My nephew Giac spent 16 years living in Philadelphia, yet somehow missed many of its epic eating. So when he took a job in Cincinnati, he spent his last few weeks eating his way through a Philly bucket list.

I joined him on one of the jaunts — to John’s Roast Pork, a little dive stand in the middle of what used to be a fairly vacant industrial area, right next to train tracks and across the street from an indeterminate factory. The smell in the air was awful — an odor that resembled something between a trash site and the back of a butcher shop. We stood on line outside for about a half hour behind red-shirted Phillies fans who were getting pregame grub (it was an afternoon ballgame, and Citizens Bank Park is less than a mile down the street). Was it worth the wait? Hell yeah.

If you’ve eaten sandwiches in Philly before then you know they like to make ‘em massive. I opted for the roast pork with sharp provolone and spinach, and the tri-wrapped sammy weighed nearly a pound. Yes, three layers of foil are applied to keep that steaming sandwich nice and hot. The sliced pork — braised in liquid right next to the grill — was succulent and juicy, and was matched well by the sharp “provy” (you can also opt for “regular” or “mild” provolone). The spinach added an interesting flavor, though it was a bit weepy and overcooked. Still, getting something green and vitamin-rich seemed like a good idea considering the amount of fat inside the scooped-out long roll.

Next time, I’ll definitely get the regular size rather than the “large”, because I fell into a pork-induced coma soon after devouring the sandwich. And I do hope to have a “next time”; this was a delicious “down and dirty” foodstuff and I would go so far as to say that it a more favorable “destination dining experience” to the over-rated Philly cheesesteaks.

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