Philly Cheesesteaks

I had not seen my sister since last December, so I decided to spend Thanksgiving with her in Philadelphia. Although I've visited Philly on previous occasions, being here during the winter was a first. The city's historic brick buildings, re-established as cafes, restaurants, bars, and shops, provided the quintessential backdrop for the holidays. Philadelphia's old city charm is indeed a stark contrast to the Bay Area's lifeless and dull "winter." My apologies, what winter? While squinting at the cars at the arrival area of the Philly airport, I finally spotted my sister waving somewhat frantically to catch my attention. I tossed my luggage in the trunk of the car and off we went to Geno's & Pat's for cheesesteaks.

1. Geno's Steaks VS Pat's King of Steaks

VS

At first glance Geno's exuberant neon signs seem awfully more festive compared to Pat's. Nonetheless, we decided to remain objective until we had tried their cheesesteaks. We had parked adjacent to Pat's so we ordered there first in appropriate cheesesteak ordering-lingo: onions, whiz with. My sister, grasping the Pat's cheesteak, looked me in the eyes long enough to whisper "PUT THIS IN YOUR PURSE. I don't want them to see it!" I obliged and put the cheesteak in my handbag before we walked across the road to Geno's to order another with onions and provolone. My sister tucked it under her coat and we shuffled back to the car to head to her apartment for a taste test. 

Pat's cheesesteak seemed more moist, perhaps due to the copious slathering of cheese whiz. Geno's was a bit dry, and the bread a bit more crunchy. We were surprised that they were both not very salty, making them easy to devour without reaching for some water. However I was hoping for a bit more meaty flavor from either of the cheesesteaks. My sister and I polished off both of them rather quickly. It's difficult to determine which is the better of the two - I think we may need to try a few more combinations before we can reach a conclusion :)