Thursday, September 13, 2012

Cheesesteak Challenge: Geno's v. Pat's

We're not afraid to be the ultimate tourists when we travel.  Sure, it's great to go off the beaten path, but, when you're in a place for a really short time, sometimes it's fun to do the expected.

When you're in Philadelphia, you're expected to visit Geno's Steaks and Pat's King of Steaks.  Most people will agree that they are not the best cheesesteaks in the city, but nobody can deny that they are absolute Philly institutions.

And, lo and behold!  They are right across the street from each other!  My friends Laptop and Mrs. Beagle joined us for the challenge.  First stop: Geno's.
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Luckily, I spoke perfect English when ordering.

Whiz wit ($9.00).
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That's abbreviated-speak for a cheesesteak with Cheez Whiz with onions.  The sliced steak was quite bland.

Cheese fries ($5.00).
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Much better than the cheesesteak but still nothing special at all.

Would Pat's disappoint, too?
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Our first impression of Pat's was instantly better.  Instead of being bombarded with scary Speak English signs and stickers, we were greeted with friendly, hearty hellos from several employees, not to mention the instructions clearly posted were pretty helpful.

Whiz wit ($9.50).
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When you're conducting a cheesesteak challenge, you have to order exactly the same thing!  While Pat's doesn't compare at all to the magnificent John's Roast Pork, this sandwich completely kicked the Geno's sandwich's ass.  It wasn't even a contest.  The chopped steak made all the difference -- more char, more flavor, more everything.

Cheese fries ($5.50).
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Again, better than Geno's.  More crisp!

Bonus sandwich pic.
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Mr. Beagle got Provolone.  Mmm.  Provolone.

It was an easy choice between these two historic cheesesteak competitors.  Team Pat's!
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But, really, the Monkeys are Team John's Roast Pork.  That is, until we return and sample some more cheesesteaks the next time we're in Philadelphia.

13 comments:

  1. I am very glad to hear the non-xenophobic cheesesteaks were better!

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    1. LOL. I would like to take this moment to inform all readers that the English-only propaganda did not influence our decision! ;)

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  2. I.M. Pei aint got nuthin on I.M. Hungry. Did Rocky Balboa eat a steak sandwich and was it wit or witout? Adrien!!

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  3. I am glad that the debate has been settled once and for all. And according to twitter--oops I just realized that since your twitter is private, you probably don't want people coming on your blog telling your twitter business! Maybe I'll tweet you instead :p

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  4. I want to describe these pictures as orgasmic because (1) I really want to try Philly cheesesteaks and (2) nacho cheese sauce makes me swoon! Jealous of your outing.

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  5. Ohhh, you are SO right! We go Pat's ALL the way! When we lived in Utah, my husband would get sent to Philly on business. He would, on the day he flew home, take a cab to Pat's, buy SIX sandwiches (whiz-wits and provi-wits), stuff them in his little cooler, and carry them home on the plane. Yeah, there was the risk that they'd go over on us, but at least we'd go out happy! Now that we're on the east coast, we drive up to Philly a couple times a year just to grab sandwiches. As you absolutely know, it's not just the meat (I can duplicate that at home with shabu shabu meat/fine sliced rib eye), it's that bread. A good ciabatta does okay, but it's not the same.

    I LOVED reading!

    Kris

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