Into The Cold...For Christmas!

Greetings, Readers!

Happy Holidays and Happy Hanukkah to some of you out there!

I am heading home to celebrate Christmas this year in Philadelphia, and like any good trip back east, I am looking for some fantastic sandwiches to enjoy in the City of Brotherly Love.

I'm in the mood for some new, delicious cheesesteaks that I may not have tried yet. So, do you know a great local spot that only your neighborhood knows about? If so, let me know in the comments below.

Also, do you know of another sandwich you've had lately that you would consider a Philadelphia classic, like DiNic's in the Reading Terminal Market?

Leave your suggestions in the comments below, and happy sandwiching to you all!

P.S. - If you haven't read my guest blog for Deli Fresh Threads yet, check it out here!

Until next week...

The Smell of Spring...And Sandwiches

Greetings, Readers!

This week I decided to further explore my neighborhood of the Noho Arts District and finally stopped in a place that I have known about, but have neglected to visit, for the last four and a half years that I have lived here in LA.

Philadelphia Sandwiches is a tiny shop across from the Television Academy on Magnolia Boulevard. The inside of this shop has tons of paraphernalia from the Sixers, Phillies, Eagles and Flyers and actually felt like an authentic Philly restaurant, and not just one with the name of that fine city propped out front.

Ordering a cheesesteak with fried onions and peppers, I had forgotten to ask at first which type of cheese was used on the sandwich. Would it be slices that were melted while cooking, or would it be the sin-of-a million-heresies called "wiz"?

At first I had thought I was given this atrocity, but noticed that even though it was yellow-ish, it was not wiz. The cheese was melted through the sandwich, but I wasn't that impressed with it. There also could have been more as it was a bit sparse.  Luckily, the meat was flavorful, finely chopped, and not dried out.

The rolls were great. They held together, were soft, fresh and had great flavor.

The website for Philadelphia Sandwiches claims their sandwiches are "the best" Philly cheesesteaks. I would disagree.

While they are very enjoyable, I would still rank a number of other cheesesteaks that I've tasted above it in LA, specifically South Street Steaks and Philly's Best. But I had to admit, I do like the fact that I have a very reputable and enjoyable cheesesteak shop within walking distance.

Like last week though, my physician could not disagree with that more.

Onto this weekend though, when I will be grilling hot dogs and sausages on my rooftop as one of my favorite pitchers of all time leads my hometown Phillies against the Pittsburgh Pirates in our second game of the new baseball season.

Ah, the smell of spring...and sandwiches. Until next week, Readers...


Philly Cheesesteak
*** 1/2 stars
Philadelphia Sandwiches
11112 Magnolia Blvd.
North Hollywood, CA 91601
http://www.phillycheesesteaknoho.com/

P.S. - having trouble with uploading photos here. They'll be up soon. Promise.

Post Celebration Sandwiches

Greetings, Dear Readers!

I hope you enjoyed last week's Top 10 post and are finished with recovering from the celebrations of the blog turning 100.

Speaking of recovery, this week's sandwich came to me after a night of drinking and dancing at the Echoplex for a joint birthday of two friends.

As most of you may know, after a night at a bar, there usually is nothing better than some greasy diner food to prepare you for going to sleep and waking up hangover-free. Or at least, this is how I work.

Heading down to the Brite Spot after the Echoplex (on a few short steps away), we saddled up to a booth and stared at our menus. Debating on a number of great post-drinking meals, I finally settled on a steak sandwhich. Reading the menu, this sounded a bit like a high-cass cheesesteak, so it was definitely worth trying.

The sandwich for the most part was enjoyable. The steak was flavorful, and the cheddar cheese was melted throughout, but then the problems set in. The grilled peppers and onions were a bit too soggy and I had a number of pieces of steak that were a bit chewy.

Unlike a regular cheesesteak, these pieces of steak were more similar to roughly chopped cubes than thin slices, which lead to occasional fatty pieces.

Now this bad sandwich review should not scare anyone away from the Brite Spot. I've eaten there numerous times and have enjoyed all of the other meals I've had there (especially ones after the Echoplex), but I have to thoroughly caution you against ordering this steak sandwich.

It tried, but did not live up to any sort of cheesesteak standard.

Until next week, Readers!


Steak Sandwich
** 1/2 Stars
The Brite Spot
1918 W. Sunset Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90026

A Visit With Jersey Mike

Welcome back, dear Readers!

This week I took a little trip to Jersey.

Well, maybe just a place called Jersey Mike's whose cheesesteaks the locals have recommended to me numerous times before.

I figured, maybe I should try it and see if these Angelenos have any idea what they're talking about in the realm of cheesesteak science.

Heading out to Burbank, I arrived at Jersey Mike's and was greeted by something odd insider: A sign that said 'Parking For Dodgers Fans Only'.

Excuse me, but I'm fairly certain a sign like that in New Jersey would like end with your body being disposed of in the Pine Barrens (No idea what that is? Click here).

Despite the sight of this sign, I decided to give this authentic cheesesteak a try, and ordered the Big Kahuna, which has grilled onions and peppers, plus mushrooms, jalapenos and extra cheese.

Now as you Readers know by now, I've had some good experiences with cheesesteaks on the left coast, and I was hoping that this one would deliver, but I was sadly disappointed. While it was good, it wasn't great, and didn't stand out from the pack of contenders. The steak, jalapenos and mushrooms were tasty, for sure, but the problem was the cheese. There was just too much of it that it overpowered most of the flavor.

I did like that they heated the sandwich up and then wrapped it in foil before serving it. It sealed the bread up nicely and kept the insides nice and hot.

Overall though, this sandwich was somewhat of a disappointment. The locals here may like it because it's their only exposure to a true Philadelphia sandwich, but I would highly recommend a number of other places that would better serve your tastebuds.

