# Who knows about Philadelphia cheesesteaks? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [July 27, 2011, 2:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-knows-about-philadelphia-cheesesteaks/590455 "2011-07-27T02:38:28Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![jz78817](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jz78817/32/1028_2.png) [@jz78817](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jz78817)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2011, 11:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-knows-about-philadelphia-cheesesteaks/590455/61 "2011-07-28T11:10:57Z")
> [@](#): > > 1. to slice beef thinly, you go to a deli and ask them to put your meat through a salami slicer. do many have a slicer that they’ll use for raw meat? ---
**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2011, 12:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-knows-about-philadelphia-cheesesteaks/590455/62 "2011-07-28T12:06:14Z")
I can’t speak for authenticity, as I grew up on the west coast and have never even been to Pennsylvania, let alone Philly. I do enjoy my cheesesteaks, however. In these parts, the best cheesesteaks are made by a small chain called “Puccini’s”. They grill the steak to order with red onion, bell pepper, mushrooms, jalapeno, pepperoncini, and cherry peppers, with a sprinkling of paprika, and serve it up with pepperjack and ranch dressing. ---
**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2011, 12:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-knows-about-philadelphia-cheesesteaks/590455/63 "2011-07-28T12:24:24Z")
> [@Smapti](#): > > I can’t speak for authenticity, as I grew up on the west coast and have never even been to Pennsylvania, let alone Philly. > > I do enjoy my cheesesteaks, however. In these parts, the best cheesesteaks are made by a small chain called “Puccini’s”. They grill the steak to order with red onion, bell pepper, mushrooms, jalapeno, pepperoncini, and cherry peppers, with a sprinkling of paprika, and serve it up with pepperjack and ranch dressing. This is going to go well. ::grabs popcorn:: ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Greenjeans](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mr.greenjeans/32/551_2.png) [@Mr.Greenjeans](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Greenjeans)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2011, 1:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-knows-about-philadelphia-cheesesteaks/590455/64 "2011-07-28T13:10:46Z")
> [@mac\_bolan00](#): > > for bread, i have no problem using baguettes or anything long, brown and crusty. The purist/snob in me doesn’t come out often, but he saw this and had to respond. “That is not a cheesesteak.” As for Smapti… > [@Smapti](#): > > They grill the steak to order with red onion, bell pepper, mushrooms, jalapeno, pepperoncini, and cherry peppers, with a sprinkling of paprika, and serve it up with pepperjack and ranch dressing. …the purist/snob in me is speechless. OK. He’s gone now. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Greenjeans](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mr.greenjeans/32/551_2.png) [@Mr.Greenjeans](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Greenjeans)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2011, 1:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-knows-about-philadelphia-cheesesteaks/590455/65 "2011-07-28T13:19:56Z")
> [@mac\_bolan00](#): > > …you go to a deli and ask them to put your meat through a salami slicer. And the child in me (he lives near the purist/snob) is alternately giggling and cringing at this statement. ---
**Author:** ![Labrador\_Deceiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7c8e57/32.png) [@Labrador\_Deceiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Labrador_Deceiver)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2011, 1:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-knows-about-philadelphia-cheesesteaks/590455/66 "2011-07-28T13:27:45Z")
> [@jz78817](#): > > do many have a slicer that they’ll use for raw meat? No way in hell. ---
**Author:** ![astorian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ad7895/32.png) [@astorian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astorian)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2011, 2:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-knows-about-philadelphia-cheesesteaks/590455/67 "2011-07-28T14:25:55Z")
> [@Airman\_Doors\_USAF](#): > > [I linked to it above.](http://phillyimc.org/files/imagecache/story/files/SpeakEnglish.jpg) > > In not so many words, he is reserving the right to be a douchebag to tourists and immigrants that may have wanted to try his food out of some misguided principle that English should be the only acceptable language spoken in the US. While I do agree that some sort of English skills should be necessary, that is just ignorant. Oh, well, it’s his loss. He’s cost himself business and money just to make a point that really didn’t have to be made, especially not like that. Okay, that DOES go well above and beyond being a standard, loud, slightly obnoxious conservative (like me). His sandwiches would have to be pretty spectacular for me to justify eating there. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2011, 3:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-knows-about-philadelphia-cheesesteaks/590455/68 "2011-07-28T15:13:33Z")
