Iconic Cheesesteak Sandwiches
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There’s a phrase in Philly that everyone knows: “Wit.” Translation: “with grilled onions.” It’s the term used when ordering Philadelphia’s iconic cheesesteak sandwich while properly applying the city’s tough-guy accent. “Wit whiz,” means with grilled onions and cheese, specifically Cheese Whiz.
Over at Philly Cold Cuts, the award-winning eatery with two locations, the story goes that the place got its start when the Fuller family’s matriarch would mistakenly make her son’s bag lunch sandwich “wit” cheese. He’d easily sell the offending sammies to a school friend for 75 cents.
That got patriarch Navy Chief George Fuller thinking. His fellow servicemen at Oceana were tired of the same old, same old sammies. So he started a family business delivering all manner of homemade sandwiches to Naval Air Station Oceana and later to Naval Air Station Norfolk.
At retirement, he bought a storefront shop, and 34 years later the family business thrives with the second location debuting in 2017.
Sure, big, brawny hoagie sandwiches are on the menu:—think meatball, Italian, veggie, and ham and cheese—priced from $8.99 for the 7-inch “shorty” to $16.99 for the forearm-sized “biggy.” There are tall, juicy burgers ($6.49 to $11.89 for the triple) and requisite salads ($10.90 to $11.70).
But it’s the philly cheesesteaks that reach the restaurant’s goal of “devotional.”
“We have customers who have been coming here for 30-plus years,” said Todd Fuller, who with his brothers now run the restaurants. “They say, ‘I need to try something new, but I just can’t get off the cheesesteaks.’ ”
Whenever I crave a Philly cheesesteak, I know by the sound of the place whether it’s going to be good. At Philly Cold Cuts’ London Bridge location a staccato chop-chop-chop emanates from the open kitchen. That’s the sound of a cook using dual metal spatulas to chop slim slabs of meat sizzling atop a flattop grill.
On a recent afternoon, my sidekick, Chris, and I settled into one of the five booths in the tiny dining room and quizzed Todd about what we should order. Right off, Chris wanted a Philly cheesesteak “wit,” but not “wit whiz,” instead choosing provolone.
“What should I try?” I asked Todd, wanting to sample more of the menu.
He reluctantly agreed to make me a burger, but then coaxed me instead into ordering a cheesesteak his way, “wit” grilled onions, white American cheese, and sweet peppers, too. (I’m not a fan of the whiz, but of course they’ve got some back there in the kitchen.)
Soon after, our hot, hot, hot 10-inch sandwiches arrived tucked into paper lined, plastic baskets. The rolls—properly, the authentic Amoroso rolls made in Philly—were lightly crisped on the edges and bulging with tender, cheese-streaked beef, slightly crunchy sweet peppers, and onions that had been sautéed in plenty of butter.
It’s a hearty undertaking, and the fork that comes with the sandwich eventually made sense as the fillings fell from the bread. Neither of us could finish more than half.
That’s partly because Todd also insisted that we try the cheese fries ($3.24). The half-inch thick rounds of potato are formed into a sort of twist, deep fried, and served with a side of “whiz.” These are burly things, crispy on the outside and fluffy inside.
Some devotees love those big fries with cheese and bacon ($4.84). Proof of that came as a woman rushed to the counter admitting that she ate her husband’s fries while in the car and needed another order—and fast!
“Give me the biggest one you’ve got,” she said, “with bacon and cheese. He’s just got to have them!”
Food Find:
Philly Cold Cuts
• London Bridge Shopping Center
315 N. Great Neck Road, #136, VB
757-463-5657
• Red Mill Shopping Center
1253 Nimmo Parkway, #112, VB
757-689-4526
Mon.-Sat. 11 a.m.-7 p.m. (grill and takeout close 30 min. prior) Closed Sun.
Cheesesteaks and hoagies: $8.99 for 7” shorty; $12.99 10” medium; $16.99 for 16” biggy (extras $1.15-$3.20 depending on size)
Salads: $10.90-$11.70
Sandwiches: $4.49-$9.39
Burgers: $6.49-$11.89
Sides: $2.45-$4.84
Child’s meal of chicken tenders, fries, and 20-ounce drink: $7.25
Dessert: $5.89
Lorraine Eaton, formerly with the Virginian-Pilot, is co-author of the “Food Lover’s Guide to Virginia,” and author of “Tidewater Table,” a local bestseller. She has won numerous writing awards, and her work has been included in “Best Food Writing.” Lorraine lives in Va. Beach.