Until next week Readers...

P.s. - What's on your favorite cheesesteak, and where do you get it from?

The Big Kahuna Cheesesteak

*** Stars

Jersey Mike's (various locations)

http://www.jerseymikes.com/

Sun, Shore and Sandwiches

Greetings, Dear Readers!

This week I've moved east from Philadelphia to Wildwood, NJ and the wonderful Jersey shore.

No, don't run off just yet! There's no GTL or "battling the beats", just a nice little write up of some delicious eats.

Yeah, I just did that.

One night, while hanging out with the entire extended family in Wildwood, I sat down to eat a cheese steak from Tony Luke's.

This sandwich shop, while also being stationed in Philadelphia, is well known for its signature sandwiches and I'm going to let you in on a little secret here: I've never had a sandwich from Tony Luke's.

I know, some of you may wonder how that's even possible, but now I know what's I've been missing all along.

The sandwich was packed with delicious steak, provolone cheese, and grilled onions and peppers. Despite how much was layered between the bread, the roll did an amazing job at keeping everything together, with a minimal amount of sogginess. The again, I really didn't give the sandwich enough time to fall apart after I opened it.

The meat was delicious, well cooked, and tender. The onions and peppers were well cooked too, not soggy, and still with a little pop left to them. The ony thing that caught me off guard was the use of red peppers instead of green peppers, which lent a slightly different taste to the sandwich.

The cheese was also very noticeable on this sandwich because there was so much piled on. In some bites it was almost overpowering and definitely caused my tongue to get stuck sometimes. Regardless, provolone trumps wiz any day and it still made this sandwich a real winner.

One day, I'll have to rank all of the cheesesteaks I've eaten in a blog entry, but for now, you should know that Tony Luke's is definitely a worthwhile destination.

And so ends my trip back home to Philadelphia. Much fun was had by all, and many sandwiches were eaten by me. Many thanks to my family for always making trips back east exceptional.

Until next week, Readers...

Tony Luke's Cheesesteak

**** Stars

Various Locations

http://www.tonylukes.com/

Hometown Hero

Greeting Dear Readers!

It's baseball season, if you hadn't heard yet, and because of that I've decided to celebrate the return of one of my favorite pitchers to my home town team with a delicious sandwich of my own.

So in order to celebrate Cliff Lee's return to the Philadelphia Phillies, I decided to throw a party where we would watch the game, and I would be the sandwich maker under scrutiny.

For this party, I made my own cheesesteaks.

Now I've reviewed a few cheesesteaks from around Los Angeles, from the great to the abysmal. I've also eaten enough in my life that I know what I like and dislike on a sandwich.

So for starters, this sandwich will not include cheez-wiz

For the steaks, I grabbed up a bunch of Steak-umms from Ralph's and gave each sandwich 3 slices.

Off to the side of the cooking steaks, I had two different pans running: one with onions and peppers grilling in a little bit of olive oil, and the second with chopped baby bella mushrooms also in a drop of olive oil.

The problem really becomes co-ordinating the three pans at first. Mushrooms cook very fast and have a very small window of being perfect. A second too long and they're overdone.

When the steaks were just about done cooking, I added the mushrooms, onions, and peppers on top, and the laid down three slices of provolone cheese (i.e. not wiz) and let it melt for a few seconds before stacking it in the roll.

As a surprise ingredient, I had fries cooking in the oven which I then generously added to my sandwich. Taking cues from Primanti Bros. in Pittsburgh, I thought I'd take a shot at this, and it turned out to be welcome addition. Try it next time you make your own at home.

My only regret with the sandwich was the bread. I searched around for good steak rolls, and then even good sourdough rolls but could not find any last minute as I prepared for the game. The rolls I had were somewhat fluffy on the inside, with poppy seeds on the outside. They weren't bad, but could have been a lot better had I time to look at another store.

So, whether you enjoy baseball or not, I highly suggest you try your hand at creating this sandwich in your own home. For me, it reminds me of growing up in a wonderful town that loves its people, its teams, and its history.

Until next time, Dear Readers...

A Challenge To The Throne

LO AND BEHOLD seekers of DANGER!

We have a challenger stepping into the ring this week.

A sandwich that looks to topple one of the top rated sandwiches here at The Danger Sandwich.

Recently, I had a run in with the South Philly Experience, a food truck that stocks up on Herr's chips, Hank's colas, Tastykakes, and of course a variety of styles of cheesesteaks. But would this mecca of food from my home city be DANGERous enough to top the sandwich styling of South Street Steaks in Burbank?

Continue reading...IF YOU DARE!

To start, the roll is a true, flown in from philadelphia, Amoroso roll. But i have to admit, that something got lost at customs, because these rolls were a bit too doughy, heavy, and a little too chewy.

Definitely not fresh enough for my liking.

The steak is chopped up rib-eye, and it was amazing. I've never had a cheesesteak where the meat itself was so full of flavor. It's just a shame this was the only highpoint of the sandwich.

And that brings me to the cheese.

So i chose the provolone, since cheez wiz is an abomination to man, and boy did they get this essential part of the sandwich so wrong.

Instead of placing the cheese on top, and allowing it to melt down into the sandwich, effectively mixing it, the cheese was placed first on the roll.

Underneath the meat.

And so I was left with delicious steak on top of four slightly warm, but not melted, slices of cheese.

Also, the truck was out of tastykakes too. How'd anyone let that happen?

Fail.

Overall, the excellently seasoned grilled steak was not enough to make up for the serious shortcomings of the rest of the sandwich. You tried South Philly Experience, you really tried, but it wasn't enough to become top cheesesteak in LA.

Until next time, DANGERites...

** 1/2 Stars

South Philly Experience

http://www.southphillyexperience.com/