Our intrepid steak-loving correspondent Hunter Walker has this dispatch from the front lines in Philly...
After a long journey down I-95, I found myself standing on the greasiest corner of the city, face to face with two foot-long cheesesteaks and a pile of fries. My eating adventure began when some friends and I decided we simply had to taste the famous sandwich on a road trip that took us through town. Not wanting to make a rookie mistake and get stuck at some tourist trap, I called a friend from Philly for some cheesesteak recommendations.
My Philly expert quickly told me:
You have to go to Pat's and Geno's. They're right across the street from each other. You gotta get one steak from Pat's and one from Geno's and compare them.
I told my friend that I didn't think I could make it through two whole cheesesteaks alive and she replied simply: "It's what you must do."
Maybe it was the fear of repeating John Kerry's "with Swiss" gaffe or maybe he just wanted to avoid an immigration debate at Geno's, but Barack Obama skipped the cheesesteak on his recent visit to Philadelphia's Italian Market. The democratic front-runner instead sampled some grub from Claudio Specialty Foods and DiBruno Brothers.
Hillary Clinton hasn't done much better, as she's also skipped the steaks in Pennsylvania. Back in October, Rudy Giuliani had no problem ordering his sandwich in English when he was part of the Republican race.
The candidates will be scrounging for votes for another couple weeks, so there's plenty of time to track down a good sandwich. Our Philly Cheesesteaks Map will point you in the right direction, Barack!
While we spent most of our recent weekend in Philadelphia geeking out on comics and Star Wars, we still had to eat. Since we weren't in the mood for a hike out to Rudy Giuliani's fave spot, we ducked into the Reading Terminal Market for a taste of Rick's.
Like most steak spots, Rick's is a no-nonsense affair. There's a menu, but why consult it? Just order your sandwich "whiz with," slathered with Cheez Whiz and topped with onions. These sandwiches are big--but not so big you can't finish 'em. Just make sure you don't have anything scheduled for after lunch.
On the other hand, if you're on an all-out eating binge, you're in the right spot. Aside from Rick's, the market has a ton of other grub. We'd recommend the Amish baked goods, but anything's pretty much worth a shot.
