Is a Philly cheesesteak sandwich as good as they say?

Yes

1 of 3

by Jewelle Jones

Write now Print Invite a writer™ Add to Favorites RSS Feed Contact this writer

THE LENGENDARY WORLD FAMOUS PHILLY CHEESE STEAK

I will attempt to extol the more rudimentary aspects of the Philly cheese steak. Please excuse me. This is not an easy task. My hands tremble, my toes curl and tears well up in my eyes at the prospect of sinking my teeth into a juicy, scrumptious, succulent, and divine Philly cheese steak. I am so glad that you can't see the silly smile on my face. I'm giddy with glee as I ponder this Philadelphia treasure.

The world famous Philly cheese steak can be had at many eateries throughout the Delaware Valley . . . that is the Philadelphia metropolitan area, the surrounding suburbs, South Jersey and northern Delaware. I hear that there are a few, isolated genuine Philly steak shops in other parts of the country, started by folks from the Delaware Valley.

The world famous Philly cheese steak is made from fried thinly sliced rib eye steak. The steak should be less than 1/8" thick, fried in a cast iron frying pan or a grill with a little oil and usually fried with onions. Other toppings include sauted mushrooms, sweet red and green peppers, hot cherry peppers, ketch and maybe mustard. I'll give my utterances about the cheese, later.

Now this part is crucial. The hoagie roll MUST be from Amoroso. Amoroso's Baking Company is practically a Philadelphia institution. It has always been a family run company known for the impeccable quality of their baked goods, since 1904. Their motto is "we make the rolls that make Philly's sandwiches world famous". Amoroso's rolls are the best. To show how crucial the Amoroso roll is, eateries, that sell Philly cheese steaks nationwide, have their Amoroso rolls flown in.

The Amoroso hoagie type rolls have just the right texture and flavor for the Philly cheese steak. There is no adequate substitute.

Now for the cheese, they tend to vary depending upon the eatery and preferences of their patrons. The more well known eateries like Pat's Steak House or Geno's tend toward Cheese Whiz. Others like D'Allesandro's uses Provolone Cheese. Both are extremely popular. The Cheese Whiz is liberally spread on a warm roll. Provolone slices are place directly upon a mound of the shredded fried steak for melting, just prior to being scooped up into the warm roll. You don't have to have the cheese at all. Thus it's called a Philly steak sandwich.

I once ordered a cheese steak sandwich in Milwaukee, Wisconsin when I was away at school. I was in shock when I received my steak sandwich. It was a cubed steak in a hamburger roll. I was in shock. I should've known better.

Authentic Philly cheese steaks can now be had at various eateries across the country. On almost any walking tour in Philadelphia, you're bound to find an eatery that features the cheese steak. You can't visit Philly without partaking of the cheese steak experience. Other tasty treats that Philly is known for are hoagies, soft pretzels, Italian water ice, and Habbersett's scrapple, but the Philly cheese steak is king. Good Eating!

Learn more about this author, Jewelle Jones.
Click here to send Author comments or questions.