TOM PARKER BOWLES: I tried America's famous Philly cheesesteak for the first time – is it worth the hype?
As names go, Passyunk Avenue doesn't exactly roll off the tongue. But then this small but ever-growing chain of Philadelphia-accented restaurants doesn't seem overly concerned with the niceties of phonetics, concentrating instead on serving up a Philly cheesesteak sandwich that could stand proud in the city of brotherly love.
Named after the street in which this iconic snack was born (created, they say, in 1930, by Pat Olivieri, whose hot-dog stand has since evolved into the world-famous Pat's King of Steaks), Passyunk Avenue's latest opening is in Kensington Church Street, West London. Which sure is a long way from the mean streets of Philadelphia. But as with any sports bar worth its American mustard, this jawn (a local Philly word that can mean just about anything) has walls plastered with TV screens, blasting out everything from baseball and football (American, of course) to basketball and Nascar.
Usually, when a menu bangs on about 'our famous' anything, it's time to get out. Fast. But here the 'famous' buffalo wings are really very fine indeed, with crisp crust and juicy flesh and lashings of that sharp, buttery, mildly spicy sauce. 'Best I've eaten in London,' says my son Freddy, who sees himself as something of an authority on the subject. 'Beats the hell out of Wingstop.' For those fools who crave something a touch more fiery, the 'Insanity' wings pack a mighty, albeit slow-burning, punch. I just about get through a half dozen before my lips swell up like a lilo and my tongue transforms into a lump of throbbing gristle. Reader, beware.
But I'm here for the cheesesteak – a mass of shaved ribeye 'wit' (with onions), drenched in a flood of warm, neon-yellow cheddar Wiz (their own take on the gloriously artificial Kraft Cheez Whiz liquid cheese) and piled into a long torpedo bun. God it's good, a soothing symphony of savoury, salty and soft. The peppery shards of steak, that judicious hit of grease and excess of luridly gooey liquid cheesy bliss. Each bite is an exuberantly messy delight. It may lack that essential seasoning you'll find at the likes of Geno's Steaks and John's Roast Pork back home. That, though, takes a flat-top grill with decades of use. For cheesesteak-craving Londoners, Passyunk Avenue will do just fine.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Time Out
an hour ago
- Time Out
Chicago, Nashville and NYC rank among the best music cities in the world
Move over, Eurovision—America's music cities are staging their own global takeover. A new report from SeatPick ranks the world's best cities for music lovers, and three U.S. heavyweights made the top 10: Chicago (#3), Nashville (#5) and New York City (#7). Each scored high for concerts, venues and local talent, but with distinct vibes and sonic histories. Chicago, home to more than 1,800 local artists and 1,000 concerts a year, took bronze overall. That's no surprise for a city that gave the world house music, electric blues and a jazz scene so strong it rivals New Orleans. With nearly 300 music businesses driving the engine, the Windy City's sound is as deep as its dish. Nashville, of course, had to show up. The self-proclaimed 'Music City' scored big with the second-highest number of music businesses (344), reflecting a tight-knit industry presence. While it ranked lower in concert volume (just 890 shows), Nashville's studio-to-stage pipeline and influence on American music are unmatched. And then there's New York, which slid into seventh place. It may have fewer venues and festivals than Berlin or Vienna, but NYC is basically the blueprint when it comes to cultural impact. Hip-hop, punk, disco, salsa, bebop and Broadway? All born here. Its 3,219 homegrown artists were the most of any city surveyed—because, well, of course they were. 'Recent reports show that live music ticket sales are forecast to continuously increase until 2029, by 34 percent. Music ticket sales are therefore a driving force in the growth of the music industry, and are expected to continue to be highly in demand,' said Gilad Zilberman, CEO of SeatPick. 'For this reason, concerts, festivals and venues are crucial to each city's music scene and its ability to thrive and provide the highly demanded entertainment that the music industry offers.' The rankings come as the music tourism market is exploding, projected to hit $267.85 billion by 2030. As tours get bigger and fans go further for the live experience, cities like Chicago and Nashville are becoming major travel destinations, not just music capitals.
