i wish i had a bite of PAESANO'S in my pocket all the time

because it's that good. just thinking about this again made my mouth water. if you knew me, you'd know that modo mio is one of my favorite restaurants in philadelphia. unpretentious decor, friendly and knowledgeable wait-staff, consistently amazing food and of course, byob. well, its sister restaurant - located virtually across the street - is a sandwich called paesano's and IT. IS. GOOD.

:: paesano's :: 
address: 152 west girard ave, phila
what we ate: paesano, panelle
paesano's has gotten a lot of good press and in particular, its "daddy wad"which is their italian hoagie, has been lauded as a best of philly treat. the daddy wad is certainly good, but so are the variety of other sandwich creations they have.

HELPFUL TIP: when ordering a sandwich here, make sure you either 1) eat it THERE or 2) aren't traveling very far with it. most of the meaty sandwiches are so meaty and juicy that anyone beyond a 7+ minute travel time would drastically diminish from the full potential tastiness. it can't be helped! it's just toooooo juicy. there is some seating along the counter inside the shop, but i recommend taking it a few blocks over to the nolibs piazza where you can sit at one of the many tables and possibly even catch a phillies/flyers/eagles game playing on the big screen.

paesano: beef brisket + roasted tomato + provolone + horseradish mayo + fried egg
if you had the signature paesano sandwich more than 6 months ago, try it again. the guys at the shop said that they switched the ingredients for the winter months because they wanted something a bit creamier and richer as the colder months came upon us. so whereas previously, the sandwich has pickled red cabbage, it now has a fried egg and roasted tomato. it's SO MUCH BETTER. the brisket just melts in your mouth and all the flavors work together in perfecty meaty harmony.

GO QUICKLY. the guys at paesano's said that they would likely be switching the components back to the pickled red cabbage combination before heading into the summer months.

panelle: sicilian chic pea pancake + roasted tomato + longshots + fennel + godzuki (i didn't know what this was so i had to look it up ->sour cream, lemon juice, garlic, rosemary and hot sauce) + lettuce
this wrap is so good that even the most carnivorous of meat eaters wouldn't miss anything here. i thought it would be very similar to a falafel, and the flavors of the godzuki, tomato and longshots certainly did mimic it, but the chick pea pancake was so different than what i expected. it was ... MUSHY! and i never thought i'd say this about something mushy, but it was super tasty and i wanted so much more. the crisp lettuce added that crunch that you really needed with the soft chick pea pancake, and the longshots and sauce added the right tartness.

it might be possible that the panelle is  my favorite sandwich at paesano's ... which is incredible considering the brisket stroke of genius mentioned above. plus, it's only $4!