Battle for Cheesesteak Supremacy

Love it or hate it as a city for its sports and fanatics, Philadelphia still maintains a solid reputation for its cheesesteaks. Many moons ago, I visited Philly with a friend and we discovered Jim's Steaks. And the memory of that cheesesteak still stays with me to this day, nearly 16 years ago. And as cliche as it may be, I too, wish to know who has the best in the city of brotherly love.

If reputation and notoriety plays a role here, it would have to come down to two places: Pat's and Geno's. Tony Luke's is infamous as well, but the two aforementioned have more name recognition. Both of them have also been recently featured on the Travel Channel.

Two of my friends joined me on this culinary adventure of male bonding and edacious debauchery. Nearly two hours later we walked through a seemingly run-down section of South Philly that was more suited for an urgent street cleaning than three twenty-somethings looking for grub. Yet, to be deterred by your surroundings is what often makes these places special. You could argue that location will close a restaurant down instantly. But when you find a gem in a place like that with a reputation that precedes it, it is easy to see why they're open 24/7. People will travel far and wide for good food. And food brings people together. A perfect marriage of gastronomy and socio-economy.

With the theme song of "The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air" buzzing in my head, I prepared myself. I'd ingeniously eaten breakfast early and cleverly avoided eating lunch at noon as to increase the hunger pangs upon arrival. I was ready.

On the corner of Passyunk Ave and South Ninth street stand the two adversaries. Like Wendy's opening across the street from Burger King, Pat's King of Steaks and Geno's Steaks both attract clientele with their bright neon signs and lengthy lines.

We went to Pat's first. The line was astonishing but moved swiftly. I made sure to read the "ordering directions" before I got to the window. There was no use labeling myself even more of a tourist with my best friends taking pictures to likely post on Facebook behind me. I ordered a steak "wit onions and whiz". I received my food in less than a minute. Seriously. I was mystified but equally as giddy as they slid a piping hot cheesesteak right back at me. Expeditious efficiency. Score one for the King of Steaks. There was no place to sit, but there was a ledge where we stood, devouring the first of two. I noticed that the roll was holding on for dear life in an attempt to preventing the split at the bottom from the juices. That was of no concern to me. Pat's utilizes the "chopped steak" technique where it is chopped on the flat top during cooking. I loved it. The cheese whiz worked marvelously to highlight the greasy-goodness of an unhealthy masterpiece. Geno was in trouble.

With no time to rest and a stomach reminding me I'm not Takeru Kobayashi, I dismissed all logical warnings and walked across the street. With a line that rivals in length to opening night of a Jonas Brothers concert - sans the sustained screaming of tween girls - I knew that it would provide at least a moment of digestion. No such luck. While the line did move much slower than its rival, I found myself in front of a curmudgeon who seemed more annoyed that I looked out of place than happy to guide the cheesesteak greenhorn. I can't fault the guy, though. I too, might have some arrogance if my restaurant had a great rep. I ordered the same exact sandwich. Since I waited for more than sixty seconds for my food, I was aghast at the audacity of this establishment's tardiness. The sandwich was fully wrapped and handed to me. I noticed immediately it was not nearly as hot as Pat's. I unwrapped and dug in to see what differentiates the two. Geno's uses slices of steak, where Pat's chops. Geno's bun however, withstood and absorbed all of the juice the cheesesteak dished out and appeared much fresher. I can appreciate good bread, and this was certainly a plus. It is an absolutely fantastic cheesesteak.

No points could be awarded on either side for seating. So we stood and ate again. Geno's receives points for the bread for sure. But I found Pat's much juicier and flavorful despite the actual slices of steak in the other. I really enjoy the juice that drips down your thumb and below your pinky towards your wrist. This is not gourmet food by any means. This is "I'm drunk and 4am after a frat party munchies" food. This is "I want to prove to my friends that I can eat more than they can" food. If you're looking for neat and trying to be healthy, go to Saladworks. This isn't for you.
This is supposed to be messy and delicious.

Geno's sandwich doesn't fall apart but still has juices dripping out the back. Both friends actually preferred Geno's for the sliced steak and the bread. And despite the juice making the bread partially soggy, Pat's flavors outweighed its competitor. And since they aren't the ones writing the blog entry, their contributions are appreciated but irrelevant.

Much like my view that I have outgrown roller coasters (as I can't justify the disproportion of line-waiting to ride-length), there was a collective groan of agreement among us that getting full for the sake of getting full, may not be dietarily acute. Two Philly cheesesteaks consumed in less than 1 hour. Not the recommended method, but for the sake of gastronomy - technically chowhoundery - and writing....this was a necessity.

-Dave