment to keeping a very old business operating the way it did a very long time ago.  That is not to say that they haven’t modernized Sarcone’s Bakery – which they have – but they have done so while maintaining their focus on delivering the exact same product, time after time after time.  Using premium Pillsbury flour; giving the dough a full 2 hours to rise; baking the bread in the old brick ovens to bring out the flavor.  “It’s just like making a gravy,” said Sarcone, “Slow cooked food tastes better.”

So the food you put on that bread better be good.

For Lou’s cousin, Anthony Bucci, food is a passion.  A former executive chef at the Wyndam Franklin Plaza hotel and a longtime veteran of the family bakery, he now runs Sarcone’s Deli.  The deli is not a typical hoagie and sandwich shop.  They serve food that you’d expect to find cooked in a restaurant or your own home, but on that crusty, chewy, flavorful bread.  It’s the preparation and ingredients that differentiates them from traditional “lettuce and tomato” hoagie shops.  House-prepared roast beef, roast pork, meatballs, chicken cutlets, and eggplant are just some of the restaurant style cooked dishes that find their home on a Sarcone’s roll.  Juicy ripe roma tomatoes and bits of prosciutto, sopressata and cappicola that don’t make it onto sandwiches become the starter for the gravy for the hot sandwiches.  If you like marinated fresh asparagus and a balsamic drizzle, you can get it on the roast beef sandwich.  If you like house-roasted peppers and roasted garlic with fresh herbs, spread it on your veggie sandwich.  And if you like DiBruno Bros cheeses, gourmet cured meats and imported parma prosciutto, why not get them on an Old Fashioned Italian sandwich?

Anthony and Lou admit, it always starts with the bread.  And at Sarcone’s Bakery, the business is all about tradition.  Listen to the previous generation, and do exactly what they do.  It’s like whisper down the lane; without all the context and subtext, something can get lost along the way.  Five generations of Sarcones have donned the baker’s whites and pledged to keep the bakery exactly the same.  As Lou’s grandfather said, “put too much food in your mouth, you can’t chew.”  It’s about staying in business.  It’s looking at 90 successful years of history and believing that the business could continue for another 90 years.  No wholesale, only retail.  They’ve seen lean times before and economic booms but the business has remained steady and focused.

A mainstay on the Italian Market if there ever was one, Sarcone’s has witnessed the sell-off of the generations-old businesses a few blocks away; but Lou Sarcone believes that history repeats itself and he welcomes a new generation of business owners coming back to the market.  Not just businesses, but Sarcone sees the influx of young professionals, students and young families into South Philadelphia as a good thing for everyone.

Sarcone’s Deli has plans to move into a newly renovated space next to its current location on 9th Street later this summer. (The current space will be put to good use but plans are still being developed.)  The bigger growth plan centers around 10-15 new franchise locations in the tri-state area over the next few years.  So how does a business so deeply ingrained in its environment extend outside of its location?  Sarcone’s has pledged to maintain tight control over the product and training new staff.  Keep it geographically limited, keep a handle on quality, and follow the Sarcone’s operator’s manual to the letter: serve up restaurant food on the very best bread.

Already one former franchisee has had the Sarcone’s brand pulled from his shop for cutting corners and cheating the customer.  But it was a valuable learning experience for Lou and Anthony, a lesson that will stay with them as they grow their vision beyond 9th Street and into the suburbs.

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Sarcone’s Deli
734 S 9th St, Philadelphia, PA 19147 (Google Map)

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.

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

Chef / owner Brendan Smith opened Smiths Restaurant in 2007 after serving two years as Executive Chef at Rittenhouse Square’s Smith & Wollensky steakhouse.  His concept: a high-end sports bar with fresh, unique, legitimate food.  No gallon-jugs of mayo; his sauces and spreads are made fresh daily and the sandwiches have a kind of sophistication that is uncommon in a typical beer-and-a-ballgame environment.  Chef Smith likes the interplay of different textures on his sandwiches, like warm meat on crusty bread and melted cheese with crispy bacon.  A small business owner himself, Chef Smith proudly supports local farms in South Jersey and Pennsylvania, sourcing his meats and produce as locally as possible.

