We poked around both early on New Year's eve and there was a crowd at Geno's (I'm always scared of places with no customers) so we ate there first. I'd also read that there was an ordering protocol, along the lines of the Soup Nazi so I was a bit nervous. And of course, I botched my order. I knew that Cheez Whiz was the default cheese and that you could also get American cheese or provolone. This is the first component of the order, you must specify cheese choice. "Wit" means with, which means you want it with onions.
I got up my nerve, approached the take-out window, got my money out (they're brusque and wait for no one) and repeated what the guy ahead of me said, "steak with," which got me a steak sandwich with onions, yet no cheese, which is the whole point of a cheesesteak! Duh, I didn't say cheese because I thought that was a given (and I was mimicking the previous customer, thinking he knew what he was doing). It was perfectly fine, but not a cheesesteak. My only complaint was the peculiar absence of napkins (I'm so not an eat-with-my-hands person). I gobbled it down in the freezing cold and rehearsed how I'd order at Pat's later. (12/31/00)
I always forget to mention when I go to Geno's. I seem to be there at least twice a year. They give you napkins and bags now, which is a plus when you're transporting a near trunk load of cheesesteaks back to NYC. But the best part of bringing my visiting from out-of-country sister to Philly for no good reason was seeing a fight break out between a big, drunk oaf and the Geno's staff. (4/29/04)
Geno's* 1219 S. Ninth St.,
Philadelphia, PA
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