Going Un-chopped in South Philly

Although I’ve written overwhelmingly about cheesesteaks that feature chopped meat, there are still stands and shops in the area that sell steaks with un-chopped – or slab – beef. The two notable slab-style sandwiches I’ve posted about have been those from Steve’s Prince of Steaks and Trev’s. 

While neither of those places are in South Philadelphia, that is the section of the city most associated with slab-style steaks. And that’s where I headed for an early lunch Tuesday to check out Delores’, a sandwich shop that has gained a reputation as one of Philly’s best for hoagies and various other Italian long-roll sandwiches – although I haven’t found a whole lot of commentary on their cheesesteaks, which feature un-chopped meat.

I had initially considered going there for a roast pork sandwich with broccoli rabe but changed that plan after recently re-dedicating myself to focusing primarily on cheesesteaks – and also after watching a rave video review.

Surprisingly, I was able to get a spot right in front of Delores’. That never happens in South Philly. Fortune seemed to be smiling on me. 

I only had a ten-minute wait after ordering my steak with American cheese and fried onions. It came standard on a Sarcone’s seeded roll. 

Although I had planned on taking the steak to a nearby shopping center parking lot to eat, I was so thrilled with my spot that I decided to eat it right there in the car, just off the corner of 2nd and Mifflin Streets. 

The roll was a beauty. I don’t believe it was the same as either of the other Sarcone’s seeded rolls I’ve written about recently. I have no idea at this point how many different versions they bake, but they’ve all been sensational, including this one. It was not as hard as the ones from Stoli’s and Mama Russo’s, but it still had a bit of a crunch and was extremely fresh. 

You can see that in addition to the meat being un-chopped, there is less of it in Delores’ cheesesteaks than in most of the others I have written about. But that’s usually the case for slab-style steaks and they more than make up for that by using very high quality beef. According to the caption of an online photo they must have posted, their portions are seven ounces of prime “flat steak.” I don’t think it’s ribeye, but I don’t know exactly what cut it is. It was tender and had a very nice flavor though. While it may look overcooked in some of the photos, it wasn’t dry by any means. 

The cheese choices were American or Provolone and I went with the former. It was beautifully distributed and on there in pretty close to the ideal amount from a textural standpoint except for a glob at one end. And the onions were caramelized or close to it, adding an extra layer to the overall flavor, which was extremely good.

While I’m not prepared to put this steak up there with my favorites, it was still very good and should be tried by any steak-lover who has an open mind to slab steaks and the notion of a high quality cheesesteak with under a half-pound of beef. 

While making my way back to I-95 to head home, I passed by the justifiably legendary John’s Roast Pork, which I had at number three on my top ten cheesesteaks list last year. I don’t think I’ve ever seen them without a line before.

I was too full to consider stopping, but I’ll be returning there soon, and the plan is to have a friend along to split both a Roast Pork Italiano and another steak.