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fishonjazz

fishonjazz

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So my favorite food to eat is a philly cheesesteak sandwich. Always had been. About a year ago my co worker from chicago told me to try a philly with something called Giardiniera on it. I had never heard of the stuff.
It changed my life. It is so good. But I dont only put it on my cheesesteaks, I also put it on lasagna, meatball subs, chicken sandwiches etc and next to a cheesesteak the next best thing it goes on is a polish dog/italian sausage/bratwurst/hot dog etc.
Amazing flavor, a great crunch, and when I get to the end of a bottle I like to dip my food in the oil.

Anyone else ever tried the stuff? I highly recommend it.
Its kind of hard to find but the stuff I get is made by a company called Mezzetta. Mezzetta Hot Chicago Style Giardiniera italian sandwich mix. Make sure to get the "hot" variety because the mild isn't nearly as good. I think my wife gets it from target (she rarely shops there so she just buys it in bulk. Often buys how ever many bottles are in stock. She loves it too and we go through it fast)

Also, I feel like an expert when it comes to a cheesesteak. I get them everywhere I go. Many of my favorites have closed down. Grinders, Tonys cheesesteaks (a slice of philly), Fat Boy Phillies, the bowling alley diner in the heart of kearns (that is my number 1 of all time). All gone.

Right now the best Philly Cheesesteak you can get imo is at a place called Gaetano's. Its on state street and about 5800 south or something like that. (used to be Fat Boy Phillies) Best cheesesteaks around right now and pretty decent price as well with quite a variety. (I like the Gaetano philly which has some kind of spicy sauce on it)
 
Greek Souvlaki (one of the places I miss most about living in Utah) has a Philly Gyro. Not in any sense traditional as either a gyro or Philly at all, but really, really good.

This seems like a good place to bring up pickles. My progeny introduced us to Grillo's pickles, specifically the hot ones. I generally prefer a sweet pickle, but these are damn good. However, their bread & butter variety are too spicy, for those, I've been going with Bubbies.
 
There is a cheesesteak place by my work that everyone loves. The first time I went there I went through the drive thru and was super disappointed. The second time I went I went inside and watched them grill everything up in front of me and it was amazing.

I thought it was interesting from the psychological effect of the difference between the two experiences.
 
gandalfe said:
Greek Souvlaki (one of the places I miss most about living in Utah) has a Philly Gyro. Not in any sense traditional as either a gyro or Philly at all, but really, really good.

This seems like a good place to bring up pickles. My progeny introduced us to Grillo's pickles, specifically the hot ones. I generally prefer a sweet pickle, but these are damn good. However, their bread & butter variety are too spicy, for those, I've been going with Bubbies.
Click to expand...
I do love a good pickle. Btw, the Giardiniera is pickled.

I had a polish dog today (put my Giardiniera on it of course) and it had celery salt on it which I had never heard of before. Or maybe I had heard of it but not often and never think about it. No idea what it tasted like because there were too many other strong flavors on that bad boy.
 
SoberasHotRod said:
There is a cheesesteak place by my work that everyone loves. The first time I went there I went through the drive thru and was super disappointed. The second time I went I went inside and watched them grill everything up in front of me and it was amazing.

I thought it was interesting from the psychological effect of the difference between the two experiences.
Click to expand...
Do you know the name?
 
I always thought that a Philly sounded awesome but never liked any that I actually ate. But then this place opened up in Jordan Landing called Enrico's and their Philly is one of my favorite things ever. They also make the best Ruben I've ever had.
 
fishonjazz said:
So my favorite food to eat is a philly cheesesteak sandwich. Always had been. About a year ago my co worker from chicago told me to try a philly with something called Giardiniera on it. I had never heard of the stuff.
It changed my life. It is so good. But I dont only put it on my cheesesteaks, I also put it on lasagna, meatball subs, chicken sandwiches etc and next to a cheesesteak the next best thing it goes on is a polish dog/italian sausage/bratwurst/hot dog etc.
Amazing flavor, a great crunch, and when I get to the end of a bottle I like to dip my food in the oil.

