Steaks & Sandwiches Month-Week 4

Lee’s Hoagie House

220 S. West End Blvd

Quakertown, PA
(215) 538-7875

While Lee’s has been voted Best in Philly, Bucks & Montgomery, the “best” does not include service at the Quakertown location!  The regular cheese steaks and chicken cheese steaks are worth the “guilt trip” we experienced as we seemingly hassled the employee who took our order.  It was comical as she gave us an inconvenienced sigh in response to our straightforward order of steaks, fries, and fountain sodas.

In exchange, they are serious about their sandwiches and steaks.  Lee’s is a franchise, whose original storefront opened in 1953 in a Philadelphia neighborhood.  As far as an authentic product, this is a good sign for the current 17 locations in the Philadelphia, Bucks & Montgomery County locations.  Besides Quakertown, another local Lehigh Valley store is Emmaus, a hopeful redeeming alternative if you value a friendly face to take and deliver your order.

If you are skeptical by outward appearances, the Quakertown store is apparently under new management and the restaurant has a clean, standard appearance.  If ambiance concerns you, it obviously has a huge take-out business.   

I recommend the buffalo chicken cheese steak, light on the blue cheese.  I enjoyed it because it emphasized the roll vs. meat.  It depends on your preference.  (For you meat lovers, don’t be deceived by a woman’s review.  Lee’s has my husband and nephew’s approval, the latter self-proclaimed as a new “regular” of Lee’s.)  The roll is ideal with its tough exterior and soft, dense interior.  The meat is a good consistency—not too finely chopped that it seems crumbly, but not as thick as the strips at some local Philly spots like Pat’s & Geno’s.  

They additionally offer a full sub menu —for meat-lovers try the “Cheltenham”—named after a Northeast suburb of Philly, packed with at least 4 meats and 4 cheeses.   For the health-conscious, more reviews to come during other months , but Lee’s does offer salads as well as a large variety of wraps, including some vegetarian options. 

Steaks & hoagies come in 3 sizes: mini, half & whole, not including party option of a 3 foot hoagie, a classic find at an Italian occasion.  One more downside to our trip:  $.50 for refills.  No thanks. I’ll end my meal chomping the ice on the bottom of my cup instead.

If you are interested in a genuine Philly cheese steak or hoagie, be sure to consider Lee’s.

Would I return?  Occasionally. The product is worth it, but I guess my experience of ambiance & tone affect my vote more than I realized.

Steaks & Sandwiches Month-Week 3

Primo Hoagies

95 S West End Blvd
Quakertown, PA 18951-1138
(267) 373-9028

“It’s not just a hoagie, it’s a primo!”   First recommended by our born-and-raised South Philly Italian/chef friend, Mark Spena, we were confident it would live up to its name and slogan.  If the product is not enough to speak for itself, maybe you’ll be reassured by the dozens of franchises that are opening in the tri-state area. Our most local include: Quakertown, Bethlehem, Lansdale, Doylestown, and soon-to-come Allentown, since the birth 15 years ago of the original store in South Philadelphia.

This family-friendly take-out or dine-in eatery has something for everyone.  Our previously mentioned chef friend has claimed it’s the best in capturing Italian culture’s aged meats such as dry-cured capacola, prosciutto, Genoa salami, and sopressata.  The comprehensive menu will be sure to please the meat and non-meat lovers of any family. 

Primo hoagies come in four sizes: small, primo, whole, and wrap.  The menu includes low-carb and whole-wheat options.  They offer specialty hoagies, the “diablos” (which include their blend of spices), cutlet combo (my personal favorites, reminscient of our days in Staten Island, NY amidst a predominantly Italian culture), the healthy choice (lower in fat & sodium), meatless delights, and classic standards.

What makes Primo Hoagies live up to its name?  (Primo—meaning first or superior)  Each sandwich is made-to-order, customized to your preference.  They have a variety of sandwich toppings, which in my opinion, put a standard sandwich in a class all its own.  Finally, you will have the experience of a true Italian roll, with sesame seeds included.  THIS should be the standard of a good sandwich roll! 

 

Not sure what to order?  Here are my suggestions

WHACKED CHICKEN: Chicken Cutlet, Sharp Provolone Topped with Pesto & Bruschetta

CHICKEN PARMIGIANA: Chicken Cutlet with Homestyle Marinara and Melted Provolone Cheese (for a classic Italian tradition)

ITALIAN: Prosciutto, Provolone Cheese, Thumanns Hot Capacola & Natural Casing Genoa Salami

Will I return?  We don’t return often, but when in the mood for a hoagie or hot sandwich, this is one of our first choices. See the website for a full menu.  Sandwiches under $10.

Steaks & Sandwiches Month-Week 2

Steak & Hoagie Factory

103 S. Main Street

Doylestown, PA

215-348-2050

While S & H Factory has various locations, Doylestown is the closest store to the Lehigh Valley.  It may not be the warmest ambience or staff, yet this chain has my vote for best Philly Cheesesteak. Yes, with all due respect, it surpasses the overrated Pat’s & Geno’s of South Philly.   Not to mention, you can make up for the ambiance with a stroll through the heart of one of Bucks County’s greatest towns. 

