Retired Philadelphia Eagles heart Jason Kelce was requested not too long ago on a soccer podcast to share his favourite cheesesteak spot within the metropolis the place he — a seven-time Professional Bowl participant — spent all 13 of his NFL seasons.
Whereas he name-dropped present Philadelphia sizzling spots Dalessandro’s and Angelo’s, Kelce additionally mentioned Tony Luke’s was the primary place he had a cheesesteak because of its proximity to the stadium the place the Eagles play.
“That is one which I went to rising up and was simply excellent,” Kelce mentioned.
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Though that exact Tony Luke’s location is not any extra, Eagles followers can nonetheless benefit from the restaurant’s cheesesteak from Lincoln Monetary Discipline when Philadelphia hosts the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday.
Tony Luke’s has been working a stand contained in the stadium because it opened in 2003, the corporate mentioned.Â
Former Philadelphia Eagles heart Jason Kelce, proven above, says he first tried a cheesesteak at Tony Luke’s. (Justin Edmonds/Getty Photos; Ricky Carioti/The Washington Put up through Getty Photos)
Hailed by Philadelphia Journal as having the “finest cheesesteaks” within the metropolis, Tony Luke’s opened its first location in South Philadelphia in 1992. On the time, cheesesteaks weren’t even on the menu.
“We offered roast beef, roast pork and rooster cutlets – sort of Italian specialties,” Tony Lucidonio Jr. instructed Fox Information Digital. “That is all we did.”
Identified within the Metropolis of Brotherly Love as Tony Luke Jr., Lucidonio mentioned that solely lasted about six months. “Phrase of mouth is what actually made us,” he mentioned.Â
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Earlier than lengthy, Luke “had this loopy thought of doing these terrible commercials that had nothing to do with meals.”
He added, “They have been dumb. They have been silly. They have been sort of humorous,” he mentioned.Â
“And it wasn’t a typical restaurant or deli business.” However the commercials received individuals speaking.
The Eagles are as ingrained in Philadelphia as town’s signature sandwich.
The unique Tony Luke’s that Kelce as soon as frequented years in the past has since been renamed after Luke Jr. break up from his father and brother amid a franchising rights dispute.Â
At present, Luke Jr. has new franchises at Philadelphia Worldwide Airport, in Las Vegas and different cities principally all through the Northeast. There are even 22 Tony Luke’s franchises in Bahrain.
Just like the cheesesteak, the Eagles are as ingrained in Philadelphia as town’s signature sandwich.
The unique Tony Luke’s location, pictured above, has a brand new title, however there are different areas principally within the Northeast and in Bahrain. (Ricky Carioti/The Washington Put up through Getty Photos)
Luke himself has been a lifelong Eagles fan – and his enthusiasm was on show within the 2006 biographical sports activities film “Invincible.”
“My character in ‘Invincible’ was the last word Eagles fan,” Luke mentioned of his cape-clad character.
Luke can also be the previous host of an Eagles fan present on tv in Philadelphia.
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Although the cheesesteak was invented in Philadelphia, it is not the “quintessential sandwich” of town, Luke mentioned.
“It is the roast pork,” he mentioned.
The cheesesteak has since turn out to be a sandwich acknowledged all through the nation, usually related to its birthplace. The components, nonetheless, have advanced from place to position.
Tony Luke’s cheesesteaks include a wide range of choices, however peppers aren’t one among them. (Ricky Carioti/The Washington Put up through Getty Photos)
“After which somebody determined to place peppers on a cheesesteak,” Luke mentioned.Â
“Nobody in Philadelphia places peppers on a cheesesteak.”
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A real cheesesteak, Luke mentioned, is meat, bread, cheese — and onions or no onions. That is all.
One of many largest variations between Tony Luke’s and different cheesesteak eating places is how the cheese is cooked. (See the video on the high of this text.)Â
“Nobody in Philadelphia places peppers on a cheesesteak.”
“As soon as the steak is completed and you place the cheese on high, now you are overcooking the steak ready for the cheese to elevate,” Luke mentioned.Â
“So, what we do is, as quickly because the steak is completed, we put the cheese on high after which we flip it in order that the cheese is on the underside of the grill.”
A Tony Luke’s cheesesteak is ready with the cheese melted all through the whole sandwich. (Tony Luke’s)
He added, “Now what occurs is the cheese melts, but it surely does not make the steak proceed to cook dinner. And now the cheese melts all through the whole steak, not simply on high of the steak.”
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In Luke’s opinion, the one meat that needs to be used to make a cheesesteak is rib-eye. It is received probably the most taste – and it is also the fattest.
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“Cheesesteak is just not, by no means has been, by no means will probably be a wholesome various meals,” he mentioned.Â
