The Philly Taco

I was at a dinner party last weekend when my friend Nancy casually dropped the term, Philly Taco. My interest was immediately piqued, and I inquired as to what a Philly Taco is. I learned that it is a drunken snack she likes to make when out on South Street (the Philly equivalent of Haight street in SF or Melrose in LA). I was shocked intrigued when she revealed the contents of the Philly Taco. It reminded me of that Saturday Night Live “Taco Town” skit, and I felt it needed to be documented and recorded for all the world to see.

Taco

Math

 

Step one: Arrive on South Street, and consume several beers. Check. I opted for Tanqueray and tonics instead. Apparently the essence of the Philly Taco is lost on the un-inebriated. They are just not capable of “getting it.”

Step two: Stagger down to Ishkabibbles and order a cheesesteak—onions optional. I don’t want to start a Philly cheesesteak flame war, so let’s just say we picked Ishkabibbles because there is never a line, and it’s just a stone’s-throw away from Lorenzo and Son’s pizza.

Step three: Hop down to the other end of the block and grab a slice at Lorenzo and Son’s Pizza. There is always a line here, however they only serve the slices one way (ask for a topping any you are guaranteed to get dirty looks), and they move people through like an assembly line. You may want to consider purchasing a box for twenty-five cents. It will give you working room to assemble your Philly Taco.

Ishkabibble's Lorenzo's

 

Step four: This is the step that really surprised me. During the initial description, I had imagined the pizza folded in half, and the cheesesteak placed in the center, perhaps folding the tiny edge of the pizza back over into the cheesesteak. Quite the contrary; you roll the cheesesteak in the slice. I commented that perhaps the Philly Burrito would be a more appropriate name, but was met with fierce resistance. It’s not my thing, so I backed down. Philly Taco it shall remain.

I won’t comment on the taste, as I’m sure you have already formed your own opinions. However, I will say that Nancy and Claire seem to be enjoying themselves in these photos.

 

Nancy Claire

 

 

June 9th, 2007 by John (Cho-Tabetai)

15 Responses to “The Philly Taco”

  1. Nancy, on June 9th, 2007 at 3:56 pm Said:

    Great Blog!! I am honored to be featured in your article. Philly Tacos rock my world!! YUMMY!!

  2. Tadashi, on June 9th, 2007 at 7:22 pm Said:

    Ｔｈｉｓ　ｃｒａｃｋｅｄ　ｍｅ　ｕｐ, dunno why but
    i kept laughing when reading it. The Philly
    Taco is now ranked as the king of junk food
    on my chart.

  3. Luke, on June 11th, 2007 at 1:53 pm Said:

    Wow! My mind was just blown. I am going to have to try this in DC… except maybe fries rolled up in a Jumbo slice.

  4. Kate, on June 12th, 2007 at 11:23 pm Said:

    As a native Philadelphian, I can’t decide whether to be delighted or horrified. Maybe both?

  5. Cho-Tabetai, on June 13th, 2007 at 9:06 am Said:

    @Kate: That’s the same reaction I had when my friend Nancy first told me about it.

  6. marianne politowski, on June 13th, 2007 at 10:43 am Said:

    I WANT TO EAT THAT.

  7. Jim, on June 17th, 2007 at 11:53 am Said:

    I love it! If I’m ever in Philadelphia, I’m going to eat one of these. I could probably come up with something similar here in California, but I’m sure it wouldn’t be the same.

    Those who would eat one of these may like my food blog, Phoood. It’s at http://www.phoood.com.

  8. Adam Riff™ can't be a pimp and a prostitute too » Pound and Pint, on June 18th, 2007 at 2:59 am Said:

    [...] Amateur! • US States Renamed For Countries With Similar GDPs • Strange Tunnel • The Philly Taco [...]

  9. drew olanoff, on June 18th, 2007 at 2:00 pm Said:

    This looks amazing. I’m in Seattle now (via Philly) and the local shop here Tat’s who does Philly food needs to get on this.

  10. The Clog » Blog Archive » Bad Idea Factory: The Philly Taco?, on June 18th, 2007 at 6:17 pm Said:

    [...] is, quite simply, gross. I have to agree with the author that "Philly Taco" strikes me as more of a [...]

  11. Matt Buchanan, on June 20th, 2007 at 2:28 pm Said:

    This look delicious. I came to Philly from Ohio and I luv P-Town. Cant wait to sink my choppers into the Philly Taco. Let you know how it goes. Later, Bucky

  12. THAT GUY!!!, on June 27th, 2007 at 3:54 pm Said:

    Luke’s Retarded… it’s not the same thing… duh!!!!

    Luke wrote , on June 11th, 2007 at 1:53 pm Said:
    Wow! My mind was just blown. I am going to have to try this in DC… except maybe fries rolled up in a Jumbo slice.

  13. Don, on July 14th, 2007 at 10:32 am Said:

    To achieve greatness you’d have to deep fry it.

  14. Cho-Tabetai » Peanut butter and bacon burger, on April 28th, 2008 at 3:40 pm Said:

    [...] settled into a food coma afterward. This is probably going to get as bad of a reaction as the Philly Taco, but, no [...]

  15. 大しょくん, on August 24th, 2009 at 12:04 pm Said:

    Clearly something is missing here… I mean where’s the Whiz? You can hardly call out Philly style w/o it!

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