Cheesesteakmeouttotheballgame

Over the last year I’ve been struggling over what I should do about this blog.  For a while there I wanted to give it up for good but then I realized that I have a mission in life to spread the word about cheesesteaks.  Starting in June I will begin reviewing cheesesteaks once again.  My goal is to bring my total cheesesteak reviews up to 100.  What happens after that is up to you, the readers.  If you want/ask for more reviews you will get them.  If not then you won’t see any new reviews from me again.  I’ll keep the site up and running but that’s about all.

So now, I need some help from all of you.  I am looking for new places to review.  I have 6 places that have already been requested, but after that I’m not too sure where else I should review.  So I need your feedback and ideas.

The first places I will be reviewing (in no particular order) are:

1. Ted’s Place in Conshohocken
2. Heritage Hoagies in  Huntington Park
3. Wasko’s Deli in Phoenixville
4. Ice House Steaks and Pizza in Pottstown
5. Dakota Pizza in Wynnewood
6. Pagano’s Steaks in Philadelphia

Be on the lookout for my new reviews in the coming weeks.  Thanks for checking out my blog and I hope to hear from some of you soon.

-Kevin

1.5 out of 5 stars

My next review took me back to Northeast Philadelphia.  This time around I had a cheesesteak from Frusco Steaks.  Frusco Steaks is located in the Tacony/Wissinoming area of the Northeast.  Like usual I ordered a cheesesteak with provolone cheese and fried onions  for this review.

Bread-The roll that was used for this cheesesteak was a Sarcone steak roll.  The bread was pretty tasty.  The inside tasted fresh but the outside of the roll was kind of hard making it tough to chew.  I’m not sure if this is a normal property of a Sarcone steak roll but if it is I’m not a fan of it.  The cheesesteak didn’t produce much grease so it’s hard to measure how well the roll would have absorbed it.

Cheese-The provolone cheese used in this cheesesteak was really tasty and there was a lot of it mixed throughout the entire cheesesteak.  The cheese was probably my favorite part of this cheesesteak.

Meat-It was really hard to gauge the quality of the meat.  For the most part it was ok.  It had a decent taste to it, but it wasn’t something that would “WOW” anyone.  The meat wasn’t cooked evenly as there were some over-cooked tough pieces of meat mixed in with some good tasting tender pieces.  The meat was cut up in to small pieces which was a plus and it was probably the best part of the meat.  I can’t really decide if I liked or disliked the meat because some bites tasted good while others were terrible.

Amount-The worst part of this cheesesteak was its size.  The Sarcone steak roll that was used in this cheesesteak was probably only about 8 inches long. Besides the small roll there was very little meat included in it.  The amount of fried onions included was average.  The amount of cheese included in this cheesesteak dwarfed all of the other parts of it.  Luckily I love cheese or else that could have ended up hurting the rating of this cheesesteak even more in the long run.

Fried Onions-The fried onions included in this cheesestak were only average.  They were all cooked evenly and too a nice soft texture.  They were mixed throughout the entire cheesesteak which is good.  The only bad part of the fried onions was that they were not cut up in to small pieces, instead they were long stringy pieces of onions.

I was hoping for good things from Frusco’s Steaks after reading some reviews online, however I was extremely disapointed with their cheesesteak.  There really isn’t anything else I have to say about it other than it was flat out terrible.  I definitely can’t recommend Frusco’s to anyone.  The best part of the Frusco’s experience for me was the outdoor seating that they have available.  They have limited indoor seating but outside they have about 5 or 6 tables setup with umbrellas that you can sit at.  I can imagine parking being a problem at Frusco’s during busy times of the day, but I am sure if you drive around the block a few times you will be able to catch someone leaving and take their spot.

4.5 out of 5 stars

First off I apologize for the lack of updates for the past few months.  For some time I just didn’t feel like eating any  more cheesesteaks, but that has since changed.  I finally gave in to the urge of wanting a cheesesteak and I’m glad I did.  For this review I drove to the Juniata section of Northeast Philly and visited an establishment called Steak Master.  Considering the place was called Steak Master I was expecting a really amazing cheesesteak.  As usual I ordered a cheesesteak with provolone cheese and fried onions.

Bread-The bread they used for this cheesesteak seemed like a Conshy roll on the outside but on the inside it has a slightly different taste than what I was expecting.  I’m not too sure if this difference in flavor came as a result of not having a Conshy Bakery roll for a while or what but either way  it tasted amazing.  The roll was very fresh and had a nice soft texture to it but it wasn’t too chewy which is a good thing.  The roll also had a nice doughy taste to it.  All of the ingredients fit nicely into the roll and because of the quality of the meat there wasn’t much grease that needed to get absorbed by the roll, but what was there was absorbed nicely which lead to a very clean cheesesteak eating experience.

Cheese-There wasn’t anything outstanding about the cheese nor was there anything terrible about it.  The cheese tasted just like any other provolone I have had in the past.  I guess the good thing was that the cheese was melted throughout the entire sandwich which is a huge plus.

