And the award goes to…
If there are others out there who, like me, have been searching for the title of Best Cheesesteak in Columbus, I am happy to report that I have found the winner! This thing is good. It’s melt-in-your-mouth, put-a-smile-0n-your-face-for-the-rest-of-the-day good. It’s just THAT good.
My personal search began a few years ago. I was working downtownm and located down the street was a Charley’s Steakery (which has since closed down). A co-worker and I had lunch there once, and so stunned was I at the delicious blend of steak and cheese, I must admit I dined at the establishment on my own at a most unhealthy frequency thereafter. I have since made it a personal goal to order a cheesesteak at any and all restaurants that I go to that offer them on the menu. The result has been a non-stop comparison of city-wide cheesesteaks that has failed to produce a hands-down winner. Until now.
Previous favorites include Chili’s (the garlic toasted bun provides a unique flavor that stands out among the crowd), Max & Erma’s (a delicious, simply done sandwich that is always of high quality), and of course the original favorite, Charley’s. There is sometimes even the exceptional cheesesteak experience at an establishment that ends in disappointment on a return visit, when the sandwich making just isn’t consistent. The search has continued, then, to find that WOW sandwich, the one that just stands alone from the rest and says, “I am here, I am cheesesteak and I. am. delicious.”
8 Restaurant and Bar, in the Short North, has this sandwich. The grilled steak is perfect in texture, the cheese is cheesey without overwhelming the rest of the sandwich, and the blend of onion and peppers are cooked so perfectly that they melt in your mouth, adding flavor without that stringy onion thing that sometimes happens. Everything about this sandwich just works together, bringing out each flavor without any one particular one being overwhelming or lacking. It’s just…perfect. Now go have one.
August 10th, 2007 at 11:04 am
This sangwich made me jealous as I watched Laura eat it from across the table. My fatty-fat fat pot roast just didn’t cut it. But the bites of the cheese steak that Laura let me have were HEAVENLY.