I also assume the jus is perhaps more neutrally spiced? You actually don’t have to get peppers on your Italian beef sandwich (it’s actually an upcharge at Al’s, which I thought was crazy, until I discovered other beef places do it, too. My local one didn’t. To me, an Italian beef must have either sweet peppers or giardiniera, but apparently it’s extra. I’ve literally never seen anyone order one plain. But it’s an extra sixty cents at Al’s, IIRC.)
I agree.
I’ve yapped about cornbread more than any other Yankee on this board, but to reiterate: it contains white cornmeal, baking soda, cream of tartar, salt, buttermilk, and an egg, and should be baked in a skillet.
I like to add a little black and red pepper, because I am a Rebel.
Oh, hell yeah. That place is exactly up my alley. I had no idea it was available in variations of beef, lamb, ham, turkey, and pork. Definitely on my bucket list now! But, yeah, looks more similar to the Italian beef than I was aware of. My conception was just a roast beef sandwich (with Swiss cheese), served dry and a bowl of jus to dip it in. Phillipe’s is much more similar to an Italian beef than I thought.
That’s the way most places serve it because they aren’t set up to serve 4000 sandwiches a day. 
Even my favorite The Hat serves it that way, along with a pastrami dip.
But enough with derailing the thread…what I hate is pumpkin-flavored anything. Except maybe pumpkin. Stop throwing that flavor into my coffee, pastry, burrito and motor oil!
Mushrooms… ewww! Fungus is not food. Would you eat Athlete’s Foot? Of course not! It’s vile and disgusting. Mushrooms added to anything only means extra work removing them.
And beer. Don’t forget beer. No beer has been improved with the addition of pumpkin to it. (Or, more usually, pumpkin pie spices.)
Au contraire. Although, to be honest, this one was designed to be a pumpkin ale from the ground up.
We’ll have to agree to disagree on this. Because I love lobster mac and cheese.
Is it traditional? No. But it’s a variation I approve of.
Not exactly a recipe variation but a cooking variation, when people make instant ramen noodles using a microwave instead of boiling water on a stove.
The people who simply boil the noodles and water together are the worst because the noodles become super soggy and flavorless. People who boil the water in the microwave separately are also pretty bad though because microwave water always tastes weirder than stove-boiled water and I can’t really get over it (though that’s personal preference)
When it comes to French dip, my personal peccadillo is places that put the jus in a cup on the side. That’s not how it’s meant to be done! You ladle the jus onto the bread before you pile the meat in. I’ll pass on the cheese, though I will confess a liking for french-fried onions and hot mustard.
On the flip side of the coin - calzones should not have tomato sauce in them. The sauce goes on the side for dipping or spooning on top. All that should be inside is cheese (mozzarella, parmesan, and ricotta mixed, so it’s creamy rather than stringy) and whatever meats and veggies you want to add.
Fettucine alfredo should never be made with cream. You can make pasta with cream sauce, but don’t call it alfredo. Alfredo is butter, cheese, and a bit of spice, tossed with the pasta so it all blends together.
And if you’re selling me an Italian hoagie, or grinder, or hero, or whatever you want to call it, it should have some pepperoni on it. I don’t care that pepperoni isn’t authentic Italian - it adds spice and flavor. If all you’ve got is salami and prosciutto and capicola, it’s far too mild and bland.
Chili cheese fries should be made with shredded cheddar cheese - not American, and certainly not cheese sauce.
Carne asada and fajitas should always be served well-done. Sorry, rare snobs, but the entire point of slicing the meat as thin as you do do for good carne asada is so that you can cook it through quickly without drying it out.
And heaven help me the next time I catch someone sullying a perfectly good pastrami sandwich by putting mayo on it.
There’s a difference in flavor of microwaved water? I find that difficult to believe. Maybe if your kettle is giving the stovetop water a metallic flavor or something.
Interesting. I’ve never had an Italian sub with pepperoni (and I’m not even sure I’ve ever even seen one.) Some spicy sopressata or hot capicola, maybe. Regardless, if your sandwich is lacking spice and flavor, it’s not the fault of the lack of pepperoni. An Italian sub made with quality meats packs a flavor punch. Hell, just a plain salami sandwich is plenty flavorful, if you use some good salami. And don’t you dare ruin my prosciuttio and mozzarella sub by adding anything else! 
Another vote for ^^^^ this!
Reuben is my favourite sandwich, hands down. It’s supposed to be made in a very specific way, and goddammit, don’t try to healthy it up.
Also, when you make it, you rinse and press-drain the sauerkraut. Then, when you serve it, you put the sauerkraut side up so the damn bread doesn’t get soggy!
I’m very specific about Reubens.
Ditto, especially if the “normal” version doesn’t have nuts. I’m allergic. A slice of Key Lime Pie made with a nut crust almost killed me once. That date ended awkwardly.
I’ve had this as well, and it’s amazing. No pasta where I went, though, which was fine; the steak was bigger than the plate. And it had a thin layer of parma ham, a layer of cheese, and sauce inside the breading. The steak was deliciously marinated. Seriously, one of the best things I’ve ever eaten.
It’s not southern US chicken-fried steak, no. But it’s damn good.
I don’t normally drink beer, but tried a couple of sips of a friend’s “autumn” pumpkin-spice beer. It tasted EXACTLY like 1989, when all us new wave/goth/punk kids were smoking clove ciggies and drinking beer.
No, not even your favorite local pumpkin ale. If it tastes of any pumpkin spices, it’s right out for me (and the descriptions of it sound like it does.) There was a very brief time when I was slightly insane and morally bankrupt and enjoyed a single Southern Tier Pumking ale (and only a Pumking ale) in the fall, but I’ve wised up and found God since then.
So are you a Yankee or a Rebel?
Now I don’t want to eat your cornbread. NO PEPPER.
A Cobb Salad must contain:
chicken
bacon
eggs
blue cheese
avocado
Substitutions are not allowed.
Odd to get worked up over a side item. I mean, don’t put the jam ON the Monte Cristo, but in a cup on the side. Take it or leave it. It’s not even like a deli pickle that can leave its flavor on a sandwich by proximity.
But DO batter and deep fry the thing. The first time I ever ordered one, what I received was a greasy, pan-fried grilled cheese sandwich with ham.
Sweet potatoes are great.
Sweet potatoes with a layer of marshmallow on top is just wrong.