Tag Archives: steak

Philly Cheesesteaks

Went south to get some sandwiches.

As a first timer, we had to hit the tourist spots: Geno’s & Pat’s. Little did I realize they were right across the street from each other, next to a park.

Geno's

Geno’s, clearly going for the Shock & Awe campaign.

Inside Geno's

Geno's Menu

Nice & simple. Tourists want the cheesesteak. I assume locals (if hypothetically locals ate here) go for the roast pork.

Geno's Cheesesteak

As you can see, there isn’t that much meat for a $9 sandwich. The cheese (whiz) shines with a high cheese to meat ratio.

Pat's Front

Pat's Ordering Window

Pat’s offers a lot more options on the menu. I found it unnecessary, but I guess it allows customers to get it their way.

Pat's Menu

Pizza Steak? Fish Cake? What??

Why?

Pat's Cheesesteak

Pat’s obviously offers substantially more meat than Geno’s. Here, I’d point out that the line for Pat’s was noticeably longer too.

At both places, I got with onions and cheese whiz. I didn’t get fries because it would fill me up too much. Keep reading to see why I had to preserve stomach space.

Pat's Signage

Since Philly is a two hour drive from NYC, I made an executive decision to hit up a third spot.

Dalessandro's Steaks

Thanks to Serious Eats, we hit up Dalessandro’s.

Dalessandro's Menu

Dalessandro's Cheesesteak

Cheaper than Geno’s and Pat’s (both $9 each), this $7.25 cheesesteak was amazing. The cheese is mixed into the chopped steak (as opposed to topping the meat).

Remnants of an Alto Prix Fixe

Alto interior

Alto has closed, so here’s some postmortem food porn taken from a 4 course.

complimentary starter

After ordering the 4 course, this was presented as compliments of the chef. I assume it’s some sort of truffle appetizer.

Note: I’ve tried to correctly identify the dishes below with their menu names. The names may or may not be accurate.

Polpo alla Piastra con Baccala

seared octopus, salt cod, tomato agrodolce, culatura d’alici

Garganelli Bolognese

hand-made pasta quills, milk-fed veal ragu, parmigiano fonduta

Pappardelle con Agnello e Santoreggia

hand-made pasta ribbons, braised lamb, savory, pecorino

Tagliata di Manzo con Funghi e Midollo

creekstone farms sirloin, black trumpette mushrooms, parsnip puree, roasted fingerling potatoes, red wine-bone marrow sauce

Nodino di Vitello con I Cardi

roasted amish veal chop, cardoons, licorice, castelvetrano olives

aftermath of the sirloin

Torrone

piemontese nougat semifreddo, hazelnut cake, warm chocolate sauce

Bomboloni

apple cinnamon doughnuts, caramel sauce

Alto, given its location in Midtown East, is a prime venue for corporate dining. Formerly a Michael White / Chris Cannon joint (emphasis on the former), I expected to be blown away by the pasta dishes. Instead, I enjoyed their mushroom soup (the brown puddle of soup is not pictured above) and the Bomboloni the most.

Peter Luger

Peter Luger opened in 1887 Williamsburg. They are known for their Porterhouse steak cooked expertly. The menu is no frills and they are cash only (unless you are ballin’ with the official Peter Luger credit card that is totally unnecessary).

This post is going to be mostly pictures and will provide the goods.

Very simple, pick how many people the steak will feed

Hearty cut of bacon appetizer

The porterhouse tilted so that the juice flows to one end. This was very well cooked as you would expect

The plated meal: porterhouse, creamed spinach, German style potatoes

The ice cream sundae. The chocolate cow is a very nice touch

This is a NY institution that is worth the reservation.