{"id":21,"date":"2022-05-08T07:00:21","date_gmt":"2022-05-08T07:00:21","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/onemonthinmurphy.tracktwo.us\/?p=21"},"modified":"2022-05-08T23:56:07","modified_gmt":"2022-05-08T23:56:07","slug":"ryan","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/onemonthinmurphy.tracktwo.us\/index.php\/2022\/05\/08\/ryan\/","title":{"rendered":"Philadelphia: A City of Sandwiches"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Before the Philadelphia Eagles won Super Bowl LI in early 2018, they first had to give a thrashing to the Arizona Cardinals in week 5. On this particular game day in early October, 2017, my dad and I arrived at Lincoln Financial Field much earlier than the 1:00 p.m. kickoff. On our walk around the stadium looking for food, my attention was caught by a small tent just passed the south gate. A worker opened it\u2019s windows and placed a sign outside. It read \u201cThe Schmitter – $11.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

For current Eagles fans, there isn’t much to celebrate. The Super Bowl feels like a distant memory, and many wish they could replay that magical season. However, much like the food critic in Ratatouille<\/em>, I am brought back to that Eagles game every time I take a bite of a Schmitter. Whether it was the first time or the most recent, there is something special about the way that McNally\u2019s crafts their famous sandwich. Something that you just can’t find anywhere else.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

McNally\u2019s Tavern is located off of Germantown Avenue, right in the heart of Chestnut Hill and while it may be small, it\u2019s influence is much larger. However, it still pales in comparison to some of the tourist destination restaurants that distract the public from the real Philadelphia. McNally\u2019s lives at the heart of what the city lives for, but it continues to live in the background. Attention needs to be shifted back to the neighborhood restaurants that foster community in order to save Philly\u2019s reputation of \u201cbrotherly love.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Like many of the foods of Philadelphia, the Schmitter has a history. One night, a neighborhood tavern regular, Dennis Krenich had come to McNally\u2019s for a good meal and some beer. His nickname was \u201cSchmidter ” because he would only drink Scmidt\u2019s, a local, Philadelphia brewed beer. This night in particular, Hugh James McNally crafted something special for one of the neighborhood\u2019s most popular men.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The sandwich contained sliced beef, grilled salami, fried onions, tomato, extra cheese, and a homemade sauce, all placed on a kaiser roll. It was an instant hit, both with Scmidter, for whom it was named, and everyone else who wanted to try \u201cThe Schmitter.\u201d It has grown immensely in popularity over the years, but it\u2019s never lost its neighborhood pride. The official writeup of the Schmitter reads, \u201cat heart it’s still just a local on a local roll right here in Chestnut Hill.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Philadelphia is a sandwich city. As the home of the cheesesteak and countless restaurants that claim to do it best, there is no shortage of opinion as to where you can get \u201cthe best\u201d Philly cheesesteak. With that being said, there are clearly two places that get the most attention, Pat\u2019s King of Steaks and Geno\u2019s Steaks both located on 9th Street and Passyunk Avenue in South Philly. They both have their own claims to fame, but to anyone not from Philadelphia they look like the gold standard of cheesesteaks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On the other hand, we have a place like McNally\u2019s. It\u2019s small, tavern windows light up the surrounding streets each night, drawing more customers. With plenty of beers on tap and an entire menu of some of the best sandwiches in the city, it\u2019s no surprise that many locals would call this \u201cthe best\u201d restaurant.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Good luck trying to get a seat on a Friday or Saturday night, friends and families pile inside to enjoy a night out in the neighborhood\u2019s most popular place. And on a Sunday during football season? Forget about sitting. Eagles fans share the space with each other, spilling beers in celebration and collectively cursing out Jalen Reagor. All of this camradaire is what makes Philadelphia the city of brotherly love, and at its core are these small, family owned restaurants that give the city that identity. Yet, they are completely neglected by anyone outside of Philly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tourists will come from all over, trying to see the cooking steaks that they see before home NFL games cut to commercials. They all need their own opinion on what steak is better, Pat\u2019s or Geno\u2019s, as if it isn’t the oldest trick in the marketing history book. Standing in long lines outside is all part of the appeal, bringing to life the hopes of seeing cashiers tear through crowds at record speeds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

