Philly Cheese Steak Adventure

[NulloModo]

Regarding Primos:

I have never been to one of the Philly locations, but I did get a sub from the one that opened on Main Street in Newark, DE a little over a year ago (summer before last I think). The selections are pretty expansive, and honestly, I can't remember what I ordered other than it not being that stellar. The meat was good, and in good quanitity, but the bread was dry, the flavorings were weak, and while I wasn't ready to trash it, it wasn't enough to bring me back to the place.

When put up against Capriotti's, who IMO makes the best subs anywhere, DE, Philly, NJ, wherever, there is just no comparison, Capriotti's obliterates them.

Capriotti's also has the benefit of baking all of their bread on premisis, so it is always fresh. Although this is a disadvantage if you go late in the day: you are limited in your sub size choices to the size of rolls they have left. Some busier days they have to close early because they run out of bread. Still though, if you like good sandwiches, you really need to check one out. The Capastrami is a personal favorite of mine.

[Rich Pawlak]

Regarding Primos:

I have never been to one of the Philly locations, but I did get a sub from the one that opened on Main Street in Newark, DE a little over a year ago (summer before last I think).  The selections are pretty expansive, and honestly, I can't remember what I ordered other than it not being that stellar.  The meat was good, and in good quanitity, but the bread was dry, the flavorings were weak, and while I wasn't ready to trash it, it wasn't enough to bring me back to the place.

When put up against Capriotti's, who IMO makes the best subs anywhere, DE, Philly, NJ, wherever, there is just no comparison, Capriotti's obliterates them.

Capriotti's also has the benefit of baking all of their bread on premisis, so it is always fresh.  Although this is a disadvantage if you go late in the day: you are limited in your sub size choices to the size of rolls they have left.  Some busier days they have to close early because they run out of bread.  Still though, if you like good sandwiches, you really need to check one out.  The Capastrami is a personal favorite of mine.

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Could you trouble yourself to tell us where this Capriotti's place is?

[NulloModo]

Rich -

There are locations all over Northern DE, as well as other random places across the country (the chain started in New Castle County, DE). The one I usually go to is the Newark, DE location in Newark Shopping Center, but here is a full list:

http://www.capriottis.com/images/newmenu.htm

They also have a menu on the website. My personal favs are the Capastrami, the Bobbie, and the Slaw-B-Joe.

[mrbigjas]

New best of came out last week, winner was Cosmi's Deli on S. 8th St.

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yoinking this thread back to the top for a second--i was down in south philly before the game yesterday and feeling all kindsa local, what with the eagles in the super bowl and all, and i was driving down dickinson and there was cosmi's. so i said to the mrs, "let's get a cheesesteak, because even though i think philadelphia magazine's best of is kinda ridiculous and pointless, for some reason i know that this was best of philly for '04."

so we did (american, with), and a pretzel too. and i must say this was a damn good cheesesteak. more chopped up than geno's, but not as much as d'alessandros. and it had the singular advantage that i think a general deli might have over a steak-only place, and especially on a sunday afternoon: since it's not planning on serving hundreds of cheesesteaks at any given moment, the meat is actually on the griddle, frying in its own fat, rather than being pulled out of a pile of meat sitting over on side where it's been steaming for a while. excellent stuff.

so i got home and decided to take a look on their website and see what they'd said about it. and... there's no best of philly cheesesteak on there. googling the site with 'cosmi' or 'cosmi's' doesn't turn up anything. i mean, the list is here:

http://www.phillymag.com/bestof/

am i crazy?

anyway, yeah, so the verdict is: damn good stuff. give it a try and see if i'm wrong.

[MarketStEl]

so i got home and decided to take a look on their website and see what they'd said about it.  and... there's no best of philly cheesesteak on there. googling the site with 'cosmi' or 'cosmi's' doesn't turn up anything.  i mean, the list is here: 

http://www.phillymag.com/bestof/

am i crazy?

anyway, yeah, so the verdict is: damn good stuff.  give it a try and see if i'm wrong.

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I've tried it--this past fall, just after the Best Of... issue hit the stands--and it is damn good stuff. About the only thing I could wish for is sharp Provolone in addition to American cheese.

