Giving Light Cheese a Shot

It should be obvious by now to those who have followed this blog that I don’t like extra-cheesy cheesesteaks. Rather I prefer the meat to be front and center with the cheese in more of a supporting role. On more than a few occasions it’s been recommended to me on social media that I order steaks with light cheese at places that tend to go overboard in that regard. Yet I’ve resisted doing that because judging each steak based on how it tastes with the standard amount of cheese felt like the right thing to do for the sake of my long term steak-rating project.

That went out the window Saturday when I met up with John Tanner, whose outstanding barbecue-centered food blog I’ve highlighted on a few occasions, and his lovely wife Nancy for lunch. They were in the area for part of the weekend and John has been eager to try a top-flight cheesesteak for a while. Cafe Carmela in Northeast Philly came to mind, as we wanted to meet somewhere north of Center City and it’s a pleasant place to eat in addition to serving one of the area’s most popular steaks. 

As beloved as Cafe Carmela’s steaks are by the masses on social media, the last couple I’ve had there were packed with too much Cooper Sharp cheese for my taste. This time around, I decided to see if John would be interested in an experiment. We’d split two steaks – one with light cheese and another with the regular amount. He agreed and we placed the order. Nancy opted for a Giardono sandwich, which includes fried eggplant and fresh Mozzarella. 

 But we started the meal by sharing an order of the best fried Mozzarella I’ve ever had. It’s always fried perfectly and beautifully creamy. The sauce that comes with it is also excellent. 

The sandwiches came out shortly after we finished the fried cheese. Nancy’s Giardino was stuffed with the kinds of things I often see my wife eat. I’m sure it was very good. 

On to the cheesesteaks. 

Our server said that the first steak that was brought out was the one with light cheese, but it looked much less clear-cut than I was expecting. That one was still quite cheesy, while the other one, with the regular amount of cheese, didn’t appear to have quite as much as was the case during my past couple visits. 

Of course, the proof is in the tasting. And for both steaks, the Cooper Sharp again dominated the overall flavor to a greater extent than I prefer. It’s problematic when I can’t tell how well the meat is seasoned because all I can taste is the cheese. And that was the case Saturday.

Nonetheless, John pronounced both to be at a much higher level than any other cheesesteak he’s previously experienced – all of those having been from outside of the Philly region.

We were all very impressed with the seeded Carangi rolls used by Cafe Carmela. They have a bit of crustiness and are extremely sturdy, while still being very fresh and soft under the crust. The wonderful Italian loaf I recently used to prepare a meatball sandwich at home was also from Carangi.

There is a second Cafe Carmela location opening soon in a spot that is very convenient for me, so I’ll likely have more of their food in the coming months and years. Yet I’m not certain I’ll order a cheesesteak on those occasions. And if I do, it will unquestionably be with light cheese – perhaps extra light. 

On the other hand, I definitely see more of their excellent pizza coming my way. And I’ve wanted to try their house-made pasta for a while. That will happen soon. 

And regardless of my feelings on the steaks, I’m thrilled to have met John and Nancy, who were both charming dining companions. Anyone with plans to travel to the D.C.-Virginia-North Carolina area – especially barbecue lovers – should definitely check out John’s blog. He’ll steer you in the direction of top-notch food.