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so really...best cheese steak in Philly is????

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    Johnny AbruzzoJohnny Abruzzo Philly Posts: 10,457
    Mama's in Bala Cynwyd? Yeah those are legendary.
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    F Me In The BrainF Me In The Brain this knows everybody from other commets Posts: 30,625
    No,haven't tried that.  This was from that list shared here last week...in "Pennsucking" 
    Pennsauken 
    The love he receives is the love that is saved
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    mcgruff10mcgruff10 New Jersey Posts: 27,889
    Killer cheese steak in morrisville, pa. (Across the River from Trenton) 
    I'll ride the wave where it takes me......
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    The JugglerThe Juggler Behind that bush over there. Posts: 47,298
    mcgruff10 said:
    Killer cheese steak in morrisville, pa. (Across the River from Trenton) 
    Looks decent!
    chinese-happy.jpg
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    cutzcutz Posts: 11,430
    Well, I had a cheesteak at one of the top 10 I posted a little while back. 

    I went to Lillos in Hainesport, NJ..

    I ordered over the phone for 2 cheesteaks with American Cheese.(I opt out of the Cooper Sharp which a friend told me that's what they put on it unless you ask otherwise). I forgot about the Garlic spread when I ordered, and I may have asked without that if I had. I'm a basic cheesteak guy who just likes the Steak & Cheese(American mostly) and Roll. I go in and pick them up and she says $34 and change!. I looked online and saw a price for around $12.50. I thought I may have been over-charged but I payed it and I looked at the Menu I picked up while inside and saw the price is $15.95, when I was walking back to my car. And what else I didn't know is the Cheesteak is 16 oz!!. It's HUGE!! Not sure If they have a smaller size or not.

    It was very good, considering I was concerned how it would taste with the Garlic spread. The Garlic is noticeable but didn't power over the taste of the on this cheesteak too much. Every now and then I would take a Bite and did notice the Garlic taste.(Friend said he had one that had A LOT of garlic, but he loves Garlic).

     I would recommend getting one there if you're in the Area.

    Sorry for no picture as I'm low-tech and have no clue how to post.

    Lillo’s Tomato Pies

    2503 Marne Hwy, Hainesport, New Jersey, 609-491-7751, facebook.com/LillosTomatoPies. Closed Sunday-Monday.

    Open since 2021 on a desolate stretch of Hainesport, Lillo’s is the cheesesteak's version of a sleeper hit. The bustling family pizza shop is home to not just an excellent Trenton pie, but also what some in Jersey have anointed as the best cheesesteaks in the known universe.

    The first bite will pretty much knock you out of your chair, and maybe change your dating life. The key ingredient, the one that makes people wild, is garlic aioli. The sandwich near-steams with it. Essentially, Lillo’s had the crazy idea to load a thick Cooper Sharp cheesesteak onto garlic bread.

    The result is intensity and richness. For some, it’s the apocalypse, the end of what they can allow on cheesesteaks. For others, it’s the rapture.

    I felt both ways, many ways at once: Is it too much, this garlic spread? On this sandwich that also features cheese and ribeye and onion and seeded Liscio’s roll? 

    That first bite will have you writing your mother about true love. By the end, you will need to decide: Do I now also have to talk to a priest?
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    Johnny AbruzzoJohnny Abruzzo Philly Posts: 10,457
    I'm half-ish Italian - I can never get enough garlic.
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    The JugglerThe Juggler Behind that bush over there. Posts: 47,298
    Yeah I can never put enough garlic into whatever I make. My wife hates me for it.

    This cheesesteak has me intrigued!
    chinese-happy.jpg
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    Get_RightGet_Right Posts: 12,479
    $34? Fuck that.
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    Jearlpam0925Jearlpam0925 Deep South Philly Posts: 16,787
    I think that was for 2?
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    Get_RightGet_Right Posts: 12,479
    edited August 2023
    We do not have true cheesesteaks up here in Westchester NY (it's actually a food dessert). What we have is something called a balboa wedge. Grilled roast beef, onions and provolone. With horsey sauce. And the roll is from the Bronx. Not the same, but damn good. $14.
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    cutzcutz Posts: 11,430
    Get_Right said:
    $34? Fuck that.
    I think that was for 2?
    Yes, that was for 2 and they were 16 oz.s
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    F Me In The BrainF Me In The Brain this knows everybody from other commets Posts: 30,625
    Get_Right said:
    We do not have true cheesesteaks up here in Westchester NY (it's actually a food dessert). What we have is something called a balboa wedge. Grilled roast beef, onions and provolone. With horsey sauce. And the roll is from the Bronx. Not the same, but damn good. $14.
    Wtf is horsey sauce?

