TRIED AND TASTED: JOE'S CHEESESTEAK

After doing some errands yesterday afternoon, while I was waiting for my mom to answer my call, I found myself in front of a small, newly opened food place at the corner of the street.

Not being a bread person, I tried out just half a cheesesteak. While waiting for the sandwich, I struck a conversation with the woman behind the counter, Grace, and her husband, Joe. They seemed like an easy going couple who knew how to make great sandwich. It turns out I surmised correctly.  Back in 1993, they opened "Cheesesteak"  along Reposo Street in Makati, where they served meals along with their best-selling sandwich which Grace mastered in making when she lived with her sister in Philadelphia.

Photo  courtesy of Joe's Cheesteak FB Page

It was doing well. In fact, even chef and restaurateur Sandy Daza remembers it distinctly. But with their six children growing up, Grace decided to focus on her kids and they closed down the Makati restaurant in 1997 and transferred to Quezon City.

Photo Courtesy of@sandydaza77

With their kids all grown up, the couple decided to go back into the food business. Joe shares that it was a challenge to go through all the testing but I guess they got the taste and texture they were looking for. The warm french bread,  crusty on the outside and soft on the inside, enveloped the tender frizzled beef which was sauteed  in onions and mushrooms, blanketed in melty cheese and topped with a slice of fresh tomato. The cheese did not overpower the beef with its saltiness and the textures were on point. Even before I was done with my half-a-cheesesteak, I ordered two more to go for  my mom and my brother.

But more than the cheesesteak, I enjoyed the randomness of the moment where I was given a chance to have a conversation with the people behind the food (I even met their daughter Zita!). For neighborhood restaurants like this, it's a good thing to know that the people who make your sandwich love what they're doing because that means they'll always make it a point to live up to your expectations so when you come back for more, you'll always have that great cheesesteak.

Joe's Cheesesteak

Address: G/F SMRC Building, B. Gonzales cor. Katipunan Avenue, Quezon City.

Telephone: 0920 870 6222