South Philly's

By Jim Duncan CVFDude@aol.com

When the world was perceived as round, people still traveled to discover the unique regional dishes. Now they settle for the food court at the local mall. Regional foods have been mass marketed in earnest since the 1960s. Since then, Tex Mex chili, Cajun redfish, Kentucky fried chicken, California pizza, Chicago dogs, Kansas City BBQ, Maryland crab cakes and New England fried clams have all made splashy Des Moines debuts. Some have gone international; others are long forgotten.

Recently, the metro met three newcomers from the genre - Buffalo wings, St. Louis frozen custard and South Philadelphia cheesesteaks. Stories are similar: People missed the tastes of the original and opened restaurants to spread the word. The Buffalo transplants started in Ohio with "wings and 'weck" (roast beef on salty kummelweck rolls is Buffalo's true regional specialty). They had to dump the 'weck and move to Minneapolis before their corporation took wing. Custard's Last Stand (CLS) founders discovered Ted Drewe's legendary St. Louis dessert and brought something similar to Kansas City and beyond. (We recently wrote that we preferred Culver's custard to CLS's because the latter melted faster. CLS fans said that we missed the point - they serve their product at a higher temperature because they believe it tastes better that way.)

Unlike those corporations, South Philly's is an independent drive-by restaurant, in the old City Fish and Chicken Castle location on Douglas. To bring a taste of the Italian neighborhood of Philadelphia to Des Moines, they have returned to low-tech basics. That means cheesesteaks, hoagies, Italian sandwiches, pizza and burgers are made to order. So it is highly recommended that you call ahead. I have limited experience with South Philly cheesesteaks - just one visit each to Geno's and Pat's, the two compulsory late-night tourist stops near the Italian market. South Philly's closes at 8 p.m. in Des Moines, so it's hard to compare the experience with the real deal, but the sandwiches sure seem true to their roots. Steaks are grilled on a flat top, and are cut with a spatula and served on a soft, fresh hoagie bun. You have a choice of Cheese Whiz, American cheese or provolone, plus grilled onions, roasted peppers, mushrooms, bacon, lettuce, tomatoes and pepperoni. The real authenticity, though, is the possibility of adding broccoli rabe, a vegetable that is so hard to find in Iowa that even the best Italian restaurants offer it only as a special.

I get frequent inquiries from seekers of "old fashioned homemade burgers" - meaning fresh-ground hand patties, in irregular shapes, grilled with onions and whatever. South Philly's burgers are a dose of nostalgia for those who miss small-town diners. I have been back for seconds, beyond the call of duty.

Similarly, the meatball sandwich was made with made-from-scratch meatballs and a sweet, bright red gravy. The Italian hoagie also had a delightful, hand-made appeal. I ordered this twice, too, and the two versions were quite different: pepperoni and thickly sliced pieces of salami dominated once; capicola (thin-sliced, cured pork shoulder), prosciutto (salt-only cured ham) and roasted peppers soaked in homemade dressing starred the other time. Some people will be put off by inconsistencies, but they usually indicate that someone is doing scratch work with real foods. The bread isn't going to impress anyone who has developed a taste for South Union's Italian breads, but it's perfect for cheesesteaks, sausage sandwiches and hoagies -- very soft and freshly baked.

Food skinny

Former Sage sous chef Derek Eidson is now executive chef at Lucca... Underground chef Hal Jasa has taken Eidson's old position at Sage...Executive chef Aaron King left Dish, and Will Rutherford moved up from sous ... Testicular cuisine returns to Des Moines when The High Life Lounge hosts a "Nut Fry" Aug. 5... Mojo's summer menu features yellowfin, Rob Beaseley's signature cold-smoked beef tenderloin and Sheeder Farms chicken. CV

Comment on this story | Return to top