Philly Cheese Steak Adventure

[Richie111]

Months ago I planned a trip to Philadelphia to see what all the hype is about on the "Big 3" of cheese steaks (Pats', Geno's, and Jim's). After posting my plans on eGullet, I received numerous replies urging me to expand my "research" to include other places not as well known to non-locals. Through some careful planning, I was able to include D'Allessandro's and Tony Luke's Jr in my 18-hour excursion.

To add some objectivity to my tests, I developed a rating system based on categories: Appearance, Meat, Cheese, Bread, Texture, and Size. I assigned a numerical rating (1 to 10, 10 is best) for each and used the ratings to help me come up with an Overall rating. The Overall rating, however, is not mathematically calculated from the other categories.

When possible I ordered "Whiz with onions" as that seemed to be the standard at most places (and also because I love Cheese Whiz). Because I wanted to focus on the sandwich itself, I ignored other factors such as service, availability of 'fixin's', decor, and atmosphere. Also, throughout the report I use interchangeably the following terms: hoagie, hero, sub, and sandwich – I know there can be some debate between the differences of these words, but for the purpose of this report they will refer to the same thing.

We went down last Friday night and had 9:30 dinner reservations with friends after which I went back to the hotel for a brief 3 hour "power nap" before I set out on my quest. 12 hours, 5 restaurants, 7 sandwiches and about 11,000 calories later, I accomplished what I set out to do and compiled the data below.

Pat's King of Steaks

The plan was to begin by hitting Geno's and Pat's at the same time since they are located across the street from each other. I woke up to an alarm in my hotel room, I got dressed, and took a cab over to my first destination armed with a notepad and a digital camera. It was 3:00 am and both Geno's and Pat's had long lines of hungry, eager patrons. A friend got in the Pat's line and I went over to Geno's. While I waited in line at Geno’s, I apparently missed seeing Don Vito (of Jackass fame) roll up to Pat’s in a SUV. From what I was told, his driver ran out to get a huge bag of Pat’s while the Don glared out of the passenger seat waving to the excited, drunken masses who screamed “DON VITO!” and snapped photos.

The friend who got me the sandwich put ketchup on it. I usually love ketchup on my cheese steaks, but for this test I avoided extra condiments. I tried to ignore the effects of the ketchup on my results.

Appearance: 7.5 This looked like a tasty sandwich. It glistened with juices begging to be eaten.

Meat: 9.5 Wow! This meat was savory and juicy. The thin sliced steak, tender - not gristly or chewy - blended well with the cheese and onions.

Cheese: 8 A generous portion of Whiz mixed well with the other ingredients and was evenly distributed throughout.

Bread: 8.5 This was very good bread. It was soft and fresh with a slightly chewy crust. It held the juicy ingredients well while not getting soggy. This seemed to be identical bread to that used at Geno's and very similar to D'Allesandro's.

Texture: 7 Good texture. The bread and cheesy meat offered two different layers that worked well together.

Size: 8 Good size although I was soon to find out that most of the places I hit sold the same sized subs.

Overall: 9.5 This sub really set the bar for the rest of the trip. It was so delicious I had to force myself not to get a second. This sandwich and the Jim’s steak I tried later were the only two subs that produced an orange, liquid mess of drippings on the paper. These drippings formed puddles on the paper wrapper that you can dip the sandwich in. The drippings (oil, water, cheese Whiz, and other juices from the meat) were a testament to the juiciness of the sandwich.

Geno's Steaks

A wrapper from Pat's was under this sandwich, but this is actually from Geno's.

Appearance: 4 This did not look that appealing. It kind of looked like Steak'Um's on a hero.

Meat: 6.5 The meat was just OK. It was not bad tasting. It just really wasn't that savory or juicy. It was kind of bland. The meat was also thin sliced but not as tender as Pat’s.

Cheese: 7 Cheese Whiz was good, to be sure, but there was not a lot, and it did not seem to blend in with the rest of the sandwich. It just seemed to sit on top of the meat and in between the bread.

Bread: 8.5 The bread was really good. The bread was almost identical to that used at Pat's and D'Allesandro's.

