South Philly

Today I caught the bus (for the first time; it takes the same tokens as the subway, so it was easy) to the "Italian Market" district of South Philly. I've started going to a French table here to keep up my speaking skills and this week they met in a little café run by an eccentric Frenchman. This café reminded me a little of the Runcible Spoon, it's decorated very eccelectically with French and international posters and the toilet has photos all over the walls. Worse, it's under the stairs, which means you run the risk of hitting your head if you get too close.

While I was in that part of town I managed to cross something off my Philly to-do list - a Philly cheesesteak from Pat's Steaks. The queue went right around the block but it only took about 20 mins or so. The sandwich itself was ok but not great; it was a bit like a roast beef roll from an Australian carvery but without any real gravy. I got it with provolone cheese and "peppers" but it didn't add all that much to the taste, I think they're meant to be just bland and meaty. Apparently there's an ongoing rivalry between Pat's and Geno's across the street so when I got to the French group I asked some locals their opinion. Instead of telling me to go to one or the other, three of them rattled off a list of a dozen other places all over Philadelphia where you can get better cheesesteaks.

And, being in the Italian quarter, I was lucky enough to find an Italian grocer that stocked chinotto, one of the things I miss living in Bloomington.