Straight Out of Philly!

Straight Out of Philly is at 210 E. Fireweed in Anchorage. As those of us hailing from eastern Pennsylvania know, there are many pretenders to steak sandwich greatness. Many places say they have authentic Philly cheesesteaks, but sadly, they do not. To be completely fair, this issue is a bit compounded by a certain amount of quarreling among natives as to what constitutes a real steak sandwich. Most participants in the quarrel are not willing to admit deviation, and consider any who oppose them not only wrong, but also dangerously insane and of poor moral character to boot. I am not that strong on the subject, but I do need to see a steak sandwich conform to at least certain guidelines. The meat has to be actual beef, very thinly sliced, and then fried. An actual steak, such as might be used to advertise the concept of grilling, stuck in some bread, does not make a steak sandwich. Chicken does not make a steak sandwich. Beef, thinly sliced. I prefer onions, and if possible, green peppers. As long as the cheese is some basic sort of American or provolone variant, I am fine with whatever. The bread component has to be some sort of semi-firm white bread roll, not sliced plain bread or a croissant or whole wheat anything.

So, with my critical basis right out in the open, I think Straight Out of Philly makes authentic, and more importantly, absolutely great tasting cheesesteaks. The meat is very thinly sliced, very flavorful and perfectly cooked. The tasty beef is accented with lightly fried onions and green peppers and gooey melted American cheese all in a good firm roll. Their fries are delicious too, floury inside and crispy outside - perfect! Although they have a variety of different ways you can get your steak served ( mushrooms, A-1 sauce, marinara, etc) we stuck to the basic for this first visit.
The menu also has a variety of wings, burgers, sandwiches and appetizers, so there are plenty of options. There is even a minimal nod to Philly in the decor, which consists of a pennant from each of Philly's sports teams hung on the wall.