Barry's Steaks: For Regular and Mini Appetites

To an outsider a cheesesteak seems like a simple food. They say, "it's just meat and cheese on a roll..." They could not be more wrong! What kind of meat are they cooking? There are all different cuts of beef. How are they slicing it? Super thin or big chunks that are chopped on the griddle? Is the meat served in slices or as a fine mince? What kind of cheese is it? Provolone, Swiss, American, Whiz? Are there onions? Caramelized or raw? Peppers? Sweet, hot or both?  Salt and pepper? Ketchup? What kind of roll is it? Who baked it? The possibilities are endless and though the concept seems simple no two cheesesteaks taste the same. Like grains of sand, each cheesesteak at each shop has its own distinct identity. makes a fine cheesesteak (and chicken parmesan).

I didn't know about the parking lot in the back so it took some maneuvering and questionable driving to find a parking spot. Once settled, I went in to grab some steaks for dinner. I opted for the "mini" cheese steak with provolone and the "mini" chicken parm. Make no mistake, these are not mini sandwiches. Maybe they are mini for a giant but I thought the portion size was perfect for one. 

Any steak starts with the bread. The sub rolls are from Liscio's which supplies many of the most venerated steak shops in the city. There was a nice crust to the roll and the interior was light and airy. You could taste the love that went into baking this roll.

The beef was tender and well seasoned. It wasn't chopped ultra fine like D'Alessandro's and it wasn't in larger pieces like at Larry's Steaks, it was in between. Just like Goldilocks exclaimed when she tried Baby Bear's porridge, "it was just right".

They used a high quality provolone that had a slight funk to it. Cheap provolone doesn't have much flavor at all. Some places have the gall to charge extra for good provolone but at Barry's it's the same price as the other cheeses. I went to the pickle/pepper station and grabbed some day-glo yellow hot peppers for my sandwich. I love the acidic, spicy and crunchy bite that pickled hot peppers add to my cheesesteak.  

I also ordered a mini chicken parm to mix it up a little. The breaded white meat cutlet took some more time to cook than the steak but it was worth the wait. The meat was not dry and the fried exterior was crisp. The tomato sauce was full of tomato flavor and redolent of some herbs. There was a thick slice of cheese melting over the saucy pieces of chicken. The roll was also a Liscio's and each bite was a wonderful combination of textures and flavors. Funny enough, this sandwich was even better reheated the next day because I managed to get the roll toasted on the outside.

The service is casual but friendly. When I walked in the guy behind the counter asked me how I was doing and I just said, "Hot!" to which he quickly replied, "you too?". A smile crossed my lips and I perused the menu. He answered all of my questions and was patient with me while I figured out exactly what my order would be. When the chicken parm took extra time to come out he let me know how much longer it would be. 

The space is brightly lit and very clean. There is a TV blaring non-stop and you'll find some sort of local paper on the counter. The layout is of an elongated 'C" as there are a few tables in front of the cashier, then a long counter with plenty of seats and then a cluster of tables in the back by the restroom. The mirrors make the space seem larger and more open. There are plenty of beverages, an ATM machine and whatever Herr's chip you may want to eat.

Barry's Steaks is the type of steak shop I missed when I was away from home. There's a distinct Philly flavor to it that I can't necessarily identify. You feel at ease as soon as you set foot in the space and everyone you deal with treats you like a friend. I really like the different size options for the sandwiches even if the "mini" is not really mini for anyone. But the various sizes do allow for better portion control. I'll definitely head back and depending on my appetite I may even try the "regular" cheesesteak one of these days.