A new cheesesteak shop has opened in midtown Hoboken, under the name Jake's Cheesesteaks. Bill Cooke, Chris Carlin, Stuart Gollomp and Nick LaRosa opened the restaurant on March 2nd. The first question asked was, "Who is Jake?" There was a mysterious reply with a wink: "No one. Everyone. Who knows?" The original idea for the store was Stuart's; he wanted to open a cheesesteak shop in New York City. He gathered a few partners, scouted a few locations but ultimately decided to try their first store in Hoboken. Chris was from Philly, and he was the resident expert in cheesesteaks. The first step for the partners was to do a little 'field research'.

"I think we ate at about every cheesesteak place inside and outside of Philadelphia – Pat's, Geno's, Jim's...I think we ate about a hundred cheesesteaks in the last few months before we opened!", Bill Cooke remarked with a laugh. The partners did their research noting what things they liked and those things they didn't like and then came up with their version of a cheesesteak for Hoboken. Bill was quick to note that "It's not 'Jake's Philadelphia Cheesesteaks', its just 'Jake's Cheesesteaks' – we aren't trying to be Pat's or Geno's – we are trying to be Jake's". They decided upon the following cheeseteak variations: Beef, Chicken and their own special vegetarian steak - plus they have some delicious steak fries to go along with your cheesesteak. They expect to expand the menu soon to include: Pizza Steaks (a cheesesteak with marinara sauce), BBQ Chicken Steak, Sloppy Joes, the Steak & Egg Sandwich, Onion Rings and Sweet Potato Fries. A second store is due to open soon in New York City, possibly near Grand Central Station.

Those transplanted Philadelphians that spend their time in the New York area often pine for their old favorite delicacies: like Tastykakes or Habbersett Scrapple or a Pat's Steak. Nearly everyone in the Philadelphia metro area makes a cheesesteak part of their diet, much like a resident of New Orleans enjoys cajun creole cuisine. The identity of cheesesteaks to Philadelphia is so great that if you watch a Philadelphia Eagles game you may see a "Cheesesteak Head" sitting in the audience. This a fan who decides to kiss his social life goodbye by wearing a silly foam hat made to look like a cheesesteak. To ensure a proper review, we selected an elite cadre of Philadelphia cheesesteak connoisseurs to descend upon the store at random times over the last several weeks and report their 'Jake's Cheesesteak Experience'.

Here is what they found:

The Bread: One of the most important aspects of a cheesesteak, and a key component of the sandwich. We all know that Hoboken has some wonderful bread makers and that most Philadelphia fanatics love the Amoroso's bread for a "proper" cheesesteak. The partners at Jake's decided to sample many bread makers inside and outside of Hoboken until they found a secret bakery. The partners wanted a fresh bread has the taste, texture and firmness to be a good Jake's cheesesteak roll. Because of the hand made process, each sandwich can vary a bit in size each time you visit the store, this inconsistency puzzled some reviewers. Everyone agreed that they liked the quality of the bread, but questioned if it was sturdy enough to be a cheesesteak roll. Other taste testers remarked that they would like to see if the partners at Jakes would be willing to stock Amoroso's bread, along with the home made bread, for those that prefer the latter.

The Meat: At Jim's Steaks on South Street, half of a cow is simmering on the grill ready to be consumed during the day. Jakes doesn't have that same volume of business; the steak is refrigerated & cooked on the grill to order. The meat they use its 100% sirloin, not rib-eye meat that is used at some other cheesesteak places. This makes a sandwich that is less greasy and fatty than a traditional cheesesteak. A few other reviewers noted that they didn't think enough meat was served. The partners tell us they serve a 6-ounce serving of meat per sandwich, and you can order a "double meat" which slaps on a whopping 12 ounces of meat. This may be overkill – a 9-ounce steak sandwich might be a good idea to offer the customers.

The Cheese: You can get your steak with American, Provolone or a Philadelphia favorite – Cheese Whiz. Believe it or not, a steak with "Whiz" is a favorite among the Philly faithful. Many other cheesesteak places around the New York metro area offer cheesesteaks, but don't offer Cheese Whiz. Jake's gets a special thumbs up for providing the Whiz. Plus, get a side of Whiz for those hand cut french fries, they are delicious together.

The Extras: One major difference is the caramelized sweet spanish onions. They are cooked on the grill at a certain temperature to bring out the sugars; too hot will burn the onions and too slow will sweat the onions. The result is a sweet onion taste with your cheesesteak, a bit different than found in a typical Philadelphia cheesesteak – like with all the taste testers some people liked it and some just wanted your basic onion. They also have hot cherry peppers and sweet peppers that you can add to your cheesesteak.

Any good Philadelphian knows – loyalties are written in blood over what cheesesteak shop is your favorite – and I have seen shouting contests over who makes the greatest cheesesteak. Jake's has been no different, and there has been a lot of discussion about what they are serving. Some of the Philly reviewers were adamant about certain standards: the steak was not greasy enough; the demands that the rolls must be Amoroso's; or the order of preparing a cheesesteak: the cheese whiz should first be applied to the roll and then the steak meat must be added on top. This is what it's like to be from Philly, everyone passionately debates the sports teams, the politics and the cheesesteaks. Jake's partners were inspired by the famous Philadelphia eateries, but wanted their own distinct and unique cheesesteak sandwich. They accomplished this quite well, so why not stop at the store and attempt your very own "Jake's Cheesesteak Experience"?
- Reviewed by Sean Iaquinto

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