How to Build a Better (LA) Cheesesteak
I’m not picky when it comes to most street foods. Being a happy New York-to-Los Angeles transplant, I’ve learned not to stress over our lack of a Papaya King or a Grimaldi’s. Instead, I simply bask in the fast food glory of LA stalwarts like In-N-Out and Mashti Malone’s. Philly cheesesteaks are the exception. Ever since my first weekend trip down to Philadelphia to grab a cheesesteak “wid” (with onions) from Pat’s, I noticed that what other cities pass off as “cheesesteaks” are in fact slurry sandwiches composed of equal parts Steak-Um grade meat and lousy cheese.
Yes, I am a cheesesteak curmudgeon, and LA has unfortunately been the worst perpetrator yet of lousy cheesesteak places. I think the popular South Street on Hollywood Boulevard sucks. No local restaurant seems to have picked up on the fact that cheesesteak places in Philly don’t mix their ingredients. Each topping, including the steak, is kept separate, and layered into your sandwich. How hard is that to copy?
Bottom line, the best cheesesteak to be had in Los Angeles is the one you make your damn self. That isn’t necessarily a bad thing. As it turns out, our city’s unique cultural makeup provides the perfect ingredients to create a top-notch steak. Dare I say, even on par with the great steaks of Philly? I think so. Here’s how you do it, step by step, and where to get your key ingredients.
To start this off right is going to require a bit of an investment. While you can cook your steak in a pan, the results are much better if you use a stovetop grill. The
The Lodge Logic Grill & Griddle Pan goes for $50 at Sur La Table at the Original Farmer’s Market. Considering how many sandwiches you'll be making for friends and family, it's absolutely worth it.
For bread, you can either use a nice large French baguette or go with Country Potato brand hoagie buns. Both are available at Vons. The French bread has a crunchy outside, but I tend to go with the soft potato buns. If large baguettes are more your thing, go to any of LA’s many great cheese shops, like
Monsieur Marcel in the Original Farmer’s Market.
Vons is where you can also score some red or purple flat Italian onions. They’re funny looking, but they cook up great and have a sweet flavor. Grab some provolone cheese (or cheese whiz, if that’s your style) before going to get the most important ingredient.
The meat is what makes a cheesesteak…a cheesesteak. The best places in Philly get their meats (usually thin-sliced ribeye) from butchers in the city’s world famous Italian market, which we don’t have. Here’s where we owe a debt of thanks to our wonderful Korean community…the largest in the country. It turns out the same pre-sliced beef used to make the signature Korean barbecue dish Bul-gogi (and available at
California Market and HK Supermarket in Koreatown) works perfectly in cheesesteaks!
Heat up that stovetop grill, grill side up. But don’t put on the meat until the last minute because it cooks so fast. First, sauté the onions in a separate pan. Keep the onions separate at all times. Place the provolone into an open bun. Then, toss the meat on the hot grill. After 20-30 seconds, flip it. Cook it another 20-30 seconds. Then, put the meat into the bun, and drop a layer of sautéed onions on top of it. Close it, and you’ve got yourself a real Philly cheesesteak wid, Angeleno style.
photo by Nancycz