Anyone else ever tried the stuff? I highly recommend it.
Its kind of hard to find but the stuff I get is made by a company called Mezzetta. Mezzetta Hot Chicago Style Giardiniera italian sandwich mix. Make sure to get the "hot" variety because the mild isn't nearly as good. I think my wife gets it from target (she rarely shops there so she just buys it in bulk. Often buys how ever many bottles are in stock. She loves it too and we go through it fast)

Also, I feel like an expert when it comes to a cheesesteak. I get them everywhere I go. Many of my favorites have closed down. Grinders, Tonys cheesesteaks (a slice of philly), Fat Boy Phillies, the bowling alley diner in the heart of kearns (that is my number 1 of all time). All gone.

Right now the best Philly Cheesesteak you can get imo is at a place called Gaetano's. Its on state street and about 5800 south or something like that. (used to be Fat Boy Phillies) Best cheesesteaks around right now and pretty decent price as well with quite a variety. (I like the Gaetano philly which has some kind of spicy sauce on it)
Click to expand...
They were describing the Chicago version of the cheese steak sandwich, the Chicago Italian beef sandwich, my personal favorite sandwich. I'm not sure if there is a Portillo's in this area but they are a rapidly expanding Chicago-style restaurant serving hot dogs and desserts, burgers, and the Italian beef. It's a little like a French dip only the best way to have it is have the entire thing dipped in the au jus and smothered in sweet peppers and hot giardiniera. Fantastic.

www.portillos.com

Order Unrivaled Chicago Street Food | Portillo's

Portillo's is home to America's favorite Italian beef, burgers, salads, Chicago-style hot dogs, and chocolate cake.
www.portillos.com www.portillos.com
 
fishonjazz said:
So my favorite food to eat is a philly cheesesteak sandwich. Always had been. About a year ago my co worker from chicago told me to try a philly with something called Giardiniera on it. I had never heard of the stuff.
It changed my life. It is so good. But I dont only put it on my cheesesteaks, I also put it on lasagna, meatball subs, chicken sandwiches etc and next to a cheesesteak the next best thing it goes on is a polish dog/italian sausage/bratwurst/hot dog etc.
Amazing flavor, a great crunch, and when I get to the end of a bottle I like to dip my food in the oil.

Anyone else ever tried the stuff? I highly recommend it.
Its kind of hard to find but the stuff I get is made by a company called Mezzetta. Mezzetta Hot Chicago Style Giardiniera italian sandwich mix. Make sure to get the "hot" variety because the mild isn't nearly as good. I think my wife gets it from target (she rarely shops there so she just buys it in bulk. Often buys how ever many bottles are in stock. She loves it too and we go through it fast)

Also, I feel like an expert when it comes to a cheesesteak. I get them everywhere I go. Many of my favorites have closed down. Grinders, Tonys cheesesteaks (a slice of philly), Fat Boy Phillies, the bowling alley diner in the heart of kearns (that is my number 1 of all time). All gone.

Right now the best Philly Cheesesteak you can get imo is at a place called Gaetano's. Its on state street and about 5800 south or something like that. (used to be Fat Boy Phillies) Best cheesesteaks around right now and pretty decent price as well with quite a variety. (I like the Gaetano philly which has some kind of spicy sauce on it)
Click to expand...
Mezzetta also has awesome spicy cherry peppers. I add some to their Giardiniera and put it on homemade meatball subs. Great on cold italian meat subs too. For cheesesteaks I prefer straight jalapenos over the giardiniera mix.
 
Sardines said:
I always thought that a Philly sounded awesome but never liked any that I actually ate. But then this place opened up in Jordan Landing called Enrico's and their Philly is one of my favorite things ever. They also make the best Ruben I've ever had.
Click to expand...
That Enrico's place is pretty good. Great menu. Expensive though. I want to get their pastrami sandwich but it costs 20 dollars just for the sandwich.
Next time you go try their wings in their signature sauce. I think that is my favorite thing I have got from there. I have tried one of their pastrami based sandwiches (can't remember what it was, might have been the Reuben), tried their breakfast, their wings, pizza, and Philly.
All of it was quite good (the breakfast was the worst of the bunch but still ok) but the wings were the best imo
 
fishonjazz said:
That Enrico's place is pretty good. Great menu. Expensive though. I want to get their pastrami sandwich but it costs 20 dollars just for the sandwich.
Next time you go try their wings in their signature sauce. I think that is my favorite thing I have got from there. I have tried one of their pastrami based sandwiches (can't remember what it was, might have been the Reuben), tried their breakfast, their wings, pizza, and Philly.
All of it was quite good (the breakfast was the worst of the bunch but still ok) but the wings were the best imo
Click to expand...
That $20 pastrami sandwich has like 1lb of meat on it. Their Ruben is like $15.

