canada goose I Found The Best Cheesesteak In Philly In The Last Place I Ever Expected Mandi Woodruff May 19, 2013, 7:41 PM M. Woodruff/Business Insider I’m in Philly for the weekend, determined to prove I can have a great time by spending the least amount of cash possible — $100 or less. So far, so awesome. I’ve taken advantage of just about every free attraction the city has to offer, paid next to nothing to get around thanks to my new favorite app, SideCar, and managed to find a wealth of cheap eats with help from BI readers and some friendly locals. But as of this morning I had yet to conquer the challenge that faces every first-time Philly visitor — finding the perfect Philly cheesesteak. Little did I know, I’d find it in the last place I’d ever guess. 1/ Everyone (and I mean everyone) who has been to Philly or lived in Philly or simply heard of Philly has an opinion on which of the two leading cheesesteak rivals –– Pat’s and Geno’s –– is best. Flickr via marvinkuo 2/ I tried polling Twitterers to get a sense of which was more popular. It was like listening to fans battle over their favorite football team. @mandiwoodruff I promise if you go to Geno’s it’ll be so good you’ll take the wrapper home with you — CoursenSecurityGroup (@CoursenSecurity) May 19, 2013 @mandiwoodruff was out there a couple weeks ago… Geno’s and all the other places were horrid… We have better street meat here — Drew Brenner (@owndjoo852) May 19, 2013 3/ To be honest, I swung by both Pat’s and Geno’s Saturday night. Between the Vegas Strip lighting situation and mile-long lines, I lost my appetite altogether. Geno’s Steaks looks like a bad Vegas strip joint. Flickr via dougtone 4/ I only had limited funds to use, so I decided to start fresh and go off the beaten trail. I started with Jim’s Steaks on S. 4th Street, one of my host’s favorite spots. M. Woodruff/Business Insider 5/ The long lines made me second guess myself. If anything, traveling has taught me time and again that tourist traps rarely live up to the hype. M. Woodruff/Business Insider 6/ Like any dive, the wall was peppered with framed accolades and signed photos of celebs stuffing their faces and calling Jim’s the greatest thing since sliced beef. M. Woodruff/Business Insider 7/ The cook was working the crowd like a pro. It smelled excellent. I started to get hopeful…and hungry. So ready for this. #cheesesteakvine.co/v/b9ZxHXpHHwe— Mandi Woodruff (@mandiwoodruff) May 19, 2013 8/ I ordered the classic cheesesteak with provolone and peppers. It looked amazing and at $8.75, it wasn’t too expensive. M. Woodruff/Business Insider 9/ Sorry, Cheez Whiz fans. I had to pass. M. Woodruff/Business Insider 10/ They had plenty of seating upstairs, so I grabbed a table and dug in. M. Woodruff/Business Insider 11/ Utter. Disappointment. It tasted like a bad cafeteria sandwich. The bread was chewy, the meat was dry, and the whole thing (for some reason) was so luke warm my cheese hadn’t even melted all the way. M. Woodruff/Business Insider 12/ So I struck out once. It was time to go across the street to Ishkabibbles Eatery canada-goose-outlet.biz , which cheap Canada Goose , according to its sign, had created the first chicken cheesesteak. M. Woodruff/Business Insider 13/ But chicken wasn’t on my menu. I sidled up to the street-side counter and ordered a Philly with provolone and grilled onions. M. Woodruff/Business Insider 14/ The place is super tiny and no frills –– exactly like the dives I love back home in my neighborhood in Queens. M. Woodruff/Business Insider 15/ Straight off the bat, I knew I made the right choice. It smelled like it was worth the $8.50 I shelled out for it and then some. M. Woodruff/Business Insider 16/ Just as melty as I could hope for. The meat was juicy, the bread actually tasted fine on its own, and the cheese was on point. M. Woodruff/Business Insider 17/ Hey – If Nickleback’s a fan, I’m a fan, OK? M. Woodruff/Business Insider 18/ There was one drawback: a teeny dining space left room for about 4 people to eat seated and the rest of us hunched over a tiny “bar” along the wall. M. Woodruff/Business Insider 19/ The next joint on my list was well-known Tony Luke’s in South Philly, which a bunch of locals recommended. But I was running short on time, stomach space, and funds (just enough cash for one last place). I decided to take a gamble and skip it. www.originaltonylukes.com 20/ A tip from a local friend brought me to this no-name neighborhood in deep South Philly. Even my SideCar driver didn’t know where he was. M. Woodruff/Business Insider 21/ Finally, we arrived. It was nothing more than a corner store in the middle of nowhere*. My driver gave me a funny look and left me on the stoop. M. Woodruff/Businesss Insider *Looks like I mixed up my papi shops! The credit goes to Ranacaro Grocery Store, located on South Bonsall St. and Mifflin St. in South Philly. Tell them I say hello if you drop by! And definitely order the steak with grilled onions. 22/ In Philly, corner stores are called “Papis,” probably a nod to the fact that many are owned by Latinos. M. Woodruff/Business Insider 23/ A lone cook was working a small grill in the back. It must have been 1,000 degrees back there at least. M. Woodruff/Business Insider 24/ Dubious, I put in my order and watched. In the five minutes I waited, it was like the entire neighborhood had streamed in to pick up orders. M. Woodruff/Business Insider 25/ I cracked open my order and dug in. M. Woodruff/Business Insider 26/ I’m no Philly native, but this was just about as close as I’d come to perfection all day long. It doesn’t look like much, but trust me, it had more flavor than Jim’s and Ishkabibbles put together. M. Woodruff 27/ And I haven’t even told you the best part yet –– it cost less than $3. M. Woodruff/BI 28/ Success! M. Woodruff/Business Insider 29/ Don’t want to take my word for it? You shouldn’t. Part of the fun of visiting Philly is eating your way around until you find the right spot for yourself. I know I’m going to get hate mail for skipping some fan favorites, but there’s no need –– there’s always next time, Philly. M. Woodruff/Business Insider 30/ DON’T MISS: Flickr/khawkins04 17 things you should always buy new > Previous 1/ Next canada goose parka
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