Between the Bread

Let's just hope no one decides to add cream cheese. Rolling two of Philadelphia's favorite foods in one handheld bundle, the Philly Pretzel Factory introduces the cheesesteak pretzel. As the name suggests, it's a soft pretzel stuffed with cheesesteak filling. All the flavor of a giant cheesesteak with none of the mess. Said one diner, "I'm not going to be wearing this all day."

Though the invention is novel, its inspiration can be found it some of the country's oldest sandwich precursors. Before sandwiches hit it big in the US, laborers carried early versions that were essentially warm meat filling encased in dough.

In Michigan's Upper Peninsula, miners lunched on Cornish pasties, which often had savory fillnig on one end and sweet dessert at the other. The similar bierock fed farm hands in Nebraska, while the pepperoni roll in West Virginia gained popularity with mine workers and is now sold in convenience stores.

So perhaps it was only a matter of time before someone figured out how to contain the mess of a cheesesteak in the form of these old-school convenience foods. Though I'll admit, the pretzel really takes it to the next level.

Power hitter Schmitter! Now that the Phillies are in the pennant race again, I thought it would be a grand time to visit the beloved Philly sandwich that goes hand in hand with baseball. Not the cheesesteak, but the Schmitter.

If the name alone isn't enough to sell you, here's the gist: thinly sliced beef cooked on a grill, served on a Kaiser roll with salami, tomatoes, onions, and Schmitter sauce, which vendor Joe Piae describes as "basically tomato, mayo, relish, Worcester, a little of this, a little of that."

On opening day this year, NPR headed to Citizens Bank Park to discover the legend of the Schmitter. Piae claims that his father-in-law invented the delicacy and named it after a regular in his bar who preferred Schmidt's beer. I love how the name evokes both "hitter" and "mitt." Have you ever tried a Schmitter?

Photo: Flickr User Bryce_Edwards

When I added Tony Luke's to my sand wish list, my friend Kevin reminded me about another legendary Philly joint, the Famous 4th St. Delicatessen. I've never been there, but they are famous for their enormous sammies — hence the name. Here is a photo of his charming lady friend, Joy, chowing down on one of the deli's Reubens. I haven't seen a sandwich that big since I enjoyed my own giant Reuben at Katz's. And she got soup!

Though I still must try a real Philly cheesesteak, even higher on my sand wish list is another famous Philadelphia sandwich, the roast pork. I am a bigger fan of pork than beef, yet in my opinion, roasted pork doesn't show up on sandwiches nearly enough. The special touch here is broccoli rabe to green and grit up the meat and usually provolone cheese.

I've heard that Tony Luke's does a great roast pork, and my cheesesteak expert pal also highly recommends the fare at Tommy DiNic's (pictured above). Have you ever had a Philadelphia roast pork sandwich? If so, share your recommendations below.

Photo: Flickr User Scaredykat