These places are known and celebrated for being brash and unwelcoming to everyone. It\u2019s almost like they act to fit into that stereotype that Philadelphians are all mean for no reason, just like those people who brutally murdered the HitchBOT (rest his soul). It\u2019s so bad that the official tourism publication, Visit Philadelphia<\/em>, created a translator for how to order, \u201csaying \u201cone whiz wit\u201d to the person behind the counter means that one cheesesteak [denoted by the \u201cone\u201d] with Cheez Whiz [denoted by the \u201cwhiz\u201d] and fried onions [denoted by the \u201cwit\u201d].\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At McNally’s, families can come to experience an authentic Philadelphia. One where they don’t have to fear a fake outburst if they don\u2019t narrow their order down to three words. There is indoor seating, and as of 2020, outdoor seating while weather permits. The waiting staff is incredibly friendly and patient, even while they are getting people in and out as quickly as possible to make room for new faces.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They aren\u2019t just throwing some meat on a bun and telling you to get the fuck out, they invite you into thier home and show you what makes them special. Newcomers and regulars alike are part of the family when dining at McNally\u2019s, and that\u2019s the exact core ideal that is at the heart of Philadelphia.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What makes this a real issue is that Pat\u2019s and Geno\u2019s get all of the public attention and they promote this false image of Philly. All cities have their own stereotypes, but they\u2019re easy enough for the cities to work around and avoid. Philadelphia doesn\u2019t though. John Gonzalez, a Queen\u2019s Village resident and writer for Thrillist<\/em> speculates that, \u201cit can feel as though Philadelphians willingly indulge theirs just to get a little attention, just to stand apart. Better to be lampooned and loathed than overlooked.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

I believe this to be true, but how much is too much? Has it come to the point where we are damaging our own reputation at an irreparable rate? Philadelphians are known for being some of the realest people you\u2019ll ever meet, and there are absolutely instances where that has gotten out of hand. Philly sports fans are brutal, that\u2019s a fact, but it comes out of the immense passion that these people have for the teams. Again, it comes down to what is shown to the world and what isn\u2019t. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Being a part of the community is something that can be easily done in Philadelphia. Popular restaurants like McNally\u2019s are peppered across Philly, just waiting to introduce people into their own part of local culture. What needs to happen is that smaller places like Dalessandro\u2019s Steaks, Jim\u2019s Steaks, and Sister Muhammad\u2019s Kitchen begin to get the recognition that places like Pat\u2019s and Geno\u2019s have. They clearly deserve it, and only then will visitors be able to see an authentic Philadelphia, not just the one gritty side of it\u2019s persona.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Philly is a city like no other, and just like many other cities it\u2019s defined by its people. To those who judge the city based on what they see from the outside, it\u2019s a place with rowdy fans and angry residents. But to all of those who live here, it\u2019s a place with the most passionate and dedicated people on the planet. It\u2019s home.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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    The sun sets on the corner of Germantown Avenue and Bethlehem Pike in Chestnut Hill, Pennsylvania on Thursday, March 10th (photo by Ryan Hiemenz).<\/div><\/div><\/li>\n
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    Restaurant and shop lights like this one outside of McNally's Tavern keep the streets lit for hours (photo by Ryan Hiemenz).<\/div><\/div><\/li>\n
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    The inside of McNally's Tavern at 7:30 p.m. on 3\/10\/2022, moments before Ben Simmons made his return to the bench in the Wells Fargo Center (photo by Ryan Hiemenz).<\/div><\/div><\/li>\n
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    McNally's has served local draught beers to the neighborhood since they opened in 1921 (photo by Ryan Hiemenz).<\/div><\/div><\/li>\n
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    Cooks working to complete many orders of Schmitters and more as quickly as possible (photo by Ryan Hiemenz).<\/div><\/div><\/li>\n
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    McNally's Famous Sandwich, The Schmitter (photo by Ryan Hiemenz).<\/div><\/div><\/li>\n
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    On most nights, all of the lights inside McNally's Tavern stay on until 10 p.m. (photo by Ryan Hiemenz).<\/div><\/div><\/li>\n <\/ul>\n <\/div>\n \n <\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n
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