There’s a newish cheesesteak joint here in San Jose called Calvin’s. The word on yelp.com is that he has unbelievably slow, rude, imbecilic service, but that he makes a darned good Philly cheesesteak. The derisive reviews caused me not to venture there, but Mr. brown dared and took the plunge yesterday. He paid $9 for a sandwich, and waited thirty-five minutes with no sign of progress being made toward the completion of his meal, so he walked out. He’s still fuming. San Jose Dopers, care to risk your sanity for the sake of a Calvin’s cheesesteak? If so, post and let me know how it went down.
At any rate, now I want to make cheesesteaks at home and erase the memory of this misadventure. ISTR that our eponymous poster Cheesesteak has the know-how for this dish. Cheesesteak, do you still post here? If so, can you educate me? If Cheesesteak has left us, perhaps other Dopers can guide me.
I have never typed the word “cheesesteak” in my life before today, and after seven repeats, I still can’t decide if it looks right.
[tangent]It’s not just the torpedo rolls, either. Getting a decent Kaiser roll is impossible out here. I had a hankering for the impossible a couple days ago - a nice pork roll, egg, and cheese sandwich on a kaiser. Shit doesn’t EXIST west of the Delaware river, it seems…
I’ve been following the saga of Calvin’s with great interest. I walk down The Alameda all the time–the operation has had a rather haphazard aspect from the beginning. I’ve been in once, and experienced the clueless staff and unavailable menu items. Perhaps they’re getting their act together now. If you’re in the neighborhood, I recommend Rosie’s NY Pizza just down the block.
If you’re downtown, Jersey’s has a pretty good cheesesteak.
There was an excellent article in Saveur magazine about the food of Newark, NJ, and both of the pork roll makers were mentioned. We alway had Taylor Pork Roll in my house growing up (in the South, if you can believe it), so that is the only brand name of the two I can remember.
I’m still here, however, I can’t really help you all that much. Despite my name, I’m far from an expert in the sandwich*. What I do know is you need a good roll, some thinly sliced beef (use a nice cut like ribeye, not cheapo top round), sauteed onions, and the cheese of your choice. The cheese of my choice is actually Cheez. Cheez Whiz, even though it’s kind of nasty on its own, melts into a gooey, creamy, salty sauce when put into a cheesesteak. Many prefer provolone cheese, it’s less revolting to the sophisticated palate. You can also add sauteed mushrooms and peppers.
*When I joined up, it was shortly after seeing a Food Network show highlighting Pat’s King of Steaks in Philly. I made the 2+hr trek down to Philly a few times to:
Eat a cheesesteak at Pat’s
Look at the Liberty Bell (history is fun!)
Go home
Fun road trip on a sunny Saturday morning, but not so good at making a guy an expert in the sandwich.
You know enough not to go to Geno’s and that the Whiz is your friend, so you are well on the way down the path of righteousness. (I usually like to follow up with a “wutter ice” as well.
Like twickster said, Airman has posted his recipe/technique in a thread at least once. Also, ISTR from that thread that you can get frozen Amoroso’s rolls shipped.
Thanks for the steak tip. We’re going to Costco this morning, and I’ll pick up a package of ribeyes. Of course, I can’t get the Italian rolls which are common on the east coast, but an Italian supermarket chain here bakes some darned good torpedo-style rolls, so they’ll have to do.
Heh. Korean supermarkets carry ribeyes and other steaks already pre-sliced paper thin. Their intent, however, is that you marinate the slices in Korean BBQ sauce and barbecue them. If they weren’t so far away, I’d try buying my steak there.
blondebear, I have indeed tried that NY Pizza joint and I like it very much. It’s a welcome addition to that part of the Alameda.
(I usually like to follow up with a “wutter ice” as well. 