My New Local Go-To Cheesesteak

A couple years ago I highlighted two cheesesteaks as my go-to options when the craving hits and I don’t want to leave my immediate area. Unfortunately, one – Johnny Paisano’s – has moved just far enough away to no longer qualify as being ‘in the neighborhood.’ The other was sold and the food, including their cheesesteaks, has gone downhill under the new ownership.

So I had been without a truly satisfying cheesesteak – and pizza, as the place that was sold was also my favorite near-by option for that – for over a year when I noticed a new shop has taken over space previously occupied by an outlet of a local hoagie and steak chain. It took a couple months from that first sighting – and a push from watching this video rave – but I finally made it to Phastbreak Cheesesteaks Friday for lunch. 

They are in a small strip of shops on busy Baltimore Pike in Springfield, Pennsylvania. As the name alludes to, they at least lean in the direction of having a basketball theme in terms of their interior. 

Although there was a smattering of tables for those wishing to eat there, Phasbreak is close enough to my home for me to abandon my usual practice of eating on site and order lunch to go. My wife would be joining me, so in addition to a cheesesteak with Cooper Sharp cheese and fried onions, I picked up a medium pizza for us to sample and a chicken-Caesar wrap for her.

The steak came on a seeded roll from Liscio’s Bakery, As I’ve indicated on a number of occasions, they are a bit softer and less crusty than I prefer, but when fresh, as was the case Friday, they get the job done nicely. 

I normally eat my cheesesteaks on sight largely because I don’t like the impact that wrapping them for takeout has on the roll. Half of this one was slightly pressed out of its natural form, but it did remain dry rather than getting damp from steaming. 

While the roll was merely good, what came on it was sensational. I’m not sure if they use ribeye or another cut of beef, but it was juicy, tender and extremely well seasoned. My longtime readers may recall that I’ve criticized numerous steak shops since starting this blog for not using enough salt and pepper on their meat. The grill chef at Phastbreak was generous with the seasoning and it was to the sandwich’s benefit. 

This was one of the better proportioned cheesesteaks that I can recall having. They use just the right amount of meat for my taste and the cheese was perfectly proportioned to it as well as being melted to a near-liquid state and mixed in nicely with the meat throughout. 

I’d like to have another steak from Phastbreak to make sure this first one wasn’t a fluke before deciding on whether to add them to my top 20 list. But if the next one is as good as this one was, they will get that consideration. 

The pizza was enjoyable but not to the same extent as the cheesesteak. They serve upside-down (sauce-on-top) square pies, which is a style that is popular in parts of the Philly region and which I’ve posted about before. 

This was neither the best nor the worst version I’ve tried. The sauce had a sweet accent to it and having sliced Mozzarella beneath the layer of sauce worked well from a textural standpoint. But the crust was not quite up there with my favorite, which is at Santucci’s for this style of pie. I’ll probably give it another shot at some point. 

My wife’s chicken Caesar wrap seemed to hit her spot, although she was disappointed that it didn’t come with the coleslaw that was promised on the menu. We’ll be sure to remind them about that next time around.

But the headline of this visit to Phastbreak Cheesesteaks was unquestionably the success of the cheesesteak, which – barring a disappointing follow-up visit – will likely be my new go-to steak when the craving hits and I want to stay local. 

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As a life-long Eagles fan, I can’t let this week’s post go by without mentioning the Super Bowl. It’s tough to say whether it was more enjoyable to see them win a close game against the Patriots in 2018 or this year’s blowout. But given how stressed I was at the start of the game Sunday, I was very happy to see them make the second half a pressure-free affair. 

Our dining menu for the big game featured an assortment of old-school Chinese appetizers – ribs, egg rolls and barbecue beef sticks from a takeout place in our neighborhood. My wife also requested fried rice and the house-special wonton soup, which includes extra vegetables and meat. In addition to our takeout order, she also made egg-filled scallion pancakes, which are on the menu at a couple dim sum restaurants that we frequent. 

This was a great warm-up for what turned out to be a very joyous evening for Eagles fans.