Roll should have some bite to it. So no to Amoroso’s…yes to Sarcones, Liscio’s, Serpe’s.
Cheese- Whiz is fine only if its brand name whiz, which has the seasoning. Provolone is fine and American isn’t a sin. But Swiss is wrong (looking at you , John Kerry).
I have to say, as a kid in South Philly in the 70’s, cheese wiz was certainly a favorite.
Must be a South Philly thing. Never saw it in the Northeast.
You are right… definitely no Wiz on a real cheesesteak. I think where it does belong is on fries. I remember eating somewhere near Penn, and they were delicious. Lordy, it’s lousy to get old and not be able to indulge like I did back then.
I taught in South Philly when I was a young’un. My favorite was going to a little deli at 9th & Oregon and getting a tuna hoagie for lunch.
So NE Philly defines how a cheesesteak should be? I think not. Celebrate the regional variations. Widen your horizons.
Isn’t NE Philly the real Philly? 
How come… how come I feel like we often get the crappy version of products – even when it is an American company? Canadian has better kit-kat than us (USA) too.
No more real than S. Philly. LOL. Certainly it isn’t definitive.
And this is why the cheesesteak thread was created. In a city of neighborhoods, consensus will never be reached. And if we opened this to South Jersey? They have their own great cheesesteak spots (and crazy ideas: like whiz is a viable choice).
Consensus will never been reached? My God, no two people can agree. This quickly devolves into a No True Scotsman charade. Pity the fool with the temerity to suggest you can find excellent authentic cheesesteaks outside of Philly. You’d be ahead asking New Yorkers to agree on the best “real” pizza or New Orleanians’ single best muffaletta.
Nope. Cheesesteak consensus will never be reached in Philly/burbs/S Jersey. But I will say anything you get in this area is far better than the “Philly Cheesesteak” menu items elsewhere.
Steak tips on a soft roll with mayo? Gristly “shaved” steak with yellow glop on a glorified hamburger roll? At least there’s a bottom bar?
You may not like Wiz, but it is a real cheesesteak. Pat’s started using it in the 50’s when it first came out. American and Prov were actually dropped by Pat’s for a bit in the late 60’s early 70’s.
As a kid going to Pat’s in the mid 70’s, Wiz was the default, followed by American.
And no matter what you found/find in DelCoor the NE, real cheesesteaks are SOUTH PHILLY.
Ok. Now, I am learning that maybe Wiz is the original version of cheesesteak, maybe?
I don’t think Wiz is the original, that probably goes to prov, maybe American. Just pointing out that Wiz as an option has to be included in the “real cheesesteak” category.
People like knock 9th & Passyunk as strictly for tourists, but that’s where the cheesesteak originates. Everyone is an imitator.
I will go to the 9th and Passyunk then. I haven’t been there – so ashamed. Thanks.
You see how ridiculous this is on its face, right? This is like saying anything in Chengdu is better than any Szechuan menu items elsewhere. Or that great French cuisine exists only in Lyon. In fact, you can get crappy and excellent meals anywhere. Your tastebuds don’t care where you take them.
It’s not really ridiculous. I agree that you can get some godawful cheesesteaks in and around Philly. But there are plenty of excellent cheesesteaks to be found in the area. Outside the area, you really can’t get an excellent cheesesteak–the bread is wrong, the cheese is wrong and the concept of thinly shaved ribeye isn’t fully understood.
Well, I’m not from Philly, but I’ve eaten cheesesteaks there. Some were excellent, many were not.
The cheesesteaks at 2 current Seattle eateries and one closed one were better than all but a few I’ve had in Philly:
Tat’s Deli: http://www.tatsdeli.com/default.asp
Colozzi’s: https://www.facebook.com/calozzisgeorgetown
Philly Fevre: now closed
I get the whole “pride of place” thing, but saying you can’t get an excellent cheesesteak anywhere but Philly is, well, a little silly.
