Tuesday, October 26, 2010

More cheesesteaks (Hemo's)

Cheesesteak (Hemo's)

Since moving to Philadelphia, my food pyramid has gotten a bit screwed up. I don't classify my foods in terms of labels like poultry, meats, dairy, sugars and fats, or vegetables (what the hell are those anyway!?) anymore. Nope, my diet consists of things that are either a) Asian food from a truck, b) Mexican food from a truck, or c) cheesesteaks. I know, it's the epitome of healthy. Being surrounded by a glut of cheesesteak places is the absolutely terrific. I can imagine what you're thinking... when it comes down to it, all these places just chop up steak and put it in a long roll, what's so special about all that? The truth is, every place has their own lovable nuances that distinguish themselves from the competition. Case in point, Hemo's... who's secret white sauce is as delicious as it is questionable in origin.

Hemo sauce + melted cheese

Yeahhh... just look at that white goop seeping through the crevices of the beef. Imagine the semi-sweet sauce from the 53rd street chicken & rice stall, thinning it slightly, and adding it on top of a cheesesteak with green peppers and onions. The word scintillating wouldn't be overboard as far as I'm concerned. The sauce isn't a perfect reproduction. It's slightly thinner, slightly sweeter, and has a somewhat pronounced salad dressing taste, but this doesn't diminish the overall effect. You end up with a nice and oily steak sandwich that has a secondary flavor profile highlighting both a subtle sweetness as well as a tangy element. If that weren't enough to convince you to at least give it a try, the fact that it's $5 doesn't hurt either...

Cheesesteak w/mushrooms (Hemo's)

I'll be honest, Hemo's plain cheesesteaks aren't that good. When it comes to steak sandwiches on campus, I think I'd rather default to Steak Queen if we're talking plain steak on bread lovin'. The difference between the two appears as soon as you add that magical white sauce, it makes every sandwich on their menu fantastically delicious (from the cheesesteaks to the grilled chickens). It instantaneously elevates the flavor profile from mediocre to something that would cure even the worst of hangovers. Absolutely incredible.

7 comments:

Rodzilla said...

Unidentified sauce sounds dangerously delicious.

Nicholas said...

Rodzilla - yeah man, I want to ask him what it is, but I have a feeling he'd get offended and ban me from his sandwich cart for life.

Anonymous said...

omg, this looks freaking amazing... Is it like Bechamel sauce or something?

Nicholas said...

munchimonster - too fancy... I doubt the guy at Hemo's would be busting out something that intense. Most likely just a mayo/dressing/yogurt type mix.

joanh said...

mm, you gotta eat what the local specialty is!!

Dominic said...

you ruin my life

Nicholas said...

dominic - really? Sorry bro, never meant to do that. Visit Philly.

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