A Late Addition to My Top Tier

In less than a month I’ll be putting out my revised list of the best cheesesteaks in the Philly region. With so little time to squeeze in a few final steaks and no apparent new heavy hitters on the horizon, it appeared that my lineup was set and it was just a matter of placing them in the proper order.

Then news broke over the weekend of a new shop in West Chester, Pennsylvania, that is simply called Steaks. Some on Facebook were calling this place a game-changer. Photos posted online showed a huge line of people waiting to get in to the restaurant on its opening day.

Wanting to strike while the iron was still hot, I headed over there Wednesday and arrived a few minutes after their opening time of 11 a.m. While I was able to order right away, there was already a decent sized crowd of people who had placed orders and were waiting for them to come out. I was fortunate to grab a table in their moderate sized dining area. 

Steaks is owned by Speer Madanat, who formerly applied his genius for pizza and cheesesteaks at Joey’s Pizza of Thorndale, PA, which I’ve raved about in two separate posts. His first move was to open another simply named restaurant in West Chester – this one called Pizza, that serves pies that are very similar to those at Joey’s. Now he’s got the perfect companion shop a few blocks away to go with it. 

My initial assumption upon hearing about Steaks was that their product would be the same as the cheesesteaks at Joey’s Pizza. But a couple people who had one Sunday pointed out that they are using different rolls. I caught a glimpse of their stockpile for the day behind the counter. They are provided by a West Chester French bakery that created the rolls especially for Steaks. 

I was so eager to dig into this steak that when my number was called I popped out of my chair like a stone from a slingshot. Doing my best to remain calm, I managed to unwrap it without too much difficulty and commenced snapping photographs before taking my first bite.

The seeded roll packed more flavor than most. The crust wasn’t as hard as I expected, but it was extremely sturdy and had a chewy quality that was very enjoyable. It also wasn’t too doughy within that crust

There had to be at least 12 ounces of coarsely chopped or sliced ribeye on there; possibly closer to a pound. I’ve complained many times about beef being under-seasoned, but the Steaks grill chef was liberal with the salt and pepper and it was to the meat’s benefit. This was a fantastic tasting sandwich.

It may appear in the photos as if there wasn’t much Cooper Sharp cheese, but it was blended in very well with the meat and the proportion was right on the money for me. Those who like a ton of cheese may want to order extra though. 

To top things off, the onions were nicely fried and added another layer of flavor to the sandwich. 

This was the rare cheesesteak without a weakness.

While recently contemplating the order of my top 20 steaks I concluded that there were six that would comprise my top tier. After Wednesday’s lunch, there are now seven. You’ll find out in which order I place them a few weeks from now.