We didn’t know there was a Paesano’s adds late night hours dance but then again, until a moment ago we didn’t know Paesano’s was indeed adding late night hours.

This is going to make not finding a cab outside Johnny Brenda’s at 2am a lot easier to deal with!

Update: Paesano’s has been getting deluged with business since  being named best hoagie by WIP so they are not going to be doing late night hours for awhile.

Game Changer: Paesano’s Adding Late Night Summer Hours, Northern Liberties To Finally Have Worthy Post-Last-Call Eats [The Illadelph]
Paesano’s [Official Site]

The Center City District newsletter is out today and offering coupons to Joe Pesce and Joe Beef. At Joe Pesce you can get a Mediterranean leaning three-course meal for $27.95. At Joe Beef, the lunch counter at Joe Pesce buy two sandwiches and get the third for free.

(IN)CC Coupon – Joe Pesce [Center City District]
Joe Pesce [Official Site]

When Tony Luke announced he was going to be marketing microwavable versions of his sandwiches it certainly had us cringing. Rick Nichols, being the consummate professional he is actually decided to eat the sandwich before weighing in. And of course, prose to swoon over.

Luke’s uses juicy, U.S.-raised basic ribeye on the flat-top grill, not the imported cow meat some use.

But here’s the thing. It doesn’t travel. Let that cheesesteak (or Luke’s signature roast pork sandwich with broccoli rabe) start steaming in its paper wrapper, and say goodbye to good eating. It gets wet. It gets soggy.

It’s meant to be eaten right then and there – under the harsh lights, in the unheated alcove, with the bad fries and cheap pickles, your feet planted on the cold pavement.

Yo, you may be frozen.

But at least you’re not eating a frozen cheesesteak.

Tony Luke’s frozen? How good can that be? [Philadelphia Inquirer]
Tony Luke’s [Official Site]

Oh wow! Drew Lazor have us salivating with his description of the Arista sandwich at Paesano’s.

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.

Small Wonder [City Paper]
Paesano’s Grand Opening [Modo Mio]

We’ve inadvertently stumped ourselves with this question, “where is the best roast pork sandwich for dinner?” We love ourselves DiNic’s and John’s Roast Pork but neither is an option after 5pm.

So where do you go when you want a roast pork sandwich for dinner?

Inquirer columnist Karen Heller writes today that it may be time to give up on the divisive cheesesteak and call another sandwich our own.

The roast pork Italian with aged provolone and broccoli rabe is one of the finest treats the culinary world has to offer. An added bonus? I know of not one linguistic threat, court challenge, political snafu or legislative contretemps associated with this remarkable repast.

And if you’re up to it, read the comments, absolutely cringe-worthy.

Karen Heller: Time to retire cheesesteaks and end fighting [Philadelphia Inquirer]

Don’t ever feel bad for Stephen Starr, he has two of the highest-grossing independent restaurants in America: Buddakan and Morimoto (the New York branches, of course) at numbers 12 and 84 respectively. Buddakan pulled in $20 million in ‘07 while Morimoto trailed at $11.7 mil. Think about that the next time you’re sucking down an overpriced SRO cocktail. No Philly restaurants on the list at all. [Restaurants & Institutions Mag]

The Delightful Dan Gross notes that Obama has not yet tried a cheesesteak. We think this is because he’s taking our advice and believing in the Audacity of Roast Pork. [PhillyGossip]

Why aren’t food writers dealing with rising food prices? Are we in denial? Do we not care? At Foobooz, we talk about them all the time and even provide some handy guides for dealing with the problem without having to revert to cooking. [Slate]

It’s the anniversary of the repeal of Prohibition today. Here’s a handy guide for ordering beer in 50 languages. Eka biyara, krupaya!

The home of the French dip celebrates its 100th birthday in Los Angeles. Hey, it’s no roast pork, but it’ll do. [L.A. Times]

Just in case you run into Luke Wilson in a restaurant, he’s a primer on what–and what not–to do. We recommend convincing him to give up the Blue Moon and try a local brew. [chow]

Barack Obama visited Claudio’s in the Italian/9th-Street/Curb Market-thingy earlier this week, says the Daily News. Unfortunately, it doesn’t look like he tried the burrata, which is one of the finest cheese items available in the whole stinking market. Now, he’s promising to try a cheesesteak.

Of course, this means that soon the Great Opportunity for Cheesesteak-Related Public Relations Disaster will present itself to the candidates. Obama and Hillary Clinton will be forced, probably by their misinformed advisers–the very same advisers that recommend using cliched Rocky references in a speech–to decide at which establishment they will pretend to enjoy their token cheesesteak.

They will be scrutinized mercilessly for which cheesesteak-slinger they choose and how well they handle all of the stupid ordering rules and other shenanigans that go along with cheesesteakery. Let’s face it, cheesesteaks have nothing to do with brotherly love–they seem to attract controversy and create actual hostility like no other local foodstuff. Need evidence? Try this, this, this and, now, this.

Here’s our advice to Obama and if he’s truly the Candidate for Change, he’ll take it:

Roast pork.

From DiNics in Reading Terminal Market. With or without greens, provolone or horseradish. The sandwich of the future of Philadelphia in a classic, truly historic Philly setting.

Real meat, real taste, no hate.

DiNics [Reading Terminal Market]

Now that the salmon are disappearing, what will your mom have broiled when she goes out to dinner?

Farming is fun for the hipster set. No irony! Seriously!

Roast pork magnate Tony Luke is also a movie star. Do you know how you can really tell he’s a star now? He had surgery to fix his ‘deviated septum.’

Speaking of roast pork, the illadelph directs us to the Washington Post, where they finally discovered what you already know: this particular Philly sandwich is far superior to the dreaded overbearing cheesesteak.