Cheesesteaks... Mmmm...

Being that I am from Philly, born & raised, I thought it only appropriate that I dig deep within my inner Philly-Pina and dedicate a Raptor Post to My Beloved Philly Cheesesteaks. Now mind you, I have been living in San Francisco for the past 10 years, so I plan to jump back & forth between Philly and SF regaling my tale of the Philly 'Steak.

Traditionally, as with most Philly people, I have been raised on Pat's the Original 'King of Steaks' located at 9th & Wharton where it crosses Passyunk in the heart of South Philly, the Italian neighborhood. Pat's was our 'go to' place growing up, because it was open 24seven and was the place to grab a Steak after Proms and such, before walking over to Penn's Landing.
I know, right? What a dreamy schoolgirl's fantasy, huh? But I'm tellin' you, that's how it was...

Pat's was also the place for when you had the drunken munchies after the clubs. Two or Three AM on many a night, I had found myself at Pat's waiting in a long line, on hot summer nights, and even through rain or freezing cold. We didn't care, as long as we got our 'Cheesesteak on... y'know what I'm sayin'?'

I went to St. Joe's and when I lived at the dorms we used get our Steaks from Larry's Steaks Home of the Belly Filler on 54th, which is a 2 foot long of Steak, buh-lieve it or not! Yours truly, the Raptor, actually ate two, yes you heard me, two of these bad boys in one sitting one night. Ah, how I long for those days when we were young and metabolisms were high...

In '95, I left Philly and going back to visit family & friends, we were introduced to Steve's Prince of Steaks in the NorthEast with two locations off the Boulevard. They slice their Ribeye thick and keep 'em whole rather than chopped up like most other places and their Roll is incredible!
Now Steve's is our favorite place for Steaks, whenever we go back. Only prob is that their not open 24hours, so we sometimes still end up at Pat's.

Let me digress and go into what makes a Cheesesteak authentic...
Well, let me tell you...
It's all 'bout the Meat & Cheese of course, but first off it's got a lot to do with the Bread. It's typically a French Roll, and best if it's fresh and a little chewy. More importantly, you can't have too much Bread. If the Roll were too 'Bready' then one would hafta resort to "tunnel-ing" one's Roll. The preferred Cheeses would be Whiz, American or Provolone and you can get it "wit" or "witout" Onions. When it comes down to it, once you've combined the above, it then becomes all about the "Cheesy Goodness." Once you've thrown one down, you know it was good one if you end up wearin' some of that "Cheesy Goodness" with a spot on your shirt or some drippage on your shoes. It's no joke...

So where does the Raptor go when she's fixin' for a Cheesesteak in SF?
Well in all my 10 years here in the Bay Area,

The Cheesesteak Shop on Divisadero is the only place so far that comes the closest to home.
And other Philly transplants that I know would agree. This place ships Amoroso Rolls from back East and even has Tasty Kakes and Whiz. I suggest that you order extra Meat, because that's how I like it, plus it makes for a better 'ratio' as mentioned. Hey, I'm the Raptor, whaddya expect?

One place that'e been brought to my attention is Jake's Steaks on Buchanan off Lombard. I have yet to try it, but it's on my list. Will report back once I do...
Also, Amato's in San Jose is toted as one of the best cheesesteaks this side of the Mississippi. I gots to go! Can you say 'Road Trip'?