My Quest to try every cheesesteak in Philly

I have a love hate relationship with the city of Philadelphia. I love the Philadelphia Phillies. I hate the blistering cold. I love the grittiness of the city. I hate the cold. I love that Philadelphia is a sense of pride to every person who comes from the city (including my boyfriend Carl who could out-Philly almost anyone when it comes to his hometown). Did I mention I hate the cold? If there's one thing about Philly that I love, it's Philly Cheesesteaks! I know what you're thinking: "how does she keep such a fabulous figure when she loves to eat things like Philly cheesesteaks and pizza". Ok, I jest! However, I do enjoy a good Philly cheesesteak, and on my second trip to Philadelphia I was determined to try two of the famous institutions of Philadelphia Cheesesteaks- Pat's and Geno's. If you've ever watched the Food Network or the Travel Channel, then you're most likely familiar with Pat's and Geno's. Pat's is one of the oldest Cheesesteak restaurants in the city, but Geno's makes sure that Pat's won't outshine their restaurant- literally. The two restaurants are located across the street from one another. Pat's is an otherwise unassuming cheesesteak joint built for the blue collar working class cheesesteak aficionados. Across the street you have the can't-be-missed production that is Geno's. Geno's boasts hundreds, if not thousands, of watts of bright neon lights proudly displaying the "Geno's" lightshow that you could probably see from outer space. If you pick out any Philly native and ask if they prefer Pat's or Geno's you'll definitely get a difinitive answer. Pat's and Geno's are like the Capulets and Montagues of Old Verona. It's a town divided amongst cheesesteaks! As you can imagine, I was eager to find out what the friendly rivalry was all about. After a flight headache., Carl and I arrived in Philadelphia around 1:00am (about 4 hours later than we'd originally hoped). When his sister and brother-in-law picked us up, they insisted upon fulfilling my cheesesteak craving and took us directly to Pat's and Geno's. I was surprised that on a Tuesday morning at 1:00am we were not the only folks hanging out in the near freezing temps to try out a cheesesteak. We divided and conquered, separating into two and ordering one cheesesteak from each place. Candidly, I was a little nervous that the Geno's staff would kick us out of their benches after learning that we had a sandwich from their rival neighbor Pat's, but I find it hard to believe that we were the first to do so! Each sandwich was delicious. Upon first bite, I thought that Geno's was by far the superior steak. Upon further eating, the meat on the steak from Geno's started to taste funny. It didn't taste fresh, almost like it had a freezer burn to it. None of my other cheesesteak companions tasted the "freezer burn" taste, but once I caught onto it, I couldn't let it go. Both steaks had fresh Italian rolls that quite literally seemed to melt in my mouth. After both steaks were devoured, I had to pick Pat's because their meat tasted of a higher quality. Unlike those proud Philadelphia natives who grew up on either Pat's or Geno's I don't know if I could stand steadfast behind the Pat's cheesesteak. Who knows, next time I may return to try a steak from both and I might just pick Geno's. To me, it's all about what I'm feeling that day. To Philadelphians it's about pride!

The Pizza Experience

I believe that food can be an experience. It's not always just about the taste or the ingredients, but sometimes the ambiance and the people alongside the food are the recipes that create the entire experience. Having pizza at Dirafa was one of those experiences! I've visited Manhattan several times, but I've never spent real time in Brooklyn which is where Difara is located. Not only is Difara located in Brooklyn, but it's deep in the heart of an orthodox Jewish neighborhood sandwiched between Judaica shops and stores with signs entirely in Hebrew. As we approached the tiny pizza shop with a big reputation, I was genuinely relieved when it was open the day after Thanksgiving without a line. Friends of mine who reside in New York have told me that DiFara is notorious for being closed at random as well as the long lines outside of the shop. We stood behind two or three people who ordered pizza before us. Upon spying an available table amongst the very few tables, I quite literally cut off another patron in a race to the open table while Carl stood in the short line to order our pizza. He and I have a process about ordering pizza at new places. We always order the traditional cheese pizza, because we feel that a basic cheese pizza gives us the best insight into what a pizza joint can really do. If they can mess up a cheese pizza, I don't want to know what else could go wrong!
Imagine a 12 by 15 space with approximately 5 tables totalling about 15 seats and you've got Difara's. Scoring a table to ourselves (with two chairs) was pretty lucky! As I previously mentioned, there were only a very few people ahead of us in line. However, it took over half an hour before our pizza was ready. The reason for the long wait is that there is one man who makes every single pizza. His name is Dimenico De Marco and he's probably pushing 85. He takes pride in every pizza he makes. There are three people working in the entire pizza store- his grandaughter who takes the orders, his helper who appears to keep things orderly, and the pizza craftsman himself who personally clips the fresh basil and pours a touch of olive oil on every handmade pizza he creates. It's him who makes the pizza from DiFara a truly incredible and unique experience. It is very rare that one receives the kind of personal craftsmanship that goes into making a single pizza like at DiFara. At any normal restaurant, there are several people that go into every dish that is ordered, but here at DiFara you can watch Domenico make every single pizza. The idea of a second DiFara location opening up in Brooklyn ( or anywhere for that matter) is impossible because the master pizza maker clearly does not want to jeopardize his pizza, and for good reason. This pizza is perfection. The second this pizza hits your lips, everything else fades away. The only thing left is the semi salty taste of the cheese mixed with the sweet, fresh tomato sauce. The fresh basil dispersed on top of the pizza is the proverbial "icing on the cake" that completes the pie. The foundation with which the pizza is built, otherwise known as the crust, is perfectly crunchy and only moderately blackened. Watching the master pizza maker put each pizza into the fire oven is like watching Michelangelo paint the Sistene chapel. It's simple: no one else could do it as well. The entire pizza costs $28 which seems like highway robbery to anyone who thinks Dominos or Pizza Hut is a good pie, but this place is lightyears ahead of your run of the mill chain pizza store. Every pizza is a handcrafted piece of art that awakens the tastebuds and challenges every other pizza in the Big Apple (or the world for that matter). If you ever find yourself within a 100 mile radius of Brooklyn, New York I highly suggest making the trek to DiFara pizza. Oh, and while you're there pick up a menorah for me!