Philly Cheesesteak Sandwiches

Today, as I was getting ready to go to lunch, Dasha pushed some cash on me.

"Do you want me to get you something?"

"Yes."

"But I don't even know where I'm going, yet!"

"That's okay.  Just get me something to try."

With a golden opportunity like that, I had to take advantage.

"Have you ever had a Philly?"

She hadn't.  So I went to Jersey Mike's. See, I really like their sandwiches and eat there an average of once per week. Sometimes more, if I get a craving when I'm at work. And, as an added bonus, they don't put mushrooms on their Phillies.

Why do people do that?

So the Philly: It's one of the basic hot sandwiches. You take beef and slice it thin. Then grill it, melt cheese on it, and throw it on a Hoagie roll.  Most people then add peppers and onions while it's grilling.  Generally the peppers are not hot peppers - mostly green and red bell peppers.

Sometimes it's served with au jus, as if it were a French Dip.

At Jersey Mike's, they wrap it in foil for you, which makes it easy to get back to the office with a still-hot sandwich.

I presented the sandwich to Dasha, and received one of her dubious looks. "This looks ... interesting."  She didn't sound particularly enthusiastic, either.

A few bites, then, "That's the weirdest thing I ever tried."

"Is it a good weird or a bad weird?"

"It's good.  It's like a hot dog, but not. Nothing like it.  It's weird."  I have never heard a Philly compared to a hot dog before. Especially not a good Philly. But there it is.  I even did a double-take when typing this up.

"This thing is gooooood.  It's not like heavy, it's kinda light.  I don't know how to explain it."  She actually included all of those o's, too.  You could hear them.

Now, despite her sweet tooth, Dasha tends to eat like a bird - a bit here, a bit there, a lot of leftovers.  But she finished her sandwich off.  Completely.  And then it was interrogation time:

"Where did you get this?"

"Jersey Mike's."

"Where is Jersey Mike's?"

I gave her directions - and then made sure that she knew that Phillies were one of those things that you can get nearly anywhere that does decent sandwiches.

"What kind of cheese is this?"

"I think it's provolone, but it is sometimes made with Swiss or a mixture of the two."

"What kind of meat is this?"

"It's beef, sliced thin."

"I think my husband will like this."

The last time she told me that she thought her husband would like something was way back with the Dairy Queen Blizzards. So I have a hunch she'll have another Philly or two or three this weekend.

The verdict: Win.  She liked the sandwich. A lot.