Paesano's In The Italian Market

Don't ask how one ends up at Paesano's South Philly Italian Market location when they're in the mood for a light lunch, because there's nothing light about the award-winning and inventive "Philly style sandwiches with Italian inspiration."

Unlike the shoebox-sized flagship location on Girard Avenue, Paesano's southerly location actually has tables inside to sit at and room enough for the line to form inside the building. Don't count on a table, though, if it's prime dining time.
With the larger location there also came an expanded sandwich menu. On my Girard Ave. visit last year there was only one vegetarian sandwich (the Panelle), but now there are two veggie sandwiches. And with daily specials, there just might be three!
I'm pretty blasé about most eggplant sandwiches, but the Giardina moved me to emotion. Hells yeah, someone finally put some umph into roasted eggplant on a roll! Fennel, peppers, fresh Mozzarella and basil pesto to be exact. That basil pesto is the real umph maker.
The Greco was one of the specials of the day, and is Paesano's best attempt at making a humus and veggie sandwich interesting. The humus, iceberg lettuce, grilled zucchini, and Feta made me yawn, but the pickled onions and healthy squirt of Sriracha woke me up.

Don't think I'd bother to order the Greco or the Panelle again, but I'll bestow upon the Giardina the award of best vegetarian eggplant hoagie. Here's hoping Paesano's keeps getting creative with the veggie sandwiches and makes another winner.

Paesano's
Italian Market Location: 1017 S. 9th St., Philadelphia, PA 19147
215-922-2220
Wed-Sun: 11am-7pm

Shank's At Pier 40

Need a plumber? How about an electrician? Stand in line at the new Pier 40 location of Shank's, and you can easily find a repairman to fix your sink. Or your lights. Or probably anything that's broken.

The South Philly location of Shanks Original (original location near the Italian Market closed and reopened on 15th St. in Center City last summer, and they added a second location at Pier 40 along Columbus Blvd. at the end of 2009) appears to be a great location for working men and their trucks to easily pull in for a traditional Philly hoagie lunch break.Not quite as mod and glam as the architect's rendering, this small box on the side of the road has little indoor space for placing orders, but smartly has a window that opens up to take orders from the long lunch lines that form outside. When warm weather arrives, perhaps the patio area will be filled with tables and seats, as the architect envisioned.There are two veggie hoagies on the Shank's menu (not counting the breakfast hoagies, which I'll have to return for — egg, cheese, potato, and spinach sounds like a good combo to me), and I tackled them both.
The Eggplant sandwich can be ordered Shank's Style (pan-fried, lightly breaded eggplant with greens and homemade gravy) or Parmagiana Style (pan-fried, lightly breaded eggplant with homemade gravy and Provolone).

I went Shank's Style with spinach instead of broccoli rabe. Every thing — eggplant, spinach, and a mound of tomato gravy — goes on the grill to get heated before being tucked into the long Italian roll. What I liked about this sandwich were the ultra thin slices of eggplant with crispy fried edges. No thick-cut spongy eggplant here.
The Veggie with pan-fried, lightly breaded eggplant, broccoli rabe, roasted peppers and Sharp Provolone was not different enough from the Eggplant to really warrant another listing in the sandwich column, in my opinion; it's all just a fried eggplant hoagie. Slap some gravy on The Veggie and you've essentially got the Eggplant.

Always a fan of sauce, though, I preferred the Eggplant. And bitter broccoli rabe is not a favorite of mine, but I braved it just in case they laid their hands on a mild bunch. They didn't.

While these are great hoagies (the thin-sliced eggplant is a revelation) from an iconic Philly hoagie maker, this non-native Philadelphian will never be head over heals for the Philly-style veggie hoagie with fried eggplant, broccoli rabe, and Sharp Provolone that can be found at Chickie's and other Philly hoagie institutions. It's just not in my blood.

Shank's Original at Pier 40
901 S. Columbus Blvd., Philadelphia, PA 19147
215-218-4000
Mon-Sat, 7:30am-4pm

Fat Lala

Restaurant menu fliers left in the cracks of the door usually go straight to the paper recycle bin, but something very interesting on the backside of Pizzi Pizza's flier caught my eye.

Pizzi Pizza is a South Philly take-out pizzeria that specializes in a laughably large 28-inch pizza. For all I know, their pizza could be good, or it could be crap, but it wasn't the monster pizza that caught my eye. What caught by eye was their other specialty, the Fatty.

The Fatty is basically everything gross, fried, cheesy, and greasy stuffed into a hoagie roll, and there are nine variations of gross you can order. For example, a Fat Bill consists of cheese steak with cheese whiz, eggs, onion rings, and fries...all in a hoagie roll. A Fat Mike stuffs chicken fingers, onion rings, mozzarella sticks, hot sauce, and blue cheese in a roll.

