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Hoagies, Cheesesteaks, Pork Italiano


KatieLoeb

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The last remaining brother is running the joint now, I read a while back.

I think he's a doctor, isn't he? I doubt he's in there making sandwiches... Or, if the guy that seemed to be in charge is a Koch, he's not quite Kochy in the way we're used to Koch's Koches being... he barely said a word, what he did say was really quiet...

Nonetheless, the place is still a treasure. Go get a sandwich.

"Philadelphia’s premier soup dumpling blogger" - Foobooz

philadining.com

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And that reminds me: I stopped by Johnny's Hots on Delaware Ave. a few weeks back, and sated my hot dog, pepper hash and Philly Surf & Turf jones (and introduced my friend, the Angry Dwarf, to these aforementioned delicacies), but couldn't resist ordering up a hot roast beef sandwich, about which the owner so proudly and lovingly described its preparation to Holly and me a while back. Seems he orders a roast from a hanging side of beef at George Wells Meats a few blocks down the street, and then roasts it seasoned with herbs, olive oil and garlic.

It is one of the best beef sammies I've ever had. This guy is one fanatical perfectionist and it shows. I ordered mine "wet" with some sharp provalone atop. Sheer beef bliss on a flawless roll.

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Rich Pawlak

 

Reporter, The Trentonian

Feature Writer, INSIDE Magazine
Food Writer At Large

MY BLOG: THE OMNIVORE

"In Cerveza et Pizza Veritas"

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  • 3 weeks later...

Resisted the siren call of the roast pork, and finally got a cheesesteak at John's Roast Pork.

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Sharp/with....

holy crap, that was a good sandwich! I happen to like that chopped-up style, and the meat was cooked just right, they've got good cheese (the sharp provolone rocks!) and that roll... the roll is just fantastic. Great balance overall.

Interestingly, one of the least greasy/sloppy steaks I've had, I always thought oily messiness correlated directly with goodness, but apparently not!

"Philadelphia’s premier soup dumpling blogger" - Foobooz

philadining.com

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  • 2 weeks later...

Went to the Bustleton Avenue Steve's with my son last night. It's his favorite steak place, in part because it's quicker than South Philly from Lower Merion.

I had a cheeze wit', he had a mushroom, provolone wit'. It was still light outside and they were busy, but not so busy that we couldn't sit together at the counter sharing spicy fries and talkin' baseball while we waited. (Utley's the man. Abreu will put the $$$Yankees$$$ over the top - damn, damn, damn!)

You can get the picture from the Holly's page.

The thing that's striking to me about Steve's is the long, lean look. These aren't fat sammies, but so what? The grilled meat isn't chopped, so each piece becomes a little bowl for its liquor as it's cooked. When it's finished with spoonful of precooked onions and a ladle of Whiz, it's damn good eatin'.

Holly said, "...as good as any in Philadelphia." and eso es bueno con mí.

Charlie, the Main Line Mummer

We must eat; we should eat well.

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Aw, shoot!

Wasn't thinking last Saturday when I stopped into Ricci's for an old fashioned Italian hoagie.

I think that was the sandwich that was compared to a muffaletta on another thread. If it wasn't, it was damn good anyway.

Thick chunks of fresh mozzarella, prosciutto, sopressata, roasted peppers, plus the other accoutrements.

The mozz slid out from in between the meats a little too easily, but otherwise, this was a wonderful sandwich. I got a late lunch Saturday (followed by cheesesteaks at Steve's that night!) and lunch Monday out of it.

Equally mind-blowing IMO was the menu from 1954 on the front wall of the place. 75c bought a lot in those days! Of course, back then, $10,000 a year also put you on Easy Street or pretty close to it.

Sandy Smith, Exile on Oxford Circle, Philadelphia

"95% of success in life is showing up." --Woody Allen

My foodblogs: 1 | 2 | 3

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  • 3 weeks later...

actually sandy, the hoagie from ricci's that was compared to the muffaletta was their antipasto hoagie, not the regular italian. good stuff, that. it's a good shop.

anyway, i was out and about today, and because of various circumstances it was about 2:30 and i hadn't had lunch yet. so here's a shot from the brank-spankin-new moe's cafe, a hot dog place on the corner of gray's ferry and washington:

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pardon the crappy cameraphone pic.

that right there is a hotdog/fishcake combo on the passenger seat. good stuff! the sign outside says dietz & watson all-beef franks. quite delicious in every way, and it'll only run you $3.50 or so.

(yes, that's ketchup on it. i don't believe in putting ketchup on hot dogs, but i do believe in putting it on fishcakes. fishcakes win out in this case).

of course there's one problem, which either holly or rich has noted about johnny's hots before: the dog is too damn big. this one is even bigger than johnny's--it's a big ol' quarter pounder; the combo, as perfected by levis, calls for a little bitty dog. it's all about proportions, you know. the hot dog kept wanting to leap out of the bun. next time i go back, i'm going to recommend that they stock a small dog.

but here's another key: see that soda behind it? that's a MF'in champ cherry! wooooo!

anyway, the place is open weekdays only. they say they may open for saturday lunch next month. the people are super nice, the place is spotlessly clean, and i'll be back soon.

