Hemo's...Perfection?

My many, many cheese steak travels have brought me upon possibly the best sub that I have ever had. It started out as an average day. Nothing out of the average was happening, I was merely walking down the streets of Philadelphia. I knew that somewhere in the city I would find a great meal, but that was not my main concern for the day. As if guided by fate, I wandered onto the University of Pennsylvania campus. I was amazed to find that the sidewalks contained small food trucks scattered everywhere. Seeing this, I got a little hungry and asked a student where I could get a good cheese steak. The young man pointed towards a truck and merely stated, "Hemo's".

I waited in line and studied the menu. I decided on the obvious decision: a cheese steak with extra meat. Something else caught my eye, however. There was a topping known as the famous Hemo Sauce. Intrigued, I decided that I would get some on the side. When I got to the front of the line I found a kindly man from Alexandria waiting to take my order. I told him what I wanted and, with a smile, he immediately started cooking. As I waited I noticed that on the side of his truck he had multiple newspaper clippings taped up. Some talked about how he started his small business, others how he is kind and loved, and another on how he won a Food Truck competition. As it turns out, he started his truck service, and has a friend of his operate a second one a few streets down. I stared at the articles until he handed me a sub wrapped in foil. I thanked him and walked away with my cheese steak and coke. (Hemo's BLT.)

The sub was small, deceptively small. Good thing I got it with extra meat. I opened it up and a magical aroma filled my nose. I took my first bite into it and was astonished. It was DELICIOUS. Never would I suspect a street truck of selling such high quality subs. My next bite I put the Hemo Sauce on. I was a little skeptical using a sauce named after the owner that had unknown ingredients. Once again, I was shocked. It was an amazing addition to the sub. To put it plainly, it was magnificent.

Now, I almost always have an issue with the rolls on cheese steaks. This instance, however, is different. Hemo's Cheese Steaks are made on the Philly famous Amoroso's roll. It was cooked to a crisp, fresh, and delicious. It melted in my mouth along with the cheese, steak, and Hemo Sauce. Looking back on it, there really is no way to describe it except delicious and truly satisfying.

This discovery of the truly amazing sub made me wonder, what else does Hemo's serve that is delicious. The small truck serves a variety of subs, sandwiches, even breakfast foods, all of which I have heard good things about. One sandwich in particular that stands out is his sausage (or steak if you ask), egg, and cheese breakfast sandwich, which is truly superb, but is not a cheese steak, so I cannot go into it.

Overall, this average day in Philadelphia turned out to be one of great accomplishment. I tasted possibly the best cheese steak that I have ever had. Since it was so good, although it did not truly strike me as perfect, I give the Hemo's Cheese Steak a near perfect 9.5 out of 10.

Cheese Steak Imposter

Throughout history people have tried to perfect the cheese steak. They've changed the recipe, how it was cooked, and now the essentials of the sub have been changed. Domino's Pizza created a pizza that was to imitate the deliciousness of cheese steaks. It is the Philly Cheese Steak Pizza. When one hears about this pizza, some would wonder why Domino's has the right to create such a dish, whereas others are excited by just the name. Of course, the Philly Cheese Steak Pizza is not a cheese steak. The fact that it does take its name from the world famous Philly cheese steaks, however, does make it earn a review.

The Philly Cheese Steak Pizza, like a sub, contains the key ingredients. Its crust takes the place of the roll, it has cheese, meat, peppers, mushrooms, and has tomato sauce instead of ketchup. These differences, however, greatly change the taste from a sub to a pizza. When biting into this pizza, you can almost immediately tell that, although it was a good attempt, it was a failed attempt. The flavor just does not match that of a true Philly Cheese Steak. On the other hand, it does have some of the traits of a good pizza.

Like most Domino's pizzas, it tastes pretty good. The cheese, crust, and sauce are all delicious. The peppers and mushrooms are even good. The steak, however, is out of place. A pizza is a place for pepperoni, sausage, and occasionally ham. Having steak on a pizza just does not seem right. Some people don't even like pepperoni or sausage, but most people are used to those toppings, which makes them seem right. Again, it may be that the steak is new, or just does not taste right, but in my opinion it does not belong on a pizza.

