The perfect sandwich. Juicy steak, melty cheese, fried onions and a soft-yet-chewy roll. Screw the mushrooms, the peppers, and even the pizza sauce. Yes, this is a Philly Cheesesteak if you know what you’re talking about…

Now, I have spent plenty o’ days in Philly standing in line at Jim’s, Pat’s and Geno’s practicing how I’m gonna order: wit whiz or not, prov or sauce…all to keep the cashier from making it: wit spit. Despite the lingo, all of these establishments have been around forever and have very respectful “steaks” in their own right; but they market to the masses. And when I say masses, we’re talking about thousands of people a day. The cheese steak has turned into the quintessential fast-food of Philly, and this isn’t necessarily a good thing when it comes to feeding the thousands of drunks and tourists. Hours of standing in line for what I see as “drunk food with potential” has led me to make a better, and more personal Philly. And to be brutally honest, the best cheese steak that I have had, and did not personally make, was in Baltimore. No lines, no freaking out if you don’t know how to order, just good cheesesteaks.  Now before I get my house burned down or cat thrown in the ring by Michael Vick, I will at least say that it was a Philly themed bar (owned by residents of Philadelphia) in Baltimore, McGerks, and they don’t have any dogs. I digress…

Cheesesteak Vegas #1

Cheesesteak Vegas #2

To go ahead and cut in line and just make your own isn’t all that hard. Most stupermarkets sell beef rib eye that is “sandwich cut”, and if not, you need a meat slicer. The bread or “roll” is a hit or miss conundrum, which plays a very important “roll” (heh heh)  in this situation.  I am lucky,  my nearby bakery sells fresh hoagie rolls. A note to my friends from the mid-west reading this that have no idea what the hell a hoagie is: find a foot-long Italian sub loaf of bread instead. Regardless, fresh bread is a must, and you shall seek it out for cheesesteak’s sake. The cheese is up to you, just make sure that it melts good, isn’t wrapped in plastic in slices, or is in liquid form at room temperature (whiz), which by the way is not normal, but tasty. Now go get your thin sliced steak, grill it up nice and slow on a flat top and toss it together with abnormal cheese and sautéed onions. Throw it in a chewy roll and thank your lucky stars that you aren’t standing in line with the drunks in Philly, especially if the “Birds” or “Phils”  lost that night.

Recipe for two Philly Cheesesteaks for when the “Birds” are playing:
1 lb beef rib eye sliced thin, partially freeze it to cut it thin with a knife if you are one of those “losers” without a meat slicer
1/2 yellow onion diced
1/2 lb sliced, aged provolone or cheese sauce
2 hoagie rolls cut down the middle
1 Tbl vegetable oil
salt/pepper/onion powder

Heat skillet or griddle over medium low heat with vegetable oil. Saute’ onions until softened (5 minutes). Season steak with onion powder, salt and pepper. Put the rolls in the microwave for 20 seconds to warm them up. Add meat to the onions and toss together constantly to cook the slices of meat evenly. Once the meat is medium rare (pink left in the middle) form in into two long sandwich shaped piles and place the sliced cheese (or drizzle whiz) on top. Once the cheese has melted into the meat, scoop it up and pile it in the warm rolls. Consume immediately.