When I go to Philadelphia, I usually like to try and hunt down a cheese steak.
It makes sense, being the city has so many wonderful spots to get an authentic Philly steak. When we hit the city this past weekend for a Phillies game, we had intended all along to hit one up after the game.
I didn’t have anything of major filling up at the game, which is rare as I usually get a hot dog or Bull’s BBQ. Instead, it was some Italian Ice to tide me over.
But for dinner?
Now, I realize that Philly people have different likes and such when it comes to cheese steaks. Some love Geno’s. Some love Pat’s. Some love others. It’s understandable.
But I love Geno’s.
I have to be honest, too. I am biased in that Geno’s is in the family. My second-cousin Joey is the man who started Geno’s. This trip to Geno’s was the first time that I had been there since Joey died last August. In the past, we usually went down early when Joey was working and went inside, chatted with him and had the chance to see things from a different perspective.
This was different.
Though I’ve waited in line to buy steaks here before, I’ve never done it after a game. Holy cow! The line wrapped around the building and we hopped in to wait our turn.
The line moves quickly. I got to see the memorial to Joey at the front. And I got to see things in a different way. Watching the steaks being made on the inside. Seeing other people waiting and enjoying their steaks. It’s really amazing what Joey built.
Marc and Rod were deferring the ordering to me. See, you have to order right. (Three steaks wiz wit.) — which means three cheese steaks with cheese whiz and onions.
Delightful.
We also got an order of cheese fries as they are divine, too.
After finding a place to sit, we dug in. I can say the quality hasn’t changed since Joey died, thankfully. My oh my do I love cheese steaks at Geno’s. Everything was truly awesome.
When we were done eating and heading back to the car, I stopped into a Rita’s for some Italian Ice — the perfect way to end it. Well, close to the hotel was a nice little bar where I had a pint of Guinness. THAT was the great way to end the day.
The next day, we hit up a geocache in Delaware before dropping Rod off at the train station. Marc and I headed back to New York, but we made a quick stop at Sheetz for a final sub.
In the end, an excellent weekend and not a lot of money was spent, thankfully.
I’ll look forward to my next trip to Philly for some cheese steaks though. Those things are simply incredible.
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Hey, P.J. I took my first trip to Philly last summer. Cheesesteak was definitely in the plans. We had heard of Pats and Genos, but decided to ask at the hotel anyway. Jim’s Steaks on South Street was recommended, and we were not disappointed. The line didn’t look all that long until you realized that it snaked around inside the small shop. The food was delicious and we found a place at the counter upstairs to stand and eat, and drink our beers.
Later we tried Pats. I had cheese whiz on my mine but wasn’t as fond of it as provolone. I guess that’s why there are choices. Next time I might try Genos, but will definitely go back to Jim’s!
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I’ve had the others over time, too. You missed out on not having Geno’s. When I had it, Jim’s was good. But I didn’t like Pat’s. As for Cheez Whiz… it’s the way to go! 😉
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That picture at the top looks so very unhealthy. I’d have a hard time stomaching that.
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I can’t imagine a Philly cheese steak being fully healthy, but it tastes so damn good!