The three places we visited were: Pat's, Geno's, and Jim's. (Apparently, in order to have a good Philly cheese steak place in Philly, your restaurant has to be named after a person.)
PAT'S
Pat's was first on the list. The first thing we had to learn was how to properly order a Philly Cheese Steak. Fortunately, we had this handy dandy "how to!"



GENO'S
Next, we walked right across the street to Geno's. Pat's and Geno's are long time rivals because of their proximity. I'm sure there's history behind them that I'm missing, but I haven't looked it up yet.


Anyway, the cheese whiz brought the cheese steak to a new level of fabulousness, and made us believers in the Philly Cheese Steak. The overall flavor of the Geno's steak was better, mostly due to the whiz. The meat was a bit more thinly sliced, and had fewer fatty bits, which was a plus for me. The bread was not quite as good as Pat's, but still hit the spot. Like Pat's, they only had outdoor seating, but again it was plentiful and clean(-ish).
Also? Pat's and Geno's are both open 24/7. How flippin' awesome is that!?
JIM'S
Last on our list was Jim's, which we actually had to get back in the car to get to. We went to the Jim's on South St, which is an area my friend Max told us to check out. The line was almost out the door, but it moved fairly quickly.


THE WINNER
Overall, both KK and I liked Jim's the best. Our order was: Jim's, Geno's, and then Pat's, but we later decided we'd been a bit unfair to Pat's because we'd gotten provolone instead of Cheese Whiz on the sandwich, and the whiz made a serious difference when it came to flavor. It's my opinion that each place had something good to offer, and it ultimately comes down to personal preferences.
Also, Geno's lost points with me because there was an air of arrogance surrounding the entire establishment. Also, they were prominently featuring a photo of the owner with Sarah Palin, and we all know how I feel about that whacko. Geno's was outspoken about only speaking English at their store (because "we're in America"), but they were also overly dedicated to supporting the local police and fire departments, so they balanced out. I guess Pat's and Jim's just seemed a little more down to earth and less pretentious.
Regardless, the adventure made me a true fan of a REAL Philly Cheese Steak, and I have been on the hunt for them since I got back to LA. The closest I've found is a place called Philly's Best. It's DELICIOUS. They have a sandwich with three types of cheese and mushrooms, and it's our favorite one to order there.
So tell me. Have you been to Philly? Did you try any (or all) of the places we tried? Which was YOUR favorite?
1 comment:
Jims!!! and next time you come back you will have to try Tony Lukes and Dalessandro's
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