663585 Fri Oct 30 13:14:07 -0700 2009 14 1 San Francisco Bay Area 0 5143637 Look, I know, I know... you don't need to tell me... I know. But, I'm from the East Coast and once every... 4 years or so I do get a craving. And I have such a craving. Is there a place in SF that makes a good cheese steak sandwich? TIA Fri Oct 30 13:14:07 -0700 2009 50041 whiner 1 5143645 http://search.chow.com/search?query=cheesesteak&advanced=1&from_date=1+year+ago&type=Topic&sort_mode=relevance&from_date_select=1+year+ago&search_boardgroup_id=1&search_board_id=1&user_name=&post_title= Fri Oct 30 13:16:50 -0700 2009 5143637 11369 Robert Lauriston 1 5144038 check out Yo Philly in alameda,you wont be dissapointed Fri Oct 30 16:14:01 -0700 2009 5143637 82331 soupnazi 1 5144466 Not in SF but try Jersey Joe's in San Carlos, decent cheese steak with a added bonus of cheese fries. Load of Cheese whiz. Fri Oct 30 20:43:03 -0700 2009 5143637 10686 yimster 2 5145246 +1 for Jersey Joe's - get one with whiz! In SF proper check out Phat Philly in the mission, they use wagyu beef, amoroso rolls, and also make a pretty good chedder beer sauce (they also have whiz). The Cheesesteak Shop is also pretty good but I haven't tried the one in SF. Sat Oct 31 11:20:47 -0700 2009 5144466 138023 Mr_Happy 1 5144624 I really have to recommend The Refuge in San Carlos. Jersey Joe's is, as Yimster says, a decent cheesesteak. The one at The Refuge is, I honestly think, more than a hint above. Also, all the other dishes at The Refuge (including the fries) are leagues above. Yes, it is a shade more expensive, perhaps to the tune of double? You'll thank me in the morning, though. http://www.refugesc.com/refuge_menu.pdf Sat Oct 31 00:44:35 -0700 2009 5143637 43540 orezscu 2 5144631 The Belgian beer list at The Refuge is spectacularly impressive. Great full selection. Can't think of a better match for cheesesteak. Sat Oct 31 00:53:40 -0700 2009 5144624 11938 Tripeler 2 5144793 The cost of a comb at Jersey Joe, soda, fries and cheese steak sandwich is about 10 bucks. so the Refuge is in the 20 bucks area? Well I sure hope is a cut above. I will try at a later date. It is on the same block as my Doctor and he has told it great food but he said it a has a high price tag. Sat Oct 31 06:46:13 -0700 2009 5144624 10686 yimster 3 5145492 I went to The Refuge earlier this year and can vouch that its justly-famous pastrami is well worth the price. Here's the post I made then (with one by Melanie Wong right after it). http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/620830#4703273 Sat Oct 31 13:51:31 -0700 2009 5144793 10724 Mick Ruthven 4 5145635 That is what was recommended to me too. Have not had the chance to try it yet. Saving it for better Doctor report. So much is off my diet right now. Sat Oct 31 15:12:37 -0700 2009 5145492 10686 yimster 5 5177980 Had the cheesesteak at the refuge last night. It's not quite right. GF, from a philly suburb, agreed. It was ... bland. Not enough of that good grease taste? Simply more salt and pepper required? Everything subcomponent was good, real Amoroso rolls, nice provolone (maybe too much?) but it didn't blend together as a Cheesesteak. We didn't finish it. (which I can't say about Jersey Joe's - at least I'll finish one of those!) OTOH, you can get a cheeseburger topped with *PASTRAMI*. That's so wrong it's right. Fri Nov 13 01:29:01 -0800 2009 5145635 54804 bbulkow 6 5178470 Thanks, that is what I had been told is that pastrami is out of this world. Next on my list for San Carlos. Fri Nov 13 07:47:13 -0800 2009 5177980 10686 yimster 1 5146768 Grew up near philly, go back a few times a year. I don't like Jersey Joe's. It's OK but I think the meat's too high quality. I haven't tried The Refuge for cheesesteaks yet. I *LOVE* the cheesesteak shop. Listing TCSS as an also-ran is blasphemy - it's really excellent. They make a point of "singing" the grill, they have hot and sweet peppers, the rolls are Amaroso's and have that particular chew, and you can get a tastycake. "whiz" isn't on the menu, but I never got a taste for whiz, so that doesn't bother me. Sun Nov 01 09:03:42 -0800 2009 5143637 54804 bbulkow 2 5147149 >I *LOVE* the cheesesteak shop< Do you mean the one on Divisadero in SF? I went there once and never again. I thought the cheesesteak was very skimpy on the meat and didn't taste good. I had to go elsewhere after I left for some good food to get the experience out of my mouth and mind. I'm not from Philadelphia and didn't grow up with cheesesteaks, so I may not really like them. But I do like the ones at Jersey Joe's in San Carlos and at Jake's Steaks in the Marina in SF. Sun Nov 01 12:19:02 -0800 2009 5146768 10724 Mick Ruthven 3 5147321 I've been to the cheesesteak shop on Divis a couple of times, the one on Grand in Oakland a few times, the one on University in Berkeley the most, and I started out going to the one in Walnut Creek. The couple I had at the Divis shop were about like the others. I really dislike the service in all the Cheesesteak Shops, typically quite slow. Regarding size, I find the larger steaks about right for my appetite. Any restaurant can have a bad day or make a bad dish - what exactly was "bad" about it? What did you order? I go provolone, onions, hot and sweet peppers. Cheesesteaks I remember from childhood were made with really, really thin beef, which mixes in with the other ingredients. That's what seems wrong to me about Jersey Joe's, the steak is of rather large chunks, so it doesn't scratch my itch. It's a decent steak though. I'm flexible about "authenticity" --- maybe "tasty" and "authentic" are different --- the OP did ask to fill the itch of a east coast regional experience. Sun Nov 01 13:49:38 -0800 2009 5147149 54804 bbulkow