> [@Labrador\_Deceiver](#): > > No way in hell. The one at my local supermarket does. In fact, all the meat slicers in the meat (not deli) department there are used for raw meat. I mean, what else would they be there for? Now that I own my own commercial grade Globe meat slicer, I could just slice it myself (and slice it better, as I can partially freeze the meat and get much thinner slices than from a completely thawed piece of meat.) ---
**Author:** ![Labrador\_Deceiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7c8e57/32.png) [@Labrador\_Deceiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Labrador_Deceiver)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2011, 3:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-knows-about-philadelphia-cheesesteaks/590455/69 "2011-07-28T15:31:15Z")
> [@jz78817](#): > > do many have a slicer that they’ll use for raw meat? > [@pulykamell](#): > > The one at my local supermarket does. In fact, all the meat slicers in the meat (not deli) department there are used for raw meat. I mean, what else would they be there for? > > Now that I own my own commercial grade Globe meat slicer, I could just slice it myself (and slice it better, as I can partially freeze the meat and get much thinner slices than from a completely thawed piece of meat.) He said salami slicer, which is usually found in the deli dept. I’m not even sure if I’ve seen a deli slicer in the butcher’s section. ---
**Author:** ![MsRobyn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/90ced4/32.png) [@MsRobyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MsRobyn)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2011, 4:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-knows-about-philadelphia-cheesesteaks/590455/70 "2011-07-28T16:05:32Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > The one at my local supermarket does. In fact, all the meat slicers in the meat (not deli) department there are used for raw meat. I mean, what else would they be there for? > > Now that I own my own commercial grade Globe meat slicer, I could just slice it myself (and slice it better, as I can partially freeze the meat and get much thinner slices than from a completely thawed piece of meat.) My local supermarket doesn’t have a slicer in the meat department, and there’s no way in hell they’ll use a deli slicer for raw meat. ISTR that slicing any kind of raw protein on a deli slicer is an explicit no-no. ---
**Author:** ![Omar\_Little](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/omar_little/32/269_2.png) [@Omar\_Little](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omar_Little)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2011, 4:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-knows-about-philadelphia-cheesesteaks/590455/71 "2011-07-28T16:32:48Z")
They don’t call them “deli” slicers over in the butcher department. They’re called meat slicers. And yes my butcher has one, and he uses it to slice raw meat. They follow the local health department regs on cleaning etc. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2011, 4:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-knows-about-philadelphia-cheesesteaks/590455/72 "2011-07-28T16:42:58Z")
> [@Omar\_Little](#): > > They don’t call them “deli” slicers over in the butcher department. They’re called meat slicers. And yes my butcher has one, and he uses it to slice raw meat. They follow the local health department regs on cleaning etc. Yeah, my supermarket has them there, as many people who buy, for example, bottom or top round want them cut into thin steaks. In fact, if I ask for two pounds of bottom round, the guy heads straight back to the meat slicer _unless_ I tell tell him that I want it as a whole chunk. They also use it for cutting up various thin slices of steak (pepper steak, “sandwich” steak, the aforementioned round steaks, etc.) to put out in the prewrapped refrigerated section of meats. Not every supermarket is like this around here, but it’s not uncommon at all. ---
**Author:** ![Labrador\_Deceiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7c8e57/32.png) [@Labrador\_Deceiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Labrador_Deceiver)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2011, 4:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-knows-about-philadelphia-cheesesteaks/590455/73 "2011-07-28T16:47:59Z")
Omar’s bizarre naming nitpickery aside, I think we can all agree that you don’t go to a deli and ask them to slice _your_ meat in a salami slicer. I’ll look for slicers in the butcher’s department from here on out. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2011, 4:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-knows-about-philadelphia-cheesesteaks/590455/74 "2011-07-28T16:52:45Z")