The fact that the Philly Cheese Steak Pizza did not turn out tasting as good as hoped, brings up a very important question that Domino's itself has asked people. Philly Cheese Steak Pizza or the Brooklyn Style Pizza? A regular pizza with steak, peppers, and mushrooms? Or a thin pizza covered with pepperoni? In my own professional opinion, I would take a pepperoni pizza over one covered with multiple toppings any day, but that's just me.
Overall, Domino's Philly Cheese Steak Pizza was a disappointment for me. The regular old pizza part tasted good, but the cheese steak toppings did not. Therefore, I give the Philly Cheese Steak Pizza a 4 out of 10. And I will not rate the Brooklyn Style Pizza, but again, for the record, I actually favor something from New York over Philadelphia for once.

Manliness for Men

MAN. What does the word man mean? More importantly, what is manliness? Manliness can be many, many things. The fine restaurant of Jenos in Severna Park has taken it upon itself to define manliness. They have their own image of manliness that they share with many, for a measly price of about $9.

Jenos has put together, in their opinion, the ultimate sub, THE MAN SUB. To them, most men enjoy meat, most enjoy cheese steaks, and most enjoy onions and cheese. So it is only logical that men would love a cheese steak overflowing with meat, cheese, and onions. Now, how is this any different from most other cheese steaks?

The answer is simple: the meat. This miraculous cheese steak contains steak, bacon, and chicken. It is not a sub for the weak of stomach, or weak of heart. Along with the large combination of meat, the amount of meat is immense. It is literally overflowing out of the roll. Now, some may not think that this combination would taste good, but those people are wrong. The bacon adds a delicious, and needed, kick to the sub.

Next up, the delectible cheese and onions. When ordering the sub, you are given a chance to pick from multiple cheeses, all of which are delicious. The cheese is melted throughout the sub and, like the meat, also flows over onto the sides of the roll. Now, I am normally not a fine of onions, however, I made an exception for the Man Sub. The onions were cooked to a crisp and, surprisingly enough for me, added a nice flavor and crunch to the sub.

Unfortunately, like the regular subs at Jenos, the roll was lacking in quality. The meat and cheese flowing over the sides made it seem a little different from normal to the eye, but it was no different. The roll, once again, was not hot, and was not crisp. This is something that I am very picky about. The somewhat low quality of the roll again took away from a possibly great sub from Jenos.

As is evident, the roll takes away from some of the value of the Man Sub. However, the great quality of the meat, cheese, and onions saves it quite a bit. Thus, I award Jenos' Man Sub a 8 out of 10.

Ground Up Deliciousness

The typical cheese steak has shreds of meat that are neither too large nor that small. I, however, recently experienced something different. I was in Wayne, Pennsylvania and I stopped by New Wayne Pizza for a bight. I walked into the small restaurant and ordered the typical cheese steak, coke, and chips. I sat munching on some chips drinking my unusually delicious soda when they brought the sub to me. I immediately noticed two things: the roll was crisp and warm, and the meat was extremely ground up. (The sub in the picture is not an example of the ones from New Wayne Pizza.)

The ground up meat was delectible. The cheese and ketchup melted in between the small chunks of meat, greatly increasing the flavor. Instead of the typical sub that has all the cheese on the bottom or the side, it is melted everywhere in this one. On top of that, the cheese was clearly fresh American Cheese. Some restaurants have been known to serve frozen, somewhat old cheese, but this was not the case. It was melted and distributed nearly perfectly.

The sub that I ordered did not have onions or peppers, but was merely cheese, meat, and ketchup. The restaurant did, however, offer small side orders of many different toppings and many different sub combinations. Like the cheese, the vegetables were clearly fresh. They looked juicy, luscious, and clearly worth it.

Now, on the topic of fresh foods, the bread was by far the freshest. When I first got the sub it was dark and inviting. The first bite was amazing. The crisp, warm roll melted along with the meat and cheese in pure deliciousness. Unlike the Jeno's roll from last week, this one was cooked to near perfection. Some spots were a little burnt, but the rest was spotless. It was not soggy, room temperature, or over-sized. Almost all roll lovers would have enjoyed the bread on this sub.

