[QUOTE=DrDeth]
That’s nice. But it’s hardly proof he thought of the first steak sandwich. In fact, since the Earl of Sandwich (and likely before) there’s been steak sandwiches.
[/QUOTE]
Pat Olivieri didn’t invent the steak sandwich. Period.
He almost certainly didn’t invent the cheesesteak sandwich. Period. HIs heirs say as much.
But he did invent the Philadelphia steak sandwich.
Probably not, but I haven’t investigated the Philadelphia steak sandwich.
Steak sandwiches were very available long before Pat. They were around from at least the teens-20’s. If they weren’t available in Philly, I’d be surprised.
Not being from Philadelphia and never visiting there, My first Phillycheesesteak was at The Great Steak and Potato Company back in the eighties. It never seemed like a controversy, you could get either provolone or philly cheese, and I preferred the provolone. I like both, however… nothing wrong with the whiz but I’ve always thought it was a little too salty and never been a fan of that artificial cheddar flavor.
Here’s the controversy was/is a Great Steak Philly Cheese Steak in '85 just as tasty/tastier than a Pat’s or Geno’s in '10? Say what you want about that franchise, but they made a helluva cheesesteak back in the day. It was the same meat and ingredients as far as I could tell, but I bet they had a better roll than even Pat or Geno’s.
Plus, my earliest Philly Cheesesteak experiences were always informed by the combo of a Cheesesteak accompanied by Hot, Crispy, Hand Cut, Skin-on, “Carnival fries” with salt and malt vinegar. Can you get that at Pat’s or Geno’s? … as far as I’m concerned, native Philadelphians have missed out on the better cheesesteak tradition and taste sensation.
What is a Philadelphia steak sandwich? In fact, the way he made it- with Cheese Whiz- is not the way others do. Thus, he invented the sandwich he sells, a small variation on the steak sandwich. Others invented slight variations on his version.
Otherwise known as, I prefer the less acidic and melty natural cheese (provolone) plastic with my vinegar dressed carnival fries. Otherwise, they clash, da whiz and da finnegar.
I can sort of understand the anger at Great Steak for offering Mushrooms as a steak topping. In the orthodoxy of Philly Cheezesteak, I think it should only be onions- and maybe, maybe, peppers.
Although a Chicagoland sounds good right about now-
Chicagoland Cheesesteak
This one’s got it all – Philly Cheese, Provolone & White American cheese with grilled onions, green peppers & mushrooms.
Grilled chopped beef and some sort of cheese, on a firm, crusty hoagie roll, with optional onions and/or mushrooms, and nothing else. What isn’t on it is nearly as important as what is: If you add lettuce and tomato, say, as almost everyone outside of Philadelphia seems to, it isn’t a Philadelphia cheesesteak any more.
Of course not. It’s a cheesesteak hoagie if it has lettuce and tomato. And it costs extra.
I have a weird compulsion to try “Philadelphia” cheesesteaks when traveling, just to see what the out of towners get wrong (besides the roll, which is a given; the proper long Italian roll seems hard to get outside of Philadelphia). Probably the most common error is assuming lettuce and tomato are standard toppings. The sheer simplicity of hot meat, melted cheese and crusty bread (and grilled onions if you must) seems to be unappreciated outside the Delaware Valley.
Another error is offering toppings that are simply wrong. Once a Manhattan “Philly steak” place asked if I wanted mayo; I barely got my breath back in time to say no. Mayo on a cheesesteak!
What about a Cheesesteak Parmagiana… Think it would work?
Instead of paper thin slices of ribeye, slice them a bit more substantially… a 1/4 inch or so scallopini… roll in flour, dip in eggwash, and coat in Italian Breadcrumbs… fry them up like chicken fried steak on the flattop in a pool of butter. Top each with a half slice of provolone and steam… Serve on the Steak roll with sauteed onions and peppers, and a dab of simple marinara.
I wouldn’t blame ya, if you deepfried the Iti-coated Ribeye, chicken fried steak. You might even want to use a kinetic tenderizer. The rolling needles.
A veal parm sandwich? Pretty much every pizza joint in this part of the world does that already.
This is the gustatory equivalent of Jacob vs. Edward.
Sorry, couldn’t resist.
Put me in the anti Cheez Whiz crowd (I admit I’ve never tried it on a cheesesteak sandwich), but I do not like processed cheese products. I have had Cheez Whiz on crackers, but I wouldn’t say they were very good.
Which is just about a patty melt, ain’t it? Except a patty melt used different bread and often hamburger- which is of course a *type *of Grilled chopped beef. Again, minor variations.
Here in CA, they often use a Bolito (sp?) roll, which is soft, white and with a little crustyness. Lettuce, Tomato, Pizza sauce, etc are all only options, often with different names. According to the reviews, the local Philly Steak places are often very close to Phila places, and quite good.
Calvin’s World Famous South Philly Cheesesteaks are/were tasty as are other local places.
And I have had steak sandwiches at places like Original Joes that were nothing but a nice slice of steak on a roll with grilled onions. The difference being the thinly sliced or chopped beef on the Philly and the addition of cheese.
So, since even the “Original” has local variations, there’s no “originator” of something which has been around for hundreds of years.
Are there patty melts without hamburger? To me, a patty melt is a griddled hamburger patty (hence the name) with cheese and griddled, slightly caramelized onions. (Not grilled. Then again, I’ve never had a cheese steak that was grilled, either.) It is served on rye bread. I suppose in a way they are similar, but they’re different foodstuffs to me, in the way a roast beef sandwich and a hamburger are different to me.
I am from California but my wife is from Philly. I voted with Gino because of the word need in the title. Does Cheesesteak need Wiz? No, provolone is an acceptable substitute.
But I have seen the light and know that a cheesesteak is demonstrably better with wiz. It took some convincing on my wife’s part to get me to try it, but once I did I haven’t looked back.