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The Great Cheesesteak Smackdown – Pat’s vs. Geno’s

jraymonds — Tue, 13 Apr 2010 00:20:24 +0000

Growing up in the Tri-State Region area I certainly knew what a cheesesteak was. My mother was probably the first to serve me one and in my older years I made more than a few of my own with, dare I say, Steak-umms. The thoughts of those years make me cringe at present day as my diet has changed drastically. I believe I eat a lot better than I did in my earlier days and always strive for constant improvement in at least understanding how to treat my body better. For the most part my allergies (not including quinine) are gone and I rarely, if ever, get a cold anymore.

So, where does the great cheesesteak smackdown fit into all of this? Zig-zagging was brought to Tony’s life by Sage Robbins and as I went through my master cleanse a couple of months ago I enjoyed watching the Travel Channel making my own wish list of zigs. (or are they zags?) The first road trip was an adventure to where the cheesesteak began – Philadelphia. No, I am certainly not craving the taste from all of those years ago, but I am fascinated with what has become a piece of American history. The bottom line is if you are going to take in the early part of American history while you visit Philadelphia, do take the less than 1.5 mile detour away from the Liberty Bell to see where the cheesesteak phenomenon took root.

Liberty Bell

The story seems to be that Pat and Harry Olivieri invented the cheesesteak and sold it at their hotdog stand in the south Philadelphia Italian Market. Due to the success the of the public’s response Pat decided to open up a store called Pat’s King of Steaks dedicated to the sandwich in 1930 on the same site it is today at 1237 East Passyunk Avenue.

When you come to visit Pat’s you will probably see quite a crowd surrounding the place but do not let this deter your resolve to buy a cheesesteak from the source!

Pat's King of Steaks

The lines move very quickly as the 80 years of experience seem to have certainly paid off at least in the form of efficiency. When you are close to the ordering window you will have a set of instructions you can follow to help keep things moving fast.

How to Order a Steak

Of course just when you have finished all of your practicing, and have your money ready, you then get confused when you see the array of options to choose from. No worries, as the panic passes quickly – just let your hunger choose for you and sit back and enjoy the experience.

Pat's King of Steak Menu

In what seems to be an instant after you place your order and tender your money you will then have your little piece of American history in hand. If you so desire you can move onto to the next window to order something to drink or some fries to go ‘wit’ your steak. Otherwise, find a seat or eat it standing and be sure to take it all in while it is still warm.

A Cheesestake from Pat's King of Steaks

Okay, enough of the original! For this to be a smackdown there needs to be competition, and competition there is only a street crossing away. Looking from Pat’s front step you can see the following:

Geno's Steaks

Geno’s Steaks was founded a staggering 36 years after Pat’s in 1966. The output is generally the same with the following exceptions: Pat chops his steak before it is put on the bun whereas Gino’s are layered pieces of steak and in either case they are similar in thickness. Pat also seems to have a much larger menu of options for how you can build out your desire whereas Gino seems to stick to the core values of what makes a cheesestake a cheesestake.

Beyond the food at Geno’s there are some interesting other facts about the establishment. First, at least when we were there the police seemed to prefer eating there. Yes, it could be the fact that the founder, Joe Vento, is a supporter of the family of murdered police officer Daniel Faulkner, or it could be the food. I made no attempt at polling the officers there but one thing is for sure: Gino’s has a vocal opinion on America and is proud to display it boldly.

Proud to be an American

In fact they went as far as to post a sign near the ordering counter that reads, “This is America, when ordering ‘speak english’.” It seems it has sparked controversy as some people call it discrimination. I find this amazing for if I where in the Netherlands would it be discrimination if they asked me to speak Dutch when ordering? I do not think so. To me the sign does not mean you are not welcome. To me it means, for goodness sake, try to communicate in the language people are using behind the counter! No matter the course of your beliefs on the subjects it has all come together quite well to make Gino’s have quite a name for ‘steaking’ ground right across from Pat’s.

So, the battle took place. Going in, I knew one chopped its meat, the other one did not, and one of them was the originator of the meal. I did not know which was which up front, and we tried Gino’s first. It was strange to have the cheesesteak taste in my mouth after a pause of probably 25 years but I must say it was quite good indeed. Looking at the sandwich I saw that Gino’s was the one that did not chop its steak and moving onto Pat’s I thought it would be a slam dunk that they would be better.

