Being a creature of habit, I have developed weekly and monthly food rituals. Many of them revolve around ingredients, preferably meats, that are found between two pieces of bread. I can very easily consume more than half a French baguette in less than twenty minutes. I’m a bread freak, I love the feeling at the tip of my fingers when I scoop my food into a piece of Lavash, tilt my head back, drop it in my mouth and chew. So it should be no surprise that on a weekly and monthly basis, Carne Asada burritos from Yuca’s, Salami and Pecorino sandwiches from Nicole’s, and Philly Cheesesteak sandwiches from Philadelphia Sandwiches fortify these little “habits.”

Philadelphia Sandwiches was an accidental discovery while driving on Magnolia Blvd in North Hollywood one day. Upon returning for the fourth or fifth time, while standing in line waiting to order, I overheard the owners arguing in what I was sure was Russian. Behind the counter, a petite, red headed woman with alabaster skin and bright blue eyes went back and forth with her husband. I couldn’t help but stare, the husband, just a little taller than his wife, raised his thick man hands in the air as he tried to make his point. I placed my order, got my number, and went to the corner still staring as I flipped through pages of the L.A. Weekly. For some reason it was odd to me that an older Russian couple owned a Philly cheesesteak joint. Ten minutes later Mama Philadelphia-Russia called my number and as I picked up my to go sandwich, I looked at her, smiled and said, “Spasiba.”

“Oh, spasiba to you,” she replied as her eyes widened, and ever since then that has been our polite exchange. After some time instead of getting my sandwiches to go I started eating them there instead. Every couple of weeks, I make my way over to NOHO (North Hollywood), say hello and spasiba to the Russians and eat a Philly Cheesesteak. I order the same thing each time, a small Philly with everything, extra cheese and a side of hot peppers. I then pick up my sandwich as well as that week’s issue of the L.A. Weekly, and go to the back room where I sit in my seat, eat and read. Yes, I have my own seat, booth to be exact.

The mom and pop feel of this place brings not only sandwiches to mind but Jonathan Gold as well. For those of you unfamiliar with the illustrious Mr. Gold, he is the first and only food writer to receive a Pulitzer Prize and is the granddaddy of L.A. food writers. Unlike most food critics, like the feared   S. Irene Virbilla of the Los Angeles Times, Mr. Gold of the L.A. Weekly, is pragmatic and down with the people. This is not to say that Ms. Virbilla lacks those qualities but she’s just a little more bourgie, if you will. His niche on the other hand is to push the mom and pop restaurants that I love so much, particularly the ethnic ones. Every Wednesday as I open the food section of the Times, the same sentence plays in my head “lets see who Irene is going to discreetly rip into this week?” If S. Irene Virbilla is the Roadrunner plowing through Los Angeles leaving a culinary dust trail, Jonathan Gold is a tamer Bugs Bunny, hopping from neighborhood to neighborhood nibbling on the good stuff while leaving behind pebbles for us to follow. I like to think of Ms. Virbilla as a food critic and Mr. Gold as a food informant. He knows the crevices of Los Angeles and is finely in tune with all the hole in the wall places that so many of us love to frequent.

My cheesesteak sandwich habit has been going on for quite a few years and has no geographical boundaries. In Los Angeles it is Mr. Gold’s weekly reviews and the Russians. While living up north it was Jay’s Cheesesteak, mostly on Sunday afternoons with the church folks. I liked Sundays because a lot of people would come straight after church. The place would get packed with ladies in colorful hats and men looking dapper in their suits while standing in the long line waiting to splurge.

After all these years of eating these filling sandwiches, I recently realized that it never once occurred to me to make them myself. So a few days ago I made my first Philly cheesesteak sandwich. I made it with Rib Eye steak, bell peppers, onions, mushrooms, paprika, Provolone cheese and layered it between the delicious rolls I got at the Italian deli.

I did some needed research to find out a little more about the history of this sandwich and its origins in Philadelphia. Unfortunately I’ve never been to Philly and the only things that come to mind when I think of Philly are The Declaration of Independence, The Roots and cheesesteak sandwiches. The story goes, that 1930, in south Philly, brothers Pat and Henry Olivieri made the first Steak sandwich and sold it for a nickel each. Thirty years later, cheese was added to the sandwich, Cheez Wiz to be exact and the Philly Cheesesteak was born.

Cheesesteak aficionados insist that the most important part of a good cheesesteak is the meat and the bread. According to most recipes the best meat is Rib Eye, shaved very thin. Rib Eye has good marbling without too much fat. Either have your butcher slice it thin or freeze it a bit to make it easier to thinly slice at home. As far as the bread, a good roll is required, usually a Hoagie roll is used, but I also like the extra crunch from a French baguette. For seasoning I added a little bit of garlic powder and paprika without overpowering the taste of the meat. I was definitely pleased with the outcome it was fast, easy and oh so juicy. So there it is, with just 30 minutes of effort in the kitchen, you can be transported to south Philly not by a plane but by a sandwich. Most importantly if you’re cool like me you will bop your head to Illadelph Halflife when you do.

Taking time to eat by myself is so essential to my week, it’s my time to chill, read a magazine and eat in peace. Sometimes it’s not so peaceful though, last Friday I had to control myself from spitting my food out from laughter. The guy sitting behind me kept going on and on about how his ex wife was a bad mother and a whore, and after divorcing her he had finally found Jesus. He said he felt “blessed” for having been “saved,” but was scared he might die anyway if his new, non-whore, Christian wife found out he was eating a Philly Cheesesteak. When eating and reading, I usually have a pretty good ability to block everything out. However, being a curious cat I also enjoy eavesdropping, it’s amazing some of the things you “accidently” overhear. Since discovering this place, I truly look foreword to my rendezvous with Mr. Gold’s words, the Russians and the juices from the cheesesteak sandwiches that drip down my fingers and onto the pages of inspiration.

This recipe is derived from several different recipes. Aside from the addition of paprika and garlic powder the ingredients are basic and stay true to a true Philly cheesesteak sandwich.

Philly Cheesesteak Sandwich

Yield 4 servings

1 lb. Rib Eye beef, thinly sliced

1 onion, cut lengthwise

2-3 red bell peppers, julienned

1 ½ lbs mushrooms, white or Cremini

½ jalapeño

3 tbsp  vegetable oil

½ tsp  kosher salt

¼ tsp  black pepper

½ tsp garlic powder

½ tsp paprika

1 lb  Provolone cheese, thinly sliced

4 French, Italian or Hoagie rolls

1. Place the beef in a large bowl and sprinkle with ½ of the salt, pepper, garlic powder and paprika and mix.
2. Heat half of the oil in a skillet over medium-high heat and caramelize the onions. Add the jalapeño, bell peppers, mushrooms and the rest of the spice mixture, sauté for 3 min. and transfer to a bowl.
3. Using the same sauté pan, heat the rest of the oil over medium-high heat and sauté Rib Eye strips for 1 ½ min. on each side. Remove from the heat and on a cutting board chop into a small-medium dice.
4. Cut bread rolls in ½ lengthwise, add Provolone slices and put in the toaster. Meanwhile combine sautéed vegetables and meat and return to skillet, sauté for 1 minute and divide meat into the rolls and serve.

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