Miguel and I just got back from a trip to Philidelphia - great city! The first U.S. capital is filled with beautiful architecture, historic sites and cool places.
City Hall
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The Franklin Institute
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Benjamin Franklin |
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Swann Memorial Fountain 
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Betsy Ross's House 
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Elfreth's Alley (occupied since 1713) 
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City Tavern
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Where soda pop was invented by Dr.Philip Syng Physick
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Very nice people 
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South Street 
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South Street 
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Fabulous bling for the whole family 
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But the real reason we came, was to take the ulimate taste test challenge. Pat's or Geno's for the better Cheesesteak in Philly! I'm not saying either has the best, but since everyone mentions it when you talk about Philadelphia, we had to see for ourselves. But we couldn't resist adding our own spin. Instead of just sitting down and eating them, we wanted to see how they'd hold up if we brought a little bit of Phillly to Brooklyn for the ULTIMATE 4 HOUR TASTE TEST ACROSS STATE LINES! First we purchased a cheesesteak from Geno's and Pat's, with onions and cheese.
Geno's Steaks (est. 1951) 
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Pat's Steaks (est. 1930) 
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And we got to admire the lovely wall art across the street
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We also enjoyed Pat's "How to Order a Steak," instructions by I. M. Hungry. Mr. Hungry offers helpful hints like: Step 1. Specify if you want your steak with (wit) or without (wit-out) onions. (If you're not a rookie this should come naturally), etc... Geno's entertained people with signs like: "This is AMERICA: WHEN ORDERING PLEASE SPEAK ENGLISH." and "Don't forget to pay your taxes - 12 million illegal aliens are depending on you!" with a picture of 4 dopey looking Latin men with their shirts off, holding beer. He probably missed the bumper stickers that said, "American companies: hire illegal for big profits!" with a big flag in the background. I guess when the owner's grandparents immigrated here and didn't yet know English, they weren't allowed to shop or buy food.
Now it was time for the real challenge to begin. We smuggled our contraband food out of Philadelphia.
We made our way to 30th Street Station
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And brought the frightened cheesesteaks on to NJ Transit.  |
We tried to make them feel comfortable. We didn't want to traumatize the meat.  |
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Back at New York.
Penn Station, NY |
Miguel & Suzy's Brooklyn apartment |
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And who won? Hands down, it was... Of the 2, Pat's was a million times better. The meat tasted like beef (not steak, but meat none the less), the onions were abundant and nicely sauteed, and the bread was surprisingly fresh. Geno's was more flash than substance. It tasted bland and the bread was one step above a hotdog bun. Pat's seemed more like a local hangout, more "Philly" and less like "I wanna be an extra on The Sporano's." In conclusion, Pat's tasted pretty good, even after a 4 hour journey across 2 state lines, 2 trains, and a subway ride to Brooklyn.