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A 'grinder' is a funny word that means different things in different places. In and around Philadelphia and the Delaware Valley, you will find places selling 'Grinders' but that specifically means a sandwich that has been put in an oven and is hot such as a Chicken Parm Grinder.
[definition snipped]
Grinders has exactly one grinder on its menu — and it's a Chicken Parm:
"Lightly hand-breaded chicken breasts topped with a generous portion of provolone cheese & our Ho’made “Rockin’ Red” sauce on an Amoroso roll."
Someone on the staff or management there must have come from Philly, for the menu notes that this sandwich and the cheesesteak (still "Voted Best West of the Mississippi") come on Amoroso rolls.
And I wonder whether their patrons understand the significance of this. I guess that those who do not learn quickly.
I also note that the establishment says it serves "New York-style" pizzas, but they don't call them by that name. Instead, they're given an appropriately local moniker: "Grinders Show Me Pie."
Prior to coming here, the only place I had heard the word "grinder" was in Boston, and there too, the sandwich was hot. Grinders does serve several other sandwiches on toasted rolls and buns, however.
Aside: The place also makes a hot sauce it calls "Death Nectar." It's not all that high up on the Scoville scale (~200k Scovilles), but it has a very powerful afterkick that will bring tears to your eyes. I used to use it as an initiation rite for guests who visited my place for the first time.
Following myself up to unmask the secret of Grinders:
Quote:
Originally Posted by MarketStEl
Someone on the staff or management there must have come from Philly, for the menu notes that this sandwich and the cheesesteak (still "Voted Best West of the Mississippi") come on Amoroso rolls.
Yup.
That someone is a guy who calls himself "Stretch."
The place was just called "Grinders" on my two visits, and there was only one location. I see that it's now called "Grinders by Stretch," and he's opened a second location in the Johnson County suburbs.
Stretch's bio on the website lists two more, but I don't see those identified as locations on the website. Further research shows that the third is an annex of the 18th Street original, and the fourth was a location in Leavenworth, Kan., that has since closed.
Now on to the smoking gun. From the bio:
Quote:
Some of the earliest cooking jobs STRETCH had were at a Woolworths lunch counter in the Philadelphia area and, in high school, part-time work at a McDonalds. The need for money and uncertainty about his future drove him into the food industry. It wasn’t until his passion for creating art took over that STRETCH was enrolled at Kansas City Art Institute.* While in art school, having no money lends itself to creatively learning how to survive, experimenting with food on hot plates, grilling with irons and cooking hotdogs on nails. This was the true beginning to his future of creating food and art.
Further down, after a lengthy description of the art he has produced and his role in making the Crossroads Arts District, where the original Grinders is located, a happening place:
Quote:
Creating the menu for Grinders was an obvious choice for STRETCH. He didn’t want to starve and missed his East-Coast roots filled with Philly cheesesteaks and NY-style pizza, the idea of Grinders was born. Infusing the menu with his artistic flair, specialties like the Death Wings, the Chili Bomb Pie and Grinders Signature Hot Sauces were created as well as featured on the FOOD Network. Grinders has since gained world-wide notoriety thanks to the hit shows Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives, Guys Big Bite & Travel Channel’s Pizza Paradise. STRETCH has since toured twice with Guy Fieri on his national Foodapalooza Roadshow and the South Beach Wine and Food Festival, showcasing his custom 25-gallon monster margarita machine. STRETCH has traveled with America’s Chefs, cooking and entertaining for the military around the world. Now he has developed and continues to support the military through Messlords with many featured chefs from around the country.
(emphasis added in both snippets)
So: Maybe you can't teach an outsider the secret — it takes an actual Philadelphian to make a really good cheesesteak.
*Apropos of nothing but FWIW, an uncle of mine was the first Black graduate of the Kansas City Art Institute, in 1952. Founded in 1885, it's one of the top art schools in the country. I do have a couple of my late Uncle Phil's paintings in my possession.
Last edited by MarketStEl; 02-03-2023 at 12:01 PM..
LOL! This is an interesting thread so I'll add my 2 cents. Originally from Wilmington, DE so I understand the nuances of a cheesesteak. My hometown is more than a "maybe" in the cheesesteak realm. My town has Claymont Steak Shop, Olympic(don't know if it's still around), DiConstanzas(not sure if that's still around), among others that will give any cheesesteak(or hoagie for that matter) in Philly a run for their money. As far as the rolls, go Amaroso's or go home! In NJ, it seems the knowledge for making a cheesesteak stops at central NJ. Once you go to North NJ(where I lived for a decade) there is a disconnect. Someone was going out to lunch in Jersey City one time and they asked me did I want a "steak and cheese." First of all, what is that? Secondly, no thanks. Now I am a Pocono denizen for more than a decade. It's hell trying to find a cheesesteak that is up to snuff. Either I doctor up the steak with my own meat or the rolls are no good. You would figure since we are just 2 hrs from Philly that someone would figure out the supply chain for Amoroso rolls and sliced rib eye meat. Alas, another desert for cheesesteaks is in the Pocono region of PA.
I still say if everything else is right -- the meat (chopped just right), the cheese, the other ingredients -- I don't if I'd call onions toppings -- and the grillmaster knows what he's doing -- the roll can be secondary....a good part if it -- yes -- but secondary.
I love seeing a cheese steak guy who knows what he's doing work his grill!