To our surprise (that is the both of us that were in the smackdown together agreed without a doubt) we found Gino’s a much better experience overall. That is not only was the food better, but from ordering to the way the cheesesteaks were handed to us (wrapped as opposed to in the middle of an open paper) Gino’s wins hands down. No contest. Game over.

Later, when we did the research, I was also surprised to learn Pat’s was the original and came into being 36 years before Gino’s. The bottom line is if you are ever in the area my recommendation would be to try both. You need to try Pat’s simply because that is where the history started. From there try Gino’s to decide your personal favorite. Although the sign is on Pat’s building you certainly will not make a ‘misteak’ at either place.

Don't Eat a Misteak

If I Could Yelp! from Los Cabos, Mexico

jraymonds — Mon, 24 Aug 2009 17:22:38 +0000

Until Yelp! adds international support beyond the slim reaches it already offers here are my reviews from Los Cabos, Mexico:

La Dolce Ristorante Italiano & Pizzeria

Hidalgo and Zapata, right in the middle of downtown

Cabos San Lucas, Los Cabos, Baja California Sur, Mexico

(624) 143-41-22

http://www.ladolcerestaurant.com/

3 out of 5 Stars

La Dolce has a rather extensive menu of pasta and pizza dishes and my choice was the tomato and mozzarella salad followed by spaghetti carbonara. The salad was great while the carbonara was a bit bland. The real key, however, was sitting outside basically on the street where we were ‘entertained’ by a couple of little girls selling small wooden bobble heads, women trying to sell flowers, men with guitars singing to the tables, and even a person in the street who was dancing with fire. Yes, it is typical Mexico and it can be annoying if you do not want the bother, however, to be in the middle of it was fun and exciting while having an okay meal with a huge frozen margarita.

The Office on the Beach

Playa El Médano

Cabos San Lucas, BCS México

(624) 143-3464

http://www.theofficeonthebeach.com/

4 out of 5 stars

There is nothing like a location for a restaurant that allows you to be on beach with your toes in the sand while you eat. For the Office the quality of the food actually matches the ambience. For my main course I had a combination of the fresh selection the waiter showed us — some sea bass to be blackened and some shrimp for scampi. While the shrimp were good the sea bass was amazing.

Mi Casa

Avenida Cabo San Lucas, corner Lazaro Cardenas

Cabos San Lucas, BCS México

(624) 14-31933

http://www.micasarestaurant.com/

4 out of 5 stars

As with all the restaurants in the area you can never seem to really tell what anything is like from the outside. For Mi Casa the experience starts with going through an enormous gift shop (which is actually a collection of rooms large enough to wonder if you are getting lost exploring them all). Then if that was not enough it seemed to be quite a walk to our table through more rooms (some of them open courts) of tables for eating. Bottom line, this place is huge! Maybe it was the huge strawberry margarita (or the more reasonable fact that I did not record the menu while there…) that I do not remember exactly what I had, either way I chose one of the prix fixe menu options and was happy with everything on it.

Cabo Wabo Cantina

Lazaro Cardenas and Vicente Guerrero

Cabo San Lucas, Mexico

(624) 143-1188

http://www.cabowabocantina.com/

4 out of 5 stars

Pass the bar and go upstairs to find the restaurant. The menu selection is unique enough to find something different to suit probably anyone’s taste. The lobster tacos for lunch were awesome and large to point where I where I wondered if I would be hungry for dinner in the evening.

Margaritavilla Restaurant

Boulevard Marina 17. Plaza Bonita

Cabo San Lucas, Los Cabos, Mexico

(624) 143-6050

http://www.margaritavillacabo.com.mx/

2 out of 5 stars

No, this is not Jimmy Buffett’s place! For such a huge place we saw the fewest people during our entire stay in the Cabos area — probably a sign of the weaker ones falling faster especially when located on the busy marina itself. I went the traditional route of having cheese enchiladas for dinner with red sauce — not good, not bad, just food.

Señor Sweets

Commercial Center Puerto Paraiso

Local 39B Terraza 1

Cabo San Lucas, BCS

(624) 105-01-02

http://www.senorsweets.com/

5 out of 5 stars

Good God that chocolate gelato is awesome and 2 scoops for $4 US is a bargain worth fighting any line for!