Edinburgh Live
2 hours ago
- Edinburgh Live
Vernon Kay's 'dream' dashed by wife Tess Daly as she puts her foot down
Our community members are treated to special offers, promotions and adverts from us and our partners. You can check out at any time. More info Vernon Kay joked that wife Tess Daly won't "allow" him to get a sit-on lawnmower so that he can fulfil his "dream" of recreating an iconic moment from a Hollywood movie. The BBC Radio 2 presenter told listeners he wants to emulate Tom Hanks' iconic Forrest Gump by investing in a sit-on lawnmower. In the cult-classic Forrest can be seen riding around an American football field on a mower. The 51-year-old broadcaster told his audience that Tess has let him get a lawnmower after he fixed their garden strimmer. It has led Vernon to wonder what other garden equipment he could invest in. Speaking on Radio 2, he said: "I managed to get the strimmer working again, so all this week I will be strimming the borders of the garden. Not yet purchased a lawnmower. "On Friday I finished the show by saying Strictly Come Dancing's Tess Daly's allowing me to get a lawnmower and I can't wait. I've been doing that thing where you literally peruse lots of websites about garden machinery. (Image: Getty Images) "Goodness me, there's a lot of stuff out there that I didn't realise I needed. I think with this acceptance from Strictly Come Dancing's Tess Daly's that we do need a lawnmower that I might, somehow, be able to fulfil my Forrest Gump dreams. "Sit on a lawnmower and just mow the lawn." Imitating the iconic character, Vernon added: "I enjoyed it so much, I did that job for free." Before the presenter added: "That's going to be me, I can't wait. I don't think she'll let me have a sit on one though." Vernon and Tess's romance blossomed despite their early days on opposing TV networks, with Vernon at Channel 4's T4 and Tess presenting SMTV on ITV. Their love story transcended network rivalry as they quickly fell for each other. Tess, 56, has openly talked about their "immediate" connection and how much fun they had together. (Image: (Image: INSTAGRAM/VERNONKAY)) Vernon proposed on Christmas Day in 2002 amidst festive celebrations at Tess's family home. The celebrity couple tied the knot at St Mary's Church in Horwich, Vernon's birthplace, followed by a reception at Rivington Hall Barn. Their family life now includes daughters Amber, 15, and Phoebe, 20, with the four residing in a stunning six-bedroom Buckinghamshire home. This lavish residence features a converted shed-turned-home gym, festooned with football memorabilia, and its own private swimming pool. Plans for relocation to a four-bedroom property faltered as the couple faced a rejection of their planning application. 2023 saw Vernon step into the spotlight as he took the reins of his mid-morning Radio 2 show, following in the footsteps of Ken Bruce. He now commands an audience of approximately 6.73 million daily listeners as the host of the station's iconic programme.
Scottish Sun
2 hours ago
- Scottish Sun
The Simpsons secrets revealed as show hits huge milestone including special episode spoilers, predictions & best cameos
Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) FURIOUSLY sketching a yellow family on the back of a piece of paper, cartoonist Matt Groening had just minutes to impress a room full of waiting TV executives. The small-time comic strip maker had been given a shot at coming up with the next big animated series to fill a slot on American sketch series The Tracey Ullman Show. 12 The Simpsons is preparing to celebrate the show's 800th episode, 35 years after it first aired Credit: Alamy 12 The early sketches of The Simpsons make the famous characters almost unrecognisable Credit: Fox 12 Show creator Matt Groening (L), screenwriter Matt Selman and producer David Silverman have been behind The Simpsons' success Little did he know that the rushed doodle of a dad slumped on the sofa, a mother with towering hair and three kids — one loud, one weird and one mute — would soon take the world by storm. Now, more than 35 years on, The Simpsons is on the brink of celebrating its 800th episode. In a rare interview, Matt, 71, told how inspiration for the family could not have come from closer to home. While receiving an Honorary Cristal Award at the Annecy International Animation Film Festival this week, he joked: 'It's a little-known fact that my parents' real names were . . . Itchy and Scratchy. 'No, seriously, I have a real father called Homer, a real mother called Marge, real siblings called Lisa and Maggie and a real grandfather called Abe.' Contrary to popular opinion, that does not mean that Matt based cheeky practical joker Bart on himself. Instead, he thinks of himself more like Bart's nerdy and awkward best friend Milhouse. The idea for the cartoon may have been simple, but Matt has never run out of steam. Now in its 36th series, The Simpsons is currently on episode 790, with the milestone instalment due to air soon. Actress Yeardley Smith, who has been the voice behind Lisa Simpson since the start, revealed that the cast had already gathered for a table read to test out the script for the 800th show, which is believed to be the finale of the current run. The Simpsons reveals new actor for iconic character – as original star quits after 35 years She was joined by Dan Castellaneta (Homer), Julie Kavner (Marge), Sabrina Carpenter's aunt Nancy Cartwright (Bart), Harry Shearer (Ned Flanders), Hank Azaria (Moe and Chief Wiggum) and Pamela Hayden (Milhouse). Matt teased: 'Our main motivation is to surprise ourselves. 