Okay. So I have a question -

Not being in Philadelphia, but more in the Northern Virginia/DC area, where can I find a decent cheesesteak that is at least somewhat representative of the quality that would be found in Philly?

I know sycamore can help me out with this. Or maybe not. :)

Anyway. One of these days I'll come up to Philly. We should get some cheesesteaks or something. Must get car first. Man. Always something to spend money on :)

Damn...that's a toughie. Even after trying in several distant locales, I can't remeber *ever* having anything that truly captured the essence of either a cheesesteak *or* a hoagie anywhere else on the planet. Conventional wisdom is that it is largely an issue of the rolls used, and I'm loathe to disagree.

There's also the influence of a certain native wild abandon towards fat, oils and starch that is the perfect local blend of German and Italian cultures.

Ah, this is where being a former resident of DC actually pays off.

The Philadelphia Cheesesteak Factory on Baltimore Ave. (Rt. 1) in downtown College Park, MD. If you don't have anyone to take you over there, take the Green Line to the College Park/UMD station. Walk under the tunnel and walk up Calvert Rd. to Baltimore Ave. (about 4 blocks). Hang a right at Baltimore Ave., stay on the right hand side of the street, and it's about 2 blocks up. Truth be told, it doesn't compare to anything in Philadelphia, but it's not half-bad.

Word up, G. Since I have never experienced the Philly cheesesteak, I cannot compare - but I did hit a really good cheesesteak somewhere around here. They are apparently a place that has a shop open in Philly, but I don't remember their name. Friend of mine and I went there for lunch one day. It was pretty tasty. And yes, the bread was great.

The guy downstairs in our cafeteria also makes what I consider to be a pretty tasty cheesesteak. It's not the best one I've ever had, but it beats a hot dog any day of the week :)

Hmmm. I'll hgave to try it if I'm ever down that way again. But I usually regard the word "Philadelphia" in a cheesesteak offering to be the kiss-of-death.

If it doesn't compare to anything in Philly, they should call it the "College Park Cheesteak Factory". :-) College Park does have a cute little airport, though...longest continuously operating one in the US, I beleve.

If it's not in Philadelphia, it really doesn't compare. :) Just like going to the grocery store and buying the Philly Steak. Ummm...no.

Quote:

College Park does have a cute little airport, though...longest continuously operating one in the US, I beleve.

Correct. I believe they have antique planes there as well. I remember passing by it on Metro's green line as you head towards Greenbelt.

One time though, that place completely fucked up my order. I believe I ordered a chicken cheesesteak hoagie...and I wanted nothing on it (i.e. no peppers or onions). When I got home, all I had was a vegetarian hoagie. Lettuce and tomato...that was it. Man, was I pissed! I promptly drove back over there (b/c it was only 10 minutes from our apartment) and got it corrected...fucking moron. If I remember correctly, it's in a building that used to be one of the Little Taverns that used to be all over the DC area.

Well. Lunch time is starting, and the guy downstairs makes a pretty good cheesesteak. It's pretty cheap ($2.90, + $.90 for fries). Lotsa cheese, pretty alright bread... I get peppers and onions on it, and i'm pretty generous with the mayonnaise. I think I shall be having one of those for lunch today :)

No, that's HORRIBLE! It is NOT a real cheesesteak!! And if you ate it, you have FUCKING lost what little brains you have left!!! MORON!!!

Sorry...I was in a bit of a dham moment there. ;)

You're a boner.

To each his own, man. But I can back up the goodness of the $2.90 cheesesteak. At least, I could have. George got fired, which means he's not making it anymore. Oh well. But it was a pretty fine sub.

Perv. :-)

Mayo is good. Really really good. Though I prefer dipping my sandwiches in it and then eating, instead of just spreading it on the whole thing. You know - dip, bite, dip, bite. It's all good :)

Yeah, you gotta have the mayo, particularly on a chicken steak. And this is one of those situations where Miracle Whip will not do.

I'm still appalled at the one place I went to that used tartar sauce...blecch!

I just have to note at this point that the best commercially available mayo is Trader Joe's. It's more like hollandaise than mayonnaise. That is all.

I haven't tried it, but there's a TJ's right near my house. I'll have to have Jenni pick some up and make it into a sandwich.

Personally, I do appreciate the taste of Hellman's. I think it's still really damn good, even after all these years of eating it. Mayo goes good on a lot of things.

Ah, good choice. I'm a Kraft Real Mayo gal myself, even though I'm not suppose to have that. *grins*