Texture: 5 Biting into Geno’s reminded one of the texture of a roast beef sandwich with lots of mayonnaise.

Size: 8 Standard size.

Overall: 6 Was sad to have to give this historical site a low rating. I thought long and hard about it, but I just really couldn't think of any reason to rate it any higher. It tasted like what the sum of the three ingredients (bread, meat, and cheese) should taste like, and nothing more. There was no synergy between the ingredients to produce the magical taste I got from Pat’s where each bite was like a mini-celebration in my mouth.

I went back to the hotel with a full tummy to grab a few more hours of sleep before my next stop:

D'Allesandro's

I quietly left my girlfriend sleeping in the hotel room and hailed a cab. With directions in hand, I tried to explain to the confused cabby where I was going. He immediately called his friend on a cell phone and soon the friend pulled up and I was told to switch cabs. The new cabby was a nice Punjabi fellow named Raj and we spent the next hour together as he took me out to Roxborough, waited for me to eat, and drove me back to downtown. I just want to say that after hearing so many horror stories about the cabbies in Philly, this guy was the exact opposite. After talking about Indian cuisine at some length, he actually invited my girlfriend and me to extend our trip and have dinner with him and his family at his home that night. I truly wish we could have taken him up on it as it would have probably been the best meal we ate while down there.

Appearance: 7 Decent looking sandwich. Wasn't "glistening" with gooey goodness like Pat's.

Meat: 8 This meat was chopped, (bigger than ground but not sliced like at Pat’s and Geno’s). I think I actually prefer the meat this way as it offers a nice texture and allows the other ingredients to mix in with the meat better. The meat, however, was not quite as tasty and juicy as Pat’s, in fact it was a little bland.

Cheese: 4 Provolone, BOOO! No Whiz available here, hence the lowered rating. I don’t have a problem with Provolone per se, but I just like Whiz so much better.

Bread: 8.5 The bread was really good. The bread seemed almost identical to what I ate at Pat's and Geno's.

Texture: 6 I’ve found that Whiz acts as a catalyst bringing all the other ingredients in to perfect harmony. The lack of Whiz combined with the less juicy meat created a dry sandwich.

Size: 8 Standard size.

Overall: 8 This rating would probably go up if it had Whiz, but it still wouldn't have been as good as the Pat's I had tried earlier because the meat wasn't as juicy or savory.

Tony Luke Jr's

After getting back from Roxborough and doing a little shopping, we met some friends at Tony Luke Jr's. I can't confirm it, but I was told that the sandwiches are pretty much the same here as at the original Tony Luke's on Oregon Av. I ventured outside the scope of my test here and ordered both a cheese steak AND a Roast Pork with Broccoli Rabe and Provolone. The latter was an amazing sandwich that changed my life. I've included a pic and description as an appendix at the end of this cheese steak review. While we were waiting in line a delivery guy was picking up large order that he said he was taking to Fleetwood Mac at the airport.

Appearance: 8 Smothered in Whiz and set in a good looking French roll (doesn't come out in the photo but it was some really good looking bread)

Meat: 7 Sliced. Tasty. Not quite as juicy as I like.

Cheese: 7 Although there was plenty of Whiz, it was unevenly distributed throughout the sandwich.

Bread: 7.5 This bread looked really good. And it was good bread. But just not as good for cheese steaks (went perfectly with the roast pork though). It was a little dryer and not as soft. It did not soak up the cheese and juice as well as the other bread I had tried.

Texture: 4 The bread and uneven Whiz made this texture unappealing.

Size: 8.5 Not sure if it was an optical illusion but it seemed slightly longer than all the other hoagies, and for that it gets a slightly higher rating.

Overall: 7 A friend I was with described this as a good “mid-day sandwich” because it was mild. I agree. It was not as juicy, messy, tasty or seasoned as some of the others I had tried.

Jim's Steaks

After some more shopping and walking around (we got great weather and Philly really does have some beautiful areas), we went to Jim's. It was 4:00pm and there was a long, 20 minute line. But it was worth the wait!

Appearance: 7.5 Good looking sandwich. It looked big, juicy, and a little messy.

