Midtown Lunch

When I saw the great deal for Shorty’s last week, I grabbed it immediately. I’ve been a fan of Philadelphia food ever since I started visiting it regularly ten years ago, and Shorty’s is one of the few places in New York that approaches Philly authenticity.  Looking back at all of our old posts about Shorty’s I was surprised to see cheesesteak this and cheesteak that. Sure, I love a good cheesesteak, but in a bar briefly known as Tony Luke’s, it’s not the first thing that comes to my mind. The original Tony Luke’s in South Philly does serve cheesesteaks, but they are best known for what I consider one of finest delicacies Philadelphia has to offer – The roast pork sandwich.

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If you like to eat, chances are you like to drink (read: a lot of you are freakin’ lushes), so every Friday afternoon our Happy Hour Correspondent “Mamacita” will post about a different bar in Midtown that fits the Midtown Lunch mentality: unhealthy food, not lame (unless it’s lame in a cool way), and most importantly… cheap.

A good cheese steak is a many splendored thing. The perfect bread, the finely sliced, glistening grilled steak, the peppers, the mushrooms, and, of course, the cheese. Shorty’s, previously Tony Luke’s, has been mentioned numerous times by ML, yet a proper +/- has never been bestowed. Clearly it’s my obligation to fill that void (It’s a tough job, but someone has to do it.)

Shorty’s claims to offer the only “authentic” south Philly style sandwiches in NYC. Rather then being a divey lunch counter they have adapted to Hells Kitchen’s unique flavor stepping up their game with a full bar, 22 beers on tap, and a focus on local breweries, craft beers, and cask ales. What caught my eye was their daily cheesesteak and pint special. Now I’ve gone on and on about burger and beer specials in town, but a cheesesteak happy hour? Now you’re speaking my language!

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Grub Street took Philadelphia native and cheesesteak lover Joey Campanaro (Little Owl) on a tour of Manhattan’s cheesesteak purveyors, and when the dust cleared Carl’s Steaks (with a location on 3rd Ave. and 34th St. ) was victorious. More surprising than the Carl’s victory was the fact that Shorty’s came in 5th out of 7 places. Shorty’s, which is located on 9th Ave. btw. 41+42nd used to be an outpost of the famed “Tony Luke’s” in Philly until they got sick of paying the royalties for the name. You would think they would have learned a thing or two about making a cheesesteak in that time (although in fairness, ML commenters have said that their pork sandwiches with broccoli rabe are where it’s at.) Also included in the list, Philly Slim’s (on 9th Ave. and 53rd) and 99 Miles to Philly (52nd & 2nd)

Related: Carl’s Steaks is a Greasy Mess (And I Mean That in the Best Possible Way)

I guess the best philly cheesesteak is not in Midtown, if you believe this exhaustive head to head cheesesteak battle royale done by Jason Santa Maria. Wogies Bar & Grill in the West Village came out on top, with 99 Miles to Philly (2nd Ave. & 52nd St.), Carl’s Steaks (3rd btw. 34+35th), Shorty’s (9th Ave. btw. 41+42nd), and Philly Slim’s (9th Ave. btw. 52+53rd) coming in 2nd, 3rd and 4th respectively. Each have outposts in the outer reaches of Midtown but it isn’t entirely clear if he visited the Midtown locations (except in the case of Shorty’s-formerly Tony Luke’s- which only has one NYC location.) Either way he goes on to say that “all three of our top scorers rank on par with some of the best cheesesteaks I’ve had in Philly and I can confidently recommend any of them for a good time.”  [via Serious Eats: New York]