Yo, jeet? (translation - Hey, didcha eat?) You cannot visit the City of Brotherly Love without treating your palate to a real Philadelphia treat, the world famous, legendary Philly cheese steak. At the risk of me drooling all over myself, I will attempt to extol some of the more rudimentary aspects of the Philly cheese steak.
The world famous Philly cheese steak can be had at many an eatery throughout the Delaware Valley . . . that is the Philadelphia metropolitan area, the surrounding suburbs, Southern New Jersey and Northern Delaware. I hear that there are a few, isolated genuine Philly steak shops in other parts of the nation, started by folks who are 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 sautéed mushrooms, sweet red and green peppers, hot cherry peppers, ketchup and maybe mustard. I'll give my utterances about the cheeses, later.
Now this part is absolutely crucial. The roll MUST be from Amoroso. Amoroso's Baking Company is practically a Philadelphia institution. It has been a family run business since 1904 and known for the impeccable quality of its baked goods. Amoroso's motto is “we make the rolls that make Philly's sandwiches world famous”. Amoroso's rolls are simply 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 flavor and texture for the Philly cheese steak. There is no adequate substitute for the Amoroso roll.
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. Many established offer both. These particular cheese preferences 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 simply called a Philly steak sandwich.
I once ordered a cheese steak sandwich in Columbus, Ohio when I was away at school. I was flabbergasted when I received my steak sandwich. It was a dry, spongy cubed steak in a Kaiser roll. I was in a state of shock. I really should've known better.
The authentic Philly cheese steak can now be had at a few choice eateries throughout the nation. On almost any walking tour in Philadelphia, you're bound to find an eatery that features the Philly cheese steak. You can't visit Philly without partaking of the cheese steak experience. Other tasty treats that Philly is famous for are Habbersett's scrapple, hoagies, Italian water ice and, of course, our soft pretzels but the Philly cheese steak is king. Bon Apetit!