Meat-The meat was my favorite part of this cheesesteak.  It seemed like top of the line sirloin.  It was seasoned perfectly and in all it tasted amazing.  The meat was extremely tender and it feel apart in my mouth as I was eating it.  The meat was also cooked evenly throughout.  There were no burnt piece nor any under-cooked pieces.  The meat produced little to no grease which is a good sign of high quality meat.  I don’t really no what else to say about the meat other than it was some of the best tasting meat I have had in the few years I have this blog.  The only minor complaint I have is that the meat wasn’t chopped in to small pieces like I am used too, however I won’t let that impact my overall rating of this cheesesteak.  Don’t get me the wrong, the pieces were small but just not as small as I am used too.

Amount-The size of this cheesesteak was just average.  The roll used was your standard 10 inch roll and it was filled with an average amount of meat.  The amount of cheeses and fried onion included was also pretty average.  If you get an order of fries with this cheesesteak you will be fine and won’t leave hungry, but if you just order a cheesesteak that may be a different story.  The size of this cheesesteak was nothing to write home about, but for most normal people I am sure that it would be enough to fill them.

Fried Onions-Just like the cheese the fried onions were only average.  They were all grilled to a nice soft and crispy texture and they were cut up in to nice small pieces.  The onions were also mixed throughout the entire sandwich which is something that is needed in order for me to give a cheesesteak a high rating.

The cheesesteak from Steak Master was pretty good.  The cheese, onions, and amount of ingredients included were all average but the amazing tasting meat made up for all of that.  This could have been a perfect cheesesteak with a little more meat, cheese and onions.  I’m not really surprised by the high rating I gave this cheesesteak as it did come from a place called Steak Master.  I had high expectations going in to eating this cheesesteak and I was not let down.  I definitely recommend the cheesesteak from Steak Master.  So if you are in the Juniata area of North East Philadelphia I recommend stopping by Steak Master and grabbing a cheesesteak or two.  They have counter seating inside for about 8-10 people and a few tables set up outside that you can eat at.  It’s by no means a large place, but I think most people probably get their orders to go.  T parking around Steak Master is all street parking but I went during lunchtime and I had no issues finding a place to park so I can’t imagine parking ever being an issue.

4.0 out of 5 stars

For my 75th review I travelled a little outside of the Philadelphia area.  For this review I visited Claymont Steak Shop located in Claymont, Delaware.  Claymont is still only about 30 minutes or so away from where I live so its located within the 30-45 minute range I am willing to travel to review a cheesesteak.  Claymont Steak Shop is located right on Philadelphia Pike within Claymont.  Claymont Steak Shop also has a second location in Newark, Delaware.  Just like the 74 reviews before this one I ordered a cheesesteak with provolone cheese and fried onions.

Bread-The bread used for this cheesesteak was kind of weird.  I couldn’t tell what brand of roll it was so I did a little research online and found out the roll was probably an Italian roll from Serpes Bakery which is located in Elsmere, Delaware.  I found this information on one of my favorite food review blogs, Philly Food and Beer.  I totally agree with what my fellow blogger said about the bread being too “soft and squishy.”  As I was eating the cheesesteak I was crushing the bread in my hands and all of the ingredients within the cheesesteak were falling out of the sandwich.  The type of roll they use for cheesesteaks is definitely not a great option.  However the bread tasted really good and it was definitely very fresh.  For other menu items from this establishment I am sure the bread works out a lot better, but their roll selection definitely hurt the overall rating of this cheesesteak.

Cheese-The provolone they used was extremely tasty.  I’m not too sure what type of provolone it was but it ranks up there with some of the best provolone I have had over the past few months.  There was a lot of it included with the cheesesteak and it was melted throughout the entire sandwich, which is what I like, and also leads to a much higher overall rating.

Meat-The meat was outstanding.  It was seasoned and cooked to perfection.  I’m not too sure what they seasoned it with, but it was amazing.  Most places just use salt and pepper but there was definitely something else they used on the meat.  The meat was also cooked well.  There were no burnt or under-cooked pieces.  They claim to use rib-eye steak that they slice themselves.  This definitely sounds right because the meat was of very high quality.  There was no fat or gristle, and the meat was tender enough to fall apart in your mouth as you are eating the sandwich.  There also was only a minuscule amount of grease produced from the meat, but the Italian roll they used easily absorbed it.

Amount-The cheesesteak was huge.  The roll they used was 12 inches and it was stuffed from end to end with meat, cheese, and onions.  This cheesesteak was probably big enough to share with another person unless you are a big eater like myself.  You can get a good idea of how large the cheesesteak actually was by clicking on the picture included below.

