The daily digest of Twin Cities culture | Secrets of the City

Caffrey's makes a mighty good cheesesteak sandwich. Definitely recommend going there.

Galooney's on Hennepin. Additionally, their roasted veggie pita is to die for.

Ask Philly. But he probably doesn't know any more about food then he does merging into traffic.

Cooking would be great if I had a nice griddle and the patience to freeze and slice steaks.

Alas, cheesesteaks are not easy to make in one's kitchen.

Them things'll kill ya. A good cheesesteak is awfully greasy.

I'm immediately suspicious, though, when you suggest it needs to have good provolone. As everyone knows, a real cheesesteak is made with CheeseWhiz.

Another thing missing in Minnesota is good bread. I would kill for a local (I'm out in the sticks) source for bread other than this sludgy, gooey, pale, over-processed stuff with gummy crusts that is ALL THEY SELL OUT HERE.

Believe it or not, the Cabela's in Rogers has a cheese steak. I haven't had it but I saw one being made and it sort of made my arteries hard just watching. I did have elk sandwich, which was great.

I wholeheartedly disagree with the cheez whiz thing - but our disagreement is not a solitary one - it seems the cheez whiz vs white cheese debate is quite lively, even in philly itself.

I would say that both provolone and cheeze whiz both constitute a "real" cheesesteak. I personally abhor cheeze whiz. :)

mazasapa, I think part of the cheesesteak experience is enjoying the feeling of your arteries slamming shut. :)

Try the cheesesteak at Pracna on St. Anthony Main. V. good.

try subway

To make a cheese steak sandwich, you need:

Good bread.
Thin sliced steak.
Onions.
Green Peppers.
Provolone (or some other cheese substitute like Cheese Wiz™)
Hot griddle.

Yeah, that sounds tough to make yourself...

and i'll disagree on the cheese-whiz thing too, i've had Gino's & Pat's, cheese-whiz on a cheesesteak = gross. just because they say it's the "right way" in Philly, doesn't make it better ;)

I had heard about T.O.P.S. Pizza & Hoagies at work after I assume the person read about this place in this blurb.

We got there right at 7:10 and walked in. It's a true hole-in-the-wall pizza joint that specializes in some greek foods and Philly Cheesesteaks.

I'm a *huge* fan of good cheesesteak and any good food is few and far between out here, especially stuff that is close to my east coast heart.

Well, this place was a *huge disappointment* for me. Not only were the cheesesteaks bad but the service in the nearly empty restaurant was slow. Very very slow. They were very friendly and personable though.

I do *not* recommend their dry and greaseless cheesesteaks or their fries. Their baklava was just ok. I didn't try their pizza but Kim and I will try that the next time.

Our bill, for two drinks, two 9" cheesesteaks, an order of fries, and a slice of baklava was $23.00. Entirely too pricey for a completely overrated experience.

Being that many of you have never had a cheesesteak, let alone a real one, YMMV.

P.S. --

Someone needs to go out to Philly and learn the art of cheesteak. Bring it back here -- and open a place.

I think it would do well.

Bill, I've had quite a few steaks at TOPS and I never found them to be "dry", in fact quite the opposite, drippy and greasy, in fact, they serve their "full" steak on a tray so that you have somewhere to let it drip. Heh. Maybe you went on a bad night or something?

Yeah, the service sometimes is slow, but that seems to be kinda the way Mediterranean/middle eastern restaurants are run. At least, every one that I've been to around here. Either way, I like how friendly they are there. I certainly don't go there if I'm on a schedule.

Maybe not being a native east-coaster my perceptions are wrong, but I personally find their steaks to be delicious, as well as their pizza. I'd go there all the time if it wasn't so far away. But again, it's good to hear a perspective of someone who knows what a good steak is actually all about. If you ever find a place that DOES make something close to a real philly, let me know, please.

I like the Steak Knife in Dinkeytown too. If you're looking for a quick lunch-time downtown cheesesteak-type thing... I always like Charley's in the skyway. It's in the US Bank building. The fries are good.

I just found the best Philly Cheesesteaks without a plane ticket! Steve's Philadelphia Steaks and Hoagies in Lexington, MN 55014, call 763-785-1453. He makes him right in front of you with all the fixing to have it exactly like you remember. I like mine with marinara and banana peppers. He uses only the freshest meats. His hoagies are also excellent.
www.stevessteaks.com
It is worth the drive from anywhere- even Philadelphia.

Joey D's - 3101 East 42nd Street, Mpls.

These things with those new fangled mag wheels, you can't even call them cars!! REAL CARS have SPOKES on the WHEELS!!!