    Sounds good, but would want to know what is in horse sauce.  🐎 
    The love he receives is the love that is saved
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    Get_RightGet_Right Posts: 12,479
    Get_Right said:
    We do not have true cheesesteaks up here in Westchester NY (it's actually a food dessert). What we have is something called a balboa wedge. Grilled roast beef, onions and provolone. With horsey sauce. And the roll is from the Bronx. Not the same, but damn good. $14.
    Wtf is horsey sauce?

    Sounds good, but would want to know what is in horse sauce.  🐎 
    horseradish!
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    F Me In The BrainF Me In The Brain this knows everybody from other commets Posts: 30,625
    Get_Right said:
    Get_Right said:
    We do not have true cheesesteaks up here in Westchester NY (it's actually a food dessert). What we have is something called a balboa wedge. Grilled roast beef, onions and provolone. With horsey sauce. And the roll is from the Bronx. Not the same, but damn good. $14.
    Wtf is horsey sauce?

    Sounds good, but would want to know what is in horse sauce.  🐎 
    horseradish!
    In that case, gimme 2, Utah!
    The love he receives is the love that is saved
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    Get_RightGet_Right Posts: 12,479
    Get_Right said:
    Get_Right said:
    We do not have true cheesesteaks up here in Westchester NY (it's actually a food dessert). What we have is something called a balboa wedge. Grilled roast beef, onions and provolone. With horsey sauce. And the roll is from the Bronx. Not the same, but damn good. $14.
    Wtf is horsey sauce?

    Sounds good, but would want to know what is in horse sauce.  🐎 
    horseradish!
    In that case, gimme 2, Utah!
    Right around the corner is a sandwich shop. They make the best meatball sandwiches.
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    PoncierPoncier Posts: 16,228

    This weekend we rock Portland
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    tempo_n_groovetempo_n_groove Posts: 39,029
    I wanted to delve into this one.  When I worked in PA we went out to lunch and one of the places we went to made a "cheese steak" and it had cheeze whiz.

    It did not look appealing but he swore it was good.

    Other places had american.  Other places dip them in a brine.

    What is a true philly cheesesteak?

    We have a version on long island but we call it a Roastbeef melt.  It has roast beef, melted mozzarella on garlic bread.  It's damn tasty so when I saw the cheeze whiz I wasn't feeling it.

    So.

    Where do I begin with not going through every page?
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    Johnny AbruzzoJohnny Abruzzo Philly Posts: 10,457
    I tend to order my cheesesteaks with mild provolone and fried onions (and I put some hot sauce on it), but American is fine too. Some places, like Mama's in Bala Cynwyd, use a mix of cheeses - their mix is proprietary but definitely has some mozzarella.

    IMO cheesewhiz (or fake plastic cheeze) is an abomination, and it's not what I grew up with.

    Speaking of abominations, I got hooked for a while on a vegan cheese"steak" in Center City when I worked there. (can't eat 1/2 lb. of ribeye every day, you know) They had some sort of vegan cheesewhiz which was far better than the Kraft food-ish product.
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    Gern BlanstenGern Blansten Your Mom's Posts: 17,969
    I tend to order my cheesesteaks with mild provolone and fried onions (and I put some hot sauce on it), but American is fine too. Some places, like Mama's in Bala Cynwyd, use a mix of cheeses - their mix is proprietary but definitely has some mozzarella.

    IMO cheesewhiz (or fake plastic cheeze) is an abomination, and it's not what I grew up with.

