Unexpectedly Fitting In Another Great Steak

My Thursday lunch outing was supposed to be with a couple former colleagues at the new pizzeria from one of Philly’s most renowned chefs. That plan had to be postponed at the last minute, leaving me in need of a Plan B. 

As it’s getting close to my self-imposed cut-off date for trying any additional cheesesteaks before putting out my list of the region’s 20 best, fitting in another of the ones I’ve been hoping to get to seemed like the best course of action. After taking a quick look at the list of steak shops I’ve had under consideration, I decided to give a shot to the Bleigh Street Cafe – but only if I could figure out their hours.

I’ve seen a few raves with drool-worthy photos of their steaks in recent months and wanted to try one, but they don’t have a web site and only put out information on Instagram, which I normally don’t follow. On top of that, they don’t have their own brick and mortar location. Rather they cook and sell the items on their small menu at the Port Richmond Pub, which is named after the section of Philadelphia in which it sits. 

With a little searching, I was able to find a phone number and called it. The guy who answered told me they’d be open for business in the Pub that afternoon, so I headed over.

The Port Richmond Pub is a classic Philly corner bar that must get pretty wild during Eagles games. I arrived close to 1 p.m., but there wasn’t much of a lunch crowd. All the better for me to take photos.

The Cafe’s menu offers a handful of sandwiches and sides, but you all know what I ordered – with Cooper Sharp cheese and fried onions. It came on a seeded roll by default. 

My wait wasn’t a long one and the steak looked like a dandy. Unfortunately, I had difficulty finding good camera angles for photos due to the small size of the basket in which it was served. 

The lack of top-notch photos notwithstanding, you can trust me when I say this was a great cheesesteak.

My one slight issue with it was that the roll was softer than I prefer. But unlike the one I criticized in my last post, this roll was not objectively bad. The crust was firm and had a bit of a chewy quality, while the soft bread under it was very fresh. It was also a wider than average roll, which enabled it to hold a lot of coarsely chopped beef without seeming overstuffed. 

Yet what came on the roll was unquestionably the star of the show. The meat was extremely juicy and seasoned beautifully. While it appeared that there was a lot of Cooper Sharp cheese on there at first glance, it didn’t overwhelm the beef and was mixed in with it perfectly. 

The overall flavor of this steak was through the roof. It probably is another one that belongs in my ever-growing top tier. 

With these new additions, as well as a couple other great ones I didn’t try until after putting out last year’s top ten, an increasing number of steaks that were on that list are going to get pushed further down when it comes time to determine the order of the top 20 list I’ll be releasing in mid-November.