Nixon's General Store

540 Chatsworth Rd.
Tabernacle, NJ 08088
(609) 268-9800
Website

Deep in the New Jersey Pine Barrens, the Pineys know a few things. One is where to catch the Jersey Devil and another is how to make some amazing cheesesteaks. Nixon's is a step back in time, like a gift shop mixed with a local WAWA, and crossed with a high end deli.

You walk in and make your way to the back. The barrels are set up with made-to-order screens that let you pick about any option you can think of. Want your cheesesteak meat in slices? No problem. Finely chopped, there is an option for that too. Add salt and pepper? Copper sharp instead of American (god yes)? They have you covered. You can even get wiz and another cheese. Simply amazing.

I got here at breakfast, so I decided to branch out and go with the bacon cheesesteak hoagie. It had bacon, steak (finely chopped/salt/pepper), lettuce, tomato, fried onions (well done option), and Cooper sharp. You can literally customize these things about any way you can imagine. I have never seen anything to this level of detail off of an ordering screen. Click the link to their sandwiches above and build your own. It's amazing. So one thing, this place is NOT cheap. My cheesesteak as pictured below was $15 and change. But it was worth every penny. The quality was outstanding. Look at these tomatoes.

These ripe beauties (assisted by the seasonality of my visit) we the best looking (and tasting) tomatoes I remember having on a hoagie in quite a while.

As I had just come back from a camping trip in the Pines, I put down the gate on the truck, pulled out the camping cutting board and knife, and sliced up breakfast.

The bread (courtesy of nearby Aversa's Bakery) was outstanding, with perfectly seasoned meat, and the perfect amount of sharp and melty cheese.

Did this sandwich need bacon? No. Was it like a cheesesteak BLT? Yes. Would I do it over again? Without a doubt.

Being the glutton I am, I couldn't JUST get a foot and half long bacon cheesesteak for breakfast, so I gave a nod to the age old Jersey dispute and got a pork roll, egg and cheese. Now one of the best food songs aside, this is a staple of breakfast on the east side of the Delaware. And we love it in Pennsylvania as well. Also - it's pork roll here, not Taylor ham. To quote Jerseyporkroll.com  "In 1910 it was described as 'a food article made of pork, packed in a cylindrical cotton sack or bag in such form that it could be quickly prepared for cooking by slicing without removal from the bag.'"

Nixon's fries the pork roll, tops it with a fried egg and cheese (more Cooper sharp), and then since the sky's the limit here, I added some banana peppers, mayo and hotsauce (the last three due to my computer ordering frenzy).

A simple, perfect breakfast sandwich. This is the food of the working class. And you could do no better.

The Perky

400 Brower Avenue
Phoenixville, PA 19460
(610) 666-6600
Website

The Perky is one of those neighborhood bars that would be in a rowhome if it were located in Philly. However, as it is out in P-ville, it is located on the entire bottom floor of a rather large house.

I was told the wings were a go-to, and as I have rarely met a deep fried piece of chicken I didn't like, I had to try them out. Whether or not I had eaten wings within the last twenty-four hours was besides the point. I went with the hot garlic butter, extra crispy. They did not disappoint. Spicy, with a depth of flavor that was exponentially increased with the addition of garlic. The chicken was rendered and the skin was crispy. These are great wings.

Next up was the cheesesteak hoagie. This one was a bit of a disappointment. The steak was AWESOME, the roll was terrific, the cheese well portioned and melted. However look at the "hoagie" part of this. It was thick sliced tomato, and huge slices of raw onion. It was way overkill, and was impossible to eat in the way it was served. I pulled the salad off of the top (don't know what I was thinking ordering it) and enjoyed the hell out of the cheesesteak just as it should have been in the first place.

Look at the cheesy goodness. The meat was very well seasoned, and the roll was just crusty, and just fluffy enough. The fries were very good, and the dipping sauce was killer. It was just the veggies that had me hung up. Maybe I thought I could call it a "balanced meal" with some fresh greens...

Next up on the agenda was the fried bologna. This was a nod to the good old days, with thick sliced encased meat, mustard, American cheese, and sweet pickles on a grilled bun. The sweet potato fries were a nice sub, and the creole dipping sauce was smokey, spicy, and delicious.

The fried bologna was like a SPAM sandwich. I loved the throwback nature of it, like a childhood favorite with a barroom upgrade. It was definitely something out of the norm, and although certainly not refined, it was beautiful in its simplicity.

Look at the char on the bottom of this meat. Nice and crispy, full of fatty flavor. The roll somewhat disintegrated under the onslaught of grease, but I powered through.

The Perky is the type of neighborhood bar everyone should have. Period.

Cisco's Bar & Grille

1538 Bethlehem Pike
Flourtown, PA 19031
(215) 233-9981

Every once in a while you stumble upon something special, and given the amount of weird/sketchy places I venture for the sake of good food, it means the world when I find a place like Cisco's.

The interior is everything you could possibly want in an old school bar, with moose heads to boot.

The grill is located behind the bar, so you get to see the prep of anything you order while you drink your insanely cheap beer. Small glasses of domestics are $1.25.

The main claim to fame at Cisco's is the cheesesteak hoagie. It is a variation unlike most places, however, because instead of just adding some lettuce and tomato, they add salami!

The meat is quality, finely chopped and well seasoned. The cheese is melted throughout, and the fried onions are finely chopped, cooked to a deep golden color and sweet as can be. The other aspect that sets them apart is the hot hoagie spread available for your cheesesteak consumption. Briny, spicy, and colorful, it's one of my approved cheesesteak add-ons.

If you were wondering why there is only half a sandwich here, it's because I only ordered a small. The large is Philly Phoodie sized, but I was LITERALLY on my way to a vegan dinner party, so I decided I needed to eat something real before I got there.

