Phil’s Steaks Brings A Taste Of Philly To Midtown
Last month, when cheesesteak truck Phil’s Steaks tweeted that their new head chef, Josh Colon, not only hails from South Philly, but also previously worked the grill at world famous Pat’s King of Steaks, I couldn’t wait for them to serve in Midtown. Having lived in Philly, I know enough about cheesesteaks to have an opinion. I prefer Pat’s over Geno’s, but at the end of the day, Jim’s on South Street is my favorite spot. Steak-wit’-provolone is my standard order, and that’s what I got at Phil’s Steaks.
I ordered a half size, which is 6″, for $6. (The full size is 10″, which costs $9.) I unwrapped my lunch, and smiled at the slight sheen from the sandwich. You need a certain amount of grease on a cheesesteak, and — even after washing your hands — you’ll most likely smell that grease on your fingers for hours after lunch. The soft bread (Amoroso’s, which — like the chef — comes from Philly) got the slightest bit soggy in transit, but was stuffed with thinly shaved meat mixed with grilled onions. I prefer provolone over whiz, because of the bite, and it didn’t disappoint here, although there could have been a little more of it. I didn’t get toppings, but they offer hot or sweet peppers, mushrooms and extra cheese for an extra $.75 each. A friend of mine got hot peppers on his sandwich, which he says are, in fact, very hot. But how authentic is it?
Obviously I it doesn’t compare to Pat’s or Geno’s, but it definitely tastes like it’s from Philly. Then again, maybe the romanticized vision I have of a Pat’s steak has skewed my opinion slightly. I do think this steak is very close. There were some complaints in the comments about price, and it’s true that getting a full size sandwich with all the toppings is going to push you over the ML limit. But I was pretty happy with the amount of meat in mine, although they did tightly roll up my sandwich when packing it up, so maybe it looked more compact than it actually was? All in all, I still say this is very good cheesesteak.
Have a sweet tooth? Phil’s Steaks offers a bunch of combos as well, ranging from $8-$12.50, some of which include cupcakes from Cupcake Stop.
The + (What someone who likes this place would say)
- Finally, a cheesesteak truck in NYC.
- Their South Philly chef is from Pat’s? You can’t get more authentic than that!
- Even the bread comes from Philly!
The – (What someone who doesn’t like this place would say)
- Pat’s? Pshaw, my loyalties are with Geno’s.
- Too pricey for what you get.
- Amount of meat might be inconsistent.
Phil’s Steaks has spent the last couple of days in Midtown, but today it looks like they’re going to be in the Flatiron (on 23rd & 5th). As always, you should check their Twitter account or the ML Twitter Tracker before heading out.
Posted by Rachel Goldner at 11:30 am, February 13th, 2012 under Cheese Steak, Phil's Steaks.
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They’re using Amoroso’s rolls? That is legit.