> [@Labrador\_Deceiver](#): > > Omar’s bizarre naming nitpickery aside, I think we can all agree that you don’t go to a deli and ask them to slice your meat in a salami slicer. I didn’t realize the original post suggesting this said to go to the deli department to ask to slice the raw meat. Of course they wouldn’t do that. You have to check to see at the butcher’s department if this is possible. Some of the butcher’s here are not as full-service as others. For example, my butcher department will do practically whatever you need to have done to the meat: they’ll debone it, they’ll trim it, they’ll cut it into steaks, they’ll slice it thinly, whatever you need. Others, not so much. ---
**Author:** ![Airman\_Doors\_USAF](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e36b37/32.png) [@Airman\_Doors\_USAF](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Airman_Doors_USAF)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2011, 5:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-knows-about-philadelphia-cheesesteaks/590455/75 "2011-07-28T17:09:06Z")
> [@Tibbytoes](#): > > When I order a cheese _wid_, I want shaved, aged rib-eye on an Amoroso roll dripping with smoked provolone and caramelized onions. I’m sure it will come as a disappointment to some of you, but there is [strong evidence that Pat’s does not use Amoroso’s rolls any longer (go to the 1:28 mark)](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CEHrSBGjEX8). And that’s OK, where I work we use D’Ambrosio’s rolls, which are much better than the Amoroso’s rolls we used to use. Aversa’s rolls (which Pat’s apparently uses) are perfectly acceptable also. I am also very unimpressed with the way Pat’s puts their sandwiches together. Perhaps one of these days I’ll tape myself at work and show you how I make it. ---
**Author:** ![Philster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/13edae/32.png) [@Philster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Philster)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2011, 5:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-knows-about-philadelphia-cheesesteaks/590455/76 "2011-07-28T17:11:19Z")
I’m a born and raised Philly guy who ‘hung out’ on the very corners you folks are talking about. I’ve been passed out drunk in front of Geno’s and Pat’s. I’ve dated girls that lived next to Geno’s and Pat’s and got in fights over territory, etc. I am all grown up now and 44 years old, but I grew up in the shadows of the Vet, The Spectrum and JFK Field. I’ve walked out of my row home at 14 and grabbed a cheesesteak from a local shop at 2am. I would like to qualify myself as **the** subject matter expert on such matters. I still go to Geno’s if the situation is right. A true Philadelphian will go to Geno’s, Pat’s or Jim’s, or any other of DOZENS of places – most are obscure. Some Philly folk are loyal; most are not. A real Philadelphian doesn’t have a favorite. A real Philadelphian has a place to order from which is entirely dependent on who they are with, where they are at, what they are doing (or just did) and what time it is, and also what SEASON it is. **This is all done instinctively, and it’s loaded with nuances – many of which are not consciously calculated**. So, what do Philadelphian’s prefer? If you were to analyze this properly, you would need a matrix. Today on July28, in mid-summer, on an average hot day, for a 40 y/o plumber at 1pm the answer could be LaSpada’s, but at 1am on July 29, the answer is Geno’s. It could be Tony Luke’s at 11 pm during a bachelor party outing. If the person is 25, the answer needs to be recalculated, because a variable changed. And another thing: In Philly, fake, mushy, bogus friendly customer service is insulting in many establishments. It’d be an insult to get gushy service from a cheesesteak vendor. . ---
**Author:** ![MsRobyn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/90ced4/32.png) [@MsRobyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MsRobyn)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2011, 5:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-knows-about-philadelphia-cheesesteaks/590455/77 "2011-07-28T17:23:46Z")
Now that we’ve got the issue of slicing raw meat in the deli department worked out… What our friend mac\_bolan00 would make at home is steak and cheese on a roll, but it’s not a cheesesteak. Cheesesteaks are pretty much like any other recipe that can’t quite be duplicated at home. When Airman made cheesesteaks at home, he used the same meat from the restaurant, the same rolls from the restaurant, the same cheese, the same everything, right on down to the spatula. He’s certainly the same person with the same expertise. But the sandwiches he made, while perfectly serviceable and tasty, weren’t as good as the ones he makes at the restaurant. He didn’t have the grill, which does add some flavor. He found it difficult to get the right temperature on the stove, so the meat and vegetables didn’t come out quite right, plus the griddle straddled two burners, so there was a cold spot in the middle that wouldn’t be there on a restaurant grill. And, to be honest, there were other reasons that I can’t put into words because they didn’t match the experience of eating a sandwich from the restaurant, even accounting for the fact that I don’t always eat them there. But I get it. You don’t like eating at restaurants and think you can make the exact same foods at home. And you can make a steak and cheese sandwich, and it’ll probably be serviceable and tasty. Just don’t kid yourself that it’ll be a cheesesteak, because it won’t be. ---
