Nearly a year ago I visited the then new Skinny Joey’s Cheesesteaks on Broad Street in South Philadelphia and concluded that the only thing preventing their steaks from being elite was the chopped ribeye being underseasoned and lacking in flavor. Everything else – most notably the roll and meat and cheese proportions and distribution – was right on the money.
I concluded the blog post on that cheesesteak by saying I’d revisit Skinny Joey’s at some point to see if they had rectified their seasoning issue. That happened earlier in March when I stopped back there to sample another steak on a sunny and warm Monday afternoon.
As a reminder, Skinny Joey’s is owned by Joey Merlino, the reputed longtime boss of Philadelphia’s mafia family who has reportedly left that lifestyle behind in pursuit of legitimate business interests – most notably his video blog and cheesesteak shop, which he plans to expand to additional locations.
They only had an outdoor seating area when I was there last year, but that was enclosed at some point and the new dining room is both roomy and comfortable. It also features numerous TVs, making it a good place to watch the local sports teams while chowing down at night and on weekends.
Ordering and paying is still done at their two windows – one for sandwiches and the other for beverages and sides. I arrived late for lunch and managed to avoid the usual line. Once I ordered, the wait for my name to be called couldn’t have been much more than five minutes. I took my sandwich and soda to the new dining room to snap photos and eat.
I was extremely pleased that reports I’ve read in recent months that the grill chefs at Skinny Joey’s are now hitting the meat with a satisfactory amount of salt and pepper are accurate based on my experience. The ribeye was both juicy and flavorful, and the sandwich’s overall flavor was dominated by the beef, as I prefer. I’ve complained many times about places that use so much Cooper Sharp that it overshadows the taste of the meat. That’s not the case at Skinny Joey’s. They proportion the cheese and blend it exactly the way I like it.
The Aversa seeded roll was extremely fresh and while I wouldn’t call it crusty, its crust had a pleasing texture and chew. The onions were chopped big, which I don’t mind, but there could have been a few more of them and I’d have preferred that they were fried a bit darker.
Circling back to the chopped ribeye, there didn’t appear to be quite as much of it on this cheesesteak as there was on the one I had there last year. I would guess there was in the neighborhood of 10 ounces of meat on this one, which put it at the low end of my preferred range.
As I periodically remind readers, cheesesteak preferences are totally subjective. I know there are a lot of steak lovers who prefer a pound of meat that is drenched in Cooper Sharp cheese. This steak would not have been satisfying for such people. But those of you who share my preferences for a more moderately sized and well-proportioned steak may enjoy it as much as I did.
When the time comes to put out my revised list of the best cheesesteaks in the Philly region, Skinny Joey’s will garner serious consideration for being included on it.
BZ Maestro Eats 