Well, I decided to go with Pat’s King of Steaks. Not only because I know that I love `em but their location was closer to me than Tony Luke’s, which meant I would have more time to relax between the job. So I grabbed a cab from the hotel to the intersections of 9th, Wharton and Passyunk Ave.
It had rained earlier in the day (and would get substantially worse as night fell) so most of the front tables were soaked and were not in use. But as you can see from the photo below, the damp weather didn’t keep a good crowd huddling towards the back of the establishment.
Of course, I couldn’t resist letting the ritual of eating two cheesesteaks in a row go to waste, so I decided I would use the opportunity to try out the pizza steak along with my “regular” order. So into the line one goes.
My order: One steak wit (meaning I want onions) and provolone and one steak wit and pizza.
I thought a cheesesteak with pizza sauce would be only pizza sause but I immediately got questioned, “What cheese?” I start to panic, what cheese goes with a pizza sauce covered steak fest of a sandwich? I don’t know. But I better say something or I’m going back to the end of the line to practice my order. So I uttered:
“Cheez Whiz!” (which is really the authentic choice for a Philly cheesesteak)
Before finding a place to chow down your steaks, you have to pay visit to the pepper bin that dominates the condiment table. Now, you are ready to find a nice, dry spot.
So, here is what my order looked like. My favorite has still got to be the classic steak wit onions and provolone. Though, the pizza steak wasn’t too bad either. It taste like rotel dip on a Philly cheese, which is nice but nothing I want (or need) to consume on a daily (or yearly) basis. As with many food cultural phenomenon, the dish always seems to be tastier from where it originated. Sure, the Philly cheesesteak is copied the world over, but I swear you won’t find any better than those from the City of Brothery Love.
So, I leave Pat’s King of Steaks for another year and decide that the best thing for me to do is to resist flaggind down a cab and walk the two miles back to the hotel.