Small Wonder

Paesano's

by Drew Lazor

With its speckled counter, dorm-room-size soda fridge and something like six times as many framed photos as employees, Paesano's is barely bigger than the paper sacks customers drag out the door. Of course, as we all know, size doesn't matter — this teeny takeaway, from Modo Mio owner Peter McAndrews, partner Nathan Baynes and head chef Deanna Sanders, has enough elbow room to crank out some of the tastiest sandwiches Philly has seen in some time.

Sanders, who worked with McAndrews at Rembrandt's before moving to the chef's acclaimed Italian BYO on Girard, says the idea behind the across-the-way companion shop was to provide the neighborhood with a spot to get "simple sandwiches — but with better, more fresh ingredients." I don't envision anyone returning to the dingy pizza parlors that dot the Avenue after trying the title-track Paesano, a serious pile of house-roasted beef, blindingly purple pickled cabbage, pepperoncino and jus layered on a Liscio's long roll.

Boasting an all-beef frank wrapped in sopressata, topped with chunky spoonfuls of hearty Bolognese and buttressed by hot peppers and gobs of sharp provolone, the sneakily spicy Tuscan Tony is a beacon of unapologetic carnivorism. The satisfying Gustaio, which features roasted lamb sausage McAndrews crafts from scratch in Modo Mio's kitchen, takes an unexpectedly rustic turn with the addition of sun-dried cherries and crumbles of gorgonzola.

There's not a whole lot of room for vegetarians to swing here, with the exception of the Panelle, a ground chickpea fritter tucked into a crunchy flatbread round alongside roasted tomato, fennel and the house's tangy "Godzuki" spread (sour cream, lemon juice, garlic, rosemary and hot sauce). Named after Godzilla's nephew (yes!), the sauce is a brilliant mix-up that made up for the unavoidable sogginess of the meat-free main ingredient.

The most stellar member of Paesano's five-sandwich menu selection is also its most traditional — the Arista, thin-shaved slices of unfairly tender house-roasted suckling pig cuddling up to broccoli rabe and long hots on yet another jus-soaked long roll. There's a small but vocal contingent of Philly eaters that likes to champion roast pork as a purist's alternative to the overexposed cheesesteak — the problem is that there are about three people in the city who do it well. Time to make that four: Paesano's rendition is simply — easily — one of the best.

(drew.lazor@citypaper.net)

Paesano's | 152 W. Girard Ave., 267-886-9446

Hours: Tue.-Sat., 11 a.m.-7 p.m.; closed Sun.-Mon.

Sandwiches, $4-$8