An Italian-American Sandwich Haven From a Miami Ace

In 1918, Philippe’s fortuitously invented the French Dip in Los Angeles.

Or in a totally different year, it happened totally differently at Cole’s.

What is considerably less in dispute is the origin of the Italian dip.

That goes to Pirolo’s Panino, a new Italian sandwich shop from James Beard semifinalist Michael Pirolo of Miami’s Macchialina. It opens Tuesday and here are visual depictions of what to expect.

As you can see, it’s a simple Italian sandwich shop. Just biding its time on Melrose while you browse the street’s PVC mini-dresses, bong/gasmask hybrids and questionable shopkeeper hairstyles and suddenly find yourself with an appetite. It wants to be there for you.

You’ll walk in and notice the flurry of expressive Italian hands muraled on the wall. You’ll proceed to order something at the counter that will soon appear in your hands between ciabatta. That could be a chicken or meatball parm. Or a sausage and pepper sandwich. Or that Italian dip with salsa verde, caramelized onions and au jus.

If you don’t want a sandwich at all, they’re happy to plate your chicken parm or make you something like baked macaroni. They want this to be easy. Which is why they’ll start delivery to a whole bunch of neighborhoods in the weeks ahead.

And why they’re giving away sandwiches to the first 100 people who show up to the opening.

That, and the general feeling that you’re too skinny and need to put some meat on your bones.