Battle of Philly's Cheesesteak Champions

DATE: May 2015

LOCATION: Philadelphia, PA

It is just disgraceful how far, far behind I am in food blogging & photo sharing again... This post is about my foodie adventure over the national holiday, and I don't mean the 4th of July weekend that recently passed, but back from when summer un-officially began over the Memorial Day weekend.  My brother & his wife were making a family trip down to Philly and invited the hubby & me.  (Yes, grammar-ites, it is "ME" not "I", as they have invited ME.)  Naturally, I jumped at the chance purely for the fact that I have never tried any of Philly's infamous and renowned cheesesteaks.  Being a New Yorker, the only likes of a cheesesteak I've had were 99 Miles to Philly and Carl's Steak, so I wanted to see if the authentic originators would live up to the reputation and surpass these imitators.

It is the battle of the cheesesteaks... in one corner, we have Pat's King of Steaks.  In the other corner, we have Geno's Steaks.  The lines were ridiculously long at both places, which I'm sure is a common everyday occurrence.  So long, that by the time we got our food, we didn't even bother scrambling to vulture for a table and just turned the trunk of the car into our dining area.  We ordered a cheesesteak with onions and cheez whiz.  I had 1/2 from Pat's and 1/2 from Geno's.  Just by looks, Pat's looked like the supreme just by the sheer amount of cheese whiz.  The quality of the meat on my Pat's portion was a bit overcooked, but the gooey globs of cheese whiz compensated for the otherwise mediocre taste. 

Geno's looked like it was dry and lacking on the whiz.  When it came to the actual taste... Geno's was a better contender than I thought it would be.  While Geno's would've been perfection with more slops of cheese, I feel the reason they chintzed on the cheese is so you can actually taste the quality of their meat.  A very valid and noble move, but I still would've preferred a good amount of cheese whiz so that this wasn't just a steak sandwich with cheese, but an actual cheesesteak.  I alternated bites from each cheesesteak, and still could not determine which was my favorite.

Unfortunately, there was no clear cut winner between the 2, as I felt they both could've been better and did not blow any New York made cheesesteak out of the water.  But in the end, there needs to be a winner, right?  So who gets the title of the best Philly steak sandwich?  It's not Pat's NOR Geno's, the real champion is:

Tommy DiNic's!!  Located in the Reading Terminal Market, Tommy DiNic's roast pork and broccoli rabe was simply the best tasting hoagie/sandwich/whatever it's called that I had that day in Philly.  But it really shouldn't come at a surprise, as Tommy DiNic's is no hidden gem.  This signature sandwich was crowned "Best Sandwich in America" by Travel Channel... the source and reason I had to make a trip to Reading Terminal Market.  I was skeptical at the idea of broccoli rabe, but it was an added texture that gave a new element to a sandwich.  The way the roast pork absorbs all the juices and flavors is mouth-wateringly amazing.  If you're still not convinced,  check out the segment on Travel Channel. 

Side note:  The best food experience on this Philly day was at The Reading (pronounced Red-ding) Terminal Market.  It was a foodie haven with a plethora of options.  Aside from Tommy DiNic's, I also tried the New England Clam Chowder from Pearl's Oyster Bar...  O-M-G!!  Chowdery goodness, this has been my favorite N.E. clam chowder thus far.  I would definitely like to revisit Philly and try the other food stalls, as this was a really fun market to roam and shop around.  As for revisiting for a cheesesteak experience, I will not be returning to Pat's or Geno's.  According to a few Philly locals, I was told the real cheesesteaks are at a place called Jim's on South Street.  I do remember driving past this place and seeing the lines also go out the door here.  Something to try the next time I'm in Philly...

Bottom Line: Tommy DiNic's roast pork and broccoli rabe sandwich slaughters Philly's 'best' cheesesteaks.  No contest.  Skip the tourist trap of Pat's King of Steaks and Geno's Steaks.  Get the New England Clam Chowder from Pearl's Oyster Bar at The Reading Terminal Market while you make your stop over to Tommy DiNic's.

Happy Noshing, Jeanne