Can you get a real cheesesteak outside of Philly? An investigation.

OK y’all, I’m being a little silly here. The truth is I only extended my investigation to two sub shops here in my hometown of Richmond VA. You might be able to get a real cheesesteak in Chicago (I’m expecting Jim to have the lowdown for us on that one), or in New York, or in Milan Italy for all I know. But what I was really trying to figure out was what sort of options I had here in my hometown. And I didn’t even manage that–a lot of people told me my local investigation wouldn’t be complete without a stop at Mojo’s, and I ran out of time in the month before I could make it over there. But I did check out a couple of places, eat a couple of sandwiches, and come to some conclusions. So here’s what I figured out.

1: The Franchise

I started out at Jersey Mike’s. This chain sub shop has had locations in Richmond since the late 90s at least, though I’ve never really been a regular patron until the last couple of years. Even now, I’m probably stretching the definition of “regular”–I’m only in there once every three months or so. And Jersey Mike’s might be stretching the definition of cheesesteak with their sandwiches–after all, you can get them with all sorts of different condiments, including chipotle sauce, which doesn’t seem like it’d ever make the menu at Pat’s, you know? But whatever; when you’re hitting a slightly gussied-up fast food place with over 700 locations, you’re going to get a version of the cuisine they serve that is designed to have widespread appeal. So while there was a part of me that felt morbidly curious about trying a cheesesteak with Cheez Whiz on it, the way they apparently do it in Philadelphia, I knew I wasn’t gonna find that option on the menu at Jersey Mike’s.

Therefore I went a little off script and went for the Big Kahuna Cheese Steak option instead of the regular cheesesteak. This version of the sandwich comes with mushrooms and jalapenos on it, and I’m always gonna take those options if they’re presented. As you can see above, the smaller of the two sizes that Jersey Mike’s offers is still pretty substantial–I’d guess eight inches long or so. There was a time when I’d go with the “giant” size on sheer principle, but my days of conscious overeating are behind me, so I kept it reasonable.

And while that’s a perfect opportunity for me to segue by saying, “And what do you know, it was a reasonably good sandwich,” I actually feel like that’d be selling Jersey Mike’s a little short. As with any situation in which I have the option, I went with wheat bread (because it tastes better than white bread), and that was definitely the right move, as the wheat flavor goes very well with the steak, cheese (provolone–also apparently a traditional cheesesteak option), and vegetables. However, Jersey Mike’s bread is a bit thick, and it felt like they might have sliced it a little too low on the loaf–underneath, the burning hot steak juices and cheese were dripping onto my fingers and making grasping the sandwich a delicate proposition, while on top there was a lot of bread to chew through before hitting the meat of the sandwich.

In the end, though, I really just needed to do that thing I’m always bad at, by which I mean delay gratification and be patient. After a couple of minutes, I wasn’t burning my thumbs every time I tried to pick up the sandwich, and I could settle in and enjoy it. I know that I had a bunch of non-traditional vegetables on my sandwich, but I think it was the right move. The jalapenos gave the whole thing a nice kick, and the meat and cheese were perfect–hot and drippy may burn your thumbs but it’s a good taste profile for sure. If the bread were slightly thinner it would have been a perfect sandwich on the whole.

2: The locals

But was it the real deal? I didn’t think so. After all, not only was it a fast food chain, it was one named after New Jersey, for cryin’ out loud. Close but no cigar, Jersey Mike’s. For my second cheesesteak, I decided to hit up a local spot with the promising name of Philly Steak & Gyros. This place gave me less options in what I ordered on my sandwich–no chipotle sauce, no jalapenos, no wheat bread, just an old-fashioned cheesesteak sandwich on white. With provolone, because even these guys didn’t offer Cheez Whiz. And it’s not like they’re exclusively a cheesesteak spot anyway; they were doing a decent business in gyros while I was in the shop, and who can blame ’em if that’s what the customer wants? Still, for a place that definitely diversified their offerings, Philly Steak & Gyros gave me a pretty traditional version of a cheesesteak.

And it came with fries!

I once again went with the regular size, despite having a giant-size option. This sandwich was slightly smaller than the Jersey Mike’s one, with a bread that was a bit less, well, bready. As you can see above, it has a much more traditional appearance. And the taste did not suffer at all for the absence of extra veggies or chipotle sauce. As you might have predicted, this cheesesteak was the better of the two I had during my brief investigation. The lettuce and tomato was a nice barrier of coolness on top of the sandwich to keep me from burning my mouth, and the bread was both less bready and held together while I was eating, so that my thumbs were safe from burns as well. I was afraid at first that the slightly smaller sandwich might not be enough food, but it turned out to be the perfect amount, especially when paired with the generous amount of fries it was accompanied by. The cheese wasn’t as prominent on this sandwich as it had been on the Jersey Mike’s one, but the meat was great, and I thoroughly enjoyed eating it. I’d never been to this place before, but I think I’m gonna have to try it again soon.

Did I miss something essential by missing out on the Cheez Whiz option? I’m still not sure. Mojo’s lists it as an option on their menu, so if I make it over there sometime soon, I’ll give y’all an update. I’ve always been a fan of sandwiches with steak and cheese on them, though, regardless of their elusive “realness,” and so of course I enjoyed eating both of these, even if they aren’t done straight up Philly style.

Drew

I’m a transgender weirdo who loves music, books, comics, and all kinds of other geeky crap. I edit an arts/music/culture magazine in my hometown of Richmond VA (rvamag.com). But let’s not talk about my day job. Let’s talk about food. I love food.