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As I find myself in Bristol a lot this summer co-ordinating group tours and special events on the Riverboat Queen of Bristol, I lucked out big time last Saturday night. I put together a blues cruise and catered it with 2 foot long Italian hoagies from Mazzanti's market in town.

Folks, if you are within 20 minutes from Bristol in Bucks County and it's close to meal time, get to this joint. It's located in a residential block on 320 Lincoln Avenue in Bristol (215 788-2218)

They make a special 2 foot long Italian hoagie with cappicola, imported proscuitto, extra sharp provolone, fresh local tomato, a dash of pepper and a little oil and vinegar, all on top of a freshly baked 2 foot long seeded roll from Italian People's bakery out of Trenton, NJ. Just the right amount of everything on this sandwich.

What I like best is no lettuce and absolutely no mayonaise, they won't do it..they say go to Wawa for that. They also don't put onions on the hoagie which I kinda miss but in deference to Mario's mother who doesn't like the smell-no onion!

I bought 10 of these hoagies and had them cut up for the blues cruise-they went in minutes!

PS: They were voted "Best Find" a few months ago in the Inquirer.

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Just some more pork porn, courtesy of Tony Luke's

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Hey, anybody know if they'd care if you brought beer to Tony Luke's? I'm thinking to avoid the rowdiness, they might prefer not, but sometimes a beer is required with a nice pork sandwich. Almost went to the Tap...

"Philadelphia’s premier soup dumpling blogger" - Foobooz

philadining.com

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Just some more pork porn, courtesy of Tony Luke's

gallery_23992_2151_76989.jpg

gallery_23992_2151_208993.jpg

Hey, anybody know if they'd care if you brought beer to Tony Luke's?  I'm thinking to avoid the rowdiness, they might prefer not, but sometimes a beer is required with a nice pork sandwich.  Almost went to the Tap...

you can go to tony luke's beef and beer across the street, basically the same menu, with tv and beer added.

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The new issue of Philly Mag has a great article penned by Maria Gallagher, ranking 10 of the best Pork Italiano places. Of course, DiNic's gets her top ranking. And some of the places noted are completely new to me! She did leave off a deli in Conshohocken, on Fayette St., whose name escapes me, whose roast pork sammies I used to enjoy frequently, but the list and her commentary is pretty thorough and mouth-watering.

Rich Pawlak

 

Reporter, The Trentonian

Feature Writer, INSIDE Magazine
Food Writer At Large

MY BLOG: THE OMNIVORE

"In Cerveza et Pizza Veritas"

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The new issue of Philly Mag has a great article penned by Maria Gallagher, ranking 10 of the best Pork Italiano places.    Of course, DiNic's gets her top ranking.  And some of the places noted are completely new to me!  She did leave off a deli in Conshohocken, on Fayette St., whose name escapes me, whose roast pork sammies I used to enjoy frequently, but the list and her commentary is pretty thorough and mouth-watering.

And she mentioned that Chickie's has a roast pork sandwich, something I've managed to miss in years of eating there.

(Of course, she also said it wasn't very good; so I guess I'll stick to the hoagies.)

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And she mentioned that Chickie's has a roast pork sandwich, something I've managed to miss in years of eating there.

(Of course, she also said it wasn't very good; so I guess I'll stick to the hoagies.)

i've had a roast pork hoagie from chickie's in the past, and it was delicious. that's right, deeelicious.

wasn't a hot roast pork italian though.

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I noticed this article in today's Daily Pennsylvanian.

Cursed? Third eatery in three years opens in Spruce space. Savory replaces Tony Luke's, which failed to meet projected revenue rates last year

Tony Luke’s “wasn’t meeting our forecasts,” (Aramark district manager John) Cipollini said. “Tony Luke’s proved to be very popular with the general street, especially the construction workers, but not a lot of dinning dollars were being spent.”

However, he added that Aramark conducted research to determine the type of restaurant that would appeal to Penn students before selecting Savory, which is an offshoot of the most popular food station at Houston Market.

Contrary to Cippollini, Tony Luke, who owned and operated the restaurant which bears his name, said that the decision to close was due to disagreement within the management but would not elaborate on what that disagreement was, citing “legal restrictions.”

Hmmm. Can anyone shed light on this?

Karen C.

"Oh, suddenly life’s fun, suddenly there’s a reason to get up in the morning – it’s called bacon!" - Sookie St. James

Travelogue: Ten days in Tuscany

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Dunno about Tony Luke's vs. Aramark, but I read the DP article and concluded that I've never been, and hope I'll never be, so hungry I'd eat a vegan hot dog.

Charlie, the Main Line Mummer

We must eat; we should eat well.

