Mother's Restaurant

401 Poydras St.
New Orleans, LA 70130
(504) 523-9656
Website

Mother's is like the Pat's and Geno's of the po' boy. It's the landmark, the one everyone has to try, and one of the originals. I spent a blurry weekend in New Orleans, for the first time a little while ago, and I managed to hit some of the more famous places. Given my penchant for eating sandwiches and my undying love for a good po' boy, they were the main focus of my trip. Oh, and the music and beer.

There is a walk-up counter where you order your food. They offer a variety of hot foods and po' boys. I went with the roast beef. This was based solely upon a recent recommendation by the esteemed Hawk Krall, and I was not disappointed.

The dining room is a 'seat yourself' type of event, and they will bring your food out to you. It's pretty much perfect.

Of course, po' boys aren't the only thing on the menu. There's a wide variety of home cooked selections that are "prepared daily from scratch," including jambalaya, gumbo, étouffée - the list goes on...

Pickled chili peppers and Crystal hot sauce make for a nice kick, one of my requirements on a po' boy.

Now don't look for fancy seeded rolls here. They are called po'boys for a reason.

The beef was tender and juicy, soaking the bread with au jus, and lending a nice salty dipping pool. The bread holds up okay, but it's not the kind of thing you can take to-go. It's an "eat it and get out" type of meal. Couple it with a cheap domestic and you have great base to go out drinking 'til all hours of the night. Which is pretty much the norm down there.

Next time, the baked ham will be mine.

Underdogs

1205 S. 9th Street
Philadelphia, PA
(215) 551.8080
Website

So, you have been drinking, it's late, and your friends from out of town want to hit the two most overrated cheesesteak shops. You can make a bad decision or a good one. Though I am no stranger to bad decisions, I would recommend walking a bit further north up 9th street and hitting Underdogs. (Also applicable if you are in Center City, if you are near their 17th street location.)

I went with the Chicago dog, chili cheese dog, and some fries.

One thing I really like is that they don't use a giant hoagie roll that completely dwarfs the encased meat, but rather a hybrid hoagie/hotdog roll that allows the fillings to really shine.

The Chicago Style was not quite authentic, but it was more of an interpretation. No neon green relish, no poppy seed bun, no Chicago dog. Nevertheless, it was a delicious substution. The thick dog with its snappy casing did wonders for this offering.

The Michigan style dog came with beef chili, cheddar, chopped onions, and spicy mustard. Again, this was a nice frankfurter, with tried and true toppings.

The fries were the surprise hit of the meal. These fresh cut, crispy fried spuds had just the right amount of salt and grease. A wide variety of dipping sauces were available, the fry sauce being my personal favorite.

If you don't feel like supporting the pretension for a cheesesteak around the corner, some fries and a dog is a safe bet at Underdogs. And they are open till 3am on the weekend. Perfect.

Joe's Steaks

6030 Torresdale Ave.
Philadelphia, PA 19135
(215) 535-9405
Website

The previously named (and written about) Chink's Steaks, recently yielded to pressure to change its longstanding and controversial name. I must admit, when I heard, I was torn. I hate to see the changing of the guard of old Philadelphia roots, but I can certainly understand the outrage over a slur as a business name, even if it was not malicious in intent. So I was extremely happy when I got an invite to check out the newly branded Joe's Steaks, particularly because of the long-standing crown of excellence in the Philly cheesesteak world.

The storefront is still exactly the same, but with a couple pieces of new signage indicating it is now Joe's.

Inside, nothing has changed, and that is one of the reasons that Joe's is the best cheesesteak in the city. That's right. THE BEST.

Joe and his son Patrick are always manning the grill, and the limited menu lets them put the utmost care into each carefully crafted sandwich.

If it seems like Joe is right at home here, it's because he is. And has been, since he was sixteen and got his start washing dishes at Chink's. He has worked here ever since, and in the late 1990's he bought the shop to continue the tradition of outstanding cheesesteaks (and don't forget the egg creams and milkshakes).

Liscio's rolls, the gold standard for cheesesteaks, are lightly warmed on the grill, while the meat is perfectly seasoned and cooked. The onions come diced, browned, and sweet, just like they should.

