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New York
BB SANDWICH BAR
120 West 3rd Street, NYC; Phone: 212-473-7500
BB is more unique. Its served on a round kaiser-like roll with
spicy ketchup. Not the normal version, but quite tasty...tough
to have just one.
Review from New York Magazine
"The Cheesesteak Czar"
What the Doughnut Man is to doughnuts, what the Soup Nazi is to
soup, what Melampo is to soppressata sandwiches, that's what
Gary Thompson (pictured) wants to be to Philly cheesesteaks -
not so much a didactic monomaniac as simply someone who's
perfected his craft. If you were interviewing Thompson for the
position, however, you might consider him either underqualified
(he's from New Jersey) or overqualified: His father cooked for
General MacArthur, his Japanese mother was a chef, and for twelve
years, Thompson ran the charming French-eclectic restaurant
Sonia Rose. The restaurant closed in September, and three weeks
ago, Thompson opened BB Sandwich Bar on one of Greenwich
Village's least charming blocks.
The move is extraordinary, rather as if Daniel Boulud were to get
himself a chili-dog cart, but Thompson is unrepentant: "I've been
perfecting this sandwich for years," he says, "tweaking spices,
sweating onions." Philly aficionados should know up front that
Thompson's is an interpretive cheesesteak. The standard
thin-sliced rib eye and American cheese are joined by deeply
flavorful onions he's macerated for four hours. (When he runs
out of onions, he closes, just like Totonno's. And you'll need
the breath mint he tosses in the bag.) Some die-hard Pat's and
Geno's fans might also question Thompson's automatic addition of
ketchup and a fancy chili-pepper condiment made with balsamic
vinegar, and especially his use of poppy-seed kaiser rolls
("That's bogus," says one native Philadelphian forcefully).
But even sticklers couldn't deny that the unusually structurally
sound end product is an ethereal melding of sweet, salty, and
tangy flavors, and a perfect addition to Manhattan's fast-food
universe. The no-frills store is easy to overlook, and so far,
the NYU lacrosse team and the bar staff of the Fat Black Pussycat
down the street have made up most of BB's clientele. To spread
the word, Thompson is running a two-for-$5 special through
April, or at least until the cheesesteak-chomping multitudes
start lining up outside.
Submitted by Eric Goldberg, November 18, 2003
CARL'S STEAKS
507 Third Avenue, near 34th Street, NYC; Phone: 212-696-5336
Carl's is more traditional and makes a good cheesesteak;
both Philly-style (soft-roll, cheez-whiz) and Atlantic
City-style (hard roll, american or provolone) and also offers
some other more gourmet versions.
Review in New York Magazine
New York has never been much of a cheesesteak town-until now.
For ten years, Carl Provenzano has had practically nothing but
cheesesteaks on his mind. "I really studied them," says the
former dot-commer and new owner of Carl's Steaks in Murray Hill.
"I studied different meats. I looked into rolls. I put a
commercial grill in my house." His wife was less than thrilled
with that arrangement, but he may have redeemed himself with
frequent trips to his in-laws' house in Philadelphia-even though
the visits doubled as scouting missions to Pat's, Geno's, Jim's,
even Ishkabibble's. There, on Friday nights, Provenzano pondered
the nuances of sliced versus chopped meat (he's gone with the
chopped), debated the attributes of Cheez Whiz versus provolone
(he offers both, but for the record, he's a Whiz man), and came
to a startling realization: "It's all about the roll," he says.
"It's got to be soft enough to soak up the grease, but with a
little crunch." The exceptional result is a succulent cheesesteak
as authentic as this town has seen since a short-lived
Pat's-related satellite on 23rd Street closed a decade ago.
One menu item, though, is defiantly inauthentic: Carl's low-carb
cheesesteak platter, with everything but the bread. "Atkins
people love them so much," says Provenzano, "they're ordering
double."
Submitted by Eric Goldberg, November 18, 2003
1126 Erie Boulevard, Schenectady, NY 12305-1002 ph. 370-0555
Morette's is a true institution for the hudson valley in ny. Definitely worthy of a visit and much praise.
Submitted by Thompson Bellingrath (t.bell@mindspring.com), February 5, 2002
Know of a great steak or hoagie shop that isn't listed here on this site? Send in an
e-mail today, and I'll add your entry!
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