5 places to carbo load for the Broad Street Run

For some, the best part of the Broad Street Run (starting 8 a.m. Sunday) is not finishing the epic 10-miler that takes its runners throughout Philadelphia. It's the carbo-loading before the race.

Katie Cavuto, M.S., R.D., culinary nutritionist, and dietitian for the Philadelphia Phillies, and Philly.com contributor, suggests having a large meal at lunch and going simple for dinner. Stay away from the booze.

Keep that in mind Saturday when perusing these five places to nosh on pastas and breads the day before the big race.

Active types who swear by crushing three squares a day will find a beacon of sustenance in Ellen Yin and Eli Kulp's Old City gem, where morning, noon, and night earn equal artisanal attention. (This could certainly make a tasty big-lunch option.) In the a.m., High Street hawks house-made bagels, sweet pastries, and a Pennsylvania Dutch-inspired pastrami-and-potato sandwich. Lunchtime sees more sandwich-craft, with a large assortment of meat-veg-cheese combinations on resident baker Alex Bois' masterful breads. For lean protein, go for the Sherwin's Turkey, served on a house-made kaiser roll.

308 Market St., 215-625-0988, www.highstreetonmarket.com.

In 2010, Jezabel Careaga opened Gavin's, a humble coffee shop. After spending six years building up a reputation and a loyal clientele, the native of Palpalá, in northern Argentina, has decided to rejigger her business to better reflect her food and culture. The new-look Jezabel's also has a new menu, focusing heavily on South American baked goods and pastries. For a hefty snack in a small, portable package, consider Careaga's flaky empanadas filled with beef, chicken, ham-and-cheese, or spinach-and-mushroom.

2536 Pine St., 267-519-2494, www.jezabelscafe.com.

Despite his success - crowded dining rooms every night he's open, and multiple James Beard semifinalist nods to boot - Zeppoli chef/owner Joey Baldino is an unassuming guy. We like to think that's because he prefers to let his pastas, which would serve as the perfect pre-run splurge, do the boasting. In addition to the protein-packed entrées on his menu - steak, chicken, rabbit, and swordfish all have a place - he's always playing with pasta specials he keeps around only as long as seasonal ingredients let him. Right now, look out for springy stuff like calamari e piselle.

618 Collings Ave., Collingswood, N.J., 856-854-2670, www.zeppolirestaurant.com.

If comforting, carb-forward cuisine is what you seek, you can't go wrong with Iannelli's. Located on the slightly less-hyped portion of East Passyunk Avenue, it has been doing big business for more than 100 years, so you know they're cooking something right. Pizza, including their award-winning sheets of tomato pie, is an easy carbo-load pick, but they also get bready with it to the tune of panini (the grilled chicken with pesto is a race-friendly winner), stromboli (stuffed with filet mignon, for that extra protein boost), and family-size trays of pasta fagioli. On the dessert end of the spectrum, Iannelli's makes a mean Italian-grandma-style sprinkled cupcake, in addition to crazy-good chocolate-chip cannoli.

1155 E. Passyunk Ave., 215-468-0720, www.iannellisbakery.com.

If you've been training particularly hard for this year's run, you've earned your right to splurge the day (or night) before competition. What better place to facilitate this than Franzone's, a Bridgeport institution around since the 1950s? The shop is best known for its distinctive pizzas, which stand out thanks to a crackery crust and tangy-sweet sauce, applied in a hypnotic swirl that turns every pizza into an archery target. But serious carbo-loaders can get into much more than just slices here. Bread-forward choices include cheesesteaks, clubs, burgers, and stromboli, plus quirky specialties like the Zep, a hyper-regional hoagie variety loaded with copious amounts of raw white onion. Remember: Bad breath is temporary, but Broad Street glory is forever.

501 DeKalb St., Bridgeport, 610-275-0114, www.franzonespizza.com.