We ate Philadelphia - Joe’s Steaks +Soda Shop
The Cheesesteak is perhaps the most iconic dish from Philly. The most famous, of course, are Geno’s and Pat’s, which are situated kitty-corner from each other in Little Italy. But as happens to many fading ex-champs, they coast on their reputations, content to feed undiscriminating hordes of tourists looking to check off a list of Things To Do in Philadelphia . Alan Richman, Food critic for GQ, recently compiled a list of the best cheesesteaks in town and put Pat’s and Geno’s near the very bottom.
We only had a single weekend, so we could only sample one cheesesteak. We ended up at Joe’s Steaks on Frankford and Girard. This Fishtown iteration sells 300-400 Steak sandwiches a day during the week, and up to 750 on a Saturday. We enjoyed the cheesesteak with hand cut ribeye (so no gristle), fried onions and sharp provolone. The bread was soft and not too chewy and provided a good base for the meaty goodness. Unfortunately, we also had the buffalo chicken fries, which were a disaster. Remember buffalo chicken wings? Well this was nothing like that. An overly spicy, acidic orange mess - we ended up scraping most of the chicken off. They are also known for their shakes, and we indulged in the shake of the day - Orange Creamsicle - which I enjoyed to the last drop, lactose intolerance be damned. I haven’t had an orange creamsicle in yonks, but the taste took me right back.
It was only after we had returned to New York that i found out that Joe’s had until 2013, gone by the unfortunate moniker “Chinks”. Apparently, the original owner Samuel Sherman, had almond-shaped eyes (!) - I kid you not. And it wasn’t new owner Joe Groh’s conscience which prompted the reluctant nod to political correctness, but the realities of doing business in the modern world. No lawyer or PR firm would touch him and the first location he wanted to expand to would have nothing to do with a business called Chinks - who’d a thought racial slurs were bad for business?
Apparently, at the original North Philadelphia location in Wissinoming, he still gets flak from irate regulars who berate him for changing the name - which tells me all I need to know about Wissinoming.
Anyhow, If you’re hankering for a cheeseteak and a shake, and you happen to be in Fishtown, Joe’s is alright, I suppose. I would avoid the North Philly branch if you happen to be Asian - you might not get why the locals are looking at you like you stole their heritage or something.
Joe’s Steaks + Soda Shop - 1 W Girard Ave, Fishtown, Philadelphia
