Joey Campanaro has mastered the meatball slider at the little owl, but the Philadelphia native considers cheesesteaks to be true comfort food. Back at home, Campanaro eschews the more famous Pat’s and Geno’s varieties in favor of Jim’s, where meat is browned on the griddle instead of steamed. When the chef is in Philly, he’ll consume two steaks, “Whiz Wit” (slathered in Cheez Whiz and onions) a day. But where can he satisfy his artery-clogging cravings here in New York? We took Campanaro on a tour of Manhattan’s cheesesteak specialists — including Philly Slim’s, Shorty’s, Carl’s, 99 Miles to Philly, Philly’s Original Cheese Steak, BB Sandwich Bar, and Wogie’s — and asked him to rate the Whiz Wit versions on a ten-point system for taste, five for presentation, and five awarded at his discretion. Click through the slideshow to see where a Philly transplant can find a taste of home.
