Philadelphia No. 2 (The Cheesesteak Tour)
July 22-23, by Tom
It’s Philadelphia, everyone wants to know about the cheesesteaks.
I will, of course, oblige.
No longer living in DC, but being a close drive away, we had the immense pleasure of hosting Meredith and James for a weekend in “our” city for the first time. While something I’ve done with my parents many times throughout the years, Kat (and I) had never had the opportunity to host her parents in a city to which they were unfamiliar because we could simply drive 30 minutes to Sunday night dinners in Vienna whenever we liked (almost every Sunday). I had a fabulous time expanding our relationship under these different circumstances and, as I am wont to do, used their visit as an excuse to explore the city in just the way I wanted to: by going on a cheesesteak tour. James and Meredith arrived in Philly midday on a Saturday, which allowed Kat and me to go to the Barnes Foundation in the morning.
(An aside – the Barnes Foundation is one of the most interesting and enjoyable museums I’ve ever visited. Alfred Barnes collected art in the early 20th century and was one of the first Americans to collect and show European painters. His museum is his collection, and, featuring mostly impressionist painters, is curated precisely as he intended, with no labels on any art—except for each painting’s frame naming the artist on a gold plate—and showing the art displayed through his “home” as if it were his own personal gallery. The layout and location of each piece is placed incredibly intentionally, and each room features furniture that similarly matches or reflects the art in the room. Visiting was a unique and fascinating way to view art, and allowed for an immersive experience that taught me far more about my likes and dislikes of different artists and styles. Though Barnes’ collection is the largest collection of Renoirs in the world, I came away realizing that I’m not the biggest fan of Renoir’s work, but that I’m consistently drawn to Cezanne, Seurat, and Prendergast. Of course, Picasso, van Gogh, and Matisse all stood out as well, and the Barnes’ second floor featured an abundance of beautiful works by Matisse.)
After visiting the Barnes, Kat and I took the time before Meredith and James arrived to pop over to Tommy DiNic’s to pick up a roast pork hoagie as a light pre-cheesesteak appetizer to split among four and provide her parents with a strong, foundational bite of Philly immediately upon arriving in the city. We did just that, and roast pork sandwiches immediately found four new fans. With our stomachs properly prepared, we embarked upon our Philly cheesesteak tour. Having tried the same cheesesteak twice already from Angelo’s (one in December 2022, one immediately upon arriving to Philly on July 16) and having already fallen in love with their warm, crispy sesame roll heartily stuffed with overflowing steak, onions, and cheese, I knew exactly where we had to start. Using Angelo’s as our point of launch, we worked our way down the Italian Market and followed Angelo’s with Pat’s, Geno’s, and finally Jaxx’s Steak Taproom. Pat’s and Geno’s each lay claim to creating the cheesesteak (Pat’s claims the first steak sandwich, while Geno’s claims to have added cheese) so they were natural destinations, but Jaxx’s was a late addition, tacked on because of an article I read that one man ate and ranked 1,000 cheesesteaks in and around Philly and declared Jaxx’s as his favorite. While we didn’t eat 1,000 cheesesteaks, I can confidently stand by the following ranking:
Angelo’s: It all starts with a perfect sesame roll, well-crisped outside and light and fluffy on the inside, with no inclination to overwhelm the sandwich’s ingredients. The steak is cut perfectly, just thick enough to give a strong bite alongside the cooper sharp cheese, creating an ideal balance of flavors. The onions are chopped into thumb-sized squares, brightening the sandwich with a pop of caramelization, and the inside is as loaded as a cheesesteak should be.
Angelo’s cheesesteak. Hard to beat. Jaxx’s Steak Taproom: A different type of cheesesteak, Jaxx’s sandwich is big enough that it’s cut in two and served on platter. Its bigger roll may not qualify it as a hoagie, but the steak is delicious, with an aromatic punch of seasoning salt and the cheese is drenched delectably over the meat. Topping off the sandwich are two long hots (long peppers) to add a punchy depth.
Forgot to take a picture so here’s a sample courtesy of Jaxx’s Instagram. Pat’s King of Steaks: Eating at the original Pat’s cheesesteak, we were inspired to add cheese whiz, and I must say it was surprisingly good. The flavor of the cheese whiz really helped to pick up the rest of the sandwich which was unfortunately lacking due to a dearly unseasoned steak that there wasn’t enough of (For you, dad: “This food is terrible”, “Yes, and such small portions!”). The roll was fine, but this was overall a duller sandwich that didn’t hold a candle to the first two.
Pat’s with cheese whiz (yes I forgot to add onions, still better than Geno’s). Geno’s Steaks: My least favorite of all the sandwiches (when you’re the first to do something, sometimes you need to catch up with the rest of the pack), the steak needed salt, the cheese was dull, and the roll was too thick and claggy that it overwhelmed the rest of the sandwich. Apologies to all the Geno’s truthers out there.
I’ll fill out the rest of our time in Philly with another post (or two). To round out the Klein’s visit; we continued our commitment to eating well after showing them around the Pier 3 apartment complex, sharing tasty Japanese bites downstairs at Double Knot (don’t miss the duck scrapple bao or edamame dumpling) only to be upstaged the next morning by a delightful (if not slightly overwhelming) feast of Lebanese-French brunch at Café La Maude (if you ever go, I would skip the pancakes—no matter how good they look, they aren’t—and opt instead for the steak shawarma platter or brisket huevos rancheros). We clearly can’t stop eating with the Kleins, and I expect it to continue in yet another new city.
Thanks for joining us this first time around.