Meat: 9.5 The meat was very tasty, juicy, and chopped or minced, kind of like at D'Allessandro's (not sliced). This meat was at least as good as Pat’s and may have been slightly better, but I’m giving Pat’s the benefit of the doubt and rating Jim's the same.

Cheese: 8 Nice even distribution of Whiz which mixed well with the meat.

Bread: 9 This bread was same consistency as Pat's/Geno's/D'Allesandro's, but was actually a little tastier. It tasted fresher and had a little more flavor. Just like those others it had a slightly chewy crust, a soft middle, and soaked up the juices well.

Texture: 8 Good texture. You don't want the crust of the bread to be so chewy that it squashes the rest of the bread when you bite it, but you want a little resistance. This bread had that proper amount of chewiness in the crust. The chopped meat (as opposed to sliced) combined with the other ingredients to make for a nice juicy center.

Size: 8.5 Seemed a little fatter than the other sandwiches I'd tried so I’m giving it a slightly higher rating.

Overall: 9.6 This was a tough call, but in the end I decided to declare Jim’s the winner by a slight margin. To me, Jim's edges out Pat's because of the taste of the bread and the texture of the meat. Both Pat’s and Jim’s had the orange drippings factor going for them. In my opinion, this is what makes them superior cheese steaks.

Even though I had eaten 6 other subs in the last 12 hours (5 cheese steaks and the roast pork), Jim’s was so good that I ate a second one!

Additional Thoughts

Everyone has their own tastes and this has been based on mine. I like Whiz and I know many people hate this artificial cheese product. I like my sandwich a little messy (but not so messy that it falls apart in my hands). What I find juicy the next guy may find disgusting.

I think part of what makes Jim's steaks so juicy is that they add water to the meat. I know this because I saw the grill man pour a little on while he was cooking up a new batch of meat. They probably do this at Pat’s too. It might not make sense that the secret ingredient to making a cheese steak juicier is to add a little H20, but those steaks really were jucier. Maybe if D’Allessandro’s added some water and a little salt to the meat I would like it better, but they don’t.

Another thing that made Jim’s and Pat’s a cut above was the very even distribution of Whiz. It detracts from my eating pleasure if one bite is all Whiz and the next bite is dry meat.

In a perfect testing environment I would have all the sandwiches lined up fresh in front of me for comparison. Unfortunately this was impossible. It was also unfortunate that I could not try out some of the other suggested spots: Gooey Louie's, original Tony Luke’s, Steve’s Prince of Steaks, Chink’s, Chubby’s, Campo’s and countless others.

Overall, we loved Philadelphia, we will definitely be back. I would highly recommend checking out the City of Brotherly Love. Thanks much to eGulleters who helped me out, as well as my awesome Philly hosts: Casey, Al, and Jason.

Appendix: Tony Luke's Roast Pork with Broccoli Rabe and Provolone

This sophisticated sandwich really blew me away. The pork was so tender and flavorful. There was some type of garlic butter or sauce mixed in with the meat that was a totally unexpected pleasant surprise. The provolone perfectly complemented the tastes of the garlic and pork. Cheese Whiz would definitely not work here. The broccoli rabe offered texture and a bitter element that was not overpowering and worked well in this. The slightly harder French roll held the sandwich together just right and offered a good texture. A softer bread like those used in the other cheese steaks I tried would not have held up as well in this situation.

My next trip to Philly will begin and end with this sandwich!

EDITED FOR TYPOS

Edited June 15, 2004 by Richie111 (log)

[mrbigjas]

Wow! Nice job. I hope you have a visit to your cardiologist scheduled--that's one impressive eating stunt. Sorry you didn't get a chance to do the Lorenzo's/Jim's challenge...

kidding.,

Anyway, re the rolls: the traditional roll for a cheesesteak is made by a company called Amoroso's. To my knowledge, Pat's, Geno's, D'Alessandro's and Jim's all use these rolls. Tony Luke's rolls are different.

