A favorite at McNally’s Tavern in Chestnut Hill for more than 40 years, The Schmitter® is packed with sliced beef, extra cheese, fried onions, tomato, grilled salami and special sauce all onto a flash-broiled Kaiser roll. (Photo by J. Varney for GPTMC)

[This is the latest installment in our ongoing post series "Amuse Bouche Philadelphia," in which we highlight must-try menu items at restaurants and eateries around the city. We're calling the post series "Amuse Bouche" because, like a traditional amuse bouche that you might receive before a meal, these posts are intended to tease and excite your taste buds. Only we'll have to try to do it visually. Hope you enjoy.]

Amuse Bouche is back for 2012 and we’re starting it off by highlighting some of Philadelphia’s most iconic foods. Next up is the uniquely delicious Schmitter® Sandwich from McNally’s Tavern in Chestnut Hill. (So good, in fact, it has actually been copyrighted.)

McNally’s is a Chestnut Hill landmark, however it’s one without a big sign. Instead, there’s just a small plaque on the door and a green flag hanging above. But locals know how to find it just fine — it’s been located here near the top of Germantown Avenue for more than 80 years.

McNally’s, of course, is famous for its signature sandwich, the Schmitter®, which is a variation of Philadelphia’s famous cheesesteak sandwich. The Schmitter® includes the traditional grilled steak, fried onions and melted cheese but adds grilled salami, grilled tomatoes and a special sauce and comes on a toasted Kaiser roll instead of a long hoagie roll.

While the combination might sound strange, it’s famous for a reason — it’s frighteningly delicious. Go ahead and put it on your Philadelphia bucket list.

McNally’s Tavern
8634 Germantown Avenue
www.mcnallystavern.com

Boom. Amuse Bouche is back for 2012 and we're kicking it off by highlighting some of Philadelphia's most iconic foods. First up, the world famous Philly cheesesteak. (Photo by J. Varney for GPTMC)

[This is the latest installment in our post series "Amuse Bouche Philadelphia," in which we highlight must-try menu items at restaurants and eateries around the city. We're calling the post series "Amuse Bouche" because, like a traditional amuse bouche that you might receive before a meal, these posts are intended to tease and excite your taste buds. Only we'll have to try to do it visually. Hope you enjoy.]

Here in Philadelphia, cheesesteaks are a civic icon, a tourist draw and a cultural obsession. Often imitated around the world, the cheesesteak is rarely duplicated successfully outside of Philadelphia.

Why? Let’s call it “precision sandwich engineering.” Everyone agrees that an authentic Philadelphia cheesesteak, first introduced by Pat Olivieri in 1930, requires thinly sliced ribeye beef and a somewhat soft/somewhat crusty long roll, but the choice between provolone, American and Cheez Whiz is a matter of great debate, as is the best place to eat the famed sandwich.

The good news is that no matter if it’s your first cheesesteak or your 101st, each bite is always worth savoring.

Pictured here is a steak topped with Cheez Whiz and onions — known as a “Whiz Wit” to locals — from one of the most famous cheesesteak shops in town, the incomparable Tony Luke’s in South Philly.

Go ahead and treat yourself to one. You won’t regret it.

Authentic Philly Cheesesteaks [Visit Philly]

The steaks are high at this culinary showdown, and you get to taste the competition. (Photo courtesy Square 1682)

To mark its second anniversary, Square 1682 at the Hotel Palomar will host the “Cheesesteak Challenge: High Steaks” (get it?) block party on Sunday, October 16 from 3–5 p.m. benefiting Philadelphia Academies.

To pay homage to one of Philadelphia’s signature sandwiches, top local chefs will share their own renditions. The winner will receive a Cheesesteak Challenge trophy, plus bragging rights for the year.

Participating chefs include: Chef Guillermo Tellez, Square 1682; Chef Peter Woolsey, Bistro La Minette; Chef Mike Stollenwerk, Fish; Chef Daniel Stern, R2L; Chef Marcie Turney, Barbuzzo’s; Chef Townsend Wentz, McCrossen’s Tavern; Chef Konstantinos Pitsillides, Kanella; Chef Nick Farina, Verdad; David Boyle, Davio’s; Brian Turowski, Jackson 20 (Alexandria, VA) and Lynn Rinaldi, Paradiso.