**Author:** ![Labrador\_Deceiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7c8e57/32.png) [@Labrador\_Deceiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Labrador_Deceiver)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2011, 5:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-knows-about-philadelphia-cheesesteaks/590455/78 "2011-07-28T17:36:33Z")
> [@MsRobyn](#): > > But I get it. You don’t like eating at restaurants and think you can make the exact same foods at home. And you can make a steak and cheese sandwich, and it’ll probably be serviceable and tasty. Just don’t kid yourself that it’ll be a cheesesteak, because it won’t be. I’ve made umpteen thousand cheesesteaks on restaurant grills, and I think the above is total nonsense. Cheesesteaks are easily made at home. ---
**Author:** ![phungi](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/phungi/32/395_2.png) [@phungi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/phungi)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2011, 5:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-knows-about-philadelphia-cheesesteaks/590455/79 "2011-07-28T17:44:51Z")
long-term Philly-area resident and cheesesteak consumer chiming in: Tony Lukes and John’s Roast Pork are generally considered the best. I prefer “flipped” over “chopped” making Steve’s Prince of Steaks (NE Philly) and Talk of the Town (Broad Street) my personal favorites. Also, White House Subs in Atlantic City has the best cheesesteak anywhere, period. A great resource is [HollyEats.com](http://www.hollyeats.com/Philadelphia.htm) who maintains a site with photos of sandwiches, menus and ratings… ---
**Author:** ![Tibby](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tibby/32/17030_2.png) [@Tibby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tibby)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2011, 7:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-knows-about-philadelphia-cheesesteaks/590455/80 "2011-07-28T19:55:39Z")
> [@Airman\_Doors\_USAF](#): > > I’m sure it will come as a disappointment to some of you, but there is [strong evidence that Pat’s does not use Amoroso’s rolls any longer (go to the 1:28 mark)](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CEHrSBGjEX8). And that’s OK, where I work we use D’Ambrosio’s rolls, which are much better than the Amoroso’s rolls we used to use. Aversa’s rolls (which Pat’s apparently uses) are perfectly acceptable also. > I am also very unimpressed with the way Pat’s puts their sandwiches together. Perhaps one of these days I’ll tape myself at work and show you how I make it. It sounds like Pat’s and Jim’s have gone a bit downhill since I’ve moved away and that’s sad. Sad in the same way my Grandmother lamented the death of another great Philadelphia (and copycat NYC) eating establishment generations before: [Horn & Hardart](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Horn_%26_Hardart). I don’t necessarily mind cheesesteaks being made with rolls other than Amoroso’s…but, they’ve got to be made in a Philly bakery…or at the very least by Philly bakers using Philly water. You see, I know the little known secret by which Philly water makes the finest bakery products, it was told to me by my 7th grade science teacher in 1969. And now, I will tell you: Philadelphia water has been through an average of seven toilets before it pours out your faucet. I assume it may be treated in some form or fashion before filling your drinking glass, but I’m confident the treatment is significantly substandard…that porcelain bowl tang is still delightfully present. As long as they kill the baceroides, shigella, e.coli et al…I’m ok with the concept. And that’s why, boys and girls, New York City will never have cheesesteaks, hoagies or soft pretzels as flavorful as Philadelphia, what with its prissy Catskill Mountain watershed water and all. Sidebar: I haven’t eaten one for 31 years, but the best sandwich I’ve ever eaten (often) was called a Hot Jewish from the Wurst House on Baltimore Avenue, West Philadelphia. Giant hoagie roll, piles of hot, fatty corned beef, roast beef, Russian dressing, kraut and provolone put into a pizza oven and transformed into crunchy, golden brown grinder of the gods. Any of you Philliphiles ever eaten one of these babies? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-knows-about-philadelphia-cheesesteaks/590455.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-knows-about-philadelphia-cheesesteaks/590455.md?page=5)