OT Cheese Steak sandwiches in Central Jersey
- Thread starter Scarletwoman
- Start date
The easiest way to tell where you are is to check out the local channels on your cable box.
North Jersey has ONLY NYC local channels.
South Jersey has ONLY Philly local channels.
Central Jersey has BOTH NYC and Philly local channels.
People who live the the northern part of central Jersey will have the NYC channels as the default and those that live in the southern half will have the Philly ones as the default. However, both will ALWAYS have both or you are not in Central Jersey.
Pretty simple.
North Jersey has ONLY NYC local channels.
South Jersey has ONLY Philly local channels.
Central Jersey has BOTH NYC and Philly local channels.
People who live the the northern part of central Jersey will have the NYC channels as the default and those that live in the southern half will have the Philly ones as the default. However, both will ALWAYS have both or you are not in Central Jersey.
Pretty simple.
Why do you say that? There are far too many exits and exit numbers on the Parkway to make it easy to remember, unless you drive from Toms River to Clfiton every day.. Plus the Turnpike is the NJ pop cultural standard, while the GSP is not.
I'm a cheesesteak nut, so here's a few suggestions. In the immediate RU area, I think Highland Pizza makes the best cheesesteaks. Not quite as good as the best spots in Philly/South Jersey, but pretty good. Someone said Menlo Pizza in Edison, by Menlo Mall - agree they also make very good cheesesteaks. The only other place I'll actually go out of my way to get a cheesesteak in Middlesex County is Lisa's in Laurence Harbor.
And then someone said Antonio's in Metuchen - they put yellow American cheese on a cheesesteak I ordered - that's simply a no-no. I've lived in Metuchen for 23 years now - nobody there makes better than an ok cheesesteak (although even a mediocre cheesesteak is still pretty good).
I wish there were more and if there were a great one within 20 miles of me I'd be a regular. As it is, half the reason I go to PARX Casino in Bensalem, PA (just off the PA TPK, ~7 miles SW of Trenton) once or twice a month is to get my cheesesteak fix. They have absolutely awesome cheesesteaks. If I go for the whole day, I get one for lunch and one for dinner - and I've even had one for a midnight snack.
They're as good as any in Philly/South Jersey (I grew up in SJ, 10 miles SSE of Center City). My favorites there are Jim's on South St., Tony Luke's (the original location on Oregon at 95), and Cosmi's. Pat's and Geno's are famous, but not as good as these locations. And John's Roast Pork on Snyder has great cheesesteaks, but out of this world roast pork sandwiches.
But my favorite places, all-time are in SJ. Giuseppe's in Laurel Hill and Sal's in Washington Twp (both in Gloucester County, near where I grew up - although it's been several years since I've been to either) are unbelievably good. And Angelo's at 14th and the Boardwalk in OCNJ is right there with them. Panzone's on LBI is also great, as is White House Subs in AC (I have favorites in almost every shore town, lol).
And then someone said Antonio's in Metuchen - they put yellow American cheese on a cheesesteak I ordered - that's simply a no-no. I've lived in Metuchen for 23 years now - nobody there makes better than an ok cheesesteak (although even a mediocre cheesesteak is still pretty good).
I wish there were more and if there were a great one within 20 miles of me I'd be a regular. As it is, half the reason I go to PARX Casino in Bensalem, PA (just off the PA TPK, ~7 miles SW of Trenton) once or twice a month is to get my cheesesteak fix. They have absolutely awesome cheesesteaks. If I go for the whole day, I get one for lunch and one for dinner - and I've even had one for a midnight snack.
They're as good as any in Philly/South Jersey (I grew up in SJ, 10 miles SSE of Center City). My favorites there are Jim's on South St., Tony Luke's (the original location on Oregon at 95), and Cosmi's. Pat's and Geno's are famous, but not as good as these locations. And John's Roast Pork on Snyder has great cheesesteaks, but out of this world roast pork sandwiches.
But my favorite places, all-time are in SJ. Giuseppe's in Laurel Hill and Sal's in Washington Twp (both in Gloucester County, near where I grew up - although it's been several years since I've been to either) are unbelievably good. And Angelo's at 14th and the Boardwalk in OCNJ is right there with them. Panzone's on LBI is also great, as is White House Subs in AC (I have favorites in almost every shore town, lol).
If you want the real thing you need to head South. Chicks in Cherry Hill makes a mean cheese steak & I suggest Steve's Prince of Steaks in Philly.
It's worth the trip.
Poor OP starved to death.
RIP, Scarletwoman.
RIP, Scarletwoman.
Maybe not the intent, but your posts in this thread make you seem like a closed-minded troll
There is nothing better than a thread that morphs into a second thread .The pork roll taylor ham / Central South North Jersey / best pizza threads have no right and wrong answers. They are all of a personal nature .
How did you find this place? The only thing near this place is the GoGorama. I drive down Route 35 most days on my way home from work at Metropark. Laurence Harbor is a barren wasteland. But the stretch on Route 35 from Sayreville down to Hazlet has to have the highest density of dance clubs in NJ.
But next time I work late and want to pick up dinner, I will stop in. The review on Google for this place are quite unkind-mostly for rude service.
So, @Scarletwoman, did you find a good cheese steak sandwich? I need closure. :)
While we are at it, did anybody think to ask how people define "a good cheese steak sandwich"? Because I'm pretty sure not everybody defines it the same way.