Sandwiches will be judged by a panel of experts, including WMMR’s Matt Cord, City Hall’s Melanie Johnson, Thrillist Editor Nick Hamner, GPTMC President Meryl Levitz and cheesesteak expert Frank Oliveri Jr. (of Pat’s King of Steaks).

For an admission fee of $20, 100% of which will benefit The Philadelphia Academies (a charity dedicated to Philly public school students), 300 guests can watch the chefs compete and sample their cheesesteaks. Beer will also be on sale from Victory.

Tickets are available online. Let the chow-down begin.

Square 1682’s Cheesesteak Challenge: High Steaks
When: Sunday, October 16, 3–5 p.m. (rain or shine)
Where: Block party on Sansom Street between 16th & 17th Streets
Cost: $20 (includes samples of all cheesesteaks)
More info: www.square1682.com

 
So The Roots drummer Questlove is continuing his push into the food world with a new specialty roll at Zama, the awesome Japanese restaurant on Rittenhouse Square.

Questlove has teamed up with Chef Zama to create a delicious new specialty sushi roll to be featured on Zama’s regular menu.

Ever the Philly ambassador, Questlove decided to go with a roll that would promote Philadelphia.

The “Drum Roll,” also known as the Questlove Roll and the Cheesesteak Roll, is a Japanese take on a classic Philly cheesesteak. The roll is made with premium Japanese Wagyu beef, provolone cheese and sautéed onions, plus a little spicy mayo, all rolled in a red pepper flaked soy paper and served with horseradish aioli. It even comes with a cherry pepper on the side.

Check out the above video to see Questlove in action behind the sushi bar with Chef Zama as they prepare Questlove’s specialty roll.

The Questlove Roll will be available on the menu at Zama beginning next week. $1 from each sale of the roll will go toward Harlem Village Academies, Questlove’s chosen charity.

This is latest in a series of Celebrity Rolls at Zama that already include entries by Marc Vetri, Pierre Calmels of Bibou, and Tony Luke.

Zama Restaurant
128 S. 19th Street
www.zamarestaurant.com

Cheesesteaks, barbecue and Crab Fries – Oh My! The food at Citizens Bank Park is award-winning, and deservedly so.
(Clockwise from top: G. Widman for GPTMC, R. Kennedy for GPTMC, B. Krist for GPTMC)

We’re just nine, that’s right, nine short days away from Opening Day at Citizens Bank Park, so it’s time to start getting excited about what’s new at the ballpark this season.

We’ve already mentioned the giant new HD jumbotron — 7,372 square feet large to be exact, the largest in the National League — that has been installed for the new season.

We also tipped you off about the “At the Ballpark” feature in the MLB At-Bat app that lets you order ballpark food through your iPhone and have it delivered directly to your seat, which debuted with a test run at the end of last season. It was a success, so the ordering-food-from-your-seat component of the At-Bat 2011 app will be in full operation at CBP this season.

And today, the Phillies released what else is new at the ballpark for 2011. Here’s a rundown on some brand new concessions being offered:

• The Return of Tastykakes: After not being available at the Phillies’ stadiums for years due to melting issues, Aramark is bringing back Tastykakes to Phillies games complete with a custom cooler to keep them chilled on hot summer days at select concessions. Chocolate Cupcakes, Butterscotch Krimpets and Peanut Butter Kandy Kakes will be available at South Philadelphia Market stands (behind Sections 106, 177, 128, 206, 318 and 323) and Hall of Fame and Diamond Clubs. Sugar-Free Tastykakes available at Philly Fresh (behind Section 139; see below).

• A New Philly Fresh stand: This new stand will be located behind Section 139 in Left Field and feature healthier menu options than the ballpark standards (not that there’s anything wrong with crab fries, cheesesteaks, BBQ and the like…).

Fare at the new Philly Fresh concession will include the Hall of Fame Salad (mixed greens, red grapes, pistachios, dried cranberries, blue cheese, balsamic vinaigrette); Shanghai Chicken Salad (grilled chicken breast, mixed greens, crispy Asian-style noodles, carrots, scallions, low-fat ginger soy dressing); trail mix; whole-grain pretzels; strawberry banana and mango smoothies; low-fat yogurt and berry parfait; hummus dip with pita crisps; carrots and celery with low-fat ranch dressing; Go-Gurt yogurt and sugar-free Tastykakes.

Below, we have info on a few more tasty additions.