Great meat, delicious cheese, and magnificent bread. It is hard to get a better cheese steak. Despite all the good, however, there is some bad. The change in the style of meat was nice surprise, but it was not for me. Although it is true that it increased the flavor, it increased the flavor of the cheese and ketchup, not the meat. The meat's flavor seemed to be a little dulled down compared to subs with large chunks of meat. It was still delicious nonetheless. Therefore, the cheese steak from New Wayne Pizza is awarded a 9 out of 10.

The Original Copy

People from all over the nation, nay, even the world, know about the famous Philly Cheese Steak. On top of that, many fortunate people have visited the also famous Genos Steaks. Genos serves some of the best subs in Philly, and the small town of Severna Park, MD, is fortunate enough to have their very own Jenos Steaks.

Jenos Steaks, opened fifteen years ago, is known for its cheese steaks. It does, however, serve a wide variety of food, ranging from salads to the intense "Man Sub". Its cheese steaks follow the typical make of a good sub: roll, meat, cheese, onions, peppers, condiments, and for some, old bay.
To start with, when ordering a sub there, one must get an order of fries with it, or else the meal is not complete. It may take some time for the sub to cook, as they make it right there in front of you, but it is a good atmosphere to wait in. The employees are nice, there are pictures all over the walls of fans of the grill, and jerseys from local sports teams. After viewing all this, it seems as if it takes no time at all to get your food.

The sub itself is very satisfying. It is always hot and cooked to perfection. There is almost always meat flowing out of the roll. The toppings are always fresh, there is never a need to worry about what you are eating. Now, if you are a Maryland native, you will most likely put old bay on either your sub, fries, or both.

There is one major flaw in the sub that separates if from the class of a true Philly Cheese Steak. The roll just is not the same. Philly rolls are crisp, fresh, and just have a certain taste to them that makes them nearly perfect. The Jenos roll, however, is not usually crisp. It is soft and on occasion can even be soggy. Also, the roll is rarely hot, and as a fan of the hot roll, that can be quite disappointing.

Despite the roll, however, the sub is delicious. Every other aspect of the sub is good. Thanks to the deliciousness of the sub overall, but also due to the imperfections that the roll has, Jenos cheese steaks gets a 6.5 out of 10.

Frozen Death

Frozen cheese steaks.
Are they appetizing?
Are they healthy?
Are they even made with real meat?

Frozen cheese steaks are the convenient subs that can be bought at many grocery stores. However, are they good? Sure, they are sustenance, but do they satisfy that intense desire to have a quality cheese steak? Sure, some frozen cheese steaks are good, maybe even delicious, but that usually only occurs when one is extremely hungry.

I will admit, from personal experience, frozen cheese steaks can be extremely appetizing. I had had a long day without any food, and when I opened my freezer I saw a box of Hot Pocket Cheese Steaks sitting right in front of my face. I grabbed it quickly, heated up the two subs, and enjoyed a delicious snack. The next day, however, I tried another frozen cheese steak and was disgusted. It just was not the same. It was then that I realized its true flaws.

The first thought that came to my mind was, is this real meat? I took another bite and I was still not sure. One more did the trick. Frozen cheese steaks ARE made with real meat. Real meat, real cheese, real bread. It's all real. Some frozen cheese steaks even come with vegetables, i.e. peppers and onions. Any person who eats a frozen cheese steak that comes with vegetables in truly brave. Now, a person who eats the rare frozen cheese steak that comes with both frozen vegetables AND sauce(s) is, and always will, be my hero.

Don't get me wrong, frozen cheese steaks can be good. Who wouldn't want a sub that they can conveniently make and buy at a low, reasonable price? If there isn't a local sub place, then going to a grocery store and picking up a cheese steak is the best thing one can do, next to making one at home. In fact, I encourage buying a sub from the grocery store. If you can, however, going to a restaurant or grill is the much better, tastier option.

I cannot put enough emphasis on the fact that frozen cheese steaks do have real ingredients. It may not seem like the freshest food, but it is. It may be cold when you try and eat it, but that is your fault for not cooking it long enough. Frozen cheese steaks, like any other food, can be delicious, and can be appetizing, under the right circumstances.

Due to the differing levels of satisfaction that can be achieved from eating a frozen cheese steak, it is hard to give this kind of sub a rating. Due to the fact that it can be delicious, but awful as well, I award all frozen cheese steaks a rating of 3 out of 10.