50% of customers order sandwiches at lunch at the 90+ seat Smiths.  During the day, white collar professionals from the local office towers fill the restaurant; at night, locals from the neighborhood come in to watch a Phillies game and hang out.  Each month there are specials (June offers a Salmon BLT; July will be BBQ) but the regulars keep coming back for their favorites, like the Kennett Square burger.  Named for the mushroom capital of the United States, the Kennett Square serves up 8 ounces of 80/20 chuck on grilled brioche with lots of wild mushrooms and creamy manchego cheese.

The Black Angus Roast Beef sandwich offers melt-in-your-mouth meat with a creamy horseradish zing.  The soft and crusty house baked roll is the perfect accompaniment to the house roasted and thinly sliced beef with aged Vermont cheddar that is sharp enough to stand up on its own, but does not overpower the sandwich.

The carved turkey sandwich embraces Philadelphia’s love of pretzels with a pretzel roll designed specifically for Smiths by the Philadelphia Pretzel Factory.  The bread is more roll than pretzel; soft and pillowy with just a hint of pretzel flavor – not the salty, crusty affair we typically find at carts and shops around the city.  The turkey is thin sliced, warm and moist, with melted provolone and smoky applewood bacon.  A spread of sweet and creamy red pepper aioli gives the sandwich a clean finish.

The Ahi Tuna BLT is messy, for sure, but the creamy avocado and medium-rare tuna are a delicious pair.  Avocado shows up twice on this sandwich: sliced on top of the fish and as a spread on the seeded brioche bun.  Crunchy bacon accents the tuna, offering a bite that is creamy, crisp, hearty and tender.

For Chef Smith, sandwiches are quick, easy, and everybody likes them.  And in today’s sandwich culture, he sees that sandwiches have to have spreads – “chipotle aioli is standard.”  Tomato-jalapeno relish and marmalades are condiments now, one the exclusive domain of fancy restaurants.  At home, Chef Smith makes Chicken Milanese sandwiches with his kids, lined up to pound and bread the chicken breasts like an assembly line in their own aprons.  And when he goes out for a sandwich, he looks to Jim’s for a finely chopped cheesesteak and Nick’s for a roast beef sandwich.

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Smiths Restaurant | Lounge
39-41 S. 19th St., Philadelphia PA 19103 (Google Map)

It seems that most sandwiches can be traced back to the Depression-era, created as a quick and easy meal on the cheap. In Pittsburgh, when steel workers needed a hot meal with the little time they had for lunch and dinner, the one-stop shop was run by three brothers named Primanti. The sandwich combines meat, cheese, fries, coleslaw and tomato on thick, fluffy Italian bread and always in that order, from bottom to top.

The original 18th Street location is constantly bustling, packed with locals and tourists alike in search of the top rated sandwich. The wait is short however, as the grill quickly pumps out meat to a line of sandwiches that are expertly assembled in seconds. No matter how large your party, a server will arrive only minutes after your order with a looming tower of sandwiches, plopping them down on wax paper, as you lick your chops in anticipation.

The key to the Primanti is the soft, yet sturdy bread, which allows you to compress the enormous sandwich between your hands enough to manage a bite. The most popular sandwich on the menu is the cheesesteak, which is dubbed the “Number 2″, and don’t even bother asking about the “Number 1″ because it doesn’t exist. Unfortunately, we wouldn’t recommend this sandwich to the average cheesesteak lover who is expecting sliced or chopped meat; in the Primanti version, the meat is formed into a patty that is fried until crispy on the grill. Instead, we’d suggest going with the peppery pastrami, spicy capicola, genoa salami, or roast beef. The coleslaw is fine chopped and vinegary, and adds a delicious crispness that counteracts the soft, salty fries. Although we typically advise against removing any components of an iconic sandwich, if coleslaw isn’t for you, never fear, as we heard several customers requesting to “hold the grass.”

For those in search of a sandwich with character, Primanti Brothers is for you. Order up a refreshing “Ahn City” beer and bask in all that the ‘burgh has to offer. One thing is for sure though, yins better come to Primanti’s on an empty stomach.

