“Love Thy Neighbor” (unless you both make cheese steaks)
After stuffing my face with pulled pork at the Reading Terminal Market, now I have to eat cheese steak? This is what I live for. It’s been the subject of debate, lore and television segments. Who makes the better cheese steak, Pat’s or Geno’s? The time had come to cast my ballot. Sometimes dreams do come true.
Do a spin move around City Hall, go down Broad St. and hang a left at Passyunk and look ahead. (Trust me you can’t miss it.) You have arrived at the epicenter of the cheese steak battle. For years Philadelphians and passers-by have come to the corner of Passyunk and Wharton for two terrifi
c Philadelphia mainstays. Many walk to one counter, then the next to get their hands on each shop’s legendary sandwiches. However, true loyals dare not cross into enemy territory. We arrived to try both, eager to make our own decisions.
First, Pat’s the King of Steaks, we would see about that. One characteristic of Philadelphians I quickly noticed was their impatience. Their “shit or get off the pot” ideology was evident in traffic and particularly clear when ordering a cheese steak. If ordering at Pat’s (or Geno’s) for the first time, it helps to do your homework or ask someone else in line. The folks in the window just want your order. When standing in line at Pat’s, take a minute to look at the instructions for ordering your cheese steak. Learn the vernacular and process to avoid embarrassment or like the sign says, “Go to the back of the line and start over.” I had done my 
homework. I ordered my “Whiz, wit” and it was slid through the window before I could cross the “t.” The thinly sliced chopped sirloin fresh off the griddle lain with caramelized diced onions, smothered in molten cheeze whiz cradled in a roll steamed in the cold rain’s evening air. This was what I came to Philly for.
After inhaling the steak from Pat’s, it was time to cross the street. Facing Geno’s almost requires a pair of Raybans. Geno’s facade is not justified in a picture or on TV. Neon lights, orange tile and awning bring a bit of Vegas to Philly. Like a mosquito to a bug zapper, I was drawn to it. Rebecca and I approached the counter noticing the menu, ordering style and table arrangements all similar to Pat’s. I ordered a “Whiz, wit” quickly slid to me through the window. I examined the sandwich. After long, I couldn’t take it. This one hardly lasted too.
Pat’s and Geno’s cheese steaks are not identical twins, more like, fraternal. Both sandwiches are thin sliced sirloin and serve in a fresh roll. Onions or “wit” are optional (though highly recommended). Both establishments offer a variety of cheeses to accompany their sandwiches: cheeze whiz, American and provolone. There is no indoor dining space at either restaurant and you have a unique ordering system. So, if prices are competitive, then why fraternal? Pat’s chops their steak, Geno’s does not. According to Geno’s owner, Joey Vento, they don’t chop the steak because the cow is already dead. Why chop him up any more?
Both sandwiches didn’t stand much of chance in my hands. I ate them so fast that my taste buds hardly noticed a difference. Though I enjoyed the texture of the chopped steak from Pat’s, Geno’s offered a more flavorful steak. The sandwiches were both juicy and delicious. This sandwich reminds me of why I’m an omnivore. Vegetarians are missing out. To pick one over the other is difficult
but if a gun were to my head, I’d pick Pat’s. There I said it.