'We figure that if we can surprise ourselves, we will probably surprise the audience as well. 'We have parodies of cinema and references to books, TV shows and personal autobiographical anecdotes. 'As it goes on, we become known for different kinds of jokes.' One constant that fans love though is the celebrity cameos. 12 The Simpsons has stood the test of time thanks to the show's combination of humour and creativity Credit: Alamy 12 Singer Billie Eilish was a recent guest star on the long-running show, appearing in a scene with Lisa Simpson 12 The Simpsons has had uncanny success at predicting future events on the world stage Huge names who have featured over the years include Ringo Starr, George Harrison and Paul McCartney, Gordon Ramsay, Elon Musk and former Prime Minister Tony Blair. And the writers also famously have a spooky knack for predicting the future. From Donald Trump becoming President to the creation of Apple's FaceTime, viewers heard it from Springfield first. But even with hundreds of episodes under his belt, Matt has no plans to shelve the series any time soon. In fact, he even hopes it lives on long enough to catch up with the timeline of another hit Groening production, Futurama. Matt joked: 'The Simpsons will still be on air in the year 3000! 'Unfortunately, critics will say the show has really been going downhill in the last one thousand years.' Here, we take a dive into The Simpsons' history books to look at its famous cameos and amazing predictions. The predictions 12 The Simpsons forecasted many technological advancements like video calling Credit: Not known, clear with picture desk IT'S not just the gags that have fans hooked, but the fact the hit series has long had an uncanny habit of predicting major future events. Through the show's 36 series, a number of storylines have been manifested into real life after first making their appearance in the form of cartoon animation. In 2000, Bart To The Future saw Lisa Simpson becoming US President, but a billboard in the background of one shot had a billboard ad for 'TRUMP 2024'. Another episode in 1993 predicted COVID-19, when a flu spread through Springfield residents, while the EBOLA outbreak was predicted in a 1997 scene. 12 The show featured Lady Gaga performing at the Super Bowl years before she took centre stage Credit: 20th Century Fox Elsewhere, the cartoon predicted the 2013 HORSE MEAT scandal, in its episode aired in 1994, which saw schoolkids unknowingly served horse meat for lunch. In a 1995 episode titled Lisa's Wedding, people were seen using SMART WATCH-like devices to communicate – an entire two decades before Apple launched their wearable gadget, while technology similar to FACETIME also featured. 12 Mr Burns attended an exclusive celeb gathering spookily similar to rapper P Diddy's infamous scandal-hit 'white parties' Credit: Fox And in 1998, Homer appeared to figure out the mathematical equation behind the HIGGS BOSON discovery, 14 years before particle physicists confirmed the concept. A 2012 episode, Lisa Goes Gaga, saw the young character watching singer LADY GAGA at the Super Bowl – suspended from the air in the same manner as the star's real-life 2017 show. And in 2019, Mr Burns attended an exclusive gathering for celebrities, which was spookily similar to rapper P Diddy's infamous scandal-hit 'white parties'. The celebrity cameos THE Simpsons is not short on memorable characters. But that hasn't stopped some of the world's most recognisable stars from wanting to have their moment being reimagined in yellow. The Beatles' RINGO STARR was the first of the group to make an appearance in 1991, where he appeared as himself to encourage family matriarch Marge to pursue a career in the arts. He was soon followed in series five's Homer's Barbershop Quartet by GEORGE HARRISON, in 1993, and SIR PAUL McCARTNEY in 1995, who convinced Lisa to go vegetarian. 12 The Beatles drummer Ringo Starr is one of the famous celebrities to star on The Simpsons Credit: 20th Century Fox SIMON COWELL first appeared in the series in 2004 as a brutally honest telly talent judge, while Space X tycoon ELON MUSK landed in a spaceship in an episode in 2015 and TONY BLAIR met with Homer in a 2003 episode that featured an animated version of the Queen. Needless to say, Her Majesty did not guest star. While Coldplay's CHRIS MARTIN sang in an animated concert as part of the series in 2010, telly chef GORDON RAMSAY made his appearance in 2011. 12 Controversial billionaire Elon Musk had an appearance on the show - on a spaceship And comedian RICKY GERVAIS cropped up not once but twice, starring in 2006 episode This Is Your Wife, and lending his voice to Season 22's Angry Dad: The Movie in 2011. There's been no shortage of pop stars either, with BILLIE EILISH recording alongside Lisa in an animated short in 2022. Other big chart names who have featured include TOM JONES, STING, ELTON JOHN, MERYL STREEP and DOLLY PARTON.
