Regional Food

I was just back in Philadelphia for the weekend.  We ate local food from Friday until Sunday.
We indulged in Cheesesteaks, hoagies, Tastykakes, pizza, soft pretzels and ate roast beef sandwiches at Arbys.

Philly cheesesteaks are the best. The shaved steak is put on the grill. Long spatulas are used to turn the steak meat. After the first turning  slices of cheese are laid on top and then incorporated into the meat with each successive turning. Each piece of shaved steak is coated in cheesy gooey goodness. Serve on an Amarosa hard roll. 

Hoagies are italian subs served in the same Amarosa hoagie roll as the cheesesteak.

Tastykakes are small snack cakes that actually taste good. They tried expanding into New England a few years ago but seemed to have disappeared from these parts.

Soft Pretzels are big long pretzels covered in coarse salt. We got ours at WaWA - a local and possibly the original convenience store.

Arby's is a fast food chain. We had lunch consisting of sliced roast beef sandwiches covered in sauce until it drips down your elbows.  As we were leaving I went back up to the counter. Told them we lived in NH for 15 years, drove 420 miles back to PA, stopped at Arby's first and it was worth the trip. The whole crew lit up with smiles.

Lastly I came home with 4 pounds of scrapple. Scrapple is a breakfast meat formed from bits of pork and cornmeal and seasonings. It comes in a brick and you cut off pieces to pan fry and serve at breakfast. I love it!

So what are the local delicacies from your area?


Phil

Phil, I got a coronary just reading what you ate!  (Not that I wouldn't have joined you if I was there. )

I was just back in Philadelphia for the weekend.  We ate local food from Friday until Sunday.
We indulged in Cheesesteaks, hoagies, Tastykakes, pizza, soft pretzels and ate roast beef sandwiches at Arbys.

I didn't see roast pork sandwiches on the list! Or water ice!

Any favorite cheesesteak spots? Mine are Jim's and Ishkabibbles.

As for San Diego:
- fish tacos
- carne asada fries (fries topped with carne asada, sour cream, guac, and shredded cheese)
- California burrito (carne asada fries wrapped in a tortilla)

Edit: almost forgot craft beer!! We're a bunch of hop heads down here, so grab an IPA from any one of our local breweries (my current favorites are from Societe)





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So you like your cheesesteak wid and not widdout? :-)

Locally (Maine) they make a hot sandwich locally that is somewhat similar. It's called a steakbomb.

For me it's Taylors Pork Roll that I miss the most. In the past I'd have folks come up and bring some, now I make my own so that I can have my fix all of the time. I didn't realize it until recently, but crumb cake is a NY area treat. I can buy Entenmanns locally, but I made one tonight just because I can. Freddy, do you remember that name?

Too, every pizzeria in the NY/NJ area had mussels on the half shell with marinara sauce. I always wanted mine hot with red pepper. Up here I can't find that at all. Man, how I miss them! And fried softshell blue crab. Can't get 'em at all up here. I love the things.

Getting a little off the topic, but there was this bowling alley with a small restaurant attached to it across from Willowbrook Mall in Wayne NJ. The beer was draft and the mugs were frozen. The pizza was to kill for as were the steak sandwiches. I often wonder if that place is still there and how it is today. How odd that I never tried their mussels, or if I did I don't remember them.

I was just back in Philadelphia for the weekend.  We ate local food from Friday until Sunday.
We indulged in Cheesesteaks, hoagies, Tastykakes, pizza, soft pretzels and ate roast beef sandwiches at Arbys.

Philly cheesesteaks are the best. The shaved steak is put on the grill. Long spatulas are used to turn the steak meat. After the first turning  slices of cheese are laid on top and then incorporated into the meat with each successive turning. Each piece of shaved steak is coated in cheesy gooey goodness. Serve on an Amarosa hard roll. 

Hoagies are italian subs served in the same Amarosa hoagie roll as the cheesesteak.

Tastykakes are small snack cakes that actually taste good. They tried expanding into New England a few years ago but seemed to have disappeared from these parts.