The reason you don't see it in the online Best Of... section is that the cheesesteak award was bestowed as the result of a competition, the details of which were given in a two-page sidebar. Steaks were rated from no clogged arteries to five. Cosmi's was the only five-clogged-artery establishment; Tony Luke's received four, Pat's three and a half, Jim's three and Geno's two.

[rockhopper]

And now that you mention it...I've this vague recollection that the manager at the Walnut Street Planet Hoagie told me their rolls came from Sarcone's as well.

They definitely deserve their Best of Philly award.  But they're still the only hoagie shop I've run across in the area that uses Hatfield as their meat supplier. 

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I have to respectfully disagree. I think their hoagies are just ok. Same ballpark as Wawa. Maybe I got the "just as good as Sarcone's bread" (yeah right). I also think Hatfield meats aren't as good as D&W. On top of that there are the insulting names for some of the sandwiches.

I wouldn't put much cred into Philadelphia magazine's "best of" either.

[NulloModo]

I have to respectfully disagree. I think their hoagies are just ok. Same ballpark as Wawa. Maybe I got the "just as good as Sarcone's bread" (yeah right). I also think Hatfield meats aren't as good as D&W. On top of that there are the insulting names for some of the sandwiches.

I wouldn't put much cred into Philadelphia magazine's "best of" either.

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Insulting names for sandwhiches? Like what?

[Buckethead]

And now that you mention it...I've this vague recollection that the manager at the Walnut Street Planet Hoagie told me their rolls came from Sarcone's as well.

They definitely deserve their Best of Philly award.  But they're still the only hoagie shop I've run across in the area that uses Hatfield as their meat supplier. 

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I have to respectfully disagree. I think their hoagies are just ok. Same ballpark as Wawa. Maybe I got the "just as good as Sarcone's bread" (yeah right). I also think Hatfield meats aren't as good as D&W. On top of that there are the insulting names for some of the sandwiches.

I wouldn't put much cred into Philadelphia magazine's "best of" either.

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I have to respectfully agree with your respectful disagreement. Planet Hoagie is doing their best to imitate Primo Hoagies, even down to the stereotypical mob-related sandwich names, and they fail miserably. They also failed to get my order right on the two visits I've had there: the first time I ordered a dry hoagie, it came with oil. The second time I ordered one without red peppers, it came with them. There won't be a third time.

Primo's makes the best hoagies I've had in the city, but I have noticed that the sandwiches at their Ritner St. location are better than the ones at their Chestnut St. shop.

[Andrew Fenton]

I've gotta agree with the Planet Hoagie underwhelmingment. I checked them out a couple of weeks ago, and found the hoagies to be okay, but nothing special. Since there are so many hoagies in Philadelphia, I tend to rate them based on how far I'd travel for one. Top of the list are Chickie's and Sarcone's-- those are worth a visit to the city. Primo's, I'd go a few blocks out of my way. Planet Hoagie would be fine if I was hungry, and was in the neighborhood. But they're not worth a special trip.

[phungi]

The Atlantic City/Jersey Shore sandwich appears to have been left out of this thread. I'm not sure if it is the mineral content in the water, but AC rolls are unlike any other place. It is worth the 60-minute ride to Ventnor to Sacko's Subs (www.sackosubs.com). The cheesesteak is average, but highly improved on the roll, but their chicken cheesesteak is a thin chicken breast grilled to perfection... have it with lettuce, tomato and hot peppers. As for hoagies, the Sacko special is excellent, the tuna is white albacore, all on that roll I can't stop talking about. Also one of the best meatball sandwiches I've ever had.

Edited March 9, 2005 by phungi (log)

[jmbrightman]

Sacko's is a great choice downashore. The special is an Italian hoagie w/ extra meat and cheese, and is a bit too much for my taste. I prefer the regular Italian. For a great hoagie in S. Jersey, try Lou and Ann's deli on Rt. 70 in Cherry Hill. Great bread from a small Camden bakery, meats sliced to order, and only $4.50.

[jmbrightman]

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.