    Speaking of abominations, I got hooked for a while on a vegan cheese"steak" in Center City when I worked there. (can't eat 1/2 lb. of ribeye every day, you know) They had some sort of vegan cheesewhiz which was far better than the Kraft food-ish product.
    agreed....I don't understand how some people even want this. Whiz is worse than Velveeta
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    tempo_n_groovetempo_n_groove Posts: 39,029
    I tend to order my cheesesteaks with mild provolone and fried onions (and I put some hot sauce on it), but American is fine too. Some places, like Mama's in Bala Cynwyd, use a mix of cheeses - their mix is proprietary but definitely has some mozzarella.

    IMO cheesewhiz (or fake plastic cheeze) is an abomination, and it's not what I grew up with.

    Speaking of abominations, I got hooked for a while on a vegan cheese"steak" in Center City when I worked there. (can't eat 1/2 lb. of ribeye every day, you know) They had some sort of vegan cheesewhiz which was far better than the Kraft food-ish product.
    I tend to order my cheesesteaks with mild provolone and fried onions (and I put some hot sauce on it), but American is fine too. Some places, like Mama's in Bala Cynwyd, use a mix of cheeses - their mix is proprietary but definitely has some mozzarella.

    IMO cheesewhiz (or fake plastic cheeze) is an abomination, and it's not what I grew up with.

    Speaking of abominations, I got hooked for a while on a vegan cheese"steak" in Center City when I worked there. (can't eat 1/2 lb. of ribeye every day, you know) They had some sort of vegan cheesewhiz which was far better than the Kraft food-ish product.
    agreed....I don't understand how some people even want this. Whiz is worse than Velveeta
    So Cheezewhiz is a damn thing on a cheesesteak?  I thought it was just their area!
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    Jearlpam0925Jearlpam0925 Deep South Philly Posts: 16,787
    edited August 2023
    Where in PA? By brine do you mean jus? Because now we're talking roast beef or some other Chicago Beef variant.

    Someone above referenced the NY roast beef melt as well.

    The regular good ol' cheesesteak is a long Italian seeded roll (has to have a crispy, crunchy outside while soft inside), ribeye meat chopped up (if they're serving slabs of meat then that's lazy), and then either American cheese (Cooper Sharp in the area has taken off, and I endorse), Prov, or Whiz (usually saved for late night 3AM cheesesteaks as a Heart Attack - American, Prov, and Whiz on the same sandwich with then an order of whiz cheese fries, and a Cherry Coke; mmmm I'm throwing up and getting hungry at the same time), and then fried onions. That's it. Some people add ketchup, but not my personal preference. Ideal order is steak is chopped up on the griddle, mixed in with chopped fried onions, cheese laid on top, once melted lay the roll on top and then flip over and serve.

    The thing that matters, and makes the difference between a cheesesteak and a "Philly cheesesteak", is if "Philly" is at the beginning of the name then it's most definitely not made in the Philadelphia area, probably includes green bell peppers for some reason, the wrong meat & cheese, and a very shitty roll. The roll, as has become the cliche' here, is what it's all about. The rolls for cheesesteaks and hoagies can't be duplicated outside of this area.

    I'll also add the Whiz is most definitely, and most often, a tourist cheesesteak place - not that there's anything wrong with that.
    Post edited by Jearlpam0925 on
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    Gern BlanstenGern Blansten Your Mom's Posts: 17,969
    edited August 2023
    oh yeah...some people swear by it...disgusting

    Penn Station (near me at least) uses yellow american cheese if you ask for it....I prefer white
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    RiotZactRiotZact Posts: 6,206
    I never really get wiz, but Angelo’s makes a long hot wiz that’s my favorite. Pretty sure they don’t even use cheese wiz as the base though considering it is white and not bright yellow/orange. 
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    tempo_n_groovetempo_n_groove Posts: 39,029
    RiotZact said:
    I never really get wiz, but Angelo’s makes a long hot wiz that’s my favorite. Pretty sure they don’t even use cheese wiz as the base though considering it is white and not bright yellow/orange. 
    Velveeta or perhaps queso?  
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    tempo_n_groovetempo_n_groove Posts: 39,029
    Where in PA? By brine do you mean jus? Because now we're talking roast beef or some other Chicago Beef variant.

    Someone above referenced the NY roast beef melt as well.

