The Other Media

L.A. Times Learns Pat’s and Geno’s Both Sort of Suck; N.Y. Post Says Zahav and Barbuzzo Are Both Worth the Trip

It's always sunny and cheesesteaky in Philadelphia
It’s always sunny and cheesesteaky in Philadelphia Photo: uwishunu

It’s no big secret that neither Pat’s nor Geno’s delivers on all the hoopla and hullabaloo that seems to surround both, and the supposed rivalry between them. And yet it took a trip to Philly and a cheesesteak from both grease and cheese mills for one L.A. Times reporter to arrive at the same conclusion. Brady MacDonald writes, “neither lived up to the iconic status that decades of hype have bestowed upon the dueling restaurants” and that both steaks were “largely indistinguishable” after rehashing just about every tired old rag about the cheesesteak’s origins. Maybe next time he visits he’ll skip the tourist traps and check out some of the city’s other restaurants.

That’s what N.Y. Post writers Andy Wang and Erin Franzman did. They dug a little deeper than chipped rib eye and Cheez Whiz, while checking out restaurants that are worth traveling for. In Philly they checked out Michael Solomonov’s Zahav, and Marcie Turney and Valarie Safran’s Barbuzzo. They even were privy to a tasting of Federal Donuts’ forthcoming a cardamom-orange glazed donuts. That sure beats a cheesesteak, huh?

Pat’s vs. Geno’s: Cheese steak war still simmers in Philadelphia [LA Times]
Dinners to travel for [NY Post]

Related: NYT to Philly: Not Too Shabby For a Bunch of Cheesesteak Slingers

L.A. Times Learns Pat’s and Geno’s Both Sort of Suck;