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Primanti Brothers
46 18th Street Pittsburgh, PA 15222 (Google Map)

“Pretend your grandmother is cutting this with her dentures,” owner Chris Bass tells slicers-in-training, though Chris himself frequently ties on the apron to carve sandwiches personally.  One of Lafayette Hill’s oldest and most beloved neighborhood haunts, the Ale House is one of five Ale Houses in the region started by Chris’ father-in-law.  On a busy Friday, the Ale House can serve up to five 50lb. rounds of prime roast beef to customers so regular, Chris greets them by name.  They also offer take-out and catering packages.

The legendary roast beef sandwiches consist of house cooked beef doused in generations-old secret gravy, paired with horseradish, provolone and a homemade hot pepper spread on a fresh D’Ambrosio kaiser roll.  The family recipe gravy gives the meat a rich, robust flavor and a tender, fall apart texture.  The spongey soft roll absorbs the sauce but does not get overly soggy, except when people order their sandwich “overboard,” or drenched in sauce.

A sandwich guy through-and-through, Chris Bass shared some of his personal favorites in the area: Barry’s Steaks in Roxborough; Pudge’s in Blue Bell; McMenamin’s in Mount Airy; and The Drafting Room in Spring House.

Ye Olde Ale House
405 Germantown Pike, Lafayette Hill, PA 19444 (Google Map)

McGillin’s Olde Ale House has stayed true to their formula since the time Abraham Lincoln was president: great beer, a welcoming atmoshphere and the right food at the right price.  So it is no wonder that after 150 years of practice, their signature R.B. McGillin sandwich is exactly what you want to eat when you’re enjoying a pint of cold, smooth, creamy ale.

McGillin’s sticks to the basics, and does it well.  The eponymous roast beef sandwich starts with a USDA top round, roasted rare daily.  The meat is sliced paper thin and simmered in their homemade jus before topping a toasted kaiser roll.  Served with horseradish, jus, cole slaw, chips and a pickle, the R.B. McGillin is reflective of the pub itself: simple, straightforward, warm and inviting.  The meat has a well-rounded flavor, rich and juicy but still delicate.  The thin ribbons of warm beef and crisp bread get a bright and tangy zing from the horseradish and a smooth finish with the flavorful jus.

Over the many years of its existence, the classic and timeless Irish pub feel has never changed, but
McGillin’s has certainly made some key upgrades with the times: from the HDTVs on the walls, a twitter account and legendary karaoke “performances”, to a German-engineered automatic meat slicer/stacker and a touchscreen-operated digital oven management system.  Even successful entrees have transitioned to sandwiches on the menu (chicken marsala and chicken parm sandwiches are available) based on suggestions from the staff who needed something they could eat quickly and while standing.

McGillin’s offers more than just a great place to eat, drink and revel; it offers a glimpse of living history, a reminder that the more things change, the more some things should stay the same.

Unbreaded’s Q&A with McGillin’s owner Chris Mullins:

Unbreaded: What are you planning for the 150th anniversary?
Chris Mullins: Our plans are still in development, but we will be offering a special Anniversary Ale.

UB: How does a restaurant stay in business for 150 years?
CM: We didn’t get away from our roots.  We try to continuously improve on what works.  And from the beginning, McGillin’s has always been owner occupied and run.  That hands-on connection with the customer cannot be duplicated.

UB: How do you pair beer with sandwiches?
CM: Ale goes well with heartier sandwiches like roast beef, cheesesteaks and burgers.  Lager goes with turkey and chicken sandwiches.

UB: Who are your customers?
CM: Bankers, lawyers and government people come at lunchtime – they used to be known as “suits” but most of them don’t wear suits anymore.  Young professionals come after work, students pack the place at night, and 10-20% of our customers are tourists.

UB: Where do you get your bread?
CM: We get good Jewish rye from Ginsburg and rolls from Liscio’s.

UB: Where do you like to go to get a sandwich?
CM: Murray’s and Hymie’s.  Murray’s has real New York pastrami.

UB: Sandwiches are listed as “so-and-so’s favorite” — Who are they?
CM: Our staff.  And those recommendations change over time as people leave and new people come on.

