Ahhh, the Final Countdown. Not only some cheezy 80’s hair metal, but the enumeration of South Jersey meibutsu that we ticked off over the course of recent days. This is the biggest of them, and we’ve saved the best until somewhere around last…Cheesesteaks. If you’ve ever had a Philly Steak…then forget whatever you ate, because including ‘Philly’ in the name is a dead giveaway that they’re not making it right. A real cheesesteak doesn’t need to remind you how authentic it is. So you can recognize one in the wild and possibly not be frghtened by its magnificence, here are some pictures of what cheesesteaks look like. The one on the left is the mildly-daring pepperoni steak, whereas the one on the right is a chicken cheesesteak.
It’s really a mystery what makes these so great, but it’s scientifically proven that they’re nature’s perfect food. The meat needs to be quite fatty, it needs to be griddled long enough that it starts getting burnt a little, the cheese needs to be cheap and fully melted (I’m not a Cheese-Whiz adherent, although most people think that’s the classical definition), and the roll should be soft enough that it doesn’t get in the way by being chewy or hard. I’d like to take everyone by the shoulders and shake them to convince them of the incredible deliciousness of cheesesteaks, because these pictures aren’t going to do it, but the taking-and-shaking thing is pretty impractical also eh?
Ciconte’s occupies the space that used to be Super Sub, in the little strip mall on 322 down the street from Glassboro High School where WaWa used to be. And their cheesesteaks are good; Sherri says that a lot of places skimp on the steak, but Ciconte’s is a standout. That’s why we went there, and she’s right, they’re great.
I like to call these ‘up close and personal’ and ‘comin atcha’, respectively:
