I'm a cheesesteak snob. I didn't think that I was until I got a cheesesteak from Merritt Sub last…read morenight.
For a couple of years, Jeremy and I have been going to Philly and trying some of their more famous sandwich shops. It's been great fun and I'm not going to stop, but I didn't expect that my local shops would fail so horribly when I needed something meaty, cheesy, oniony, quick. I've been eating Merritt Subs for a decade. Though, yeah, I lean more towards Captain Harvey's. Merritt has always been a solid second choice.
I should have noticed something was up when all the older gentlemen customers leaving with their orders in hand were carrying pizza boxes and nothing else.
I should have taken my gut instinct seriously when Jeremy put our order in the passenger seat and it didn't smell right. It didn't make me salivate. It made me wonder why I couldn't smell the onions or anything else that would have made my stomach start instantly growling. But it's a cheesesteak, how could it possibly not satisfy?
I got a cheesesteak, American cheese, grilled onions and mayo. It took me at least 20 minutes of fixing up my sandwich, reheating it, etc before I got it to taste like anything. My first issue is that the roll is too soft. By the time we got our meal home, which is like 7 minutes away, the bottom of the roll was a soggy mess. Yet somehow, the mayo didn't help the moisture or the flavor of the meat. Do they not season the meat? They clearly do not season the onions, which are all smashed to one side of the sandwich, instead of being mixed in with the meat. This gives the meat additional sweetness and a juicier texture. I couldn't even tell that there was cheese on it.
I added more mayo, sandwich hots, mixed the meat with the onions and then microwaved it to harden the bread (and warm the meat). Then, for the first time, I understood why some of my friends get ketchup on their cheesesteaks. I have always thought that was so gauche, so juvenile. But it was necessary in this case. And if people grow up their entire life eating sandwiches like these, that don't have any flavor unless you add something aggressive like ketchup, then how do they know properly made cheesesteaks (sandwiches that shops are proud of) don't need it?
Jeremy struggled to eat his and he's the biggest carnivore I have ever met.
However, the chicken wings were fried to perfection and delicious without any sauce, which was great because Merritt Sub didn't provide any sauce (even though we ordered buffalo wings), left the wings naked, and didn't even give a bleu cheese or ranch packet.
I also got an order of fried mushrooms that were neither here nor there, but the reason I had ketchup (and horseradish sauce, both from my own fridge) nearby to adjust my sandwich.
Thing is, I'm sad. I love cheesesteaks. I don't want to have to travel several hours to get one that satisfies. I don't want to give up on my local shops. But I just can't afford to spend $50 on a meal that takes that much effort on my part to make enjoyable.
Please, Merritt, step up your game. Toast the rolls. Mix the onions in with the meat. Maybe consider the Whiz. I'll love you until the end of time. But until then: cannot recommend