I met some friends in Philadelphia this weekend. Since they came all the way from Indiana, and they are HUGE cheesesteak fans, we decided to head over to Jim’s Steaks ("since 1937") to sample their famous hoagies. As we approached South Street, I noticed the line at Jim’s was going out the door and curling around the corner. We took our space at the end of the line without an ounce of trepidation. It took 30 minutes to get to the ordering station. I wish I could say the sub was the best cheesesteak ever, but it was only so-so (it is worth mentioning that I really liked the bread). Admittedly, I am not a cheesesteak aficionado. I ordered mine with provolone cheese instead of cheese whiz, which, apparently, is sacrilegious in some circles.
Overall, though, Jim’s was totally worth the visit. I love food landmarks. Especially the places that have a deep sense of pride, are dripping with b-list celebrity memorabilia (Lee Majors ate here!), and thumb their noses at food trends--instead keeping with their own traditions of “this is the way we do it here” (like it or stay home). At food landmarks, all of your co-eaters are happy to be there, talking about how long they have been eating there, or helping newbies figure out what to order. Everyone has an opinion at food landmarks.
Every city has food landmarks. I guess DC’s include Ben’s Chili Bowl and--my personal favorite--the Market Lunch. Other places?