Fried Onions-The fried onions were only average.  They tasted great and all but some were fried a little long and got soft and chewy.  I like a little crunchiness with my fried onions, but when you cook them too long they get a little soggy.  The fried onions were diced up in to pretty small pieces and were mixed throughout the entire cheesesteak which really helped me overlook the fried onions that were overcooked.  Still, overcooked fried onions are definitely better than under cooked raw onions.

The cheesesteak from Claymont Steak Shop was really good, and I came close to giving them a perfect rating of 5 stars, however the roll they used for this cheesesteak just didn’t work.  If they used an Italian roll that was a little harder they would serve the perfect cheesesteak.  From reading reviews online, Claymont Steak Shop has won multiple awards for their cheesesteaks and I can see why.  Other than cheesesteaks Claymont Steak Shop serves up pizza, other sandwiches, and various types of entrees including everything ranging from ribs to pasta.  You can checkout their entire menu here.  The location I visited had tons of parking available and a medium sized dining room for dining-in.  If you find yourself in the Claymont area be sure to stop by Claymont Steak Shop and I guarantee that you will not be disappointed.  You also might as well take advantage of tax free shopping within the state of Delaware while you are at it.

1.5 out of 5 stars

First off I apologize for the lack of reviews.  Over the last two years I have started to lose interest in writing reviews.  I haven’t lost interest in cheesesteaks but I am starting to lose interest in trying new cheesesteaks.

For this review I traveled to Northeast Philly around the Franklin Mills Mall to try a cheesesteak from Mr V’s Steaks.  I had a little trouble finding the place as all of the roads around the mall get kind of confusing, but I ultimately found it tucked away in a little strip mall off of Franklin Mills Boulevard.  The directions I originally had were wrong and that’s the main reason why I had difficulty in finding Mr V’s Steaks.  As usual I ordered a cheesesteak with provolone cheese and fried onions.

Bread-I believe the bread that they used was a Liscio hoagie roll and not the standard steak roll that most restaurants use for cheesesteaks.  The bread was probably the best part of this cheesesteak, which isn’t saying much.  The roll was extremely fresh and it did a good job housing all of the ingredients.  It’s kind of hard to screw up the bread unless it isn’t fresh.  I guess the only issue with the bread was that there way too much.  Let me explain that statement a little further.  There was barely any meat, cheese or fried onions on this cheesesteak that it almost tasted like I was just eating a hoagie roll and nothing else.

Cheese-The cheese was only average.  They only included a few slices of provolone and it was barely melted.  From the picture below you can see how the cheese was just huge pieces.  They also only placed the cheeses on one side of the bun and then just placed the meat on the other side.  I guess they expected the meat to melt the cheese, but it didn’t.  For a good cheesesteak I always look for cheese to be melted throughout the entire sandwich.

Meat-One word: terrible.  It was bland tasting and dry.  Besides that there was fat and gristle on a good  amount of the pieces of the meat included in the cheesesteak.  The pieces of meat they used were huge slabs of meat that were extremely tough to chew.  I guess the only good part about the meat was that it was all evenly cooked and there weren’t any burnt or under-cooked pieces.  I like meat in my cheesesteak to be diced, but I can deal with big pieces of meat as long as it has a good taste to it, and isn’t too tough to chew.

Amount-Probably the worst thing about this cheesesteak was the overall size of the sandwich.  The roll was your typical size of around 10 inches.  The amount of meat included was a joke.  The same goes for the amount of cheese.  The only thing there was plenty of was the fried onions.  More or less what I ate was a 10 inch fried onion sandwich.  This cheesesteak would not fill anyone up.  I’m glad I also ordered a side of fries or else I would have left this place hungrier than I was when I walked in.

Fried Onions-The fried onions in this sandwich were pretty decently cooked and they had a nice taste to them.  However there were too many of them in comparison to the amount of meat and cheese.  Much like the cheese they were not mixed throughout the entire cheesesteak either.  They were just placed on top of the sandwich after they added the meat and cheese to the bread.

In all the cheesesteak from Mr V’s Steaks was pretty terrible.  When the best part of a cheesesteak is the roll produced from a bakery, and fried onions you have issues.  I read plenty of good reviews online for this place but I really don’t understand how anyone could like this cheesesteak.  So for now I can’t recommend a cheesesteak from Mr V’s Steaks.  Mr V’s does have a fairly large menu with pizza and other sandwiches and it would be pretty impossible for them to screw everything up as badly as they did this cheesesteak so if you are around Franklin Mills Mall and come across Mr V’s Steaks try something else off of their menu.  Trust me on this.  The french fries were great and you get a ton of them, so if you aren’t too hungry just order a side of them and you will probably leave the place pretty full.  There is plenty of parking around Mr V’s Steaks as they are located in a strip mall with plenty of vacant storefronts.  They also have a fair amount of indoor seating available.  The inside of Mr V’s is pretty cool because there is lots of sports memorabilia, but unfortunately I do not take the decor  of the establishment I am reviewing into effect when rating a cheesesteak or else they may have gotten a much high rating.