We first discovered S & H factory during our days of living in Lower Bucks County, a suburb of Philadelphia.  In spite of its original store actually being in a suburban Bucks County town, it has a strong Philadelphia influence in the way it presents a cheese steak.  The standard cheese steak includes American cheese but cheese whiz or provolone are available upon request.  My recommendation: stay away from the whiz.  Extras include peppers, mushrooms, etc—wonderful additions to a chicken or regular cheese steak.  Try a Barbeque or buffalo chicken cheesesteak for a gourmet variation.    

S & H Factory gets my vote because the rolls are perfect—soft with a slightly hard exterior. (Their logo: "Our reputation is in a roll" describes their initial goal: to hold a presence in a highly competitive sandwich business by baking a stellar french-style roll on the premises.)  To me, this emphasis on roll, rather than overstuffed with meat, proves satisfying.  Finally, I prefer the finely chopped meat over the strips of meat you’ll receive at many Philly locations such as Pat’s, Geno’s, or Rick’s (located at Reading Terminal Market).

Be sure to order your side of fries.  They’re worthwhile.  If you are not a cheese steak fan, it offers a full menu of hoagies and other sandwiches.  I can’t speak to them, but if they are anything like their steak, they’ll be great.  See the website to view a menu.  The Conveyor Combo and Forklift Feast provide great family value.

Would I return? I wish I could return more often.  But yes, without a doubt—we’ve been known to take the 40 minute trip just for a cheese steak and night out in Doylestown.

Steaks & Sandwiches Month #1

Zandy’s Steak Shop

813 St. John St.

Allentown, PA

610-434-7874

Let me provide a disclaimer: Zandy’s does NOT provide an authentic Philly Cheesesteak.  Therefore, it is not my preference.   Instead, I tend to refer to it as a “Lehigh Valley Cheesesteak”, comprised of a soft roll, a type of meat whose uniqueness is hard to qualify (tastes fresh off the farm to me!), onions, peppers and a hot tomato sauce.  If you ordered this type of steak in Philly, they would refer to it as a “pizza steak” and the roll would have a soft interior with a slightly crustier roll.

However, we were delighted with our new hole-in-the-wall find.  As typical, it took some coaxing to convince my skeptical, creature-of-habit husband to adventurously visit this Allentown landmark.  Approaching the shop and its sign reading “Family owned & operated since 1940”, it was quite evident we were walking into a piece of local history. 

It was an early dinner so the place was almost empty, but it gave a vibe of regular townies…a good sign.  Greeted by friendly staff and a clean yet quite vintage environment, we ordered at the counter, paid a reasonable fee for our steaks, fries and soft drink and had a seat.  While I’m not an expert on era décor, it’s quite possible theirs has not changed since 1940.  My favorite was the pink marble-looking counter and table tops.  We were instantly charmed and dreamed of bringing back some friends on a return visit, with the store large enough for an after-church group of young people pulling tables together to enjoy their reasonable but delicious meal. (cheesesteaks $4.90-$5.10--are you kidding me?!)

Along with steaks, Zandy’s offers fish dinners, hoagies, burgers, hot dogs, crab cakes and more.  Our waitress reassured us that “everything is good here.”  We soon agreed with her.  While I don’t prefer a soft roll on my chicken cheesesteak, it did not hinder me from enjoying the 6 inch packed-full delight.   To remain true to the “Lehigh Valley cheesesteak”, I ordered it with the hot tomato sauce, while Mark stuck with our usual ketchup.   The generous portion of fries were fresh and perfect.  On 2^nd visit, I had a barbeque chicken cheesesteak—would highly recommend.

Would I return?  Can’t wait.  I was ready to return the next night.  Let’s keep the historic family-run businesses alive.  

*Keep in mind: Cash only, closed on Mondays.

Mediterranean Month #5

Soumaya & Sons

264 Fullerton Ave
Whitehall, PA 18052

(610) 432-0405

While I have enjoyed their fresh pitas and hummus through my mother, it was not until a friend, Belen Mora, encouraged me to visit this local business as a part of Evans Eats’ Mediterranean month.  This month would not be complete without sharing this Whitehall Middle Eastern treasure.   My only regret was letting social or perhaps “culture-shock” apprehension, hinder me from getting to know the owners and learning more about their background.  The name matches my suspicion that this is a family owned-and-operated endeavor.

While the atmosphere is stark, with only 2 small eat-in tables, do not let that stop you if you want a true taste of Mediterranean culture.  This is a store with aisles of various groceries from grains, rices, seasons and more.  For this trip, I focused on the “deli” counter set-up and purchased hummus, baba ghanaugh (an eggplant spread—similar consistency to hummus), tabouli, falafel and spinach pies. 

Our friends who recently returned from Israel informed the falafel they had there was “golf-ball size,” which is what you can expect from Soumaya & Sons.  The size is small, but just as tasty with a reasonable price ($.50) for buying more than one.  It was offered in a sandwich, though I received it “to go.”

A highlight of this trip, besides the cordial, helpful, and efficient service, was purchasing a large bag of pitas fresh & warm ($1.75/dozen).  Peeking behind-the-scenes, I spotted their source: a stone oven, which is pictured on every bag.

Everything was delicious and reasonably priced.  You can easily eat $10 and under and receive a tasty, flavorful sampler at this Whitehall store.  Their full menu can be prepared there or bought for take-home, and in my opinion this location is a vegan or vegetarian’s dream.

Will I return?  Without a doubt—but will save it for a grocery stop rather than eat-in location.

Hours: Mon-Thurs. 7 AM-6PM