I ended up coming here twice in two days--once to try the NY Chopped Cheese and then again to try the Philly Cheesesteak.
Let's start with the chopped cheese. As a New Yorker, I was excited to see it on the menu. And let me say this first... the sandwich was delicious. I cleaned that thing up and didn't leave a single crumb behind. The flavor was on point.
Here's the only issue: it wasn't really a chopped cheese.
Instead of using chopped ground beef like you'd find at a New York bodega, it was made with sliced steak. I asked the owner about it, and he explained that they used to make it the traditional way, but they switched because the ground beef would dry out by the time customers got it home or had it delivered. Using steak keeps it much juicier.
I told him, "Then it's not really a chopped cheese anymore... it's basically a Philly cheesesteak."
He laughed and said, "No, our Philly cheesesteak uses different meat."
That caught my attention, so I said, "Hold up... you have an actual Philly cheesesteak too?" He said yes.
So naturally, I came back the next day to try it.
After trying both, I can honestly say I liked the "chopped cheese" much more. The Philly cheesesteak was made with Steak-umm-style beef, and unfortunately it was a little dry. It also could've used a lot more cheese (or cheese sauce) to bring everything together.
I didn't complain because everyone has their own way of making things, and I respect that. But here's my opinion: if they simply renamed that "chopped cheese" sandwich to their Philly cheesesteak, it would be one of the best cheesesteaks around. In fact--and this is just my opinion--I think it would give J. Michael's Philly Deli some serious competition.
At the end of the day, that's just one New Yorker's opinion. Go try it for yourself and let me know what you think! read more