If I Could Yelp! from Grand Cayman

jraymonds — Tue, 28 Jul 2009 22:25:16 +0000

Until Yelp! adds international support beyond the slim reaches it already offers here are my reviews from Grand Cayman:

7 Prime Cuts & Sunsets

The Ritz-Carlton, Grand Cayman

PO Box 32348 KY1-1209

Seven Mile Beach

Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands

(345) 943-9000

http://www.ritzcarlton.com/en/Properties/GrandCayman/Dining/Default.htm

3 out of 5 stars

I had the Braised Short Ribs from the Kobe Style section of the menu for the main course. I enjoyed the dinner and satisfied my curiosity of what they would be like. In other words — I am glad to have had them once and I am not going back for them again. I would, however, go back to 7 for dinner and would venture for something completely different on the menu.

Decker’s Grille & Lounge

Seven Mile Beach

PO Box 30503

Grand Cayman KY1-1203

Cayman Islands

(345) 945-6600

http://www.deckers.ky/

4 out of 5 stars

Wow, an all you can eat lobster dinner starting off with lobster bisque? Okay, definitely lobster overload but I loved every minute of it. As far as all you can eat I would be surprised if many of the people taking on the challenge could make it past the first three tails they place on your plate. They are ginormous indeed and for me one tail more was all I could muster.

Calypso Grill

Morgan’s Harbor, West Bay

PO Box 30319SMB

Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands

(345) 949-3948

http://www.calypsogrillcayman.com/

4 out of 5 stars

The Tuna Sashimi was an amazing appetizer and the Greek Salad was equally good. For the main course I had an item off of the large list of specials: Red Snapper Monte Carlo which was absolutely fabulous. Adding to the meal was an amazing night outside as the sun set and the weather was not too hot and not too cool just at the water’s edge. Having the homemade chocolate ice cream topped off a fabulous dinner as we water occasional lightning in the far off distance over the water.

Silver Palm Sushi Lounge

The Ritz-Carlton, Grand Cayman

PO Box 32348 KY1-1209

Seven Mile Beach

Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands

(345) 943-9000

http://www.ritzcarlton.com/en/Properties/GrandCayman/Dining/Default.htm

4 out of 5 stars

Being the standard choices of sushi visits I had edamame, followed by miso soup, and a chef’s choice of sushi and sashimi. Everything was wonderful. The miso soup stood out as being possibly the best I have ever had. The other nice part of the experience was the rather intimate setting in place at the Silver Palm. As hidden is the outside world is from the Ritz itself so is the Silver Palm from the Ritz. Just a few steps away from the lobby is a world away from the rest of your vacation.

Reef Grill at the Royal Palms

537 West Bay Road

Seven Mile Beach

Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands

(345) 945-6358

http://www.reefgrill.com/

4 out of 5 stars

I had a Caesar Salad with Grilled Tuna as a main course. In general I would say the food is wonderful, however, what really makes the place is getting a reservation to eat upstairs just before the sun sets over the Caribbean. The restaurant is basically on the beach and to have just a bit of elevation, still sit in the open air (though with a roof over your head), and watch the sun set as you eat easily gives the Reef Grill a four star rating.

Ragazzi Ristorante

Buckingham Square

West Bay Road (next to the Hyatt Hotel)

Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands

(345) 945-3484

http://www.eragazzi.com/home.html

4 out of 5 stars

There was a huge selection of pizzas on the menu and with the story of having Cayman’s only authentic wood burning brick oven I had to try one. For me I went for the Hawaii style one and though the pineapple could have been better the pizza itself was perfect. It is super thin and cooked to perfection. A helpful hint would be to ensure you have a reservation for dinner for as we left there was a line at the door trying to get in!

The Ritz

-Carlton, Grand Cayman

PO Box 32348 KY1-1209

Seven Mile Beach

Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands

(345) 943-9000

http://www.ritzcarlton.com/en/Properties/GrandCayman/Dining/Default.htm

5 out of 5 stars

The brunch at 7 is amazing. A great variety of food is available and to me the rather unique part of the experience is being offered tasting sized samples of various items on little plates and serving spoons for you to enjoy. Yes, there is also the dump as much on your plate as you want type food but having the samplers available with their full presentation is amazing. I was there a year ago for Father’s Day and at the time had lobster tails and beef outside on the grill — a special for the day or perhaps something they do more often I do not know but when that happens I would bump it up to 6 out of 5 stars.