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Kinda strange. yesterday, I was having a discussion with a friend about Tony Luke's rolls, so I called and was told they use National Bakery rolls, have them delivered frozen, then bake on premises. Today, I had lunch at Tony Luke's (pork w/ sharp and hots, gut the roll, side of wings). As we were leaving I saw a giant Liscio's Bakery truck unloading into the restaurant. whichever they use, it is good bread. The terrific P & S deli at 17th and Oregon also uses Liscio's.

[MarketStEl]

I've gotta agree with the Planet Hoagie underwhelmingment.  I checked them out a couple of weeks ago, and found the hoagies to be okay, but nothing special.  Since there are so many hoagies in Philadelphia, I tend to rate them based on how far I'd travel for one.  Top of the list are Chickie's and Sarcone's-- those are worth a visit to the city.  Primo's, I'd go a few blocks out of my way.  Planet Hoagie would be fine if I was hungry, and was in the neighborhood.  But they're not worth a special trip.

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Well, since it seems I'm about the only person on this board who thinks Planet Hoagie really was all that--but then again, I think Hatfield kielbasa is better than the national brand most supermarkets carry, it seems, exclusively--you may wish to discount this suggestion 20%, but:

Maybe you might also want to check out Merlino's at 15th and Ellsworth. They're only open during the daytime; like a number of other good hoagie shops, they close when they run out of bread or at 4:30 pm, whichever is later. Their hoagies are ample, well-constructed and tasty; the hoagie rolls are unusually light and airy. Meats are Dietz & Watson.

[john b]

Sacko's is a great choice downashore.  The special is an Italian hoagie w/ extra meat and cheese, and is a bit too  much for my taste.  I prefer the regular Italian.  For a great hoagie in S. Jersey, try Lou and Ann's deli on Rt. 70 in Cherry Hill.  Great bread from a small Camden bakery, meats sliced to order, and only $4.50.

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Lou and Ann's is right down the street from my office, and I've never been there. I will have to check it out. Do they use Erlton Bakery bread, or is there another Camden bakery?

[phungi]

speaking of rolls, I called Sacko's and White House to get a near-definitive answer to what makes the Atlantic City roll so unique. Unfortunately, all I got was "it's the water" (spoken: "wooter'), but no-one could tell me exactly what is in the water to make the rolls so good. I asked both "if I brought a few gallons of AC water to the mid-West and made bread, would it be AC bread"? I received one "you got me" and one hang-up.

[deprofundis]

Just had a Tony Luke's cheesesteak for the first time (usually get the roast pork!). I must say it was an excellent steak, HOWEVER I have to deduct a couple points for the cheese! I ordered a "wiz with", which is what I pretty much always get. I am 99% certain that Tony Luke's does not use real Cheese Whiz®. Whatever they used tasted like a cheap imitation and lacked the cheesy gooey goodness of the real stuff. It was kind of like that bland stuff they give you when you order nachos at the movie theater. booo. I advise people going to Tony Luke's to stick with american if they order the cheesesteak. Anyone else have a similar experience?

[Andrew Fenton]

I usually get the sharp provolone there, 'cuz there aren't many places that will do that. Seems weird that they'd use a cheap whiz substitute (because what? Cheez Whiz is more precious than rubies?) but also have expensive aged cheese.

[deprofundis]

I usually get the sharp provolone there, 'cuz there aren't many places that will do that.  Seems weird that they'd use a cheap whiz substitute (because what?  Cheez Whiz is more precious than rubies?) but also have expensive aged cheese.

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I can't prove it but it didn't taste like cheese whiz to me... Cheese whiz isn't that cheap either... you can save a lot of money using the imitation stuff. But otherwise they do make an excellent steak. I have to try it with american.

[deprofundis]

I've been eating a lot of cheesesteaks lately, and I think I've pretty much hit all of the key places (with the exception of Chink's). I've had the steaks at Pat's, Geno's, Jim's, Steve's, Dalessandro's, John's, Shank's, Tony Luke's, the White House (AC), and Donkey's (Camden). My favorite steak? I have to concur with LaBan: it's John's! The only critique I have about John's is that I think they use a little too much cheese. I think cheese should be an accessory (sort of like ketchup), not a main ingredient. Not just on steaks but on pizza, too. John's was heavy on the cheese, but otherwise an amazing sandwich. The worst offenders of over-cheesing were John's, the White House, and Shank's. Anyway, my second favorite was Geno's, followed by I think Donkey's. You really can't go wrong at any of these places though. I also sampled John's roast pork sandwich with spinach and provolone. An excellent sandwich, but I definitely give Tony Luke's the edge on the pork sandwich. I haven't tried DiNic's in the RTM.

