Yankee Stadium eats… As someone who spent some time going to school in Philly, I almost never eat cheesesteaks anywhere else. But, I have to say that the steaks from Carl’s—whether in their actual shop or at the stadium—are a real treat. They’re no Pat’s, of course, but they get the most important details right. From the slightly crusty, almost intentionally stale bread to the good beef coarsely chopped to just the right melt of the cheese, this is a fine steak.

I’m not much of a fan of the food and bev program at the stadium, but between Carl’s, Parm, and the Lobel’s carving station, there are a few solid options.

Homemade “Philly” cheesesteak. You should never have left over prime dry-aged ribeye, but if you do, this is what you should do with it. As much as I love a real cheesesteak, it’s hard for them to compete with one like this made with a very high quality steak, slow cooked onions, and good Gruyere. It’s easy too. Just slow cook or very slowly sauté the onions in a nonstick pan until caramelized. Add the ribeye which you’ve sliced thinly against the grain. Once the ribeye is browned, move everything into a rectangle roughly the size of your sliced open bread and top with thinly sliced cheese. Press the bread down on top and let cook for a minute to melt the cheese and warm the bread. Use a spatula to get everything out of the pan in one piece. So good.

Cheesesteak from Pat’s, and a Pat’s vs. Geno’s comparison. Somehow, around midnight one night this past weekend, I found myself in the midst of a Pat’s vs. Geno’s throw-down. Maybe there are better steaks elsewhere, but these are the iconically Philly steak joints. I’ll admit to being firmly planted in the Pat’s camp going in. I’ll also disclose that I’m a provolone instead of whiz guy. Sorry, but whiz makes me sick just thinking about it and I love my provie wit. Anyway, there didn’t seem to be much of a comparison, even to the Geno’s fans in our group. The Geno’s steak was decidedly similar to a high school cafeteria steak um—a couple of thin strips of tasteless beef(-ish) meat. Pat’s on the other hand, was loaded with delicious shredded ribeye and even the bread was better. Nevermind that I haven’t had a midnight cheesesteak since college, this was a lot of fun.