Thursday, September 5, 2013

Taste of Philly: The Cheesesteak



 Everywhere a Cheesesteak 
Reading Terminal Market, Philadelphia, PA

Birthed near the Italian Market
neighborhood in Philadelphia,
the Philly Cheesesteak is
made from very thin slices of steak
frizzled with melted cheese
and served on a yummy Italian hoagie roll.

Italian Proud 
Italian Market, Philadelphia, PA

Note, yummy...
as outside of the Philly region
sub rolls are not so yummy.

Neighborhood Gossip 
Italian Market, Philadelphia, PA

The cheese served is usually
provolone, American
or Cheesewhiz (which I don't consider cheese.)

Daily Special 
South Street, Philadelphia, PA

Across the street from each other
near the Italian Market are two
competing Cheesesteak vendors.
Pat's and Geno's.

Pat's King of Steaks
S. 9th St., Philadelphia, PA

It's kind of like a
Canon vs Nikon,
or Apple vs PC thing.
But to me,
their cheesesteaks are both
as a hamburger is to McDonald's.
I find better tasting cheesesteaks at pizzerias
through the area.



 
Geno's Steaks 
S. 9th St., Philadelphia, PA

Pat's or Geno's however, is a true Philly experience.
To order you walk up to a service window
and place your order.
Not quite as bad as the Soup Nazi on Seinfeld,
you should however,
be ready to place your order concisely when you get to the window.

Neon Cheesesteaks 
Reading Market, Philadelphia, PA

And to order Philly style here
you will order your cheesesteak
wit (with) or wit-out (without) onions.
You will specify the type of cheese
and be prepared to pay in cash.

My Son's Lunch 
Maple Glen Pizza, Maple Glen, PA

An order placed as
"One whiz wit"
translates as
one cheesesteak with cheese whiz and fried onions.
If I were ordering for myself
I would say,
"One provolone wit-out,"
because I like my cheesesteaks with provolone cheese
and no onions.

Got it?
Now you are ready for a trip to South 9th St.


Just don't forget your cholesterol medicine!

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18 comments:

Mersad said...

However it's quite a turn out, so it really fits the theme. This truly is the taste of your town. And now I'm off to order a sub... :D

Mersad
Mersad Donko Photography

Noel Morata said...

wow very popular places....it looks pretty tasty and huge...gotta try this someday

Unknown said...

Thanks for the tour of Philly and the steak :).

HikeBikeTravel said...

I've never had a cheesesteak but glad to get the tips should I get to Philly. I'd hate to slow down the line-up because I didn't order properly. This post made me smile.

Jackie and Joel Smith said...

My mouth started watering when I read the title and the hunger pains only grew as I scrolled through the post. It's been a long time since we were in Philly but we loved those sandwiches!

Kim Cunningham said...

This was really really interesting! Look at that line for a cheesesteak! I'm thinking a never had anything of this sort.

Jama said...

Sounds yummy! I'm sure I can find a restaurant which serve such food here in my country, we are after all, are known as the food paradise! :)

MadSnapper said...

this is my husbands all time favorite food... we have two places here that he can tet them and they are close to what Philly has, but he says nothing beats the ones i Philly.

MadSnapper said...

forgot to say for some reason that Pat the king of philly photo I just love it.. it appeals to my art side

jabblog said...

Judging by the length of the queue those cheesesteaks must be really special.

Out on the prairie said...

Yummers, I can eat at both places. Make mine smothered wit da works. LOL

Sarah Huizenga said...

When my daughter was in Philly a few years she said the Cheesesteaks were great. I don't know where she went for it, but they were staying in the city.

Marcia Mayne said...

Thanks for these tips, especially the one about paying cash. Good thing to remember.
Next time I'm in Philly, I'll just have to have a Philly Cheesesteak - I can't believe it hasn't happened yet.
http://insidejourneys.com

ChrisJ said...

This is something I know I would like, only "wit-out", and I'd probably go with provolone too. Sounds delicious!

GingerV said...

this brought a faraway and distant memory. But how could it, I've never been to Philly....I thinking Chicago and your dialog brought back the memory so clearly that I have probably gained 5 lbs just remembering. got to have the cheese and the fried onion.....and Philly or no was delish.... so yours must be out of this world. Could grab one of your photos for a spotlight - but know I enjoyed my visit.

Michele {Malaysian Meanders} said...

I adore cheesesteaks. I've heard of the Pat's versus Geno's rivalry, so I was quite interested to hear that you think elsewhere has better. Thanks for the tips on the slang. I totally wouldn't know what to say.

Unknown said...

I love the way you've documented the whole experience.

Pauline said...

Terrific post, Rebecca. It's important to know how to order local favourites, even more so if there's a long queue behind you when you're ordering. Those Philly Cheesesteaks must be really special if people are prepared to line up like that for them! Love the last shot - gotta get the head at the right angle to tuck in!!