Finest cheesesteak?

[Kent Wang]

Thanks everyone.

I went to Jim's with the friends with whom I was staying because it was in walking distance. I was very pleased.

[philadining]

I find it's all about timing at Jim's. The lines are often ridiculously long, and the sandwiches just aren't good enough to justify a really long wait. But conversely, if there's no line at all, you can end up with dried-out meat that's been sitting on the grill too long. Something in-between, a short line, can result in a fairly tasty cheesesteak.

I had one within the last few months. I happened to be walking by, and was hungry, and noticed no line, but also, no meat on the grill. So I popped in, waited a few minutes for some steak to be cooked-up fresh for me, and had a quite delicious sandwich.

I don't love the rolls, they're a little squishy and boring, but at least they're fresh... But I think Jim's might have the best fried onions of any of the places I've been too. They sit there in a huge heap, caramelizing down to a sweet softness, usually mixed in with a few less-cooked pieces with some texture left. It gives the flavors some serious depth, so don't skip the onions.

If I had my pick of all the cheesesteak joints in the city, Jim's might not be my first choice, but it wouldn't be my last either. It's a heck of a lot easier to get to than the ones that usually top people's lists, and has later hours than many of them. And the steaks are a lot better than the average corner pizza joint or cart on the street, so if one is looking for the cheesesteak experience, and it's not practical to get to John's or Steve's or Tony Luke's or wherever, you could do worse...

[wkl]

i still maintain that talk of the town, down by the stadiums, make one of the best cheesesteaks in philly. they kind of fly under the radar, prehaps becuase of the location.

[Rich Pawlak]

And the reason I like the Grey Lodge for a cheesesteak is esoteric, but significant, I think: where else in town can you get a really good cheesesteak AND a huge selection of microbrews, on tap and in bottles. I really dont think that combination exists ANYWHERE else in the city (unless the new Memphis Taproom is serving a cheesesteak).

[Tim Dolan]

Just my quick two cents on a variety of places...

I think Jim's makes a perfectly respectable steak. Better than average, but maybe not at the tip top for most people. I like them because they are similar in style to Dalessandro's, which 3 months ago was my favorite in town. Since they were sold, not so much.

My friend drug me to the cheesesteak contest that WIP had a few weeks ago on South St., and I thought the Grey Lodge had easily the 2nd best cheesesteak there after John's. I kept going back for samples of GL's because I was surprised at how good it was, even though Rich has been boosting them for a while.

As for the White House, I was just as disappointed with their steak as I was the first time I had a steak from Geno's. Just that whole feeling of "this is was everybody raves about?" I just didn't get it.

[HD73]

Just my quick two cents on a variety of places...

I think Jim's makes a perfectly respectable steak. Better than average, but maybe not at the tip top for most people.  I like them because they are similar in style to Dalessandro's, which 3 months ago was my favorite in town. Since they were sold, not so much.

My friend drug me to the cheesesteak contest that WIP had a few weeks ago on South St., and I thought the Grey Lodge had easily the 2nd best cheesesteak there after John's.  I kept going back for samples of GL's because I was surprised at how good it was, even though Rich has been boosting them for a while.

As for the White House, I was just as disappointed with their steak as I was the first time I had a steak from Geno's.  Just that whole feeling of "this is was everybody raves about?"  I just didn't get it.

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I'm with you on the White House Cheesesteak. Their Italian and Meatball Hoagies are fantastic, but the cheesesteak really didn't do anything for me. It wasn't bad, but it certainly wasn't in the same league as 1) the White House's other sandwiches; or 2) the top 5 or 10 places in Philly.

[MarketStEl]

And the reason I like the Grey Lodge for a cheesesteak is esoteric, but significant, I think:  where else in  town can you get a really good cheesesteak AND a huge selection of microbrews, on tap and in bottles.  I really dont think that combination exists ANYWHERE else in the city (unless the new Memphis Taproom is serving a cheesesteak).

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They aren't, but if you'd like a report on what they are serving, I might be able to oblige, as this month's Phillyblog Happy Hour is taking place there tonight.

(You can't read about it on Phillyblog at the time of this posting, as their server melted down. The site's been getting very heavy traffic.)

[abooja]

I just visited the Grey Lodge for the first time ever this afternoon. Had a cheese steak, fries and a coke, not a microbrew. Pretty good, though the sandwich was extremely light on steak, maybe five very thin slices approximately 3" x 2" each. Lots of white cheese sauce and a big roll. I guess they call them hoagies in Philly? Where I'm from, we call them heros. Anyway, we were pretty pleased, even without the beer. It's bad enough we were eating cheese steaks and fries after DH's visit to the cardiologist.

Too bad Weiss's kosher bakery wasn't open. Very disappointing.

[rlibkind]

Too bad Weiss's kosher bakery wasn't open.  Very disappointing.

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Yeah! I stopped by there late this afternoon on the way back from Bell's Market to see they're only open now on Thursdays and Fridays (presumably, that's just for the summer).

[philadining]

The Inky's Food and Drinq blog reports that Esquire magazine names Pat's as one of the best steaks in the country.

It's kind of a funny concept: they include lots of expressions of things called steaks, not just typical steakhouse meals. By that criteria, including a cheesesteak makes sense. But the way it's written, I have to wonder if they actually ate one, or were just amused by the concept. The final line is "Get the second one to go."

Yeah... I'll bet that second Pat's cheesesteak was deeeelicious a few hours later...

Also, FWIW, I managed to grab a steak from Talk of the Town last weekend. Thanks for the reminders, Phungi and Bill, I thought it was very good. Didn't displace John's Roast Pork in my personal rankings, but it had the distinct advantage of being open.

Edited August 8, 2008 by philadining (log)