Soft Pretzels are big long pretzels covered in coarse salt. We got ours at WaWA - a local and possibly the original convenience store.

Arby's is a fast food chain. We had lunch consisting of sliced roast beef sandwiches covered in sauce until it drips down your elbows.  As we were leaving I went back up to the counter. Told them we lived in NH for 15 years, drove 420 miles back to PA, stopped at Arby's first and it was worth the trip. The whole crew lit up with smiles.

Lastly I came home with 4 pounds of scrapple. Scrapple is a breakfast meat formed from bits of pork and cornmeal and seasonings. It comes in a brick and you cut off pieces to pan fry and serve at breakfast. I love it!

So what are the local delicacies from your area?


Phil

well, you know all of my local foods well.

I think it's hard to beat Bernie's soft pretzels, period...where did you guys get your hoagies? There's a spot over in Secane on South Ave called Major's Market that makes fantastic hoagies.

I was just back in Philadelphia for the weekend.  We ate local food from Friday until Sunday.
We indulged in Cheesesteaks, hoagies, Tastykakes, pizza, soft pretzels and ate roast beef sandwiches at Arbys.

I didn't see roast pork sandwiches on the list! Or water ice!  

Any favorite cheesesteak spots? Mine are Jim's and Ishkabibbles.

As for San Diego:
- fish tacos
- carne asada fries (fries topped with carne asada, sour cream, guac, and shredded cheese)
- California burrito (carne asada fries wrapped in a tortilla)

Edit: almost forgot craft beer!! We're a bunch of hop heads down here, so grab an IPA from any one of our local breweries (my current favorites are from Societe)





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aw, I don't remember seeing carne asada fries anywhere when my wife and I were in San Diego in 2013.

aw, I don't remember seeing carne asada fries anywhere when my wife and I were in San Diego in 2013.

When I first visited San Diego 10 years ago, it was one of the first things my friends made me try. You can get it at just about any taco shop. Everyone has their favorite spot, but any shop that ends with -berto's or Lolita's (there's one right across the street from Petco) will do. There's a new, trendy thing that's been happening the past few years at non-Mexican places to replace carne asada with their style meats on fries. For example, some Filipino places have longanisa (Portuguese sausage) fries and sisig (a citrusy, vinegary sizzling pork dish) fries.




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So you like your cheesesteak wid and not widdout? :-)

Locally (Maine) they make a hot sandwich locally that is somewhat similar. It's called a steakbomb.

For me it's Taylors Pork Roll that I miss the most. In the past I'd have folks come up and bring some, now I make my own so that I can have my fix all of the time. I didn't realize it until recently, but crumb cake is a NY area treat. I can buy Entenmanns locally, but I made one tonight just because I can. Freddy, do you remember that name?

Too, every pizzeria in the NY/NJ area had mussels on the half shell with marinara sauce. I always wanted mine hot with red pepper. Up here I can't find that at all. Man, how I miss them! And fried softshell blue crab. Can't get 'em at all up here. I love the things.

Getting a little off the topic, but there was this bowling alley with a small restaurant attached to it across from Willowbrook Mall in Wayne NJ. The beer was draft and the mugs were frozen. The pizza was to kill for as were the steak sandwiches. I often wonder if that place is still there and how it is today. How odd that I never tried their mussels, or if I did I don't remember them.

Brian, for me, Entenmans was never all that good. However, there used to be a chain of bakeries in Brooklyn called Ebingers, Their cakes and pies were to die for, including their crumb cake.

I live on the Jersey Shore so I am used to the pizza and mussels and pork roll but in reality, outside of that, it is a culinary wasteland.

My mom lives in NE Philly so my go to cheesesteak spot is Steve's on Comly Ave. right off Roosevelt.

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From Yorkshire ... erm, Yorkshire Puddings! Rhubarb, too. Yorkshire Forced Rhubarb. Yorkshire Curd Tart, Parkin and Licquorice Sweets.