If you're lucky you might just catch a hot dog that the Phillie Phanatic shoots into the seats. Or brave the crowds in Ashburn Alley for some delicious eats from Tony Luke's, Campo's and Chickie's & Pete's. (Photos by R. Kennedy for GPTMC)

• A New Panini stand: Hot-pressed buffalo chicken and Cuban sandwiches will be sold behind Section 134.

• A New Yogen Fruz stand: Waistline-watching dessert enthusiasts jealous of their fellow fans’ mini baseball helmet ice cream dishes can pick up frozen yogurt, behind Sections 127 and 315.

Combine these additions with returning ballpark favorites like Tony Luke’s, Campo’s, the McNally’s Schmitter, Bull’s BBQ and Harry the K’s, and you have a good idea why Citizens Bank Park is consistently recognized as having some of the best ballpark food in all of Major League Baseball.

In other food-related Citizens Bank Park news, you can vote for the ballpark’s New Healthy Sandwich. Starting Opening Day, April 1, you’ll be able to vote online [website coming] and at the Philly Fresh Stand behind Section 139 to choose between the two competitors: Grilled Chipotle Chicken Wrap and Char-grilled Turkey Burger. The fans’ choice will be announced after the All-Star Game and will be available throughout the 2011 season.

Philadelphia Phillies
Opening Day, Friday, April 1, 2011
www.phillies.com

 
Bradley Cooper and Robert De Niro were on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon on Friday night to promote their new movie Limitless, some of which was filmed here in Philadelphia last year.

During the interview with Fallon, they talk about filming some of the movie here and how Bradley Cooper is from Philadelphia, which made him really want to impress Robert De Niro with a great Philly Cheesesteak while they were in Philadelphia.

Said Cooper: “I was more concerned with impressing Bob [De Niro] with the food of Philly, I think, than with the movie.”

And then the cheesesteak debate began. Jimmy Fallon jumps in with his (and supposedly Tina Fey’s) favorite cheesesteak, and Questlove jumps in with his favorite cheesesteak, before Bradley Cooper reveals that he’s a Pat’s supporter and he had them deliver a bunch of cheesesteaks to the set while they were filming here.

So here’s the favorite cheesesteak tally:

Jimmy Fallon (and Tina Fey by hearsay): Jim’s
Questlove: Tony Luke’s
Bradley Cooper: Pat’s
Robert De Niro: Undecided

Check out the video clip above. The cheesesteak discussion begins around 3:30.

Late Night With Jimmy Fallon – Robert De Niro and Bradley Cooper [Official Site]

Remember the extreme food challenges we rounded up recently? From two-foot cheesesteaks to 11-patty burgers, there’s an audacious eating extravaganza for every palate in Philadelphia.

Now you can challenge yourself to some mobile gullet-stuffing with the Junk Food Tour, a historical and cultural food-based insider look at all of Philadelphia from Manayunk to the Sports Complex, the Italian Market, South Street, the Universities, the Zoo; everything river to river.

Along the five-hour way, you’ll be in and out of a first-class luxury motor coach to sample the city’s gustatory classics: think sweet sausages with roasted peppers and onions; succulent roast pork and brisket; hoagies of every sort made with the finest capicola, Italian ham, turkey, salami and prosciutto; and cheesesteaks, plus so much more. Unlimited free soft drinks, juices and water are included with your ticket.

The hosts are entertaining and informative, and they leave you with a free eco-friendly tote bag to take home any unfinished items along with additional edible surprises.

Adults are $125, seniors $115 (63+) and teens $115 (12-17). Tickets are available online.

The Junk Food Tour [Official Site]

It's time for some gastronomic feats of strength.
(Credit: iStockPhoto)

Remember the 5-Pound Philly Challenge at Jake’s Sandwich Board that we recently mentioned?

Turns out there’s a lot more where that came from, at places all around the Philadelphia area.

Looking to pack on some pounds? Want to substantiate your Philadelphia pride? Just trying to stare in amazement at the incredibly brave souls who would endeavor such gustatory extremes? Whatever your reason, we won’t judge.

Here’s our list of the best and boldest of the extreme eating food challenges that you can find in and around Philadelphia. Do enjoy.

• Delicatessen: Now through next Wednesday, January 19th, the restaurant is running a competition to see who can complete their newly introduced “Big Macher,” a 24 oz. beast of a pastrami sandwich, in under 15 minutes. The current record is just over 7 minutes. The top six finalists will be invited to compete the following day, Thursday, January 20th, to finish the 48 oz. “Maccabee.” The winner gets a catered pastrami party for 25, and hopefully not coronary artery disease.