    The regular good ol' cheesesteak is a long Italian seeded roll (has to have a crispy, crunchy outside while soft inside), ribeye meat chopped up (if they're serving slabs of meat then that's lazy), and then either American cheese (Cooper Sharp in the area has taken off, and I endorse), Prov, or Whiz (usually saved for late night 3AM cheesesteaks as a Heart Attack - American, Prov, and Whiz on the same sandwich with then an order of whiz cheese fries, and a Cherry Coke; mmmm I'm throwing up and getting hungry at the same time), and then fried onions. That's it. Some people add ketchup, but not my personal preference. Ideal order is steak is chopped up on the griddle, mixed in with chopped fried onions, cheese laid on top, once melted lay the roll on top and then flip over and serve.

    The thing that matters, and makes the difference between a cheesesteak and a "Philly cheesesteak", is if "Philly" is at the beginning of the name then it's most definitely not made in the Philadelphia area, probably includes green bell peppers for some reason, the wrong meat & cheese, and a very shitty roll. The roll, as has become the cliche' here, is what it's all about. The rolls for cheesesteaks and hoagies can't be duplicated outside of this area.

    I'll also add the Whiz is most definitely, and most often, a tourist cheesesteak place - not that there's anything wrong with that.
    OK so I brought up most of this.

    PA was Harleysville Pike.  The sticks.

    Then Lebanon where they did a brine.

    Roast Beef Melt is a long Island thing like steak tidbits.  I don't see either one outside of here.

    The peppers I see everywhere.  I'm not in philly so not sure what happens there which is why I ask.

    I completely understand the bread thing.  I prefer a day old hero bread myself to get that crunch on the outside for my heros.

    Good stuff here!
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    Johnny AbruzzoJohnny Abruzzo Philly Posts: 10,457
    Green peppers is absolutely something that goes on a "Philly Cheese Steak" that you get somewhere not anywhere near Philadelphia. It's an indication that place doesn't know what the hell they are doing. Although it can be added as an option at some places, but it's never the default.

    That said Crust in Havertown makes a cheesesteak pizza and cheesesteak calzone that have green peppers on/in them - it works nicely.
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    The JugglerThe Juggler Behind that bush over there. Posts: 47,298
    I don't think I've gotten wiz since the 90's.
    chinese-happy.jpg
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    cutzcutz Posts: 11,430
    I tend to order my cheesesteaks with mild provolone and fried onions (and I put some hot sauce on it), but American is fine too. Some places, like Mama's in Bala Cynwyd, use a mix of cheeses - their mix is proprietary but definitely has some mozzarella.

    IMO cheesewhiz (or fake plastic cheeze) is an abomination, and it's not what I grew up with.

    Speaking of abominations, I got hooked for a while on a vegan cheese"steak" in Center City when I worked there. (can't eat 1/2 lb. of ribeye every day, you know) They had some sort of vegan cheesewhiz which was far better than the Kraft food-ish product.
    I tend to order my cheesesteaks with mild provolone and fried onions (and I put some hot sauce on it), but American is fine too. Some places, like Mama's in Bala Cynwyd, use a mix of cheeses - their mix is proprietary but definitely has some mozzarella.

    IMO cheesewhiz (or fake plastic cheeze) is an abomination, and it's not what I grew up with.

    Speaking of abominations, I got hooked for a while on a vegan cheese"steak" in Center City when I worked there. (can't eat 1/2 lb. of ribeye every day, you know) They had some sort of vegan cheesewhiz which was far better than the Kraft food-ish product.
    agreed....I don't understand how some people even want this. Whiz is worse than Velveeta
    So Cheezewhiz is a damn thing on a cheesesteak?  I thought it was just their area!
    I'm right there with you guys on the Whiz. 
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    Get_RightGet_Right Posts: 12,479
    Hmmm I did not realize the seeded roll was thing in Philly.  I think I have a few good steaks without it. I think I may have had one or two in NJ (near Philly) with hot cherry peppers. There was a place in Syracuse that made a killer "cheese steak" with the works (lettuce tomato mayo ground pepper chopped steak toasted roll). 
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    Jearlpam0925Jearlpam0925 Deep South Philly Posts: 16,787
    Don't get me wrong there's plenty of cheesesteaks that come on long Italian rolls that aren't seeded. 

    That sounds like a cheesesteak hoagie.
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