Paesano's Italian Market

1017 S 9th St
Philadelphia, PA 19147
(215) 440-0371
Website

Paesano's II, Paesano's Italian Market, Paesano's Philly Style, I am not exactly sure what the name of this location is anymore. I call it Paesano's Italian Market, for obvious reasons. I have written about this spot before, but I haven't given a nod to their chicken of the sea sandwiches yet.

 

They offer two regular menu fish options on the menu, and both sounded delicious, so I dove right in and went all pesce. Well, maybe half Pesce. Note: they say on the website that the pesce is only offered one Fridays but I have seen it numerous times when I wasn't there on the best day of the week. For instance in this case.

The Pesce Fritti is comprised of a crispy tilapia filet, with caper maionese, iceberg, tomatoes, onions, sharp provolone & hot sauce. It's basically an Italian take on a fried fish po' boy. And like everything Paesano's, it does just the trick. The fish is fried to a crispy exterior, with a flaky white interior, having no overtly fishy taste, but not fried to oblivion. The briny maionese mixes with the hot sauce to create a deliciously salty and savory coating. The sharp prov lends some teeth to the whole sandwich, while the vegetables provide a fresh crunch. I would take this over most po' boys any day.

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The Tuna Italiana is on a higher level than any other tuna sandwich you have ever eaten. A seeded hard roll over-filled with Italian-Style Tuna salad (olive oil based), green olives, spicy cheese spread, hard-cooked egg, roasted tomatoes, pepperincino, arugula and chips. This thing is ridiculous. First of all, the tuna is great on its own, but when you add all of the components, the sum is greater than its parts. I would have never thought that hard boiled egg and green olives would complement a tuna sandwich so well, together. The chips add the salty crunch, while the arugula gives this hoagie the much needed punch of peppery greens. This is THE tuna hoagie to beat in my opinion. If anyone knows of a better one in the city, I am all ears. Until then, I will gladly eat this sandwich whenever a hankering for tuna strikes.