McGillins Olde Ale House
1310 Drury St., Philadelphia PA 19107 (Google Map)

Just off Exit 10 of the New Jersey Turnpike in Edison, NJ lies a sleeping giant called Harold’s New York Deli. The 300 seat restaurant is home to the world’s premiere corned beef and pastrami, served a mile high on bread so fresh it’s delivered four times a day. The “small” sandwiches weigh close to a pound and the larges are enough to feed an elephant.

Owner Harold Jaffe, having built and sold almost 40 restaurants throughout the Garden State, has learned a thing or two along the way (and made a tidy profit, to boot.) “More meat” is the name of the game, and Harold plays the game to win. He perfected his craft as General Manger of New York’s Carnegie Deli, where he learned the closely-guarded secrets of corned beef, pastrami and cheesecake.

Meats are brined, “pumped” (injected with additional brine to impart unparalleled moisture and flavor to the meat) and cured for 3 days before cooking. The meat is then boiled (corned beef) or smoked (pastrami) on site and steamed until serving. Customers can enjoy the never-ending pickle bar that offers half sour, sour, and kosher dill pickles, pickle chips, hot pickles, pickled tomatoes, pickled hot peppers, sauerkraut, and all the rye bread you need to turn a single sandwich into a meal for the family.

The corned beef is flaky and delicate, warm and melts in your mouth. Available in traditional cut or extra-lean. The pastrami is smoky, rich, fatty, peppery and robust. The roast beef is light and tender, moist ribbons of lean meat. The brisket pulls apart effortlessly, flaky and moist like the corned beef, but darker in color and flavor. The succulent, juicy, house roasted white meat turkey was some of the very best I’ve ever tasted.

Harold cannot say for sure, but he believes that Harold’s is the highest volume deli in the country, even surpassing the levels of famed New York establishments like Carnegie and the Stage Deli. An astounding 8 tons of corned beef and pastrami pass through the kitchen each week to the 14,000 hungry patrons who come from up and down the east coast.

Read our Q&A with Harold Jaffe:

Unbreaded: What are your personal favorite sandwiches?
Harold Jaffe: Pastrami and corned beef.

UB: What’s a hidden gem on the menu?
HJ: The potato knish. And the cheesecake is the best there is.

UB: What is the biggest day of the year for the restaurant?
HJ: St. Patrick’s Day, then Christmas, then Mother’s Day and Father’s Day. On St. Patrick’s Day, we serve 5000 lbs. of corned beef, 5000 lbs. of potatoes and 5000 lbs. of cabbage.

UB: What do you think are the most important qualities of a good sandwich?
HJ: The meat can’t be too hard or too soft, too fatty or too lean. Consistency is everything. People expect the same quality, same experience every time they come here and they’ll tell us if something isn’t quite right.

UB: What percentage of people order sandwiches here?
HJ: 95%.

UB: Who are some celebrities to whom you’ve served sandwiches?
HJ: Henny Youngman, Peter Faulk, June Carter, Mike Tyson, Mohammed Ali

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Harold’s New York Deli
3050 Woodbridge Avenue, Edison, NJ 08837 (Google Map)

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)

I’ve heard about a mythical hot roast beef sandwich at Cherry St. from a number of people over a 10 year time period.  It was a destination sandwich, so I was told.

Truth be told, I have avoided the sandwich for years.  I assumed that the meat would be overly fatty, offering a bite of gooey, chewy grossness that would ruin my entire meal.  But to my pleasant surprise, it was precisely the opposite.  Lean and tender, the roast beef is cooked on the premises, sliced deli thin and dipped in the simmering crockpot before being served on a kaiser roll with a slice of provolone, horseradish and a pickle.

But the sandwich fell somewhat short of my expectations, which I must admit were high.  The slices of beef were submerged in the jus so they would be moist and juicy; as a result, the bread quickly turned to overly-saturated mush.

My biggest gripe, however, was the bland flavor of the meat itself.  The sandwich needed a generous squirt of ketchup, which is not necessarily an indictment, but something that could have been overcome with more flavorful meat.

Overall, the sandwich was better than average but not quite top-tier.  And with some Heinz 57, this roast beef sandwich was a pretty enjoyable, albeit sloppy experience.