I then look at my sandwich and it all melts away, like the provolone cheese on this beast. Mmmm..
Penn Station takes pride in its "east coast" subs. However, ironically it's a Midwestern based chain without any east coast locations. The first store opened up in Dayton, Ohio in 1985 at a local mall and thus developed into a network primarily rooted in the Midwest, with some stray locations in the south. So it has poor credentials for being a true blue Philly Cheesesteak joint. Penn Station doesn't even serve the cheesesteak in it's traditional form topped with cheese-whiz which is apparently how people eat it in Philly. The ordering process at Penn Station is organized and simple where ordering your cheesesteak in Philly is a major task in itself.
But there's no denying that this place makes a damn good sandwich.
This is your traditional Penn Station. You walk in, make your way to the counter and the counter man/woman awaits to take your order. You order, they ask for your name, you give it to them, you sit and then a person yells out your name and gives you your food. Newly remodeled locations are different from the above picture. The decor comes off as a Starbuck's-esque decor and there are two cashier terminals instead of one: the first terminal is for computing the order and the second one practically located on the other side of the store is for paying for your order. In other words, you order, they ask for your name and then you wait with many others for the same person to run all the way over to the other side to complete the transactions. While it is quite amusing to watch this fiasco, the new process extremely inefficient and cumbersome; which is why I usually opt to visit the older west side location rather than the newly remodeled (and very busy) campus location.The menu is quite large and has a diverse selection of subs ranging from cheesesteaks to chicken subs to Italian subs to vegetarian subs. Much more than your typical joint in Philly/Jersey. Salads with sub toppings and, more recently, grilled wraps are an option if you're not into carb fest. Subs are either Small, Medium or Large. The Large is absolutely massive and rarely anyone gets that size. I almost exclusively opt for the Medium every time I order. Sides available are their signature fresh-cut Idaho (which are amazing) and cheese bread can act as both a side or a main dish. You decide exactly what you want in between two pieces of French bread and they'll make it. That's the game here.
Penn Station usually has a monthly special, combo meals revolving around 1-3 different subs including fries and a drink for a lesser price. I nearly jumped for joy when I found out that this month was "Chicken Month" since my favorite sandwich, the Chicken Parmesan was a special. With the special, my meal is usually near nine dollars. However, today CounterLady made a mistake while computing my order and it came to nearly seven. However, I ended up donating a dollar to some random charity so it came to nearly eight. Go figure.
Your food takes usually 5-15 minutes to be made, depending on how packed the place is. Your meat is first grilled on a large grill and then your sandwich is assembled with the toppings and put through a toaster akin to the ones at Quizno's. The sandwich is then thrown in a basket, fries thrown in, and then brought to the table. And before your eyes is a piece of grease-ridden heaven:
Penn Station is one of the few fast food joints where you food looks pretty damn close to what you see on the advertisements except the sandwiches are served open-faced. You can either eat it with a plastic fork and knife or roll it up into a sandwich - I usually do the latter. And the taste is even better the look of the sandwich. All the ingredients are stand out in their own way and blend together nicely. There's no blandness to be found at all.
I can't really remember the first time I've ever eaten at a Penn Station though I can trace my earliest memory of eating there to around the fall of 2002 and I've been back countless times since then. Although the fries are fried in cholesterol-free peanut oil, Penn Station really is meant to be eaten once in a long while. Do not even come close to this place if you're on a diet or plan on adopting one.
As I was throwing my trash away, a small dilemma happened. OldLady was trying to leave and IndieGirl had parked her car too close to OldLady's car, thus OldLady was unable to enter her car. IndieGirl noticed this in advance and walked towards the front door to help her out when OldLady burst in, angry, and yelled in her nasal grandmother-ish voice "WHOEVER PARKED THEIR BLACK CAR HAS TO MOVE IT, I CAN'T GET IN MY CAR!!" Everyone in the dining area just glanced at her, and the staff just looked at her strange. IndieGirl went and backed her car up.
Problem solved.
