NW natives will like this, Philly natives not so much
Madone! Being stranded in the bland-food capital of America, I got really excited when a friend told me that there was a Portland cheesesteak place owned by a guy who used to work for Geno's back in my old neighborhood in South Philly. (For those of you who don't know, Geno's is one of three famous cheesesteak places in Philly.) I got even more excited at the prospect of eating a cheesesteak, "whiz wit" on a real honest-to-god, flown-in-from-Philly Amoroso's Italian roll, cause what Philly native doesn't know that it's the roll that makes the entire 'sangwich'?

Well, the owner of "Philadelphia's" apparently, because the rolls they serve are not the golden-baked, incredibly-firm and fresh Amoroso's. Instead, they are soft and chewy - NOT Italian - and seem very under-baked to me. It also slipped his mind that real Philly cheesesteaks come with either Provolone (this IS an Italian-born sandwich after all) or the Philly favorite, Cheez Whiz. This store offers the Geno's recipe - in my opinion, the worst of the three Philly recipes - on a sub-par roll with your only choices of cheese being American or a Swiss hybrid. (It bears mentioning that in Philly, a cheesesteak ordered with American or Swiss cheese puts you in line for a serious ass-kicking - just ask Sen. John Kerry, he learned this the hard way back in '04.)

Bottom line, Northwesterners will love Philadelphia's because they have nothing else to compare it to.(My West Coast friends loved it, even ordered extras to go, I could only handle two bites and gave the rest away.) East-Costers in general will be happy to have something familiar to eat, but Philly natives - fierce defenders of our trademark food - will feel betrayed that the Philly-raised owner is not selling a real Philly cheesesteak. Oh well, whaddya gonna do, it IS the West Coast after all, and West Coasters wouldn't know good food if it bit them in their liberal asses.

On the upside, the atmosphere was lovely and I appreciate all of the Philly-themed decor. The service was excellent and I'll take this opportunity to apologize to the nice young man behind the counter for nearly taking his head off when he told me there was no Whiz or Amoroso's on the premises. Sorry dude, I've been cheesesteak-less for a year now, guess it showed.

And lastly, if anyone is planning a trip back to Philly, pack your bullet-proof vest and head on down to Jim's Steaks on 4th & South Street in good ol' South Philly for a SERIOUS cheesesteak experience, and make room for at least two of them since hardly anyone can have just one when they go there.    [20 Aug 2007 00:18:45]

Food:    Service:    Ambiance:    Overall: 
Recommended Dishes: None, really, unless Amoroso's are served

     ­Giovanna di Cozzi    southphillyitaliana at yahoo dot com