Philadelphia, PA
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The Philly Cheesesteak is a sandwich principally made up of thinly sliced pieces of steak and melted cheese on a long roll. Being invented in 1930, it is now a comfort food for natives of the Philadelphia region and is considered to be one of the city's icons.
It would be a crime to visit Philadelphia and not try an original Philly Cheesesteak! Being influenced by Rachel Ray, I have found that the most effective way to find the best food in town is by asking a local. Therefore, after our exciting Duck Tour of Philadelphia, we asked our tour guide, Ken, where could we find the best Philly Cheesesteak available to us.
"Pat's. Where 9th Street crosses Wharton and Passyunk Ave."
We Googlemapped the area and to our fortune, found some great street parking nearby. As we approached the cross-section, the colors and lights on the street corning got me excited for an authentic Philadelphia Cheesesteak.
Wait a minute. There was a huge sign that said "Geno's Steaks." For a second, I thought, "Well, maybe there's a new owner and renamed the place." But sure enough, it didn't take us long to find Pat's King of Steaks right across the street.
Oh boy. It really didn't look as fabulous as Geno's, but if this was where our tour guide said to go, we weren't going to go a different route. Locals know best.As I waited in line to order, I glanced at the food that other people were already eating. None of the cheesesteaks looked like anything I had in California. What was different? The cheese! All my life, a cheesesteak had been made of thinly sliced steak on a hoagie, topped with Provolone cheese, but it definitely wasn't Provolone I saw. As my eyes wandered around, I saw the window of goodness.
It was Cheez Whiz on the Hoagies! A can of Cheez Whiz and a bunch of crackers was always something I had in my locker in high school. It was always the perfect snack between classes. How exciting it was to have the childhood favorite on my steak sandwich!The menu was self explanatory. Steak, Cheesesteak, Pizza Steak, Mushroom Steak, Pepper Steak, Hot Dog, etc. What was intimidating, though, was the sign that read, "How to Order a Steak," (cleverly created by "I. M. Hungry").
This was probably the reason why the line was moving to fast! As we got closer and closer to the register, I began to get nervous because the bottom of the sign read, "If you make a mistake, don't panic. Just go to the back of the line and start over!" Finally, it was finally my turn."A cheesesteak whiz wit, please."
"Alright. Next!"
Success! I just was pushed aside a little because I didn't get out of the way fast enough.
I sat at a table near the wall of Whiz as Brian waited for our orders by the window. My appetite grew from smelling the grilled onions from my chair. In no time, Brian set a tray of food in front of me.
Sitting in front of me was my authentic Philly Cheesesteak with Cheez Whiz and grilled onions. My first bite into that sandwich was a moment to remember. Although the melted cheese and grease from the grilled onions spilled all over the sides of my cheeks, the texture of the onions, tenderness of the steak, creaminess from the cheese, and the softness of the bread was to die for.
Ken was right. I found the best Philly cheesesteak at Pat's King of Steaks.A bit of history:
Pat and Harry Olivieri are often credited with inventing the cheesesteak by serving chopped-up steak on hoagie rolls in the early 1930s (http://www.philly.com/). They began selling the concoctions at their hot dog stand near south Philadelphia's Italian Market and became so popular that Pat opened up this long-lasting cheesesteak restaurant.
Pat's website calls the preparation a "steak sandwich" (not a "cheesesteak") and says that "as the years passed, both employees and customers alike demanded change ... cheese was added," (http://www.patskingofsteaks.com/). Joe Vento, from Geno's Steaks, claims that he was the first to add cheese. In the 1950s, Pat's added Cheez Whiz to their sandwich ingredients (http://www.wikipedia.com/).