PS - the White House makes an amazing cheeseburger, but it's a little greasy. ;-)

Edited March 19, 2005 by deprofundis (log)

[Holly Moore]

I've been eating a lot of cheesesteaks lately, and I think I've pretty much hit all of the key places (with the exception of Chink's).  I've had the steaks at Pat's, Geno's, Jim's, Steve's, Dalessandro's, John's, Shank's, Tony Luke's, the White House (AC), and Donkey's (Camden).  My favorite steak?  I have to concur with LaBan: it's John's!  The only critique I have about John's is that I think they use a little too much cheese.  I think cheese should be an accessory (sort of like ketchup), not a main ingredient.  Not just on steaks but on pizza, too.  John's was heavy on the cheese, but otherwise an amazing sandwich.  The worst offenders of over-cheesing were John's, the White House, and Shank's.  Anyway, my second favorite was Geno's, followed by I think Donkey's.  You really can't go wrong at any of these places though.  I also sampled John's roast pork sandwich with spinach and provolone.  An excellent sandwich, but I definitely give Tony Luke's the edge on the pork sandwich.  I haven't tried DiNic's in the RTM.

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My problem with John's is way too much cheese. Throws off the balance of the sandwich. Good sandwich though. I rank Steve's No. 1. No. 2 is a tie between White House, Delessandro's and Silvio's out in Hatfield.

PS - the White House makes an amazing cheeseburger, but it's a little greasy. ;-)

Just a little greasy. That is too bad. White House must have been off their game. Usually White House does not hold back when it comes to grease.

[Rich Pawlak]

I've been eating a lot of cheesesteaks lately, and I think I've pretty much hit all of the key places (with the exception of Chink's).  I've had the steaks at Pat's, Geno's, Jim's, Steve's, Dalessandro's, John's, Shank's, Tony Luke's, the White House (AC), and Donkey's (Camden).  My favorite steak?  I have to concur with LaBan: it's John's!  The only critique I have about John's is that I think they use a little too much cheese.  I think cheese should be an accessory (sort of like ketchup), not a main ingredient.  Not just on steaks but on pizza, too.  John's was heavy on the cheese, but otherwise an amazing sandwich.  The worst offenders of over-cheesing were John's, the White House, and Shank's.  Anyway, my second favorite was Geno's, followed by I think Donkey's.  You really can't go wrong at any of these places though.  I also sampled John's roast pork sandwich with spinach and provolone.  An excellent sandwich, but I definitely give Tony Luke's the edge on the pork sandwich.  I haven't tried DiNic's in the RTM.

PS - the White House makes an amazing cheeseburger, but it's a little greasy. ;-)

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I respectfully submit a new entry in the sweepstakes: the top sirloin cheesesteak at the Grey Lodge Kitchen, 6235 Frankford Ave. As good a chessesteak as I have ever had anywhere. Beefy, full of flavor and generous, with nicely sauteed onions if you ask for them. A very strong contender for best in the city.

[KatieLoeb]

I've been eating a lot of cheesesteaks lately, and I think I've pretty much hit all of the key places (with the exception of Chink's).  I've had the steaks at Pat's, Geno's, Jim's, Steve's, Dalessandro's, John's, Shank's, Tony Luke's, the White House (AC), and Donkey's (Camden).  My favorite steak?  I have to concur with LaBan: it's John's!  The only critique I have about John's is that I think they use a little too much cheese.  I think cheese should be an accessory (sort of like ketchup), not a main ingredient.  Not just on steaks but on pizza, too.  John's was heavy on the cheese, but otherwise an amazing sandwich.  The worst offenders of over-cheesing were John's, the White House, and Shank's.  Anyway, my second favorite was Geno's, followed by I think Donkey's.  You really can't go wrong at any of these places though.  I also sampled John's roast pork sandwich with spinach and provolone.  An excellent sandwich, but I definitely give Tony Luke's the edge on the pork sandwich.  I haven't tried DiNic's in the RTM.

