It's officially been 4 months into grounding and I have somethings to say:
I have been sent off and sent off and sent off.
And now I'm starting to get pissed off!
I am utterly more turned off each time I walk into an establishment and the food is...
Just there being nasty for the heck of it!
My God, I just cannot take it anymore.
I don't know if it's because I'm from the 2 best places on earth for food or if the cheesesteaks are just THAT bad.
** I am the person who will travel for food experiences, no matter how far.**
So when I knew I was moving to Philly I was excited for the infamous Philly Steak.
I just KNEW I was going to experience the best of the best because why wouldn't I !?
Things get named the best for reasons...
It's like going to Chicago asking where the best spots are for pizza or chicken.
Or going to New Orleans wanting to experience a po'boy, etouffee or gumbo.
The beautiful thing about these places is everybody has a favorite to recommend because the styles are different but there is a baseline of consistency at each...
The food is gonna be good!
It may not be your type but you don't ever walk away saying it was disgusting.
CHICAGO:
Giordano's deep dish with the cheese stuffed under the sauce may not be for you.
The light sauce with big sausages and cut in squares from Beggars may not be for you.
The doughy but crunchy crust at Home Run Inn may not be your thing...
But you will like 1 version of what the city has to offer.
This shit here is just nasty!
And listen, I know better.
When 'certain' people say 'certain' foods are good you have to look at who you're talking to and tread lightly... right?
When I first got here I knew if I was going to Geno's or Pat's it was only for the famousness of the establishment - NOT BECAUSE IT WAS EXPECTED TO BE GOOD!
I knew that much going in so it wasn't a surprise that the meat tasted like rubber at one place and was completely seasonLESS at the other. (I don't remember which was which)
The horrible idea that cheese whiz belongs on and will somehow improve the taste of the seasonless rubber was the lie topping on the bullshit cake.
BUT CAN WE GET INTO THE CHEESE FRIES BECAUSE THOSE WERE A HIT!
I was a little optimistic about the next place on the list: JIM'S
There was more, how do you say, 'seasoning' around the neighborhood.
The staff was super energetic and the food was edible.
Like, the first bite had me close my eyes and say thank you for not being a waste of money.
** CHEESESTEAKS START AT $10 - $11 **
I enjoyed it but I knew there had to be a hole in the wall place that would shut shit down and show me why Philly is the home of steak sandwiches.
So here I am 4 months into my 2nd grounding trip and I am ready to try again.
My work boyfriend tells me the steaks in Philly are trash and takes me to a local hood spot in New Jersey...
It's not a steak joint but instead, a convenience store TURNED mom and pops diner.
They make everything!
So I get a steak sandwich loaded with peppers, onion, provolone, mayo and a little ketchup.
Basically, It was a hit!
The place is called Ruthie's...
The Internet will give you a different name but Ruthie's is what the neighborhood calls it!
A few days later I tried the steak AND EGG sandwich topped the exact same for breakfast and let me tell you, they got a customer in me.
So back to Philadelphia and these horrible ass experiences.
So my parents came to town to visit before my surgery.
They came equipped with their own place to try out: Max's
I told them I'd been hearing good things about Max's and Dalessandro's.
One was a hood spot and the other ... Hell you read the name!
Boujee
They went out to Redding Market one day and Delassandros was closer...
First of all, the restaurant didn't give my parent the right order.
It was to be 3 regular steak sandwiches dressed however they asked.
The meat on the sandwiches was either chicken or turkey or ass, IDK...
We gave it a chance because at the point it was $45 later...
When I say the food smelled horrible and TASTED LIKE VOMIT.
We each took one bite and that was it.
It was the worst food I'd ever tasted in my ENTIRE life.
Not the worst sandwich; the worst food!
As in IT TASTED LIKE VOMIT!!!!
My mother wanted me to give them (all three sandwiches) to a homeless person but I could not work up the nerve to potentially kill someone just because they were on hard times. I can't have murder on my conscience.
The damn sandwiches were still in the fridge after a week because I couldn't decide whether to toss them or give them to someone.
Someone needs to shut Delasandros down. Plain && Simple!
Soon I will be up for trying Max's and 1 Pound Cheesesteak; give me a moment.
But after that, I am done with Philly's in Philly!
When my travel boyfriend comes to town I plan to drive out to Linden, NJ to try this place I saw on tv.
Probably a dead end but I've had some luck in Jersey so here's to hope.
The whole Philly Cheesesteak hunt is reminiscent of listening to someone give their blessing on a certain person's macaroni and cheese or potato salad and you show up and see raisins in the potato salad and breadcrumbs on top of the never baked macaroni!
It's just a disappointment.
Disclaimers typically come at the beginning but I couldn't.
I didn't want to take away from anything I needed to say.
So now that I got that off my chest here is my disclaimer...
Disclaimer:
I AM NOT A DIFFICULT PERSON TO PLEASE! I AM ACTUALLY A RATHER EASY PERSON TO PLEASE. I JUST ENJOY FOOD A LOT. I AM FROM NEW ORLEANS, LOUSIANA - FOOD IS WHAT I KNOW. JUST BECAUSE I LIKE EATING AND IM NICE DOESNT MEAN I CAN TOLERATE ANYTHING... IT WAS NOT GOOD. IT WAS ALL NASTY IN COMPARISION TO A PHILLY CHEESESTEAK FROM DOMINOS. AND THAT IS PATHETIC IN ITSELF!