ALOVBRATMBOW5IVP3A2Q6BOK.jpeg
 
My introduction to cheesesteaks was from The Philadelphian in Sandy. All through middle school we lived across in some apartments across the street. What's best from there is the pepper steak with everything (cheese, tomato, lettuce, hot peppers, pickles [I take those off]). Their hot peppers are probably similar to the taste of the Giardiniera that you like and they're probably Mezzetta anyway. It's the place my wife and I went with my parents when we announced our engagement. But it's very different than a traditional cheesesteak. Way more meat. It's also not as oil-laden. When eating traditional cheesesteaks, they don't hold up, just because of my bias, and you really shouldn't think of it too much as a Philly cheesesteak (in the pure traditionalist sense). On my mission to Ohio was where I was introduced to eating the Subway cheesesteak, which I would do steak, pepperjack cheese, lettuce, tomatoes, onions, bell peppers, jalapeños, banana peppers, spinach, and a lot of chipotle sauce. Some time after my mission in like 2006 or 2007, they changed their steak from sliced to chopped and it tasted like garbage. A year or two later they resurrected it. A couple years ago they changed the chipotle sauce and the steak again and it's not as good.

Anyway, back in 2012 I went to Philly for a couple weeks and tried numerous cheesesteak places. They're definitely more plain than I typically am used to, lacking a lot of toppings, and there's way less meat. It's difficult for me to eat a cheesesteak without dipping in fry sauce. In any case, I've learned that I have to separate in my mind from the way I enjoy a steak sandwich and appreciate it as its own thing. I thought Pat's was better than Geno's. DP cheesesteaks is decent if I'm going more for a traditional Philly style. Charley's in the malls is decent. I used to like Moochie's when it was a novelty for me. They had one in Lehi for a few years and I think I discovered that I didn't like it as much as I initially did. Not that it was bad.
 
infection said:
My introduction to cheesesteaks was from The Philadelphian in Sandy. All through middle school we lived across in some apartments across the street. What's best from there is the pepper steak with everything (cheese, tomato, lettuce, hot peppers, pickles [I take those off]). Their hot peppers are probably similar to the taste of the Giardiniera that you like and they're probably Mezzetta anyway. It's the place my wife and I went with my parents when we announced our engagement. But it's very different than a traditional cheesesteak. Way more meat. It's also not as oil-laden. When eating traditional cheesesteaks, they don't hold up, just because of my bias, and you really shouldn't think of it too much as a Philly cheesesteak (in the pure traditionalist sense). On my mission to Ohio was where I was introduced to eating the Subway cheesesteak, which I would do steak, pepperjack cheese, lettuce, tomatoes, onions, bell peppers, jalapeños, banana peppers, spinach, and a lot of chipotle sauce. Some time after my mission in like 2006 or 2007, they changed their steak from sliced to chopped and it tasted like garbage. A year or two later they resurrected it. A couple years ago they changed the chipotle sauce and the steak again and it's not as good.

Anyway, back in 2012 I went to Philly for a couple weeks and tried numerous cheesesteak places. They're definitely more plain than I typically am used to, lacking a lot of toppings, and there's way less meat. It's difficult for me to eat a cheesesteak without dipping in fry sauce. In any case, I've learned that I have to separate in my mind from the way I enjoy a steak sandwich and appreciate it as its own thing. I thought Pat's was better than Geno's. DP cheesesteaks is decent if I'm going more for a traditional Philly style. Charley's in the malls is decent. I used to like Moochie's when it was a novelty for me. They had one in Lehi for a few years and I think I discovered that I didn't like it as much as I initially did. Not that it was bad.
Click to expand...
Of the places locally that you named I rank them Philadelphian (really good. Probably like my 5th favorite place to get a Philly), Charlie's, DP (too basic and bland but they rank number 1 for bread and meat quality), moochies.

Bout time makes a really good Philly. I would says it's a little better than the Philadelphian.
 
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