Hunt's Annex Lounge

1311 MacDade Boulevard
Woodlyn, PA 19094
(610) 833-2344
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If there is one thing we know the 'burbs consistently does WAY better than the city, it's wings. No contest. I got the word that Hunt's had some of DelCo's finest, and stopped in to verify. One thing to note – you can smoke in here, which usually would be an issue for me, but they did a really good job of keeping the place aired out and I barely noticed it.

Like many great Delaware County bars, this place is basically a giant wrap around bar. I love this design, because it assures maximum bar seat real estate and exponentially increases the people-watching capabilities.

Although these are certainly not cheap wings (priced at nearly $1 a pop), they offer so many sauce choices it was hard to criticize. Also, who wants in on a group buy for a thousand? Any takers?

The spicy honey were first up, as they were highly recommended by both the bartender and a regular I was sitting next to. I ordered them extra crispy, as usual.

These were well rendered wings, nicely crisped, and the sauce was spicy but not too hot. I couldn't taste too much of the honey, but that wasn't a big deal. They are also quite large, which I imagine is at least part of the reason for the price tag.

Next in line were the dry rub. I am a big fan of dry rub wings, as they tend to retain their crunch a lot longer than their sauce soaked brethren. Probably because they are not drenched in liquid? I don't know, I was not a science major. These wings were salty, hot, and slightly sweet due to some brown sugar in the rub. I believe there was also some mustard powder in the mix.

Again, they were well fried, and the skin stayed crispy. Good stuff.

As I am watching my waistline these days, I decided to offset the wings by ordering some curly fries with cheddar sauce and a bud light. Good fries, nothing fancy, from a bag. The cheese was perfectly artificial and delicious. As expected.

Hunt's would probably be a great spot for wing night, but at regular prices, they are a bit on the steep side. I would certainly come back if I were in the area, but I would not rush to return.

Joe's Steaks

6030 Torresdale Ave.
Philadelphia, PA 19135
(215) 535-9405
Website

The previously named (and written about) Chink's Steaks, recently yielded to pressure to change its longstanding and controversial name. I must admit, when I heard, I was torn. I hate to see the changing of the guard of old Philadelphia roots, but I can certainly understand the outrage over a slur as a business name, even if it was not malicious in intent. So I was extremely happy when I got an invite to check out the newly branded Joe's Steaks, particularly because of the long-standing crown of excellence in the Philly cheesesteak world.

The storefront is still exactly the same, but with a couple pieces of new signage indicating it is now Joe's.

Inside, nothing has changed, and that is one of the reasons that Joe's is the best cheesesteak in the city. That's right. THE BEST.

Joe and his son Patrick are always manning the grill, and the limited menu lets them put the utmost care into each carefully crafted sandwich.

If it seems like Joe is right at home here, it's because he is. And has been, since he was sixteen and got his start washing dishes at Chink's. He has worked here ever since, and in the late 1990's he bought the shop to continue the tradition of outstanding cheesesteaks (and don't forget the egg creams and milkshakes).

Liscio's rolls, the gold standard for cheesesteaks, are lightly warmed on the grill, while the meat is perfectly seasoned and cooked. The onions come diced, browned, and sweet, just like they should.

Joe's commitment to keeping tradition runs so deep that he was reluctant to even introduce provolone or whiz until a couple of years ago. He himself is an American cheese on steaks guy. The sodas are made to order, with a hand pump of syrup added to soda water – the manual, old fashioned way.

Pickles, cherry peppers, and banana peppers are complimentary (when asked for) and are a perfect way to start grazing before your main event arrives.

But when it does, look out, because there are very few things I will let get between me and one of these masterpieces.

I personally LOVE the version with whiz. Something about the melted, salty accompaniment to tender steak and sweet onions makes me salivate with just the thought.

I will say it again, there is no better steak in Philadelphia. There may be some that are almost as good, or MAYBE as good, but none-better. I bring my food loving guests from out of town here, and they always leave happy (and usually buy me a steak too).

There is no lack of fillings here and it makes you appreciate a place that still has some attitude, but isn't run by pompous dicks with an inferiority complex (see: Pat's, Geno's).

The American cheese version is another winner, and the clear choice for the whiz averse. No need to order extra cheese, there will be ample melty creamy American dispersed throughout.

Although the name has changed, the product has not (and will not). If you have never been, you are doing yourself a disservice by holding out, and if the issue was political correctness, now is the time. Myself, I would continue going here even if they changed the name to "Philly Phoodie is a fatso and a hack of a writer." And I would go with joy in my heart and steak in my gut.

Editor's note: the cheesesteaks here do not come cut in half. There is a small and a large, both of which come out as full-length torpedoes, but for the sake of photographing the details, we requested that Joe slice these down the middle.

Chink's Steaks

6030 Torresdale Avenue
Philadelphia, PA 19135
(215) 535-9405
Website

I had been meaning to make it to (the unfortunately named) Chink's Steaks ever since I had heard about it. However, it takes some real effort to get there, as it is located in the Tacony/Wissinoming section of Northeast Philadelphia. The name is from the original owner who opened Chink's as a small steak place in 1949 after cutting his teeth at the world famous Pat's steaks.

I think their website sums it up best "[t]he combination of the intriguing décor and beautiful waitresses, mixed with the overwhelming aroma of delicious steaks invites its customers at the front door. Many customers appreciate the beautiful staff, and the nostalgic scenery; however, most return for the exceptionally fabulous sandwiches."

At the entrance is a small but effective flat-top and you can smell the deliciousness from down the street.

As I was ready for the gut bomb, I went with two cheesesteaks, an order of crinkle-cut cheese fries and a malted vanilla bean milkshake.

Although I am not usually a crinkle-cut fries kind of guy, these were actually pretty good.

Of course, the salty bowl of whiz on the side wasn't hurting anything.

There are all types of vintage touches around the place such as display jukeboxes.

The malted vanilla milkshake was absolutely delicious.

I wanted to try the steak with fried onions and whiz – and damn! – finely chopped onions that were deeply caramelized and a healthy slathering of whiz were perfect on this meat and cheese vessel. The roll was perfectly spongy inside and slightly crispy on the outside. But most importantly, the meat. The meat was divine. Perfectly seasoned, and well cooked. I have not had a better steak sandwich that I can remember.

I also wanted to try the cheesesteak hoagie. This was another winner, but not quite on the level of the regular cheesesteak. The cheesesteak hoagie was ordered with onions, American, lettuce, tomato and mayo. I also added some banana peppers on the side. This was a delicious hybrid of two of the most famous sandwiches in our city. This is one of those situations where there is no shame in ordering mayo on your cheesesteak. Of course, I never have any shame in ordering mayo on anything, but it is frowned upon at some steak joints. The cheesesteak hoagie brings a crunchy, refreshing take on the traditional cheesesteak.

The bottom line is, if you want one of the best steaks in city, make a pilgrimage up to Chink's Steaks. You may not find religion, but you will certainly find deliciousness.