Philadelphia, PA
- The People's bracket is complete (Donkey's Place won), and it is time for the Judges to eat their way through the 64 cheesesteaks. The Judge's bracket is a big time and gastronomic commitment, but I enjoy it.
2022 March Cheesesteak Madness The Judge's Bracket
I get to watch my new judges go through the three emotional stages of judging cheesesteaks. Stage 1, 'I have been eating cheesesteaks my whole life. This is going to be easy.' Stage 2, Oh my goodness, these cheesesteaks are so different. Stage 3, Jim, you are much more handsome in person - not a stage, just making sure you are paying attention. Stage 3, Do I have to pick a winner?
The logistics of judging; March Cheesesteak Madness is a 64 cheesesteak entry bracket-style tournament. The Cheesesteaks are broken into four regions; 1. Philadelphia. 2. Delaware County. 3. NJ/DE. 4. The Other Counties (primarily Montgomery, Chester, and Bucks). We judge four cheesesteaks at a time. We use my five categories 20 points for each scoring system.
Depending on where the cheesesteak places are, we go to each place or take the cheesesteaks to a central location. Availability of alcohol is a factor in deciding where we eat the cheesesteaks. We judge 4 cheesesteaks at a time to get through 2 rounds. Cheesesteak 1 vs. cheesesteak 2. Cheesesteak 3 vs. cheesesteak 4. The winners go head to head.
- Joe's Steaks & Soda Shop -1 W Girard Ave, Philadelphia vs. Cook & Shaker - 2301 E Albert St, Philadelphia - https://youtu.be/L2qtVsgpNDk
- Dattilo's Delicatessen - 8000 Horrocks St., Philadelphia vs. Cafe Carmela - 2859 Holme Ave., Philadelphia - https://youtu.be/wctm8gzIui0
We are starting in The Philadelphia Region. This is a cheesesteak competition, but this group's breakout star may be Judge Siggi. One name puts him on the fast track to stardom. We judged; Dattilo's Delicatessen, Cafe Carmela, Joe's Steaks & Soda Shop vs. Cook & Shaker. Datillo's Delicatessen and Joe's Steaks & Soda Shop did well in last year's competition. I like Cook & Shaker. They could be a Cinderella story.
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The Philadelphia Cheesesteak Adventure - Hi, my name is Jim Pappas, and I have eaten hundreds of different cheesesteaks in the last year. A year ago, on May 16, 2018, I started my Philadelphia Cheesesteak Adventure to find the ultimate cheesesteak. To see more great cheesesteak places, check out my website at The Philadelphia Cheesesteak Adventure.
