At last, something to root for during the World Series besides a catastrophic collapse by the Yankees (except for Derek Jeter — I love Jeter).
During the baseball season's final stretch, as team after team that I cheer for — or at least like — peeled off into oblivion, hating the Evil Pinstriped Ones was all I had left. I've been rooting for the Phillies by default, on the "anyone but New York" setting.
But my cheering has taken on some real enthusiasm since I visited Back East Cheese-steak and found out that, if the Phillies win, I can get one of Back East's tastily authentic 8-inch cheesesteaks for ONE DOLLAR.
Believe me, if you'd tasted this cheesesteak, you'd be rooting for the Phillies, too. Possibly even as a Yankees fan — I mean, c'mon, how many championships can one team buy before it just gets old?
Much better to buy one of the tasty sammies served up at Back East, which has bravely opened in the restaurant graveyard that is the former Snelgrove building on Fort Union Boulevard.
Let's make an effort to keep this place, folks. Make sure you approach from the east, so as to turn into the parking lot without having to flip a U-turn. If you show up after the Wells Fargo next door is closed, you can park there. Do what it takes — once you have one of Back East's cheesesteaks, you'll thank me.
The menu at Back East — capitalized weirdly as "bAck EaSt" on the signage — isn't large, but it covers everything you'd expect from a blue-collar place like this, plus a few extras, like Italian and Philly salads.
We had sandwiches, sticking mostly with the Philly part of the menu.
My husband and I had the classic Philly: thin-sliced beef loin, grilled so there was a good balance between tender, juicy meat and chewy, grilled bits, plus tender grilled onions and cheese — I had provolone, he had Cheez Whiz.
With our sandwiches we all shared foil plates of wedge fries, with one order deliciously drenched in more Cheez Whiz.
The rolls on which the sandwiches were just fine, soft enough to meld into the sandwich but firm and chewy enough to keep everything together. However, the proprietor promised even better ones on our next visit. I doubt they'll be the authentic Amoroso's product that graces the Philly cheesesteaks in Philly, but he seems committed to getting as close as possible with local product, and I appreciate that.
There's a laid-back and pleasantly wry sensibility to Back East, which sports corrugated metal wainscoting and sports-themed decor. I recommend sitting in "Eagles Territory," which is right by the classic Ms. Pac-Man and Galaga games that we played for a quarter a pop while waiting for our food.
Our bacon-loving 9-year-old — she dressed as bacon for Halloween, no kidding — had the bacon Philly, in which a generous dump of chopped, chewy bacon replaced the onions. She couldn't have loved it more, eating the whole thing, and it had a strong, smoky flavor that gave a Philly a new twist.
Our youngest daughter and our son shared the chicken Philly pizza-style, with lean chopped chicken snuggled under a blanket of pizza sauce and provolone cheese. Sort of chicken parmesan on a bun, not oversauced and very tasty.
My oldest daughter was the only one to depart the Philly fold, ordering the pulled pork barbecue sandwich, simple and delicious with lean, sweet and juicy pork lightly dressed in kicky house-made honey chipotle sauce.
Cheesesteaks $6.59-$7.19 (add soda and fries for $2.50 or soda and salad for $3.50), other sandwiches $7.19, salad $2.99-$7.19, sides and extras 50 cents-$3.
Stacey Kratz is a freelance writer who reviews restaurants for the Deseret News.
Back East Cheesesteak
Rating: ★★★
Where: 1005 E. Fort Union Blvd., Midvale
Hours: Monday-Saturday, 11 a.m.-6 p.m.
Closed Sunday
Payment: Cash and checks only for now; cards accepted by mid-November
Wheelchair access: Easy
Also: Specialty coffee and other hot drinks available all morning through in-house Rascals Coffee, open Monday-Saturday, 5-11 a.m. and Sunday, 5 a.m.-1 p.m.
e-mail: skratz@desnews.com