I did graduate school in Philadelphia about 30 years ago and discovered the most incredible junk food - the Philly Cheese Steak sandwich. I return every summer to visit friends but we always plan one meal of Cheese Steaks.
When we were in Erie this past weekend, the restaurant we ordered dinner from on Saturday has steak sandwiches on the menu but I didn't bother ordering any. Outside of Philadelphia the sandwiches are mediocre. Seems no one can recreate the taste although they are simple to make.
Every Philadelphia native has their favourite establishment. The locals have debated who makes the best sandwich for decades. My favourite and on the list of the most famous is Pat's King of Steaks in South Philadephia. Right across the street is the biggest competitor Geno's (isn't it always that way). The places are dumpy, greasy places with little seating and big lineups.
Locals think in terms of steak sandwiches with or without cheese. Without cheese, the sandwich is referred to as a “steak.” With cheese, it is a “cheese steak” or "cheesesteak." Cheeze Whiz is the topping of choice for serious steak connoisseurs. However, you can also use provolone cheese (which how I like it). According to Philadelphians, you simply cannot make an authentic Philadelphia Cheese Steak sandwich without an authentic Philadelphia roll. The rolls must be long and thin, not fluffy or soft, but also not too hard. They also say that if you are more than one hour from South Philly, you cannot make an authentic sandwich.
During the 1930s in the Italian immigrant section of South Philadelphia, brothers Harry and Pat Olivieri sold hot dogs and sandwiches. Tired of hot dogs, Pat suggested that Harry go to a store and buy some beef. Harry brought it back, sliced it up and grilled it with some onions. The brothers piled the meat on rolls and were about to dig in when a cab driver arrived for lunch, smelled the meat and onions and demanded one of the sandwiches. It was not until 20 years later that cheese was added to the sandwich. In 1940, the brothers opened Pat's King of Steaks.
When you go inside one of these places there is a huge pile of thinly sliced beef (usually top round) grilling and separate piles of onions, mushrooms and peppers. The slices are quickly browned and then scrambled into smaller pieces with a flat spatula. If you ask for onions, peppers or mushrooms they are mixed in with the meat. The cheese is added last right before its put in a roll. The sandwich is pretty high in calories and fat. A recent addition has been chicken in place of the beef.
There is a defined South Philadelphia protocol for ordering, consisting of the desired cheese and whether fried onions should ("wit") or should not ("witout") be added. A common order in South Philly is "Whiz, wit", meaning a cheesesteak with Cheez Whiz and fried onions. "Wit" (or "wid") is an approximation of the South Philadelphian pronunciation of "with," which is how the word is actually spelled on some menus. For example, "Give me a provolone wit," is an order for a cheesesteak with provolone cheese and fried onions on top. "I'd like a pepper cheez wit", for a sandwich with peppers and onions and Cheez Whiz.