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Naw, you're not trying to tell me that the Tony Luke I know would put vegan anything on his menu.

OK, took time to read the article. The place taking over is the one serving vegan dogs. That's a travesty, but more believable than Tony Luke doing so. More like the reasoning of a corporate "empty suit."

Edited by Holly Moore (log)

Holly Moore

"I eat, therefore I am."

HollyEats.Com

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I noticed this article in today's Daily Pennsylvanian.

Cursed? Third eatery in three years opens in Spruce space.  Savory replaces Tony Luke's, which failed to meet projected revenue rates last year

Tony Luke’s “wasn’t meeting our forecasts,” (Aramark district manager John) Cipollini said. “Tony Luke’s proved to be very popular with the general street, especially the construction workers, but not a lot of dinning dollars were being spent.”[...]

Contrary to Cippollini, Tony Luke, who owned and operated the restaurant which bears his name, said that the decision to close was due to disagreement within the management but would not elaborate on what that disagreement was, citing “legal restrictions.”

Hmmm. Can anyone shed light on this?

I doubt I can shed real light on this, but as a former Penn employee and someone who is pretty familiar with Aramark dining operations (and smoked gouda cheese) by now, I can offer an interpretation of the text.

Since the space is managed by Aramark, it is technically part of the campus dining services. You will note from the article that students can use their flex dining credits to eat there.

Aramark's main concern with the space is to maximize the amount of student dining revenue it receives. Anything aside from that is gravy, and probably goes to the contractor anyway (depending on how the agreement is structured; it could be some other arrangement, but I will wager that it's probably pretty much like a standard commercial lease except that the tenant also agrees to accept Dining Dollars as payment).

It seems to me that Tony Luke and John Cipollini were referring to the same problem in their comments. Tony Luke could have been making out like a bandit in that space--and judging from Cipollini's comment about the street business it got, he was--but if the students weren't coming in, Aramark wasn't getting what it wanted out of the deal. So sayonara, Tony, it's been nice knowin' ya.

Sandy Smith, Exile on Oxford Circle, Philadelphia

"95% of success in life is showing up." --Woody Allen

My foodblogs: 1 | 2 | 3

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  • 2 weeks later...

On my way back from an errand in South Philly today, I found myself hungry and driving right by Sarcone's Deli. Here's what I got:

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A small Sarcone's Roasted Turkey Special. Roast Turkey, sharp Provolone, roasted red pepper spread and sauteed spinach. Very tasty.

My cats were screaming at my feet because the turkey smelled so good. They all got a little bite too. :smile:

Katie M. Loeb
Booze Muse, Spiritual Advisor

Author: Shake, Stir, Pour:Fresh Homegrown Cocktails

Cheers!
Bartendrix,Intoxicologist, Beverage Consultant, Philadelphia, PA
Captain Liberty of the Good Varietals, Aphrodite of Alcohol

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Ooooh, that looks good. What/Who's roll does Sarcone's use? How about Tony Lukes?

I ask because it's a common misunderstanding outside of Philly, that ALL hoagies and cheesesteaks/RPI's are made with Amorosso's rolls.

Thanks!

Edited by monavano (log)
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Ooooh, that looks good. What/Who's roll does Sarcone's use? How about Tony Lukes?

dude, it's sarcone's! ain't no better hoagie rolle available than their own!

Ah, not a dude and didn't realize they made thier own. But, thanks for the info.

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Ooooh, that looks good. What/Who's roll does Sarcone's use? How about Tony Lukes?

dude, it's sarcone's! ain't no better hoagie rolle available than their own!

actually, if you want to be finicky, you could point out that the bread (used for the medium or, I presume, large hoagies) is way way better than the rolls (used for the small). Which is why I always get the medium. It's totally not because I'm a pig.

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Thanks for the replies. The bread is so important and it makes recreating a cheesesteak outside of Philly so tough.

I forgot to add DiNic's: what bread do they use? I did ask on a recent visit, but forgot. It was one I hadn't heard of before. The Dinic gal said that Amoroso is too soft, and the the RPI needed a roll with more heft to stand up to the jus of the pork (excuse me for a sec, gotta wipe the drool from my mouth)

OK, I'm back....

Backstory to this is the food editor for the Washingtonian mag recently visited Philly and found a cheesesteak in the Rittenhouse area, Tony Jr's, which he proclaimed "the best" . He has the impression ,and relayed this misinformation, that Amorosso is the be-all-end-all roll of Philly. I know this ain't so, but wanted some specifics to set the record straight.

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My ass + that stool= complete bliss in 3 weeks :smile:

Edited by monavano (log)
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I forgot to add DiNic's: what bread do they use? I did ask on a recent visit, but forgot. It was one I hadn't heard of before.

i think i've seen boxes from liscio's there. in fact last time i was there, i specifically took note, but now i'm suddenly unsure of my memory. does that spark yours?

My ass + that stool= complete bliss in 3 weeks :smile:

right with ya there.

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