beXnlog

Mini Cheesesteaks!

Last night be, Doey and i checked out the new Dopey Benny's* cheesesteak joint on East Houston. It's a small friendly place with stainless steel stools and long tables, with a small open kitchen in the back. At first, i was prepared to wait for Doey while he got his cheesesteak, going to another place with vegetarian-friendly fare afterwards BUT they actually offer tofu as one of the proteins!

You first decide if you want 3 mini cheesesteaks or 1 big one for $6.00. Then you choose either steak, chicken or tofu and your cheeses out of: American white, American yellow, Cheez Wiz, provolone or spicy Monterey jack. Finally, you pick your "flavor" from: Traditional (Cheez Wiz, peppers and onions), Korean (sesame seeds, soy sauce, scallions, peppers and onions), Southern (BBQ sauce, peppers and onions), Mexican (salsa, guacamole, peppers and onions) or Italian (tomato sauce, peppers and onions). If you opt for the minis, note you can mix and match so they all don't have to be the same thing.

My 3 minis came nestled in a styrofoam box with a pickle. The bread is about 3/4 the size of a hot dog bun, toasted just right and with a yummy, chewy-crisp texture. Out of the Korean, Italian and Mexican tofu ones, my favorite was the Mexican. The pepper jack cheese, salsa and guacamole went really well with the lightly-fried tofu strips. The Korean flavorings were a natural with the tofu but i thought it was too juicy for the bun, making it a little soggy and harder to eat. I thought the Italian one with provolone cheese was good but plainer than the other two. Also note they really pile on the peppers and onions, so if you aren't a fan be sure to tell them (right, be?).

be also got cheese fries which came in a little paper tray. The fries were fast-food kind, thin and oily, covered in Cheez Wiz = obviously very tasty! He also got RC Cola which they have on fountain. I don't recall the other sodas except for Bosco chocolate soda, which i totally should've tried! duh! Well, it was 3:00AM post-movie at Sunshine, making it the perfect place for ultra-late-night fare on the LES. (We didn't get any, but i've heard Sunshine actually pops their own real popcorn and offers different seasonings you can sprinkle on!)

*The real "Dopey Benny" was a gangster who dominated New York labor racketeering in the 1910s (from Wikipedia).

posted by beXn @ 9:11 PM