Taking Visitors for Their First Good Cheesesteak

It’s only been a month and a half since the last time I posted about Goomba’s. While I wouldn’t normally return to any cheesesteak purveyor so quickly in light of how many other steaks I have to get to, there was a special reason for doing so Tuesday for lunch. 

My friend Louis had driven from his home in western Kentucky to the Philadelphia region at least partially* to try his first high-quality authentic cheesesteak – and he brought friends Jimmy and Tyler along for the ride. Naturally for such an occasion I wanted to pick somewhere special, and Goomba’s steak was number two on the top ten list I put out last year. It also happens to be in the same direction as a local point of interest Louis needed to stop at while in the area. I’ll touch on that in a bit. 

Louis was kind enough to give me a culinary tour of his area a few years ago that included the best fried chicken I’ve ever eaten along with some great barbecue. It was time for me to return the favor and Goomba’s seemed like an ideal place to start.

We arrived fairly early and had no trouble grabbing one of their outdoor tables after ordering a couple of Goomba’s very large cheesesteaks for the four of us to split. I suggested without objection that we add orders of cheesesteak and “Guido” egg rolls, the latter of which are filled with seasoned ground beef, veal and pork as well as cheese. 

The wait for our food was a short one and we only hesitated long enough for me to take photos before digging in.

The pinkish tint on all of the food photos from Tuesday is the result of having sat at a table shaded by a red umbrella. I’ve gone into what that does to photos in a couple past posts. Now you see what I meant. If I hadn’t been to Goomba’s so recently, I’d have probably taken the photos on the hood of my car to avoid the problem. But it didn’t seem necessary enough for me to risk a grease smudge under the circumstances.

The cheesesteaks came with Cooper Sharp cheese and fried onions and were as good as ever – meaning phenomenal. The roll, which I never fail to rave about, was fresh with a nice firm crust and enough extra width beyond a standard foot-long steak roll to comfortably hold 14 ounces of well seasoned chopped ribeye. The Cooper Sharp was on there generously, but not to the point of overwhelming the meat. There was a good balance between all of the steak’s ingredients – and the onions were beautifully caramelized to boot.

Both sets of egg rolls were also enjoyable, although probably unnecessary  given how satisfying all four of us found our half-steaks. The wrappers were nicely fried and there was plenty of meat within each. 

All three members of the Kentucky contingent have had their share of “Phillys” or “Philly Cheese Steaks” in their part of the country. They also tried an average version of a real steak from a pizzeria near their hotel the night they arrived. But this was the first time they had tasted a truly elite cheesesteak, and they seemed extremely pleased with the experience.

After having our fill, we headed back south on route 309 in the direction of Ambler, PA, the home of The Stoogeum, which bills itself as “the world’s first and largest museum of Three Stooges memorabilia.”

We didn’t have the required reservation to tour the museum. Louis’ purpose for stopping there was to purchase a very large book on the late comedy team that I spent a lot of time watching as a youth (yet I managed to grow up without poking people in the eyes – don’t listen to the sociologists). 

Unfortunately, interior photos were forbidden.

I’ll be linking back up with Louis, Jimmy and Tyler Wednesday for another early lunch that will be a no-less carnivorous change of pace from what we had Tuesday. You can read about it in my next post. 

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*Louis’ other reason for coming east had to do with his expertise on Duncan Hines. That’s right. He was a real person – an entrepreneur and traveling salesman who wrote guide books with recommendations on quality and safe places to eat and lodge during an era when most travel was by car and the big chains hadn’t come into prominence yet. Louis is the author of this biography on Hines and has been invited to give his insights on the subject for an upcoming TV documentary. Apparently there are still interviews that are done in person rather than on Zoom.