Glad you had fun, Richie111, and thanks for the report. Spread the word about the roast pork--while I am fine with Philadelphia's famed sandwich being the cheesesteak, at the same time I'd be pretty damn happy to make the roast pork nationally famous. I've been singing its praises for years.

[KatieLoeb]

Richie:

Glad you enjoyed your visit. I see that all was pretty much as predicted, and that was to be expected. And there was no doubt in my mind that the Roast Pork would be an epiphany, which is why I recommended it. That's one serious sandwich that does not get it's due compared to the more plebeian cheesesteak. But that's also OK. More for us who are in the know...

Give a shout out next time you're heading this way. You've barely scratched the surface of the multitidinous and excellent eats to be had here in the Land 'O Brotherly Sandwiches.

[SG-]

Cool Pics, glad you like Pat's version, always felt they were better than Geno's too.

[Rich Pawlak]

From one Richie to another, OUTSTANDING!

Great pics, detailed assessments, and you picked the one you liked. And best of all the Roast Pork blew everything away, as it should.

[Behemoth]

Appendix: Tony Luke's Roast Pork with Broccoli Rabe and Provolone

Shit. Do you have any idea how mean it is to post this? I am actually contemplating flight tickets now. Thanks.

Seriously though, I'm glad you like that sandwich. It is my hands down favorite, too.

[Chris Cognac]

you have made the Haj...I am in awe of you sir!..What a wonderfull post..I actually had a "cheessteak" dream last night...which I find pretty scary...I need to make the Haj soon..

[18/10]

Wonderful review

Next time you come to town, a must stop is John's Roast Pork. I have been a big fan (still am) of TLuke's and Dinic's but John's is a life altering experience. A few weeks ago I finally had a taste of their cheesesteak-which was pretty great-no whiz though.

One problem is that they are only open M-F 7AM -3pm. I have taken half days off just for this.

Holly has it on his site

http://www.hollyeats.com/JohnsPork.htm

[bobmac]

Are Philly cheese steaks always made with Cheese Whiz?

[mrbigjas]

Not necessarily. You can usually get whiz, american or provolone on them.

[rlibkind]

Great report!

Next trip, do the Roast Pork comparison: Tony Luke's (the orignal), John's and Tommy DiNic's.

Decisions, decisions, decisions.

[ahr]

What? You didn't try Steve's, on Bustleton, which handily trounced the nearby outpost of Jim's one late evening when I compared them?

[Richie111]

What? You didn't try Steve's, on Bustleton, which handily trounced the nearby outpost of Jim's one late evening when I compared them?

Couldn't fit that one in ahr! If you say it beats out Jim's I will have to compare them on my next visit!

Anyway, re the rolls:  the traditional roll for a cheesesteak is made by a company called Amoroso's.  To my knowledge, Pat's, Geno's, D'Alessandro's and Jim's all use these rolls.  Tony Luke's rolls are different.

So that's Amoroso, not Omarosa, right? YOU'RE FIRED! Haha. Seriously though, that makes a lot of sense that it's the same bread. Perhaps the difference I thought I tasted at Jim's had more to do with the freshness of the rolls (probably fresher at 3PM than at 3AM) or maybe it was completely imagined by me.

Anyways, thanks again to everyone for all your suggestions (especially for guiding me towards the Roast Pork -- I have joined your crusade to try to convert the masses!!!!). We're already looking forward to our next visit!

[herbacidal]

Tony Luke's rolls are different.

That's something I don't know anything about.

Does anybody know who they use?

I didn't think they were Sarcone's when I had a sandwich a few weeks ago.

[Mummer]

John's uses a terrific seeded roll and spinach as their greens. Mom (she's probably there; check out her wedding picture on the wall) thinks rabe is too bitter.

I made a run to Isgros's for cannoli on a recent Friday. John's had no more rolls when I arrived around 2; all that saliva for nada!

There weren't any reasonable cheater parking spots near Tony Luke's, so I ended up at the Passyunk Ave. hot dog truck - another Holly recommendation.

[herbacidal]

There weren't any reasonable cheater parking spots near Tony Luke's

Depends on how close you wanna be.

The gas station next door is one place I would consider.

I've also used the empty lot just north of that gas station.

