I ran into to an old friend the other day while in Old Sac and he said to me, “Hey, squirrel dog” and I said, “hey”.
This month, I had me the area’s best Philly cheese steak sandwich. At the Cheese Steak Shop, 4332 Watt Avenue, near the IRS building, I had the pleasure of dining with a fine, young 14-year-old man who for the purposes of this article we shall call Mickey. When I first told Mickey I was taking him out for a Philly cheese steak he was a touch unsettled. Never having experienced one before, he was having visions of filleted horse on a hoagie.
The Cheese Steak shop sits between Starbucks (but then what doesn’t) and Quiznos in the spot formerly occupied by LL Hawaiian BBQ. Apparently, our friends at the Internal
Revenue Service are not big fans of Poy.
Me and the Mick settled in for their featured sandwich, which is called “the King of Philly”. It came on a 10-inch (Amorosa’s) roll loaded with thinly sliced beef, grilled onions and hot and sweet peppers. Mickey had the twister fries while I enjoyed the steak fries. Truly this was a delicious Philly, and I was enjoying every bit. As Mickey and I hit around the half-way point of our feast, the manager brought 3 more sandwiches to sample. While Mickey stayed focused on his sando and fries, I ventured out into the new creations; the pepperoni cheese steak was particularly scrumptious. Also, the chicken version of the Philly was quite tasty. I pretty well polished the three extras on my own (and yes, I am a trifle over weight).
Besides serving the area’s best Philly cheese steak the prices are reasonable as well. For less than $7.50, you can get a Philly cheese steak, fries and a drink. They also offer a selection of salads for those of you who do not allow yourselves to partake of real food. As much as I enjoyed the food (and I did), the true joy came from being able to have lunch with such a fine young man as Mickey, and to be able to impart the wisdom I have picked up over the years to his eager sponge-like mind. I began to reveal to the secrets of true success and prosperity when young Mickey blasted back by saying; “Dude, I would think if you really knew anything about success you wouldn’t have brought me to a restaurant where I have to use a plastic fork”. I paused for a moment before I picked young Mickey and his smart mouth up off the floor, and I calmly said, … well, I really can’t print what I said and come to think about it, it wasn’t all that calm. Oh, to be young again.
Well, in closing, if you like a great cheese steak sandwich and eating so close to the IRS doesn’t make you lose your appetite, you will want to try the Cheese Steak Shop.
Oh, and I must confess, I was not being entirely truthful at the beginning when I mentioned running into my old friend. It was actually downtown – not Old Sac.