WEST CHESTER - One of the best parts of this cheesesteak adventure is the creativity you find along the way—not just from the restaurants, but from your own crazy ideas. For my 1240th unique cheesesteak, I found myself at West Chester Pizza Cafe, and when I saw "Grilled Cheese" on the menu, a lightbulb went off.
I walked up to the counter and asked the friendly young woman there, "Can you make me a Grilled Cheese Cheesesteak?" Without missing a beat, she said, "Yes!!" That's the kind of spirit I love to see. The whole place had that fantastic pizzeria smell—it was just radiating pepperoni.
While my custom creation was being made, I called up the nearby Artillery Brewing to see if I could bring my sandwich over. The young man on the phone gave me another enthusiastic "Yes!" When I got to the brewery, I realized they had their own kitchen, so I apologized. He smiled and said, "It was me you talked to on the phone. It's okay, you're the only customer right now." I'm so glad he did, because I got to try their sour cherry beer from the "Rebellion Collection," and it was absolutely fantastic.
Now, for the main event: the Grilled Cheese Cheesesteak. Let me tell you, this sandwich was very good. The core of it—the meat, cheese, and onions—was close to being very, very, very good. It was flavorful and well-prepared.
In hindsight, I may have gotten a little ahead of myself by getting my first steak from them as a grilled cheese. The buttery, toasted bread was great, but I need to know what their standard cheesesteak roll is all about.
The good news is, I will definitely be going back to West Chester Pizza Cafe. The wonderful young man at Artillery even told me it's his personal go-to spot for cheesesteaks, and that's a powerful endorsement. Next time, I'll try the cheesesteak as the chef intended, and I'll probably bring Amigo Dan along to try a pizza. Based on the smell of the place, I have very high hopes. What a great find with even better people!
A Review by Jim Pappas, The Philadelphia Cheesesteak Adventure
