Steve Freides > wrote:

>As an ex-Philly boy, I think all the hoopla over who makes the best
>cheesesteak is over done. IMHO, just about every pizza place in the
>metro area makes a good cheesesteak (and you may rest assured that I've
>tried quite a few). I get back to Philly several times a year (I live
>near NYC and it's not far, plus I'm there on business from time to time)
>and I often find myself having a cheesesteak every night for dinner -
>they're that good, at least I think they are.
>
>I've had them elsewhere, and they're uniformly awful. Go to Philly,
>which is a fine city to visit by yourself, with your significant other,
>or with the kids, and just enjoy. Visit the Reading Terminal market for
>lunch and have a cheesesteak there from whatever place you like. Go
>towards the end of the week when the Pennsylvania Dutch people are
>there. That will make a fine start on Philly eating.
>
>I like mine with onions which, as far as I'm concerned, is part of the
>standard Philly cheesesteak - meat, cheese, and fried onions on a
>Amoroso roll. Ketchup? Not for purists but I don't think it ruins it,
>either. Certainly it's not my first choice now, but in college (Temple
>University, on and off between '73 and '82), I think I ate them that way
>as often as not.

I'm not from the cheesesteak part of the country, but it also seems
to me you want no explicit condiments on one -- but that there should be
sufficient amounts of olive oil left over from grilling the
meat/onions to serve as an implicit condiment. You do not want
the thing to be dry.


Steve