The Philly Cheesesteak Odyssey

There are some foods that are so iconic of the city in which they were created that the food and the city have become one. New York bagels (still nothing like them anywhere else in the country), Chicago pizza (oh, for one of those deep dish delights right now), and the Philly Cheesesteak.

Cheesesteak History

The cheesesteak made its official debut in 1930 when Pat Olivieri, a South Philadelphia hot dog vendor, decided to put some beef from the butcher on his grill. A taxicab driver noticed the alluring aroma and asked for his own steak sandwich. The next day, as the story goes, rumor of the delicious lunch had spread, and cabbies around the city came to Olivieri demanding steak sandwiches. Soon after, Olivieri opened up a shop on 9th Street and Passyunk Avenue, Pat’s King of Steaks, to sell his new creation.

Eventually, cheese to the recipe. Today, Pat is still serving Cheesesteaks and so is Geno’s his long-time competition across the street. Learn more about the Philadelphia's favorite food at Visitphilly.com

Over time, lightly fried onions have been added as well as a variety of cheeses. Sometimes peppers make an appearance. There’s also numerous varieties of cheesesteak, but we won’t talk about them. I’m a purist about my food.

What’s a Cheesesteak

The meat traditionally used is thinly sliced rib-eye or top round although other types are also used. Traditionally, the steak slices are quickly browned and then scrambled into smaller pieces with a flat spatula.

Some vendors forego the chopping, serving their sandwiches with the slices of steak in whole form. White American cheese, Mozzarella, provolone, and Cheez Whiz are the most commonly used cheeses, but cheddar is making inroads, as well as other more exotic cheeses.

The Philly Cheesesteak Quest

It has been years since I was in Philadelphia, but I knew exactly what I wanted to eat when I landed back in the city of Brotherly Love. Yes, their down home cooking in the form of a cheese steak.

Elephant & Castle Pub Restaurant

Our first stop was Elephant & Castle. We didn’t know it at the time, but it’s an international chain of eateries. Probably better that I didn’t know it has 20 locations across Canada and the USA. It’s located in the Crowne Plaza Hotel at 1800 Market Street

I was intrigued by their decor and, frankly, the British call box that reminded me of the Dr. Who tardis.

Since this was my first foray into cheesesteaks, I didn’t know I had to ask for onions, or specify the cheese. The resulting sandwich was moist and tasty but I haven’t a clue what cheese was on it. It probably wasn’t provolone since I could actually taste something. But, alas, there were no onions. But it did come with excellent crispy fries.

Their website doesn’t list Philly Cheesesteaks on the menu, but in Philadelphia, all restaurants seem to serve it.

Jim's Steaks

Jim's Steaks has been a Philadelphia institution for over 70 years. Since we were on South Street, a mere 10 blocks away from one of the locations, we headed to one of the old favorites of the city.

Now with 4 locations, the 4th and South Street eatery (at 400 South Street) has just the right historic art deco feel wedded to a slightly past its prime atmosphere. The staff have been there forever and while regulars rattle off their order, visitors are obvious - we stare and the menu trying to decide exactly how we want our steak.

I tried it with provolone, fried onions, and peppers. The sandwich was excellent, although I found the peppers overwhelmed the more delicate flavor of the cheese. Although there is a sharp version of provolone, the sandwich must have came with the mild version. The flavor just disappeared.

Gi Gi Restaurant + Lounge

Gi Gi on Market Street was next up on the cheesesteak tour. This sidewalk café offers a sophisticated menu, and (of course) cheesesteaks. Located on another part of Market Street, across from Franklin Court housing Ben Franklin sites, it is part of tourist central.

They offer a cheesesteak with a bleu cheese sauce, and diced onions. It is delicious. But they opted to thinly sliver the steak instead of frizzle it, and the resulting meat was on the chewy side. Ah, but that sauce. Totally not traditional, but totally excellent.

Jack Duggan's

If you need a final fix before you leave Philadelphia, or want to get on head start on cheesesteak, there’s Jack Duggan’s in Terminal A by gate 3. By this point I knew I had to ask for the fried onions, and I selected cheddar. I wanted a cheese that would provide a subtle, but detectable flavor, and I don’t eat American cheese, and have no interest in trying the even more highly processed Wheez.

The sandwich came on a nice crisp roll with crunchy and tasty french fries. The sandwich was perfect with enough flavor from the meat, the cheese, and the onions with just enough juice for added flavor. It made a very satisfying cheeseSteak. And for me, a perfect ending to my odyssey.

For more information on Philadelphia, attractions, Philly Cheesesteaks and more eats go to VisitPhilly.com