On a roll

Bread, meat and cheese. Even without condiments, these ingredients brew controversy. The kind of controversy that divides families and engenders interstate blood feuds. There’s the Reuben, the Cubano and the muffuletta, their histories rife with apocryphal tales and simmering resentments. That goes double for the Philly cheesesteak. A whole city takes credit for this sandwich, fiercely protecting its good name.

“You ask for black olives and relish, and we ask, ‘What, are you from Delaware?!’” says Paul Campbell, 43, owner of Philly’s Famous Cheesesteaks in Largo. “And in Philly, if you ask for mayo? Cooks go bananas. They’ll throw you in the river for even asking for it.”

In celebration of the Phillies spring training, Campbell got in touch with me to talk cheesesteaks.

He says the key is the roll. Back in 1990, he couldn’t find the right thing around here, one that was hard on the outside and soft on the inside, able to hold the cheesesteak ingredients all in there without falling apart. He contacted Amoroso in Philly, begging them to allow the rolls across state lines. Then he found a company in Gainesville willing to truck the good stuff south.

Meat? The real deal is ribeye, sliced super thin by the manufacturer. He gets his shipped down from the Philadelphia Cheesesteak Factory.

Campbell then gave me a little history lesson: Pat’s Steaks in Philly is credited with inventing the species in 1933. Pat’s meat is a little different, according to Campbell, sliced a little thicker. And Pat’s uses whiz.

That’s Cheez Whiz, a South Philly variation. The rest of the city chops the meat and scrupulously uses white American cheese (“if you try using yellow American they’ll throw you out,” says Campbell. “That’s WIC cheese [the government assistance cheese in the Women, Infants and Children program]!”). On the other hand, you can ask for provolone without fear of repercussions, and in Reading a little pizza sauce is added to the meat and on top of the provolone (it keeps the cheese from sticking to the wrapper). They call that a pizza steak.

According to Campbell, a real cheesesteak distinguishes itself by its simplicity: A few ounces of caramelized Spanish onions with the eight or so ounces of chopped meat. Top that meat/onion mixture with three slices of white American, let it melt, then slide it gracefully into that foot-long Amoroso roll.

Campbell says anything else and it’s just steak and cheese.

Photo of Pat's cheesesteak from Answers.com

Comments

[Gwyn]

I found the best cheese steaks in the area to be up the road from there. The restaurant is called G&Gs it is on West Bay. They have very authentic cheesesteak's. I should know my family is from Philadelphia, and we have tried every cheesesteak in the city and the surrounding area.

[The Mouth]

Give me more, Gwyn. Where else is good? I might have an urge to do a Great Cheesesteak Round-Up one of these days.

[Luby]

Colonial Corners on 49th St N just south of Park Blvd in St Pere does a good cheesesteak as well, and I believe they are from the Philadelphia area.

[A. Smedley]

GET TO THE BOTTOM OF IT FINALLY, MOUTH!
What the hell really is Cheez Whiz? The world has been crying out for an expose on "cheese food" for many years. Velveeta, Cheez Whiz, String Cheese, La Vache Qui Rie, etc. You've tipped Sir Robert Irvine's hand ... now can you do a number on Kraft Foods?

[JM]

Cheeze whiz is produced by plastic cows who graze on yellow artificial turf....

[Gwyn]

Let's see... The Covered Bridge in Dunedin on Edgewater Dr. near Michigan Ave. has really great cheesesteaks.
Please try them..

[jersey girl]

I will second the rec for Colonial Corner. Love the family atmosphere too.

Surprisingly, Original Pizza on Treasure Island makes a great cheesesteak - their bread is excellent.

CheezWhiz is sacriligious (sp?). Yo, don't even go there with me :)

And by the way, IMO the best variety is the Cheesesteak Hoagie, which is lettuce, tomato, raw onions, and mayo on a cheesesteak (white American cheese). I defy anyone to taste that and not go into rapture.

[Joe]

Try the cheesesteak at Fat Boy's in St. Pete. Get a side of John's homemade salsa to put on it.

[patti]

Hold the mayo, please!!! Talk about a sacrilige. And I'll take the white American anyday. Like them at Brighthouse Park.

[Jimbo]

Believe it or not, the best I found around here are in two places: Philly's in Largo (where this story was done, I believe) and All-American Cheesesteaks in the Trop (of all places) along Center Field Street (when you first walk in through Gate 1, the rotunda, turn left). They both have Amoroso's shipped in, and even though the Trop doesn't use Whiz (which is a necessity), they do use prov (a good substitute...not like those places that use mozzarella. I didn't ask for a pizza, did I?) and ribeye. And being from Penns Grove, NJ (15 mins south of Philly), I should know a good steak.

Speaking of, if you make it up to Philly, forgo Pat's and Geno's; they're trashy tourist traps designed to be a training wheel into the cheesesteak world. The real deal is Jim's on 4th and South Sts. Best flavor of any steak I've ever had.

[The Mouth]

Jimbo, I'll tuck the Jim's recommendation away for future use. And Smedley, you forgot to add wine cheese or those nut-covered cheese balls to your "Jesus, what bad cheeses!" lineup.

[dreaming]

i have never understood the appeal of cheese-steaks. ive had gino's and the rival one in philly. and many others.

none of them had any flavor whatsoever.

why?

maybe if somebody used actual decent 'steak' and some real 'cheese' this idea might work?