Thick sliced provolone, thick sliced Genoa, fried and raw onions, tomato slices, and some dried oregano sprinkled on top to even it out. This place is incredible.

Flourtown is a bit out of the way of my usual routines, but my god this place is worth the trip.

Gooey Looie's (4 years later...)

Pennsport Mall
Moyamensing & Moore
Philadelphia PA
(215) 334-7668
Facebook page

Well, in 2009, I moved to Pennsport and one of the first food joints I visited was this little hoagie joint in an unassuming strip mall.

You wouldn't really happen upon this place, considering the unwelcoming gate and the list of "NOs" they greet you with from the start. So, I'll tell you again that you need to go seek it out.

Now, phone cameras have come a long way since my last two blog posts. See here and also here. So I thought now was as good a time as any to revisit my old haunt and to do them more justice in pictures.

They've got sort of a cult following and a long list of locals/regulars who just sit for hours at the 3 tiny cafe tables flanking the deli counter. Same two guys always slingin' the meats. Fresh cuts.

You can also pick up some WD40, cigs and ice cream while you're waiting for your sandwiches.

I've long since moved away from South Philly and haven't visited Gooey Looie's in nearly 2 years. One of my old faves is their cheesesteak hoagie, so I had to see if it could stand the test of time.

First impressions are everything, and upon first glance, I knew I was in for the deliciously large, cheesy and tender cheesesteak of yore.

There's something so mouthwatering about shredded lettuce and tomato thrown on steaming hot steak meat - the way it wilts just slightly but keeps the slightest fresh crunch of added textured. Not to mention the way the mayonnaise mixes with the melted American to add that extra creaminess...

Now, I will say that the quality of their meat seems to have slipped. Every third bite I was spitting out a piece of unchewable gristle, which was a huge disappointment. Maybe I caught them on a bad day, at the end of their inventory, but if my memory serves me, every cheesesteak hoagie before this one boasted thinly sliced, tender pieces of quality chopped meat. It was rare that I ever complained about the ingredients.

I was disappointed at the fact that with every few bites, I realized that their meat had dropped a few notches to the level of a better-known spot on 9th Street. Some people are into that, I guess. I prefer to not have to chew with care for fear of choking on cartilage. That's not to say that the rest of the sandwich wasn't spot on - they've still got the best cheesesteak hoagie construction around. Looks were deceiving in this case.

As much as I wanted to order the Italian for memory's sake, I went with another old stand by, the turkey special on rye. (I'm saving the Italian for my next visit).

Slathered with Thousand Island dressing and laced with veins of coleslaw, the turkey weighs in at about 1.5 lbs. No joke.

It's freshly sliced, paper thin, and beautifully layered in 3-4 inches of meat ribbons. It's one of those unhinge-your-jaw sandwiches that should probably be split up into 3 meals. If you're not me, of course.

The turkey is salty, but it is also delicious. Even with all of the meat, the dressing & coleslaw to rye bread ratio is the perfect balance for what looks like a dry sammy. It's amazing.

Even though I may have to nix the cheesesteak hoagie from my list of go-tos at Gooey Looie's, I'm happy to say that I'll be back again soon to indulge in their other 3 lb. meat-and-cheese-on-bread selections.

Mama's Pizzeria

426 Belmont Ave.
Bala Cynwyd, PA 19004
Website

Much like Tony A's, Mama's Pizzeria has been roundly endorsed as one of the best cheesesteaks in Philadelphia. Also like Tony A's, Mama's is not actually in Philadelphia. It is, however, close enough that a short bike ride or car trip will take you there without any problem.

I had probably ridden past Mama's a few dozen times without ever even noticing it. It's kind of tucked away. When you walk in, there is a counter and a few small tables. However, in the back there are more places to sit, and a waitress will take your order.

The dated interior had me hopeful for cheesesteak glory.

I went with a small cheesesteak, as I was actually on bicycle and thus unable to take any leftovers with me. My dining mate ordered the large cheesesteak hoagie (inexplicably with lettuce, but no tomato), and also happened to be the same one who ordered Hawaiian pizza at the Mexican pizza place.

The "cheesesteak hoagie" was ordered with both oil and mayo, which is my favorite way to eat hoagies, but not something I usually look for in a cheesesteak. Again, it was Hawaiian pizza guy who crafted this delicacy - always questionable. I have to say, the hoagie dressing and mayo really helped add some flavor to this steak. I was surprised at how it changed the flavor profile and gave it some zing (I ate almost half of his as well).

For my sandwich, I went with fried onions and some banana peppers. The first thing you will notice about these sandwiches is the cheese. There is a lot of it. Possibly too much. Which I can't believe I am saying. This was not an extra-cheese order, either.

They use a blend of cheeses, they call it "pizza cheese." It does add some zip. The meat itself is pretty good, finely chopped, and the well caramelized onions are nicely mixed throughout. The 'fluffy on the inside' and the 'crispy on the outside' of the bread were likely the best components. I had a couple of problems. One is that these are rather expensive. The large was $12, which, after figuring in a soda and a tip, equates to a $17 cheesesteak lunch. Yes, you can get two meals out of it, but that is still tipping the scales for me. The second is that the regular steak just kind of lacks something. The meat was under-seasoned, and that may have been the main culprit, but it lacked the "pop" of a truly great steak. The portions were big, but with the price tag, they should be. Finally the greasiness of this sandwich was kind of crazy. I took a video to illustrate this. Keep in mind, this was the tail end of the dripping, I just happened to be eating while it was really rushing off the back.

Overall, it's a decent steak, but not deserving of the hype that I have heard. It is probably many people's favorite for the nostalgia factor, but with today's stiff competition, it would not be among my top choices.