• Joey’s Famous Philly Cheesesteaks: The Ultimate Death By Cheesesteak Challenge, soon to be featured on Food Network’s Outrageous Foods, consists of a two-foot cheesesteak loaded with mushrooms, sweet peppers and fried onions. Complete it? You get your picture on the “Wall of Death.”

• The BRGR Joint: Order the “OMG BRGR” and answer “How high do you wanna go?” in stacked hamburger patties. You can pile up to 11. Good luck getting a mouthful of that.

• Tony Luke’s: Remember the “Ultimate Philly Cheesesteak” featured on the Travel Channel’s Man v. Food in September 2009? It’s still around, and you can try it yourself. For $43, you get a 20-inch bun covered with six heaping piles of steak and cheese, and topped with a half-pound of fried onions, for a total weight of about five pounds.

We’ve got nine more below, including a five-pound burrito, a Shame Burger and a sandwich known simply as “The Annihilator.”

• Machismo Burrito Bar in Manayunk: Five pound burrito, 20 bucks, one hour. Finish the burrito (which includes saffron and brown rice, pinto and black beans, chicken, sour cream and cheese), get $20 (plus a free drink) if you do it in less than an hour.

• Brick House Tavern + Tap: “Brick Burgers,” which you can stack up “brick by brick,” come in XL (regular, 8 oz. burger), XXL (one pound burger), and XXXL (one-and-a-half pound “super beast”).

• Tony’s Family Restaurant: The Annihilator challenge threatens to do just that to your stomach. You have an hour (without leaving the table) to finish a five-and-a-half pound platter: two-and-a-half pounds of roast beef or pork with a half pound of provolone cheese piled inside a freshly baked one-pound Vienna bun (call ahead before you arrive and they’ll have one sent in fresh for you). The Annihilator is then smeared with the eatery’s own horseradish sauce and served with a side of one-and-a-half pounds of onion rings that ALL must be completed for the competition. If you’re successful, you eat for free ($36 value) and win a T-shirt that reads “I Conquered The Annihilator.”

• The Wishing Well: The SHAME Challenge pits you, eater, against two “Double SHAME Burgers” each with two 8 oz. all beef patties, two pieces of scrapple, four slices of American cheese, two fried eggs, two orders of hand cut fries and two pints of beer. The rules: you must complete it within 45 minutes (with zero bathroom breaks), plates and glasses must be wiped clean, and you must stay seated for five minutes after the challenge is complete. If you’re successful, you get your $40-value meal comped, win a $25 gift card and get your photo on the “Wall of Shame.” Think you can be the 6th of the 5 people (out of 100 attempters) who have succeeded?

• Jake’s Sandwich Board: The 5-Pound Philly Challenge pits customers against five pounds of “all things Philly” edibles; if you finish in 45 minutes, the bill is comped, otherwise the total comes to $34.95. On the menu? A two-foot steak, brisket or pork sandwich weighing about three pounds, four soft-pretzels, twelve TastyKakes, two dozen Peanut Chews, and a Champ Cherry Soda to wash it all down.

• Drinker’s: The Drinker’s Challenge entails eating 33 tacos in 13 minutes, for which you get a T-shirt, a bottle of taco sauce and a name-engraved plaque on the wall, plus the tacos for free. And by “you” we mean the one woman who managed to complete the challenge thus far, at all three Drinker’s locations, no less!

• Philly Taco: Not an official, restaurant-sanctioned challenge, but nonetheless a hall-of-famer. Head to South Street. Obtain an authentic Philly cheesesteak from Jim’s. Wrap it in one giant slice of delicious pizza from Lorenzo’s. Enjoy.

• Buddy’s: Match up against “The Enemy”: 16 patties of beef, 16 slices of cheese, 8 strips of bacon served on two buns with a large order of fries and a side of cheese sauce. Finish in under 25 minutes and it’s free. Plus you get a T-shirt and your picture on the wall.

• Winner’s Circle Sports Grille: Join the Monster Burger Hall of Fame by cleaning your plate of three separate half-pound patties of fresh Angus burger served with a pound of french fries. Time to beat? 5 minutes 30 seconds.

Know of any more crazy burger, cheesesteak, wings or other food challenges we should add to our list? Let us know in the comments or via email.