Joe's commitment to keeping tradition runs so deep that he was reluctant to even introduce provolone or whiz until a couple of years ago. He himself is an American cheese on steaks guy. The sodas are made to order, with a hand pump of syrup added to soda water – the manual, old fashioned way.

Pickles, cherry peppers, and banana peppers are complimentary (when asked for) and are a perfect way to start grazing before your main event arrives.

But when it does, look out, because there are very few things I will let get between me and one of these masterpieces.

I personally LOVE the version with whiz. Something about the melted, salty accompaniment to tender steak and sweet onions makes me salivate with just the thought.

I will say it again, there is no better steak in Philadelphia. There may be some that are almost as good, or MAYBE as good, but none-better. I bring my food loving guests from out of town here, and they always leave happy (and usually buy me a steak too).

There is no lack of fillings here and it makes you appreciate a place that still has some attitude, but isn't run by pompous dicks with an inferiority complex (see: Pat's, Geno's).

The American cheese version is another winner, and the clear choice for the whiz averse. No need to order extra cheese, there will be ample melty creamy American dispersed throughout.

Although the name has changed, the product has not (and will not). If you have never been, you are doing yourself a disservice by holding out, and if the issue was political correctness, now is the time. Myself, I would continue going here even if they changed the name to "Philly Phoodie is a fatso and a hack of a writer." And I would go with joy in my heart and steak in my gut.

Editor's note: the cheesesteaks here do not come cut in half. There is a small and a large, both of which come out as full-length torpedoes, but for the sake of photographing the details, we requested that Joe slice these down the middle.

Bedouin Tent

405 Atlantic Ave.
Brooklyn, NY 11217
(718) 852-5555

I have been traveling to Brooklyn for work quite a bit, so it has given me a lot more to chose from than some of my recent assignments. This place was recommended by some friends that live up there, and I am always game for some pita and hummus.

This place is basically a Middle Eastern pizza parlor – with an amazing oven and a group of dough masters ready to move when an order comes in. I immediately knew it would be some pita bread to contend with.

The dining room in the rear was intricately decorated, and was the scene of a couple of dates that were awkward enough to have been hatched online.

The salad/dip sampler was right in my wheelhouse, so I started with that. A tasting menu of dips with bread, yes please. When the bread came out, it was literally hot out of the oven. Puffy, slightly charred, amazing.

It was easily among the best pita I have ever eaten. The salad was pretty standard, chopped lettuce, green peppers, tomatoes, olives, and feta. The dips were amazing, however. Smoky baba ghanoush, creamy humus, and Lebna (Middle Eastern yogurt with fresh mint), made for the perfect accouterments for the hot and crispy bread.

The falafel was a bit disappointing. Again, the pita was fantastic, but the falafel balls themselves were heavy and lacked much flavor other than chickpea. I would definitely try the pizza next time, and will certainly be into anything to dip that magical pita.

I was given a complementary sweet bread with my bill. The service here was perfect, and the pita, the thing dreams are made of. Although the falafel wasn't the best, the rest was impeccable. I highly recommend it.

Downtown Cafe

201 S Mechanic St
Jackson, MS 49201
(517) 990-6770
Website

I have been traveling for work a lot and I try to eat what the community eats – when working in Mississippi, it ends up being fried chicken quite a bit. As this wasn't calorie-centric enough, I decided to throw in some waffles as well. After lunch productivity be damned.

Downtown cafe is pretty nice inside, with an open kitchen and exposed brick walls. You will definitely see a lot of military personell here, as their physical activity makes it reasonable to eat the type of fatso diet I tend to stick to.

Fried chicken and waffles, sizzurp and butter. Hell. Most people wouldn't want four whole wings for lunch, and almost certainly wouldn't drizzle them in hotsauce and (maple?) syrup. Luckily I am not most people. Note the lighting was crap in there, so the pictures are washed out. Ah well.

The breading was well seasoned, and the chicken was moist and tender. There was plenty of crunch that stood up well to the rain of sticky sugar I glazed it with. For the record, syrup and hot sauce are amazing together.

In true over-indulgence, I got a side of the recommended mac and cheese. It was good, but I could barely waddle back to work after this feast.