Local Favorites

Roast Pork

The unsung hero of Philadelphia's sandwich legacy is this delicious creation. Roast pork requires a whole lot more time and TLC than its more popular, less complicated cousin. It's made with pork shoulder slow-cooked with onions, garlic, and Italian herbs for five or so hours. Roast pork's traditional fixins' are sharp provolone and broccoli rabe or garlic spinach. This sandwich tends to be on the dry side. Feel free to ask for a side of juice.

Cheesesteaks

Philadelphia cheesesteaks are nationally known. Preparing a cheesesteak is an art here -- ribbons of thinly sliced steak are cooked quickly on a steel diner grill with onions (unless you order otherwise) and then slapped onto a roll on top of overlapping slices of provolone or a thick smear of Cheez Whiz. The perfect cheesesteak achieves a flavorful but not soggy balance between the cheese, onion, meat, and roll. Hoagies are the local name for the sandwiches known variously throughout the Northeast as submarines, grinders, or torpedoes. Remember, if you dislike onions, you have to specify "Widout!" or they come chopped into the meat.

The Ultimate Cheesesteak Taste Test

Cheesesteak taste test? you think. Aren't they all basically the same? Don't say that out loud in this city. We Philadelphians take our cheesesteaks very seriously, though we know the quest to find the perfect cheesesteak requires patience and a hearty stomach. So hats off to Richard Rys at Philadelphia magazine, who wolfed down 50 cheesesteaks in 34 days in a quest to crown a Cheesesteak King. Richard ordered steaks with American cheese and no extras, also known as an "American, without": "This leaves only the three essential elements to any good steak -- meat (judged on taste and quality), cheese (amount and thorough distribution throughout the sandwich), and roll (freshness, consistency, proper meat-to-bread ratio). A great steak shouldn't hide behind onions or condiments."

Here's a sample of his top picks closest to Center City, rated on a scale of 1 to 5 Clogged Arteries (clogged arteries are a good thing in the world of cheesesteaks).

Cosmi's Deli, 1501 S. 8th St. (tel. 215/468-6093), is just around the corner from famous rivals Pat's and Geno's, but Richard swears Cosmi's is the real king of steaks. "Fresh roll, meat chopped with a samurai's precision, and melted cheese embracing each piece like Mama giving Raj a bear hug on What's Happening." Richard's rating: 5.

Swann Lounge at the Four Seasons serves a $16 plate of four dainty cheesesteak spring rolls. "It's the culinary equivalent of flipping cheesesteak purists everywhere the bird. But you know, this is good. Meat, cheese distribution -- perfect." Rating: 4.5.

Tony Luke's, 39 E. Oregon Ave. (tel. 215/551-5725), is in South Philly, near the Walt Whitman Bridge. "Strips of meat stuffed into a hearty, rugged roll that was built for handling a serious payload. My only complaint is that for all its mass, it's a little light on cheese." Rating: 4.5.

Chubby's, 5826 Henry Ave. (tel. 215/487-2575), is a favorite in Manayunk. "That wet-hot dairy goodness is mixed in well. Perfectly sized roll filled well with meat that's tasty and gristle-free." Rating: 4.

D'alessandro's, 600 Wendover Ave. (tel. 215/482-5407), also in Manayunk, has an ongoing rivalry with Chubby's. "They give up the crown this year. Not a bad sandwich, but it has its flaws. The roll is way overstuffed, leaving as much meat in my lap as in my mouth, and the meat is dry." Rating: 3.5.

Doce Carini, 1929 Chestnut St. (tel. 215/567-8892), is near Rittenhouse Square. "Healthy roll, stuffed well. Could use a wee bit more cheese, perhaps. Maybe a bit more density of bread would serve it well. But really, a fine sandwich." Rating: 3.5.

Jim's Steaks is just south of Society Hill. "The roll looks like it just wandered in off the set of a Sally Struther's infomercial, the meat is only moderately chopped, and the cheese is barely melted. Yet the damn thing is inexplicably good." Rating: 3.5.

John's Roast Pork, Weccacoe and Synder avenues (tel. 215/463-1951), is close to Tony Luke's, near the Walt Whitman. "I was thrown off by the sesame seed-speckled roll, which wasn't nearly as crusty as it appeared -- thin, but strong enough to handle the healthy portion of tasty meat stuffed inside it. Perfect amount of cheese." Rating: 3.5.

Lazaro's, 1743 South St. (tel. 215/545-2775), claims to have the biggest steaks in town, at 18 inches. Richard ordered a half. "Soft roll, though maybe a bit too much so. Steak diced nicely, but I detected a subtle, unidentifiable spice that I didn't enjoy. There also could have been a little more meat on this puppy." Rating: 3.

Rick's Philly Steaks, Reading Terminal Market, 12th and Arch streets (tel. 215/925-4320), is run by the Oliveri family who owns Pat's. "The meat is chopped, but not finely diced, and it's greasy, but perfectly so. Could load it up with extra meat, though -- the last two bites were all roll and cheese." Rating: 3.

Sonny's, 228 Market St. (tel. 215/629-5760), gets a lot of traffic in Old City. "Good cheese distribution and loads of meat, but although it's well diced, is a bit stringy at times. The roll is too thin for the load." Rating: 3.

Geno's Steaks is a Philly landmark, but Richard gives it modest praise. "Decent amount of cheese. Good roll. The meat is another story. It's riddled with pockets and veins of fat and contains a rainbow of colors from brown to gray. Oddly enough, the taste isn't bad." Rating: 2.5.

Pat's King of Steaks, around the corner from Geno's, gets no special treatment, either. "The cheese distribution on my sandwich makes me think Stevie Wonder is working dairy duty on the grill line. It's spotty, leaving some regions bare. Like Geno's, a good roll, but a frightening amount of fat in the meat." Rating: 2.

So how much weight did Richard gain from his cheesesteak binge? He tells us that he was stunned to find that his cholesterol actually went down and his weight stayed the same, though he admits that he worked out four times a week during the taste-test period. "Either I have a superhuman metabolism, or I should get to work on a Cheesesteak Diet book. That South Beach thing was overrated, anyway."

-- courtesy of Richard Rys and Philadelphia magazine (www.phillymag.com)

Vegetarians, Read This

Philly's vegetarian and vegan dining scene is up-and-coming. The best spot for an upscale vegan dinner is Horizons Café, 611 S. 7th St. (tel. 215/923-6117; www.horizonsphiladelphia.com). This restaurant and bar does wonders with tempeh and tofu. My favorites are the edamame hummus, the wild mushroom enchiladas, and the mock chicken wings. Chinatown's modest Cherry Street Chinese Kosher Vegetarian Restaurant, 1010 Cherry St. (tel. 215/923-4909), cooks up amazing asparagus and spinach soup, and delicious mock shrimp and tofu dishes. My favorite spot for a Kosher veggie lunch is Mama's Vegetarian, 18 S. 20th St. (tel. 215/751-0477), where the falafel, fried eggplant, hummus, and pita are homemade and inexpensive.