When I spied the Fat Lala, the lone vegetarian Fatty, I knew I had to try one!
The Fat Lala sandwich holds Mozzarella sticks, onion rings, fries, Mozzarella cheese and marinara sauce. It's pretty much death by grease on a roll. After watching the guy behind the counter pull out the frozen components and dunk them in a fryer, I was expecting a puke-worthy sandwich.

The Fat Lala certainly doesn't win any health or beauty contests, but, you know what? It's not all that bad. It's nothing great, either. If I were blindfolded and asked to describe what I was eating, I would have said an eggplant Parmesan sandwich. You've got marinara, cheese, fried breading from the mozzarella sticks and onion rings, and an unidentifiable squishy substance (fries) that act like eggplant.

There you have it! I tried it so you don't have to.

Pizzi Pizza
2654 S. 6th St., Philadelphia, PA 19148
215-465-2377
Mon-Sat, 11am-11pm; Sun, noon-10pm

Good Girls Get Capriotti's

I've written about my love of Capriotti's veggie turkey sub before, and, to be honest with you, it's the one food I eat out (technically, it's take-away) more than any other food in Delaware or Philly. Capriotti's veggie turkey sub is #1 on my list of the few foods I will miss if, and when, I ever leave the area.

I almost cried (and later considered writing a letter to the owners) about a month ago when they told me the supplier of their veggie turkey had discontinued the product, and they didn't foresee ever getting veggie turkey again. But I knew to simmer down and let it go; this veggie turkey disappearing act has happened before, and then magically reappeared.

Here's where I reveal more info than you need to know, but I know blog readers just loves them some personal info to put in their stalker file: I always treat myself to a Capriotti's veggie turkey sub on the day of my annual girly exam. It's kinda like getting a lollipop at the end of a doctor's visit for being a good girl.

My doctor's visit was yesterday, and, well, what was I going to do, seeing as how Capriotti's veggie turkey had dried up? I'm a big girl; I don't haaave to have a lollipop.

Well, after waking up to a flat tire (good morning!), and then riding on the flat tire to two gas stations to find an operable air machine (just put a sign on it if it's broken - a person only carries so many quarters, you know) because I didn't have time to fix a flat before heading to the doctors (they charge you if you don't make it), then driving through snow to the doctors (I know they were just flurries and would never stick, but I hate snow and it makes me incredibly worrisome and tense) where she tells me my blood pressure is higher than usual (no, shit! I just had a flat tire and drove like a mad woman through snow to my favoritest place in the world - ugh, I pride myself on low blood pressure), then I go to work to find I can't work because Y didn't do Z, so I go get my $20 tire patch, but have to wait two hours in a waiting room with a TV spewing crap and a woman talking loudly on her cell the en-tie-yur time for them to tell me that because I drove on my flat the inside of the tire is ruined (knew I shouldn't have taken that shortcut down the cobble stone road!) and I need a new one (of course, I rock the high dollar low profiles).

What I need is a lollipop. Now.

After I paid for my new tire, I walked to my car, sat in the parking lot and called Capriotti's (it's in my cell) in hopes that veggie turkey had magically made a reappearance, and...it has!!!!!

Chickie's

Chickie's, the tiny sub shop near the intersection of Federal and 10th in South Philly has won numerous local awards for best veggie hoagie, and even claims to be the "originator of the veggie hoagie." I'm not sure anyone can claim to be the first to stick veggies in a roll, but I certainly can't resist sampling an award-winning hoagie, especially when it resides so close to home.What exactly is in Chickie's famous veggie hoagie that even meat-eaters love? Broccoli rabe sauteed with garlic, baked eggplant, roasted red peppers, and sharp Provolone cheese nestled in a seeded Sarcone's roll. Very Italian.

But wait. What's that on the menu? A fried tomato hoagie? Aw, I just went ahead and got one of those, too.

You see, I know what I like, and I don't like broccoli rabe (too bitter) or slabs of baked eggplant (mushy) on hoagies -- but I tried one anyway. I've actually had a sandwich similar to Chickie's veggie hoagie elsewhere (not nearly as good, for sure), and it's not for me. Maybe it's the Southern in me and the absence of any Italian, but fried tomato hoagie with roasted peppers, lettuce, cheese, and mayo (hold the bacon and turkey) sounded just right. Yep, I know what I like, and I liked the fried tomato sandwich better. The curious part is that the tomatoes were ripe. I was fully expecting fried green tomatoes, but this ain't no Southern sandwich; it's South Philly, yo. I can't help but think a firm green tomato would hold up better to frying, though, and add a bit of tartness. At any rate, I ate the whole thing, and enjoyed it very much.

While both hoagies are good, you'll know if you like Chickie's veggie hoagie or their fried tomato hoagie best before you order. You might even prefer one of their other specialty hoagies.

Chickie's fried tomato hoagie might be my second favorite sandwich from an Italian hoagie shop, but the veggie turkey hoagie at Capriotti's still remains number one for my taste buds.

Chickie's Italian Deli
1014 Federal St., Philadelphia, PA 19147
215-462-8040