Observer Newspapers

Jan. 2, 2008

If you go to... Philly Cheesesteak Co.

WHERE: 520 Northpark Dr., Kingwood

HOURS: 11 a.m.-9 p.m., daily

PRICE: sandwiches $4.50 and up

INFO: 281-359-7592; phillycheesesteakco.com

This may be Kingwood, Texas, but you still don’t have to look far for the genuine taste of Philadelphia.

Just cross the railroad tracks.

The Philly Cheesesteak Co. opened its doors on Northpark Drive three weeks ago and greets customers with bright yellow lettering on its windows, proudly proclaiming “We’re really from Philly!”

As soon as Observer News Editor Sarah and I set foot into the  sandwich shop last week, owner Joe Perri told us, with an air that left no doubt that the only cheesesteak sandwiches that should be allowed to exist are those fashioned in authentic Philly style, that once we had one of his Philly Cheesesteak sandwiches, we would never go anywhere else.

Perri chatted along jovially as we made our selections and assured us that our food would be made to order, exactly to our specifications.

“It’s better to let the customer tell us what they want on it, rather than having them pick the stuff they don’t want out of their sandwich,” he explained.

For those who can’t make up their minds about what they want, there is a helpful array of cheesesteak combinations listed on the menu, in addition to subs, salads, sides and kids meals.

For me, it was a Bell Pepper Cheesesteak with mushrooms added ($6.65), while Sarah chose the Hot Pepper Cheesesteak topped with grilled onions ($6.25). Still on a holiday eating binge, I added chili-cheese fries ($2.75) to my order. Sarah on the other hand, Little Miss sensible, stuck with regular fries ($1.95).

Sarah and I sat down in a booth, remarking on the restaurant’s cleanliness and admiring the framed posters of Philadelphia sports teams and the city’s skyline arranged on the walls. Six ceiling-mounted  television sets and doo-wop music bopping in the background gave the place a super-casual atmosphere. We waited for maybe three minutes before our food arrived.

To tell the truth, living in this world of false advertising has made me a bit cynical and I didn’t give much credence to Perri’s claims of making the best Philly Cheesesteak sandwiches outside of Philadelphia.

Imagine our amazement when both Sarah and I realized with the first bite that we really  were hooked! 

The greatest tribute to the excellence of our sandwiches was the fact that they rendered Sarah speechless for the duration of our meal.

Vivacious, talkative, gregarious Sarah, who can’t hold her tongue any longer than a second or two and only under the most dire circumstances  —  that same Sarah was sitting across from me completely mute, too busy tearing off another chunk of Philly Cheesesteak.

— Stefanie Thomas