I remember when guys would have a cigarette in their mouth -- working that grill)
I think the Philly area for good cheesesteaks can be expanded a little. I've had great cheesesteaks in Reading and Allentown. Those places are still culturally Philly area. Maybe even out to Lancaster.
yes, I agree, I've had them all over that area, and they are all pretty much the same....
although, now that I think of it, there was this awesome place in Allentown/Bethlehem area, called the Beef and Barrel....they made a small whole steak and served it on a roll, with chips and a large dill pickle, they were pretty awesome, but they didn't call it a philly cheesesteak....lol
but yes, I've even had Cheesesteaks in the poconos that were pretty darn good....the Philly Cheese steak became pretty popular and in demand in that whole East Coast Region from Philly and all the surrounding areas.
I still say if everything else is right -- the meat (chopped just right), the cheese, the other ingredients -- I don't if I'd call onions toppings -- and the grillmaster knows what he's doing -- the roll can be secondary....a good part if it -- yes -- but secondary.
I love seeing a cheese steak guy who knows what he's doing work his grill!
I remember when guys would have a cigarette in their mouth -- working that grill)
sorry, I respectfully disagree, because I make my own cheesesteaks, out here in Bowling Green, and you cannot, get good rolls, I've asked them about trying to buy Amaroso rolls, (basically the locals out here, refuse change) so I have to settle for their version of a roll, which really ruins the whole taste of it...just not the same....
There was a place right over the bridge from Easton, where some guy made the best hot dogs, but there was also a small cheesesteak place, my God were they awesome! Me, I like sauce on my cheesesteak, and he made his own for those as myself....it was so good...
Took my family down to Philly on the R-5 way back then and treated them to cheesesteaks....
I'm originally from Quakertown, and they made some pretty good cheesesteaks up there....
But it really upsets me how utterly bad the food is out here in Bowling Green, KY, and so many people (locals) rave about the food...Gosh I wish they could experience what we've known. I don't think a lot of them have been out of BG?
Some people swear by the oils they use on the grill and the onions....
You can't get good Italian rolls or good Italian food, including Pizza, which is what the guy from Jersey was saying when we were discussing food here....also, get this, and this really is hard to grasp.....when you go into a chinese restaurant and order fried rice, it's plain rice thats been fried a little??????? Nothing in it, all white in color and no veggies, no flavoring, no peas, no eggs, nada, just plain old rice? Eyyy yi yi
LOL! This is an interesting thread so I'll add my 2 cents. Originally from Wilmington, DE so I understand the nuances of a cheesesteak. My hometown is more than a "maybe" in the cheesesteak realm. My town has Claymont Steak Shop, Olympic(don't know if it's still around), DiConstanzas(not sure if that's still around), among others that will give any cheesesteak(or hoagie for that matter) in Philly a run for their money. As far as the rolls, go Amaroso's or go home! In NJ, it seems the knowledge for making a cheesesteak stops at central NJ. Once you go to North NJ(where I lived for a decade) there is a disconnect. Someone was going out to lunch in Jersey City one time and they asked me did I want a "steak and cheese." First of all, what is that? Secondly, no thanks. Now I am a Pocono denizen for more than a decade. It's hell trying to find a cheesesteak that is up to snuff. Either I doctor up the steak with my own meat or the rolls are no good. You would figure since we are just 2 hrs from Philly that someone would figure out the supply chain for Amoroso rolls and sliced rib eye meat. Alas, another desert for cheesesteaks is in the Pocono region of PA.
you've had tons of people from Jersey move up to the Poconos, and a lot of them Italian, so you know the food started changing 25 years ago....for the better....
Great Italian Restaurants up there....I miss it....we'd go to this one place and I swear they'd give you 1/2 lb of spaghetti on your plate, we'd take our meals home and have two other meals out of them. The food was delicious, but we'd take company there just to treat them to the proportions they'd serve...
There are more inplants moving here, this little town has been the 3rd largest growing town in Kentucky, so, eventually it's going to change....there are a lot of professionals coming into town, doctors, lawyers...etc...and they hate the food here...it's all chains and all fried foods, I believe they only know how to make fried chicken, fried catfish and country fried steak....hardly any meat loaf, no liver and onions, no fried ham steaks, no hot turkey, except cracker barrel, serves hot Turkey in the winter with cornbread stuffing, no broiled fish or chicken...and they do not know how to make home made soups just potato....no bread stuffing and only maybe 3 pies to choose from...you can't even get a good Prime Rib steak during the week, except one or two places I know of....
So, I will no longer order a Cheesesteak again, not here anyway, yuck...
yes, I agree, I've had them all over that area, and they are all pretty much the same....
although, now that I think of it, there was this awesome place in Allentown/Bethlehem area, called the Beef and Barrel....they made a small whole steak and served it on a roll, with chips and a large dill pickle, they were pretty awesome, but they didn't call it a philly cheesesteak....lol
but yes, I've even had Cheesesteaks in the poconos that were pretty darn good....the Philly Cheese steak became pretty popular and in demand in that whole East Coast Region from Philly and all the surrounding areas.
anyone ever hear of "the Weber" It was a philly cheesesteak, with mayo on the roll, lettuce, tomatoes and raw onion, that to was delicious, and I believe they put sauce in with the steak, cannot remember but there was a place in my hometown called the pub that made delicious Webers.
I do so miss the Poconos, when we lived there, it was really quiet, not a lot of people, moved up there 30 years ago...bought a house on a small lake, it was a great community...at that time, we had to drive into Stroudsburg to do our grocery shopping because there were no stores in the west end....but it built up quickly....does Sherry's Steak hogies park at the same place all the time, or does she move around?
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Now I am a Pocono denizen for more than a decade. It's hell trying to find a cheesesteak that is up to snuff. Either I doctor up the steak with my own meat or the rolls are no good. You would figure since we are just 2 hrs from Philly that someone would figure out the supply chain for Amoroso rolls and sliced rib eye meat. Alas, another desert for cheesesteaks is in the Pocono region of PA.
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