Jaysis, but that took long enough. Our all-time favorite lunch spot, Frankie's Cheesesteaks, is re-opened now, having taken three-plus weeks to move to the old Le Bistro location down the street at Campbell and Copper. The dining area is a little bigger than in the old place up by India Oven, with the addition of another big 8-top table and a longer counter running along the windows. An utterly bizarre but cute, in a you-gotta-know-Frankie way, is the Liberty Room, a little annex done up like a tiny Liberty Hall from an HO-scale Philadelphia, with replicated historical documents on the deep red walls, black Colonial chairs around little tables, faux wood flooring, and even a couple of clay pub pipes mounted on the wall. He is very proud of his Liberty Room.
The drill is the same no matter where you sit--order at the counter, get your RC, and wait for someone to yell your name. We went on opening day, this past Monday, and it was sheer bedlam even at 1:30. The only people I recognized were Frankie and the counter girl; all the grill guys looked new. I worry that some of his old guard couldn't swing the three-week layoff and are now wasting their talents at Arby's.
Anyway, once the sandwiches showed up, I was relieved to see that the shiny new setting hasn't diminished the Philly-dive goodness of the food. The beef was as tender and juicy as always, the onions and provolone dumped on by the yard. My only quibbles were a roll that was a bit dry at the ends, as if it was the last one out of a bag that had been left open a titch too long, and onions that could have used more salt and a little more time on the grill. Then again, the onions were always pretty variable at the old location, so I'll reserve judgment until the next time.
And the beauty of it is that if the onions suck again, all I gotta do is tell Frankie and he will beat someone's ass until they get it right on the grill.
Frankie's! Bliss on a bun.
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