PS - the White House makes an amazing cheeseburger, but it's a little greasy. ;-)

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I respectfully submit a new entry in the sweepstakes: the top sirloin cheesesteak at the Grey Lodge Kitchen, 6235 Frankford Ave. As good a chessesteak as I have ever had anywhere. Beefy, full of flavor and generous, with nicely sauteed onions if you ask for them. A very strong contender for best in the city.

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I'll second that. One of the best I've had. And I'm not a big cheesesteak fan, as I've made no secret of in the past. But this was a sandwich I'd order again. For myself. Really beefy and much more "steak-like" than most of its genre.

[Tim Dolan]

I had the good fortune of being able to hit 3 cheesesteakeries since Thursday. Thurs night I hit Geno's. American pizza wit out. Very good. I was kind of getting down on Geno's because the past few times I've been there I've gotten a dead average steak. I can't exactly say why it was as good as it was (no, it wasn't 3am and I wasn't drunk) but it was. It made me remember that Geno's is supposed to be one of the better cheesesteak makers in the area. Using Holly's grease stain system, I'll give it a 4 out of 5. Friday night I was with a different group of friends who wanted to do the Pat's/Geno's thing, so naturally I hit Pat's. This was by far the biggest disappointment out of the three. Again I ordered an American pizza wit out. On this night it did happen to be about 4 in the AM and I was slightly drunk, all the which should've made me not care as much about the cheesesteak that I was about to inhale, but this steak was bad. First off the steak was much smaller than they usually give out. There wasn't really a line so maybe the guy behind the counter was tired and didn't care, but I definitely got the short end of the roll. Next, the meat tasted like it had been sitting on the grill for maybe a day or two. You would think that this would be impossible given the turnover rate down there and that the meat couldn't possibly be on the grill that long, but it is. I'll give it a 2 out of 5. I would give it a 1 but I did eat the entire thing and it wasn't the worst I've ever had. Very dissappointing though. On a side note, I also ordered cheese fries from both places, and Geno's wins that fight every time. Not once have I got cheese fries from Pat's and thought "man, they're really better than Geno's." I have done that with their steaks. Certainly not this weekend however. My third cheesesteak of the weekend came from Dalessandro's. This was far and away the best cheesesteak of the weekend. Now I will admit that I am biased because I have lived in Roxborough for the past 20 and I'm only 24. I should also state that I have a cheesesteak from Deli's (as it's known to us locals) roughly once a week. But the steak I got from there yesterday was killer. It was easily the size of my forearm, packed with meat that was cooked just right. I live close enough to Deli's that I had my steak home and unwrapped before the roll could get soggy. A soggy roll counts for major points off, but that just didn't happen yesterday. The cheese was melted perfectly and was piping hot throughout the steak. I sat down yesterday afternoon and had my steak with a little bit and salt and pepper, a little bit of ketchup, a nice pint of Guiness in a chilled pint glass, and watched some college basketball. Honestly if I would've died right after that I would've died a happy man and like I said I'm only 24. Dalessandro's wins hands down with a 5 out of 5. I haven't been able to try John's yet but I can't wait cause they might be the only place around that can give Deli's a run for their money. The problem is the my day job out in the 'burbs will keep me from getting to John's anytime soon. I think I'll try and hit there when I take a personal day for the Phils' home opener. Anyway, there are the results from my recent cheesesteak weekend binge. Enjoy!

[deprofundis]

I haven't been able to try John's yet but I can't wait cause they might be the only place around that can give Deli's a run for their money. The problem is the my day job out in the 'burbs will keep me from getting to John's anytime soon. I think I'll try and hit there when I take a personal day for the Phils' home opener. Anyway, there are the results from my recent cheesesteak weekend binge. Enjoy!

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John's is open Saturdays now til 3pm! If you go you might want to try asking them to go a little lighter on the cheese. But trust me, they make an awesome cheesesteak.

[silentbob]

I'm driving through Philadelphia on my way to NYC today. In terms of convenience, Tony Luke's is closest to I-95, right (is there an Oregon Avenue exit)? If so, what's the street parking situation like around there?

Thanks in advance.