My First Cheesesteak of 2024 – From Van Horn’s of Media, PA

It’s been a while since my last post. I hit the proverbial wall with regard to eating cheesesteaks and most of the other types of food I had been writing about for over two years and have been in a sort of self-imposed detox for the past couple months. Blogging had started feeling like a chore and I determined that I wouldn’t resume doing it until the desire returned. 

The urge to eat another cheesesteak finally started to creep up on me close to a week ago. Coincidentally, it was about then that I read about the opening of a new steak shop in Media, Pennsylvania, which is convenient to where I live. Actually, while it’s new, it’s not totally unfamiliar.

One of the steaks I had read good things about but never got around to trying was the one at Van Horn’s in Phoenixville. I procrastinated too long and they closed before I could make it there. To my delight, the new shop in Media has the same name and ownership. They’ve downsized from a full-service restaurant to counter service with a few tables for those who wish to eat on-site. 

Word must have gotten out about Van Horn’s because their parking lot only had one available space when I arrived and it was crowded inside with people eating and waiting for orders. 

One of the first things that caught my eye upon entering was the large pile of bread boxes from two of the Philly region’s better known bakers of steak rolls – Liscio’s and Corropolese. They both make rolls that are a little softer than I prefer, but they’re still high quality vehicles for a cheesesteak when fresh. 

After ordering a steak on a seeded roll with Cooper Sharp cheese and fried onions, I grabbed a small table that afforded me a view of the grill chef hard at work. 

The aforementioned crowd of customers and my failure to order in advance meant a slightly longer than usual wait, but it wasn’t too bad and I enjoyed soaking up the sandwich shop sites, sounds and aroma. 

Nonetheless, I was more than ready to chow down when my name was called – but business before pleasure. There were photos to take before any bites. 

This steak had dimensions that I was very comfortable with. My regular readers know I’ve complained many times about the always growing number of overstuffed steaks with a pound of meat and an equally massive amount of cheese. Proportion has become a dirty word in some cheesesteak circles – but not at Van Horn’s.

The roll, which I’m pretty sure was from Corropolese, was somewhere in the 10”-12” range. As expected, it was soft, but very fresh and the crust had a nice quality to it. It held in the neighborhood of 10 ounces of chopped ribeye. The onions were nicely fried and the meat well seasoned. 

At first glance, it appeared that there was too much Cooper Sharp on there. But the meat stood up to it fairly well and the sandwich had a nice overall flavor. It helped that the cheese was thoroughly melted and evenly blended in with the meat throughout. 

I’m not sure that Van Horn’s cheesesteak would have made it onto my top 20 list if I had eaten it soon enough. But it’s unquestionably a high quality sandwich that I will almost certainly have again – perhaps with cheese sauce next time for a change of pace. 

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I have no intention of returning to eating cheesesteaks with the regularity that I had become accustomed to for the past couple years. But if I come across any steaks that clearly belong in the top 20, I may update my list at some point. 

I’m also not certain how often I’ll post moving forward. I can only say I’ll do it when the mood strikes.