Philadelphia: Part 2- If you encounter a Philly cheesesteak sandwich in the woods of New Jersey, is it still a Philly cheesesteak sandwich?

When last we left off, the Mosimans were hunting for hippos in Philadelphia. We were also scouring the city for food. We passed many a tempting treat from the upper level of our double-decker tour bus but alas, our drop-off point was blocks away from the more reputable restaurants. I admit it: we ate in a (gasp!) food court for lunch. Ashamed by my lack of culinary courage, I vowed that dinner would be different.

Prior to embarking upon our Philadelphia expedition, I had perused a website called Restaurants on TV (http://www.tvfoodmaps.com/s3/PA/Philadelphia) to see which local restaurants had been featured on television shows. A sandwich joint called Tony Luke's immediately stood out as it had been the setting for not one, not two, but five well-known programs including "Food Wars," "The Best Thing I Ever Ate," "Man vs. Food" and "Throwdown with Bobby Flay." However, by the time we'd wrestled our way out of Philadelphia, I knew that we more than likely had a cheap chain restaurant in our future. Imagine my delight when, not a mile from our hotel, we spotted a sign for Tony Luke's! "But we're in New Jersey," Savannah observed, consulting my homemade "Phun in Philly" brochure, "We're going to have our authentic Philly cheesesteak sandwich in New Jersey?" Imagine my tired husband's delight when we discovered that we'd hit Tony Luke's on the occasion of their grand opening in a bowling alley!

The joint certainly was jumping. Customer traffic flow was a tad congested and our much-anticipated order took some time to prepare. Brad and Sydney sat at a dark corner away from the busy bar having eschewed my seat selection of stools peering over the crowded bowling lanes. Savannah and I lurked near the counter, waiting to pounce upon our prey. "Brian," the counter girl bellowed. "Did she say "Amy?" I asked. "No, Mom," Savannah said. "Ross," came the next cry. I looked at Savannah, "Was that an "Amy?" "Nope, not yet." "Vanessa," was the next name shouted out. I could pull off being a "Vanessa." It was a name with a wide range; anywhere between baroness and bordello. I threw back my shoulders before glancing at my daughter who responded with an emphatic no. Twenty names later, my moniker was cast above the hungry crowd and, like a tempted trout, I leaped from the swirling masses to latch onto my Tony Luke's order.

Reactions were mixed. Not a cheese-lover, Savannah ordered her Philly cheesesteak sandwich plain and insisted that her plain Philly cheesesteak sandwich WASN'T a plain Philly cheesesteak sandwich at all but a plain New Jersey cheesesteak sandwich which, while good, didn't count as authentically regional food. Sydney and I, who are not overly fond of meat, daringly ordered fries. Brad, however, rose to the occasion. Despite the regional discrepancy, he ordered and consumed with gusto, his Philadelphia cheesesteak sandwich and declared it "delicious."

By the way, upon returning home, I discovered that, in addition to Philadelphia and New Jersey, you can order an authentic Tony Luke's Philly cheesesteak sandwich in Delaware, Rhode Island, and Maryland too http://www.tonylukes.com/. Instead of Mohammad moving to the mountain, Savannah's plain Philly cheesesteak will eventually move to New York, where it will undergo a slight name change with a wide range. There's more than just geographical distance that separates Philadelphia and New York. Baltimore crabcakes, a Coney Island hotdog, a Philly cheesesteak sandwich. Each entree is accompanied by the sights, sounds and memories associated with its originating location. The flavor fades slightly, further from home.