We need to talk about Captain Harvey's...

Submitted by DeathStarVet t3_11avj3l in baltimore

I've been having a serious craving for a Captain Harvey's steak sub. The last one I had was in ~2003, when they only had one location and the shit was still amazing. Over stuffed, steak and onions. I salivate thinking about it.

I've heard the new place on Merrit isn't great. I've also heard that the management at the original place in Logan Village is different and the subs have suffered.

Can anyone give me a rundown about the two places over the past 2 decades? Is it worth it to try them these days? My wife is from Philly and complains that there aren't any good cheesesteaks in Baltimore ("they all have lettuce and tomato and mayo on them", "the bread isn't any good"), so I'm not going to go to one of the Captain Harvey's's and tell her that they're awesome just to realize that the subs are a shadow of their former selves. I refuse to be embarrassed by a shitty steak sub.

For the record, I don't fault her for not liking Baltimore "cheesesteaks". I wouldn't order a crab cake in Philly, so I get it. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

EDIT: Also, if you have any suggestions for legit, Philly-adjacent cheesesteaks in Baltimore, I'm all ears.

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jarandhel t1_j9uh5nk wrote

I'm from South Jersey and I share the same opinion as your wife on the quality of most cheesteaks in the entire DC/MD/VA area. So far, the best Philly Cheesesteak I've found in Baltimore is Sunshine Carryout in Park Heights, but if she finds a better one please let me know!

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DeathStarVet OP t1_j9ujze1 wrote

Noted, thanks!

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jarandhel t1_j9vp5y3 wrote

Glad that I could help!

Oddly enough, the best Philly cheesesteak that I have ever had in my life was not in Philly or Jersey - it was at a little gas-station grocery store in Shanghai, West Virginia back in 1999. I have no idea what exactly made it so good, but every cheesesteak I have had since then has simply failed to measure up.

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AreWeCowabunga t1_j9xxh1u wrote

I gave up looking for a good local cheesesteak and now when I want one I just go to Jersey Mike’s and order double meat.

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mrm0324 t1_j9uf99g wrote

Magerks in fed hill has a great Philly cheesesteak. They are a philly bar.

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DeathStarVet OP t1_j9ukd5h wrote

Been there the Eagles vs 49ers, and it was a shitshow in there. If it's not that crazy usually, I'd give them a try.

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mrm0324 t1_j9upwx8 wrote

I’ve always went during the day and not bad at all. I’d assume it gets pretty crazy in there for eagles games.

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75footubi t1_ja0gzyn wrote

It's the Philly bar, so game days will be a shit show. It's normally fairly tame otherwise.

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TrashPundit t1_j9uxlai wrote

Ravage Deli on Bel Air rd is solid.

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powow1024 t1_j9w5g6x wrote

Yea, these are the best we’ve found by far.

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Long_Simple_4407 t1_j9uhmam wrote

Silks in canton is my top choice

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DeathStarVet OP t1_j9ukh5l wrote

I'll try them out. Went there for brunch once, and the wait staff was super rude/grumpy and thee food wasn't that great, but maybe it was an off day.

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Mindfulhydration t1_j9v80af wrote

In Philly a cheesesteak with lettuce tomato and mayo on it by request was referred to quite specifically as a "cheeseteak hoagie" by some family members who live there.

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DeathStarVet OP t1_j9v8e4r wrote

I mean, that makes sense. That seems to be standard around here.

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wirelesswizard64 t1_j9w9rz0 wrote

The Real Thing in Towson is as close as it gets around here, it's a hole in the wall run by a sarcastic but loveable Philly native named Tony and they don't use frozen meat in their subs. They switched up their bread game a year or two ago and they improved it quite a bit! I've tried almost everywhere else and there's really no great cheesesteak places in the city proper.

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I will say, when I'm lazy and close enough is good enough, I do like Mikie's on Fort Ave for delivery. Won't knock your socks off but its good enough to scratch the itch if you put your own whiz on it.

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PS Real Thing is cash only, no card or tap to pay!

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Bogiebruce t1_j9w016k wrote

Foodgitive (aka the steakout) in Cedonia/Rosedale has the closest thing I've found to back in the day Captain Harvey's. Huge huge huge cheese steak subs! Very tasty subs!

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S-Kunst t1_j9w6bet wrote

Such a simple concept that seems to be too difficult to replicate except around Philly. When I live in Philly & Glenolden (1979), there was a carry out cheese steak shop on every corner. They also did not put a lot of stuff on the cheesesteak like other non Philly places do.

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TheSchneid t1_j9y6l7f wrote

There are no good rolls here. It's all about the bread.

Like you can make a killer Italian sandwich with just boar's Head meat which you can get anywhere. But man the the bread in Philly and jersey is just different.

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ObviousGazelle t1_j9xifvc wrote

Ok next do Pizza John's, before the fire vs. after the rebuild

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ArtVandaly560 t1_j9ycuqe wrote

It’s really more about the bread/roll, and it’s difficult to find a place that has a good sub roll. The bread in Philly, Jersey and Delco is on a different game.

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rockybalBOHa t1_j9yjwab wrote

It's all about the bread.

Magerk's uses Amoroso, which is good, but not as good as Liscio's or Sarcone's. Those two bakeries provide 90%+ of the cheesesteak bread in Philly. I don't understand why a restaurant can't have that same bread delivered here. Often thought a Philly cheesesteak carryout would be a great business opportunity in Baltimore, assuming the bread could be obtained.

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UptownHiFi t1_ja0tqwc wrote

Baltimore cheesesteak = lettuce, tomato, mayo & fried onions. Hots optional.

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DeathStarVet OP t1_ja1lwnp wrote

Except beach in the day Captain Harvey's was just steak and onion!

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doingoodnhappy t1_ja3eyeq wrote

There are 2 sub shops on Merritt Blvd in Dundalk. Merritt Sub (in Merritt Park Shopping Center) is owned by the Filetti family and Filleti's is owned by someone else.

Merritt Sub was voted Dundalk's best cheesesteak by readers of the Dundalk Eagle. There is so much meat on it, it is not possible to keep all of it on the roll when you try to eat it. And it's only $8.

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ObviousGazelle t1_j9xi9ei wrote

Average beef price in 2003: $2.45 Average beef price today: . $5.31

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