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Summer of the Steak, Stop #3
Pat's King of Steaks, 9th and Passyunk
SUMMER OF THE STEAK STOP #3
Pat's King of Steaks, 9th and Passyunk
www.patskingofsteaks.com
Click here for the full photo gallery.
Guest Critic - Jim Britt
Jim Britt is the executive director of the Ed Snider Youth Hockey Foundation, an effort started by Flyers chairman Ed Snider to spread the game of hockey into Philadelphia's inner-city schools.
In addition to teaching children how to play hockey, the Foundation seeks to instill in its participants life-enhancing values such as teamwork, positive self-esteem, the importance of hard work, and respect for themselves and their teammates.
Mike and Brian had targeted Jim as a guest because of his veteran status in Philadelphia, which is described below. However, Mike and Brian also took the opportunity to congratulate Jim on being named the USA Hockey Coach of the Year for the Atlantic District, an honor bestowed upon him the day prior.
Joining Jim for the occasion was his son Pat, who is a referee in the ECHL and other minor hockey circuits. Pat was stopping in the area on his way from his home in North Carolina to an official's training session in New England, and had a hankering for a lunch that can only be found in Philadelphia.
DIRECTIONS:
95 to the Broad Street Exit
Bear right on Passyunk Ave.
Passyunk north to intersection with 9th Street
Pat's King of Steaks is one of the two most famous cheesesteak outlets in Philadelphia along with Geno's, its neighbor across the street. The eatery has been open since 1930, when founder Pat Oliveri converted from selling hot dogs to selling cheesesteaks. It was the site of a scene in the original Rocky in 1976, and is often one of the first names mentioned when out-of-towners ask about a place to go for a cheesesteak.
On to the steaks.
Jim Britt - Cheese wit'(translation: steak with Cheez Whiz & fried onions), plus ketchup and hot sauce
Rating (out of five): 
Summary: Growing up in Southwest Philly, there were great cheese steaks always available within an easy walk of our block, our schools and playgrounds - prepared in every possible configuration: plain, cheese with, onions & mushrooms, pizza steaks, etc., etc., etc.
Being old school, where loyalty, tradition and hard work is of utmost importance, it didn't take long to pinpoint our destination: Pat's King of Steaks at 9th & Passyunk in South Philadelphia. I can't remember when I was last at Pat's in the daytime (we won't go into those stories right now), but I have been enjoying their cheese steaks and the atmosphere for 40 years. I stayed with the tried & true: Cheese wit' - a foot long cheese (Cheese Wiz, of course) steak with fried onions on a very fresh roll. I topped it off with a small amount of ketchup, and two strong measures of their famous hot sauce. A Pepsi and cheese fries were included - I definitely wanted to make sure we covered all of the major food groups! It wasn't fancy, elaborate or gourmet - just a solid, traditional cheese steak that every visitor to Philadelphia should be required to experience - even those travelling from the wilds of Wilkes Barre/Scranton.
Mike Thornton - American "with"
Rating (out of five): 
Summary: Pat’s is a classic and it’s one that everyone knows about. He’s right across the street from Geno’s and we all know that they have a distaste for one another and blah, blah, blah. What about the steak? I ordered mine with (wit) onions and American cheese. I’m trying to remain consistent in my cheese steak building at each location so I can keep my judging on an even keel. I also had a couple of whole hot peppers that I nibbled on while eating the steak. They have them free at a dressing station opposite of the counter where you order: That’s where you can load up on hot sauce, ketchup and the like. The steak itself was a bit fatty and too well done for my liking. The cheese, which was put on the roll prior to the steak mount, did melt by the time I took my first bite and was not lacking. The roll was of the chewy variety. I’m not sure what bakery supplies Pat’s, but the bread is made by a baker. That’s all they barked at me when I inquired. Most places boast about the relationship they have with a bakery, especially in many of the South Philly eateries that I have encountered. Regardless, I thought the cheese steak was just okay. The lines are long and I know people will disagree, but the reputation precedes the fare.
Brian Smith - Mushroom American with, plus ketchup
Rating (out of five):
Summary: I'm sure we're not going to make many friends among the Pat's loyal, but I would have to say that anyone strictly loyal to Pat's might want to do what we're doing - have a look around and see what else is out there.
Between the three stops we've made so far and my past steak experience, I'm detecting a pattern here where perhaps the longer you wait for your order, the better the steak is. Like Jim's, Pat's is another place where the steaks aren't "cooked" to order - rather, they're "assembled" to order. They have all the beef ready to go and they just scoop all the ingredients into the roll in the span of about seven seconds, and they also won't put ketchup in the roll for you before doing so. And like Jim's, the steak just did not live up to the hype for me. The steak was too well done for me and the mushrooms, having not been part of the grilling process, weren't warm. Overall, the steak was just okay. I've had worse, but I wouldn't go out of my way to get up there and have another one. My rating is based simply on the steak, but I still think Pat's is a good place to go for the simple reason that it has a decent reputation and ambiance to it, like its inclusion in Rocky. It's also open late - I didn't write down the hours, but it's open till about 2 or 3 AM - so it's great for a postgame meal. Monday, June 25, 2007
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