And just for fun, check out this video of the making of the Ultimate Philly Cheesesteak at Tony Luke’s from Man v. Food.

(Image courtesy Tony Luke's)

This past weekend, Tony Luke opened a branch of his eponymous cheesesteak shop, Tony Luke’s, in Bahrain in the Middle East.

CNN caught up with the man and he had some pretty nice things to say:

The Cheesesteak IS Philadelphia. It is one of our most prized possessions. We love it. We represent it no matter what. We love our cheesesteak just as much as we love our sports teams and that’s a lot. [...] And I’m happy that we get to share the cheesesteak around the world now.

I’m a Philly guy through and through. I love this city; I’ve always loved this city. And to be able to not only share one of my favorite foods with the rest of the world, but to share the city that I’ve grown to love more than anything and grew up in… to be able to share that too to different cultures around the world… I feel like the luckiest guy in the world.

Congrats to Tony Luke’s on the international expansion. Sounds like Philadelphia has a great new ambassador.

Check out the full article and video on CNN. And check out some of Tony’s tweets from Bahrain.

Get Your Philly Cheesesteak On – In Bahrain [CNN.com]

Square 1682 is turning one! (Photo courtesy Hotel Palomar)

Square 1682 at the Hotel Palomar is celebrating its one year anniversary with a high “steaks” cheesesteak competition and block party on Sunday, October 17.

Ten local chefs will face off to see whose cheesesteak interpretation is superior. Among the chefs competing: David Boyle from Davio’s; Matthew Levine from Adsum; Brinn Sinnott from Noble; Mike Stollenwerk from Fish; Peter Woolsey from Bistrot La Minette; and, of course, Guillermo Tellez from Square 1682.

The cheesesteak sandwiches created will then be judged by a panel of local experts, including Tony Luke of Tony Luke’s.

Victory Brewing Company will be on hand providing the beverages.

Tickets are $20 and will get you samples of the various cheeseteak interpretations as well as plenty of Victory beer. The event runs from 3-5 pm, which should make it a very nice prelude to Game 2 of NLCS.

Proceeds from ticket sales benefit The Philadelphia Academies, a charity dedicated to expanding life and economic options for Philadelphia public school students through career-focused programming, preparing them for employment and post-secondary education.

Square 1682 [Official Site]

President Obama shows Reading Terminal Market and Philadelphia's signature sandwich some love.
(Photo: TIM SLOAN/AFP/Getty Images)

President Barack Obama made an unannounced visit to the Reading Terminal Market today, where he picked up a few Philly cheesesteaks from Carmen’s Famous Italian Hoagies and Cheesesteaks. He ordered the cheesesteaks with cheez wiz, mushrooms and sweet peppers and got them to-go.

On his way out, Obama picked up some mint chocolate chip ice cream as well as a few apples, after a vendor suggested something healthy on the side.

Well done, Reading Terminal Market — you look great.

In Philly, Obama opts for cheesesteaks, not fruit [CNN Political Ticker]
In Philly, it’s 2 cheesesteaks to go for Obama [AP]
Authentic Philly Cheesesteaks [Visit Philly]

Don't miss your chance to sample a 100% locally-sourced cheesesteak. (Photo by G. Widman for GPTMC)

Our sibling site Philly Homegrown has teamed up with Frog Commissary founder, chef and author Steve Poses to produce a farm-fresh take on the iconic Philly cheesesteak.

This Wednesday at 11 a.m., Chef Poses will be dishing out 250 authentic Philly cheesesteaks made entirely from ingredients grown and produced within the area’s 100-mile foodshed.

The 250 cheesesteaks will then be quartered providing 1,000 samples to be given out to attendees and passersby for free.

Some of the signature ingredients being used: 150 pounds of chipped grass-fed organic beef from Landisdale Farm; 50 pounds of organic colby cheese from Mountain Meadows Colby; 25 pounds of organic onions from Landisdale Farm; 25 pounds of sweet and hot peppers from McCann Farm; and 208 feet of bread from Sarcone’s.

After the event, the featured all-local cheesesteak will be available for purchase for a limited time (August 26-29) at Ben’s Bistro in The Franklin Institute Science Museum. Note: The restaurant is open to the public daily and does not require museum admission.

What: 1,000 Free Locally Sourced Cheesesteak Samples
When: Wednesday, August 25, at 11 a.m.
Where: The Mayor’s Farmers’ Market at Love Park