Cheesesteak sandwich ?

[roadtrippin2wdw]

I just read a thread about favorite sandwiches and someone posted theirs as the cheesesteak at Cosmic Ray's. Does anyone know if the resort food court cheesesteaks are the same as Ray's? I hope so, it would make my trip that much easier for dining planning TIA!

 

[Nadjalu]

I don't know about any of the resort cheesesteaks, but Cosmic Ray's is awesome!

 

[Micca]

My whole life I've held-off on having a cheesesteak sandwich saving myself for an authentic one from Philadelphia. Are any Philly area Dis-ers ready to recommend this one or anything else at WDW as even "close" to the real thing?

 

[JMD]

Try the Cuban Cheesesteak at the Cabana Bar at the Dolphin, it's great.

 

[MinnieGirl33]

My whole life I've held-off on having a cheesesteak sandwich saving myself for an authentic one from Philadelphia. Are any Philly area Dis-ers ready to recommend this one or anything else at WDW as even "close" to the real thing?

True Philly cheesesteaks do not have green peppers & mushrooms and will only use provolone OR Cheese Whiz (melted cheddar). Fried onions & hot cherry peppers are acceptable additions.

And its all about the bread. You need Philly wooder (water) to make Philly rolls (which, BTW is why I understand Via Napoli importing "wooder" for their pizza).

That said, the one at ESPN isn't bad but I order it with no peppers/no shrooms. Haven't had the one at Cosmic Rays. Plaza has one too.

 

[LeesyUD]

True Philly cheesesteaks do not have green peppers & mushrooms and will only use provolone OR Cheese Whiz (melted cheddar). Fried onions & hot cherry peppers are acceptable additions.

And its all about the bread. You need Philly wooder (water) to make Philly rolls (which, BTW is why I understand Via Napoli importing "wooder" for their pizza).

That said, the one at ESPN isn't bad but I order it with no peppers/no shrooms. Haven't had the one at Cosmic Rays. Plaza has one too.

This is true...growing up in the Philly area I have always ordered "whiz wit" (cheeseteak with cheese whiz and fried onions). Though I will add that actually alot of places around here do use American cheese as well.

My whole life I've held-off on having a cheese steak sandwich saving myself for an authentic one from Philadelphia. Are any Philly area Dis-ers ready to recommend this one or anything else at WDW as even "close" to the real thing?

I haven't had the one from Rays but that is bc from my experience, whenever I have had a "philly cheese steak" anywhere but this area, it isn't anywhere near as good as a real Philly cheese steak. In fact alot of them are just plain awful. Alot of times they serve them on toast or some sort of bread rather than a roll too. If you haven't had a real philly cheese steak before though, you may enjoy it bc you wouldn't be a cheese steak snob like me haha.

I live in the suburbs right outside Philly so I can get a cheese steak from tons of places and they are usually all really good (with a few exceptions). As awesome as the are in the burbs they are still not even as good as going to the original Pat's or Gino's in South Philly.

I lived in Orlando for about 6 months when I was on the WDWCP and I pretty much went w/out a cheese steak the whole time (and went in withdrawal). I really don't know anywhere in WDW that would have a decent cheese steak unfortunately.

Though it turns out Orlando does have a Philly hoagie shop (hoagie, not sub ):

http://www.briantos.com/

They have all their stuff shipped from Philly. From what I have heard places that do this usually have good cheese steaks. Especially bc the owners of these places are usually from Philly area. But this one is like an hour from WDW I believe bc it is past the airport.

Sorry for the long post - typical Philly pride here...it must be something in the "wooder" (and yes I do say wooder not water).

Now I need a cheese steak....

 

[Brocktoon]

Yep, American cheese has become pretty popular for a cheesesteak in the Philly area over the last decade. I'm typically an American or Wiz man.

I've had some good cheesesteaks at various locales throughout the country ... unfortunately WDW propertly isn't one of them.

One of my recent favorite cheesesteaks is Manny Brown's Fatboy. It's a cheesesteak with wiz and porkroll! ... definately earns its' name

 

[Vickis3js]

My DH, born and raised in Philly, laughs when I tell him to get a cheese steak anywhere. He did try the wrap at Pop and said it was edible. We live in South Jersey and thankfully our food is influenced a lot by Philly. Although I prefer mine on Atlantic City rolls.

 

[n2mm]

Yes, it's all about the bread. The Plaza USE to have a good one with a great roll, but several years ago they changed it to a soft (hot dog style) roll and it was never the same. It was my favorite, so we rarely go here now. I've never found a good steak and cheese sandwich anywhere on property. I would be interested to hear some reviews if anyone can find one out there. We venture out more because of the food choices now in WDW. We usually go to publix and pick up subs for lunch by the pool.

 

[nytimez]

I find Philadelphians overstate their cheesesteaks (sorry, friends). I love cheesesteaks -- I've had good ones in Philly, and good ones elsewhere. Wiz all the way.

I haven't tried the Cosmic Ray's though, so I'm not much help.

 

[FlightlessDuck]

True Philly cheesesteaks do not have green peppers & mushrooms and will only use provolone OR Cheese Whiz (melted cheddar).

I'm not sure I would use Cheez Whiz and "melted cheddar" in the same sentence.

