Former Philadelphia Eagles center Jason Kelce was recently asked on a football podcast to share his favorite cheesesteak spot in the city where the seven-time Pro Bowler spent all 13 of his NFL seasons. .
Kelce mentioned popular Philadelphia spots D'Alessandro's and Angelo's, which he said were the places Tony Rooks had his first cheesesteak because of their proximity to the stadium where the Eagles play.
“That was a game I went to when I was a kid and it was really great,” Kelce said.
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Tony Luke's is no more, but Eagles fans can still enjoy a cheesesteak at Lincoln Financial Field when Philadelphia hosts the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday.
According to the company, Tony Luke's has operated a stand inside the stadium since it opened in 2003.
Former Philadelphia Eagles center Jason Kelce, pictured above, said he first had a cheesesteak at Tony Luke's. (Justin Edmonds/Getty Images, Ricky Carioti/The Washington Post via Getty Images)
Hailed by Philadelphia Magazine as having the “best cheesesteaks” in the city, Tony Luke's opened its first location in South Philadelphia in 1992. Back then, cheesesteaks weren't even on the menu.
“We sold Italian specialties like roast beef, roast pork and chicken cutlets,” Tony Lucidonio Jr. told Fox News Digital. “That’s all we did.”
Lucidonio, known in the City of Brotherly Love as Tony Luke Jr., said it only lasted about six months. “What really made us is word of mouth,” he said.
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Eventually, Luke “got this crazy idea to do a terrible commercial that had nothing to do with food.”
He added: “They were stupid. They were stupid. It was kind of funny.”
“And it wasn't your typical restaurant or deli commercial.” But the commercial got people talking.
The Eagles are as deeply rooted in Philadelphia as the city's famous sandwich.
The original Tony Luke's, which Kelce frequented years ago, was renamed after Luke Jr. parted ways with his father and brother during a franchise battle.
Currently, Luke Jr. is expanding new franchises to Philadelphia International Airport, Las Vegas, and other cities primarily in the Northeast. There are 22 Tony Luke franchises in Bahrain.
Like the cheesesteak, the Eagles are as deeply rooted in Philadelphia as the city's signature sandwich.
The original Tony Luke's location pictured above has a new name, but there are other locations, mainly in the Northeast and Bahrain. (Ricky Carioti/The Washington Post via Getty Images)
Luke himself is a lifelong Eagles fan, and his passion is reflected in the 2006 biographical sports film “Invincible.”
“My character on 'Invincible' was the ultimate Eagles fan,” Luke said of his caped character.
Luke is also a former host of an Eagles fan show on Philadelphia television.
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Although the cheesesteak was invented in Philadelphia, it's not the city's “typical sandwich,” Luke said.
“It’s roast pork,” he said.
Since then, the cheesesteak has become a nationally known sandwich and is often associated with its birthplace. However, its ingredients have evolved from place to place.
Tony Luke's Cheesesteak comes with a variety of options, but green peppers aren't one of them. (Ricky Carioti/The Washington Post via Getty Images)
“Then someone decided to put green peppers on a cheesesteak,” Luke said.
“No one puts peppers on their cheesesteaks in Philadelphia.”
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According to Luke, a true cheesesteak is meat, bread, cheese, and onions or no onions. That's it.
One of the big differences between Tony Luke's and other cheesesteak restaurants is the way the cheese is prepared. (See the video at the top of this article.)
“No one puts peppers on their cheesesteaks in Philadelphia.”
“Once the steak is cooked and you put the cheese on top, you're going to overcook the steak and wait for the cheese to rise,” Luke says.
“So what we do is, as soon as the steak is cooked, we put the cheese on top and flip it over so the cheese is on the bottom of the grill.”
Tony Luke's Cheesesteak is made with melted cheese all over the sandwich. (Tony Lukes)
He added, “The cheese melts, but the steak doesn't continue to cook. And now the cheese is melting all over the steak, not just on top.”
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In Luke's opinion, the only meat you should use to make a cheesesteak is ribeye. It has the most flavor and has the most fat.
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“Cheesesteak is not, never has been, and never will be a healthy alternative,” he said.