I prefer fresh, rare, thin-sliced steak w/plenty of provolone cheese and lots of raw onions on a good, fresh, ideally warm, crunchy bread. No mushrooms or cooked onions. No sauce or other "toppings".
And definitely no overcooked dry-ass steak meat. If I want that, I can heat up a frozen hamburger patty in the microwave and stick it on a POS burger bun w/American cheese.
I prefer fresh, rare, thin-sliced steak w/plenty of provolone cheese and lots of raw onions on a good, fresh, ideally warm, crunchy bread. No mushrooms or cooked onions. No sauce or other "toppings".
And definitely no overcooked dry-ass steak meat. If I want that, I can heat up a frozen hamburger patty in the microwave and stick it on a POS burger bun w/American cheese.
We do a ton of day trips and outings to restaurants, like the Keyport Fishery, which is near there, so I've been up and down 35 many times - it's also the alternate when the Parkway is backed up in this area. And I'm shocked - shocked - to find out that strippers are all over Route 35...
You're certainly not describing a classic Philly cheesesteak." Agree on good meat (nobody will disagree with that) and provolone (not a "whiz" guy, but I get it), but the onions need to be fried and the bread should absolutely not be crunchy - should be a good, soft Italian roll that can properly absorb the grease from the meat. And plenty of ketchup. I also like hot banana peppers.
Well, I also liked Greasy Tony's cheese steaks. Which were closer to what you describe. Although I was usually pretty drunk when having them which could compromise my judgement some.
Oh Green Brook That's definitive! That's the same town where the biggest business "in town"- the "L" car dealership kids were so inept at legally selling cars so they were selling blow out of the lockers of the local gym?-(BTW concurred several times inc years later by the owner of the top local bar).
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OR that's the same town where they were SO worried about riff raff they turned down McLoone's (now the best things to happen to Hillsborough in years (a beautiful facility, a great service model that makes even this RU MBA proud and no riff raff whatsoever).
Physically speaking on a map it's Central NJ. However there's a reason why Watchung and Bridgewater are literally above Green Brook.
says who? [eyeroll].... when asked what exit most people give their GSP exit #
So a woman posts a thread looking for a cheesesteak and gets a geography debate...
Yeah, that's only appropriate in pork roll/Taylor Ham debates, where it is correctly called pork roll in South and Central NJ.
This was relevant back in the day but not as much anymore as some providers have taken Philly away from NYC area towns and vice versa.
I don't believe in central NJ. North goes from Sussex/Bergen all the way down to Monmouth.
Northern ocean and all of Mercer are gray areas with mixed north and south tendencies. In reality Bergen down through north ocean is kind of one contiguous cultural area. The western counties are different and east vs West south Jersey different as well.
If you insist on having a central Jersey it has to be between rt 78 and 195. But Monmouth is so much more NY than Mercer that it's kinda disingenuous to even have a central. If anything there is north north that is Bergen and Passaic and then there is regular north which is Essex through northern ocean.
Anyway fun to talk about lol.
BEST CHEESESTEAK in the whole state is obviously White House.
Come to think of it I once had a Philly cheese steak for breakfast at Whitehouse Subs in Atlantic City. It was fantastic, just like all their other subs.
The protocol was to stop at Whitehouse Subs twice on every trip to AC. Once on the way in to town and once for take-out when leaving. A winning formula.
High-quality meat and cheese, and the roll is ALWAYS fresh and as tasty as can be!
I haven't had a cheesesteak in ages but after this damned thread... I was returning from seeing a customer in Pennsaucken
and stopped at Gaetanos off of Route 130
The sandwiches are as big as a missile and they give you way too much of everything...Not the best but pretty damned good.I will have agita until Thursday.
and stopped at Gaetanos off of Route 130
The sandwiches are as big as a missile and they give you way too much of everything...Not the best but pretty damned good.I will have agita until Thursday.
Tony Luke from Philly has a place on Route 73 not to far from where you are. It is in front of a bowling alley if I recall. That was the last steak I had almost a year ago but pretty good. The agita gets me as well.
Anyone else find Cheese Whiz to be an atrocity against mankind? I'll eat it when in Philly because it's the thing, but why it became the thing escapes me. No self-respecting adult willingly eats Whiz on anything other than a cheesesteak for a reason.
Much rather have real cheese, preferably mixed with the steak for melting so it spreads out evenly.
Much rather have real cheese, preferably mixed with the steak for melting so it spreads out evenly.
Why would you eat it in Philly? I've been going to Philly cheesesteak places for over 45 of my 54 years and I've never had Whiz on a cheesesteak there on purpose (have only had it by accident in 1 or 2 places where I forgot to specify provolone and didn't want to make a big deal out of it - it's fine, but it ain't right, lol).
And anyone who invokes history to defend Whiz is wrong, wrong, wrong. Cheesesteaks were invented in South Philly in the early 30s (by Pat of Pat's steaks fame) and Whiz wasn't invented until the early 50s. I know my neighborhood full of Italians in South Jersey taught me eat cheesesteaks with provolone and this included all the parents who grew up on cheesesteaks with provolone in the 40s and 50s.
It's on my list now - always looking for good cheesesteaks in our area...