[mrbigjas]

Tony Luke's rolls are different.

That's something I don't know anything about.

Does anybody know who they use?

I didn't think they were Sarcone's when I had a sandwich a few weeks ago.

OK I have to admit: my saying that was based on nothing more than my experience--Tony Luke's rolls are markedly different from the other four I mentioned, so I assumed they're not using Amoroso's.

And we all know what assuming does.

[Rich Pawlak]

Anyway, re the rolls: the traditional roll for a cheesesteak is made by a company called Amoroso's. To my knowledge, Pat's, Geno's, D'Alessandro's and Jim's all use these rolls. Tony Luke's rolls are different.

To my most recent knowledge, only Dalessando's and Jim's use Amoroso rolls. Geno's uses Villotti-Marinelli bakery rolls (the bakery has a differnt name now, Villotti-something), and Pat's and Tony Luke's use National bakery rolls, from Thorofare, NJ. Same rolls used by the Rocco's Hoagie places.

[Rich Pawlak]

Great report!

Next trip, do the Roast Pork comparison: Tony Luke's (the orignal), John's and Tommy DiNic's.

Decisions, decisions, decisions.

I do think that DiNic's precedes Tony Luke's by more than a few years, first at 10th & Oregon, and before that, tiny Nicolosi's off 7th St below Moore.

[Behemoth]

Tony Luke's rolls are different.

That's something I don't know anything about.

Does anybody know who they use?

I didn't think they were Sarcone's when I had a sandwich a few weeks ago.

I'm pretty sure Primo Hoagies use Sarcones rolls. So I suspect Tony Luke might also. Very distinctively crusty, that is my only complaint with Dinic's: that the rolls get too soggy.

Edit: Oops, having just seen Rich Pawlak's post, I suspect I have no idea what I'm talking about. But I do wish Dinic's would use different bread, it would really make all the difference.

Edited June 15, 2004 by Behemoth (log)

[Andrew Fenton]

I seem to remember hearing that Tony Luke's bakes their own bread. Surely that can't be right, can it?

I suppose it's a good enough excuse to head down there this weekend for some research and maybe a veal cutlet with greens...

[yellow truffle]

Richie111

Damn great report. Thanx for sharing. I enjoyed reading. Makes me want to go and have some steak (here in Chicago, we call them beef).

[Holly Moore]

Thanks and great write-up, though I'm surprised at the ratings. At least Pat's and Jims. But I've come to understand, sort of understand at least, that it is not totally, 100% imperative that everyone agrees with me.

My experience with Pat's has always been thicker and tougher meat. But I still go there once in a while to get snarled at (in a good natured South Philly sort of way) and becuase it is the first.

Jims - I rate it sort of like you rated Tony Luke's steak. If I'm on South Street and hungry, Jims will be fine.

Next time definitely do try Steve's. Also Campo's does a very good steak and uses Sarcone's bread.

Jim's #1? Pats almost #1? Go figure.

[rlibkind]

Great report!

Next trip, do the Roast Pork comparison: Tony Luke's (the orignal), John's and Tommy DiNic's.

Decisions, decisions, decisions.

I do think that DiNic's precedes Tony Luke's by more than a few years, first at 10th & Oregon, and before that, tiny Nicolosi's off 7th St below Moore.

When I said "Tony Luke's (the original)" I meant on Oregon Ave., vs. Junior's on 18th. I had no idea which was the oldest, so thanks for the info (though I do seem to recall that DiNic's is a long-time family business).

[mrbigjas]

Anyway, re the rolls:  the traditional roll for a cheesesteak is made by a company called Amoroso's.  To my knowledge, Pat's, Geno's, D'Alessandro's and Jim's all use these rolls.  Tony Luke's rolls are different.

To my most recent knowledge, only Dalessando's and Jim's use Amoroso rolls. Geno's uses Villotti-Marinelli bakery rolls (the bakery has a differnt name now, Villotti-something), and Pat's and Tony Luke's use National bakery rolls, from Thorofare, NJ. Same rolls used by the Rocco's Hoagie places.

See, what'd I say about assuming?