‘philly cheese steak’


Heading for Philly at South Street

November 18th, 2011 Tweet Facebook Digg Stumble Reddit

Looks eerily like natto.

While LA may not have a signature food (the closest it gets is either Asian fusion or burgers), it has a hell of a lot of options for immigrants who miss the signature food of their homeland, be it Chicago Pizza or Detroit Coney Dogs.  The Philly Cheese Steak is no exception, with plenty of places offering their “authentic” version.  I don’t claim to be an expert on the cheese steak (only been to Philly once, during a massive blizzard), but the sandwich has always been a dear friend of mine.  After all, what can go wrong when meat and cheese mix?  Don’t answer that if you’re one of them Kosher people.  South Street in Burbank has been bringing Philly toLA for a few years, so I thought I would see how they measure up. Continue Reading»


Philadelphia Sandwiches Without the Philadelphia

August 18th, 2010 Tweet Facebook Digg Stumble Reddit

Enough with the bread already.

In North Hollywood there is a little sandwich place with a ’50s theme called Philadelphia Sandwiches.  I’m not sure how Elvis and cheese steaks are related (unless it’s a fluffernutter cheese steak), but somehow they have managed to coexist since the sandwich shop was started in the ’80s.  Specializing in Philly Cheese Steaks, I figured the place at least deserved a shot at meaty glory. Continue Reading»


First Fridays with the South Philly Experience

November 11th, 2009 Tweet Facebook Digg Stumble Reddit
Seems like it would be hard to drive with that sign...

Seems like it would be hard to drive with that sign...

Sometimes, following LA’s food trucks on Twitter can be a difficult process.  If you don’t have a Twitter account or a smartphone, then it gets even harder (seriously, not having Twitter or a smartphone is soooo 2008).  Luckily for those who fight the future of technology, there is a little event on the first Friday of every month on Abbot Kinney in Venice creatively called First Fridays.  These nights are the best opportunity to experience LA’s food truck culture.

One truck I’ve been trying to find for a while happened to be there.  It’s called South Philly Experience (SPE) and dishes out Philly Cheese Steaks, plus a couple other random East Coast faves like Tastykakes.  The menu was as basic as you’d expect from a food truck, offering a couple varieties of sandwiches, but I only wanted the original.  I ordered as specified on the menu, “witout” onions and “wit”  Cheez Wiz, as I’ve heard the Wiz is Philly’s top choice for cheese steaks. Continue Reading»


Going Global at Plan Check

Fries of the world.

A couple of weeks ago, The Backyard Bite invited me to The Burger Culture Clash, sponsored by Stussy (which apparently still exists) and Plan Check. Plan Check, by the way, is a sort of new (since February) restaurant in West LA with Chef Ernesto Uchimura of Umami Burger fame. As my love of burgers, especially those of the umami variety, I jumped at the opportunity.

Although I arrived alone, I was not the only lone eater. Just next to where I was seated, I met e*star LA and we decided to share a meal called loneliness, because it’s better than eating alone. We made quick friends over our respective blogs and Midwestern roots, then got to work at dissecting the special menu, which Plan Check will be featuring for the next month if anything tickles your fancy.

Continue Reading»