Philthy Philly’s recently announced they will be opening a new franchise in Ottawa. It will be opening where Saslove’s Meat Market (popular butcher) was located. I must admit I have never heard of Philthy Philly’s until now. The space is small so it will be interesting to see what they do with it.
I took one look at that cheesesteak and can already hear any Philadelphian (philthy or not) phoam at the mouth over it. Ho boy
It’s hard to find any cheesesteaks in Canada, at all.
I really enjoy cheesesteaks. I’ve only been to Philadelphia 6 times in my life, and I haven’t visited since around 2008.
I’m of the mind that we take what we can get in Canada, whether it’s Philly Cheesesteak or anything else.
It’s not going to be as good or as traditional as it would be in Philadelphia. It might scratch an itch in a city where there are no other cheesesteaks.
We have one in London, Ontario, now, too. I wouldn’t have noticed it if you hadn’t posted about it here.
They are expanding rapidly in Ontario.
https://philthyphillys.com/locations/
I hope the taste ot the cheeseteak lives up to the looks. As @Phoenikia said, it’s hard to find cheesesteaks in Canada. I’ve never been to Philly so I have nothing to compare it to. I will have to tie in a visit at some point to try it out.
Full disclosure: I had a cheesesteak from Jim’s. Once. I’ve had zero interest in ever having one again, despite the fact that I just spent the last 3.5 months in Philly, which would’ve given me ample time to try all the current faves.
I wasn’t even compelled to try what is considered one of the best cheesesteaks in town bc the place also makes the best pizza I have had in this country.
To me, cheesesteak is drunk food, and I’m apparently too old to be out and about in that state anymore. As a dining item it holds zero appeal to me. It’s not for me, but I hope you really enjoy yours!
But Philadelphians, as charming and friendly as their reputation would have you believe, would likely set this place on fire.
That is all
I find it somewhat elitist for people to continue to say things along the lines of, Food X is better in Philadelphia, or Paris, or Tokyo, or that Food X in Ottawa or elsewhere isn’t as good and/or authentic as Food X is in the city where Food X originated.
Of course Food X is better or more authentic in the city where it originated, where more than one business is selling Food X, where there is more demand for Food X, where more people have strong opinions about Food X.
I am making due with what I can find where I live. Maybe a better version will show up, maybe it won’t.
I will try Philthy Philly’s in London or Toronto to see if it’s worth eating, for me.
It’s just food.
Does it taste good? Does it hit the spot? Who cares what some strangers in Philadelphia think about a sandwich in Ottawa?
I do love cheesesteaks and have sampled them at Jim’s, Pat’s and a couple of other places in Philadelphia. I have not tried the ones at Philthy Philly’s, but note from the pictures that they seem to offer them with some kind of white cheese that might be provolone, which is an option in Philadelphia. However the default there is usually Cheez Whiz or some other process cheese variant. Having had both versions, I actually prefer the one with Cheez Whiz which gives the cheesesteak a Big Mac-y flavour combo that is kinda enjoyable.
Anyway, let us know how Philthy Philly’s tastes.
I haven’t had a cheesesteak in Philadelphia for so long I won’t be able to compare it to what I had. I’ll report back on whether I like whatever I order enough to order it again!
The allegedly best cheesesteak of the moment is at Angelo’s at the Italian market. They bake their own bread, use Cooper sharp, and quality rib-eye. It looks great, but as I mentioned above, their pizza has won out over a cheesesteak each time.
Default is not wiz, btw, but you can visit the Philly eats subreddit if you want to dip your toes in the discussion. Lots of discussions-I-mean-arguments about who uses the best bread, cheese, etc.
I’m tickled by how passionate they are about a sammich. But then I got crucified for calling John’s roast pork boring #toughcrowd
I’m sure there are passionate discussions about the proper components of a cheesesteak. I might be wrong about the cheese, but that was what several places used unless I specified otherwise.
Like you wouldn’t believe it!
No doubt there are equally passionate fights in other locales over their specialties — poutine, döner, currywurst, frietjes oorlog, and similar drunk foods come to mind.
Dunno if you’re on Fb, @ottawaoperadiva & @DrJohn, but this might be a good example of Philadelphian’s rabid obsession with their cheesy steak sammich
I remember visiting Pat’s in 1997. My friend was living in Philly, and had married a local. I remember having a bit of anxiety about placing my order the right way.
I enjoyed the Steak and Cheese sandwiches in the Wash DC area for years before i tasted a Cheesesteak in Philadelphia. Loved them both and never really thought about the differences until there was a 200+ entry thread of vociferous advocates of one or the other on Chowhound.
What an education!
I still like them both equally.
As near as i can remember the main differences are sliced ribeye, prov or Wizz on an Amoroso roll/bread vs other types of roll, sliced ribeye, some sort of cheese, lettuce, tomato and a smear of mayo.
And i had the same concerns about ordering correctly as Phoenikia!