There's no doubt that Delaware has some fine cheese steaks. There is also no doubt that none of them yet rise to the level of a top-notch Philadelphia steak, whether it's Geno's thick-sliced beauties, Jim's tender creations or the oniony masterpieces at Steve's Prince of Steaks.
Good news is, one Delaware steak comes close -- real close.
Goodfella's has two New Castle County locations, split between two brothers pursuing their post-MBNA dreams -- and working to uphold their Italian mom's high standards of cooking.
"The people who work for me are like, 'John, relax,' " said John Dobrowolski, who runs the Prices Corner location. "I say, 'You don't understand.'"
What Dobrowolski does understand is that a good cheese steak must have the right roll (to deliver the proper chew) and carefully cooked meat (to keep the experience a moist one). At Goodfella's, the deft balances of texture and flavor surpass most rivals, delivering a steak that meets my prime test of quality -- they are good without anything on them but onions and cheese (stay away from that ketchup!) and they even taste good cold.