And personally, I don't trust anyone farther than an hour from Philly when it comes to cheesesteaks. Or anybody outside PA with funnel cake.

And pizza is iffy too, especially in Florida.

 

[LeesyUD]

I find Philadelphians overstate their cheesesteaks (sorry, friends). I love cheesesteaks -- I've had good ones in Philly, and good ones elsewhere. Wiz all the way.

I haven't tried the Cosmic Ray's though, so I'm not much help.

I wonder actually, where you have gotten cheesesteaks in Philly before that would make you state that Philadelphians overstate them? I am just curious bc there are definitely certain places around here that are much better than others an wonder if you actually had tried it from one of the good places.

I am definitely a cheese steak snob as I said in an earlier post but I definitely think it is for good reason bc I truly feel that Philly really does have the best cheeseteaks in terms of an "original cheesesteak". When you start adding all the extra peppers and mushrooms, different cheeses, and different rolls or breads...I think it really starts to get away from what a true philly cheesesteak is. It tends to start going into the sandwich melt direction.

BTW I agree....whiz all the way...american is awesome too though for places that don't do the whiz. In fact this thread is evil bc I ended up getting a cheesesteak w/ american cheese & fried onions for dinner tonight and it was fabulous.

 

[nytimez]

When you start adding all the extra peppers and mushrooms, different cheeses, and different rolls or breads...I think it really starts to get away from what a true philly cheesesteak is. It tends to start going into the sandwich melt direction.

I agree with that part -- although onions cooked with the steak are fine, I think a cheesesteak is best when it's just shaved beef and Whiz on a good hero/hoagie roll. And I didn't say that Philly didn't have great cheesesteaks -- they do, and I've tried a lot of them, from nondescript joins to Pat's and Gino's.

But I've had equally good cheesesteaks in Connecticut, NY (upstate and in NYC) and even Florida (ironically, the cheesesteak at the Phillies' spring training ballpark in Clearwater is just OK). And I make a pretty good one myself. Unlike a lot of hyped regional foods that you can't find elsewhere, I think the Philly Cheesesteak can be done quite well outside of Philly -- as long as they stick to the basic formula that makes the sandwich what it is, and don't try to get too fancy with it.

 

[jasko5990]

Being from the Philadelphia suburbs, I always ask about a restaurant's "Philly Cheesesteak" whenever I see one listed on the menu. Usually the ingredients aren't close to a true Philadelphia Cheesesteak, and when they do seem correct and I order one they never taste like a hometown cheesesteak. The bread is NEVER close. The Disney Wonder even served one labeled "Philadelphia Steak and Cheese Sandwich" at one of their lunch buffets. If you REALLY want a GREAT Philadelphia Cheesesteak call Dalessandro's (215-482-5407) and see if they will ship. I've heard that some places will ship in dry ice, but I don't know which ones. If Dalessandro's won't, try Pat's or Gino's since they're also very popular, however in my opinion they aren't as good as Dalessandro's.

 

[funkbucket007]

Without getting into whether they're "legit" cheesesteaks or not, I know that The Plaza at MK has them & the food court at Pop Century does as well. I'm sure there's other places but I've had them at both of the above mentioned spots.

 

[MinnieGirl33]

I'm not sure I would use Cheez Whiz and "melted cheddar" in the same sentence.

And personally, I don't trust anyone farther than an hour from Philly when it comes to cheesesteaks. Or anybody outside PA with funnel cake.

And pizza is iffy too, especially in Florida.

I know but how else could you describe Whiz? It's like trying to explain scrapple.

 

[MinnieGirl33]

I lived in Orlando for about 6 months when I was on the WDWCP and I pretty much went w/out a cheese steak the whole time (and went in withdrawal). I really don't know anywhere in WDW that would have a decent cheese steak unfortunately.

Yup. DBrother has transplanted to Boston suburbs & the first thing he does when coming home is swing thru Geno's or Tony Luke's on the way.

 

[waltskids]

We avoid the cheesesteaks from other areas! I never find one that tastes as good as home and there are too many other things on the menu to try when on vacation!

 

[LeesyUD]

I agree with that part -- although onions cooked with the steak are fine, I think a cheesesteak is best when it's just shaved beef and Whiz on a good hero/hoagie roll. And I didn't say that Philly didn't have great cheesesteaks -- they do, and I've tried a lot of them, from nondescript joins to Pat's and Gino's.

But I've had equally good cheesesteaks in Connecticut, NY (upstate and in NYC) and even Florida (ironically, the cheesesteak at the Phillies' spring training ballpark in Clearwater is just OK). And I make a pretty good one myself. Unlike a lot of hyped regional foods that you can't find elsewhere, I think the Philly Cheesesteak can be done quite well outside of Philly -- as long as they stick to the basic formula that makes the sandwich what it is, and don't try to get too fancy with it.

Ah gotcha...there are definitely some good ones out there outside my area...just unfortunately I haven't hit the jackpot yet from the places I have tried....guess I'll have to keep hunting when I travel

BTW fried onions on cheesesteak = heaven

 

[ROEDISNEY]

Being from South Philly I couldn't eat one. I did see people buying them at POFQ. I would think they are all pretty much the same in Disney.