Checking Out a Hot New Pizza and Steak Shop

It’s not often that a cheesesteak purveyor gains a big reputation so quickly that I feel a sense of urgency to get there before they are even a month old. But that was the situation that confronted me after seeing a series of online raves about the steaks at Verona Pizza of Maple Glen, Pennsylvania. 

Although their information page states that they have been serving the Philly region since the late 70s, that may just refer to the members of their ownership team being in the business that long. The Maple Glen spot that I visited with my wife just opened a few weeks ago.

It’s in a standard suburban shopping center and has both indoor and outdoor seating. We grabbed an indoor table after placing our order at the front counter. 

Cheesesteaks aren’t the only menu item at Verona that has been getting raves. I had also read that their pizza is sensational and saw in an online photo that they offer a wide array of flavors by the slice. I had hoped to sample their square grandma pie, but they were out of that by the time we arrived, so I instead opted for a slice of upside-down pizza and ate it while my cheesesteak with Cooper Sharp cheese and fried onions was being prepared. 

To say my wife – who took a few bites – and I were impressed by the pizza’s crust would be an understatement. As I like to say, it resided at the intersection of crispy and chewy, which isn’t an easy accomplishment. It was also more flavorful than most pizza crusts I’ve tried. 

The great crust was also topped by an excellent sauce. It’s not uncommon for the cheese to be swamped by the sauce on upside down pizzas, but the pie chef at Verona managed to avoid that. 

In a piece of good timing, my steak arrived just as we finished up the pizza slice. I knew what to expect after seeing photos of these monsters on Facebook but still found the prospect of getting through one daunting when confronting it at close range. My appetite isn’t made for such endeavors. 

When I started posting about cheesesteaks a couple years ago, Curly’s in Levittown, PA, was the only shop I’m aware of that was known for using an entire pound of chopped meat on their steaks. But their huge popularity started a trend. There must be at least a dozen such places now, and it seems like another one pops up every month. As I’ve observed in past posts, the seemingly popular attitude in these parts that more meat and cheese is always better is a mystery to me. I’ll always be a proportion-guy who prefers 10-12 ounces of meat and just enough cheese to lightly coat it. What matters most is that it tastes good. 

And my steak at Verona did taste good. They use a lot of Cooper Sharp – probably a bit too much. But they don’t go as crazy as some places. I was still able to enjoy the flavor and texture of the meat. 

That brings me to the roll. On their printed menu, they claim to use seeded rolls from Sarcone’s Bakery, a big favorite of mine. But while we were here, I happened to notice a bread box from Aversa Bakery. 

I’ve had plenty of rolls from both Sarcone’s and Aversa and am pretty sure the one my steak came on was from the latter. I’m not sure if they’ve already switched suppliers or perhaps they just had an issue on this day.

Regardless, while I prefer Sarcone’s, the seeded rolls from Aversa are also very good and the one my steak came on was extremely fresh. 

Verona puts out a very good steak. I can see why people rave about it. But I’d still prefer that they scale down its size. Other than that, my only other minor criticism is that the grill chef could have gone just a little heavier on seasoning the meat. 

In spite of those issues, when I expand my list of the Philly region’s best cheesesteaks from a top 10 to a top 20 later this year. Verona will get a look. It’s too soon to say whether they’ll make the final cut. 

Whether they do or not, I’ll assuredly be back there to sample more of their outstanding pizza.