Mac's Philly Steaks Opens in Geneva

Canandaigua has had a Mac's Philly Steaks for a while. And now one has opened in Geneva. I have not tried it yet, so I am asking you all -- have you? What's your view? Give us a review!

Meanwhile, though, what was once a local food fad -- Philadelphia steak sandwiches, and Philadelphia cheese steaks -- a variety of hoagie (quite definitely not a sub) has long been a nationwide phenomenon. And yet, most of those outside Philadelphia come no where near my memories of the Philly phenomenon. (for virtual reflections on the real deal, click here or here. Both have pictures. In case you've been fooled by a pseudo cheese steak.) My memory -- a hoagie roll (again, NOT a sub roll) filled with thinly shaved steak, dripping with some grilled onions, maybe some peppers, and definitely some cheese. Thick. A bit salty. Mac's is tempting. Why? Because of this sentence: "After spending many summers on the south New Jersey Shore. . . " which appears on their website. Yes, I think of certain parts of south Jersey as almost the same as Philly. Yes, I know the difference between "down the shore" and other ways of talking about the beach. Yes, I do. There's another reason to be tempted: their web site discusses the basic necessity of the right roll.

You can choose between two sites in the real world, not the virtual world:

76 South Main Street
Canandaigua, NY 14424
585-394-7080

10 Castle Street
Geneva, NY 14456
315-789-1101

Check one or the other out -- and let us all know. How are these cheese steaks? Is it as close to Philly as your dreams?

Comments

[D.Moore]

We went there on Friday last week. I got a cheesesteak with "everything" and J. got a fish fry. On the whole it was ok, not great, just ok. One positive note is that the fries seem to be freshly made, not something dumped out of a bag packed and frozen in New Jersey.

As fast food goes it gets a passing grade, but I felt it was kind of bland.

I went down to Ithaca this weekend and indulged in some Thai food - Pad Thai and various curries and it made a striking contrast to the bland "American cuisine " that Mac's serves up.

That sounds harsher than I intended it too, it's a decent place and I'll go back, but I'm not wowed.