School was out, and it was sort of a buzz outside the corner of Christian and 7th Street. The South Philly sun beat down on the crowd of people standing between me and the window at John's Water Ice, giving me plenty of time to rehearse. "Wooder ice," I whispered. "Wurterr." I was workshopping my best Tina Fey Delco accent. When in Rome, ya know? Lemon. Cherry. Pineapple. Chocolate. Unlike plenty of other stands serving Swedish Fish, banana split, and every flavor under the s

If the Schmitter was invented in any other city in the country, I'm convinced it would not only be the most famous sandwich in town, but it would be copied by every neighborhood deli, restaurant, and bar throughout the area. But it happened to be invented in Philadelphia. Trying to become Philly's favorite sandwich is like trying to become the star guitarist in a band that already has Hendrix, Clapton, and Eddie Van Halen. And yet, for more than sixty years, McNally's Tavern

Plattsburgh New York- Gus's Red Hots If you’ve been reading my ISH for the last couple years, you’ve likely identified that I identify as a Jersey guy. As flawed as my state can be, it’s home—and I’m proud of it. I’ve slow danced to “I’ll Be There for You” at CYO dances. I gymed, tanned, and laundried a summer or two at the Shore. I probably still have a pair of high-waisted, pleated Z Cavariccis collecting dust somewhere in a box in my mom’s basement. So, the first time I he

Roma Sausage & Deli Utica I didn’t give it much thought until I was older—I guess I just assumed pizza always… existed. I knew it wasn’t indigenous to the Americas, obviously… but I never really stopped to consider when it got here. Like maybe Christopher Columbus left his Nonna Colombo’s family recipe tucked inside a conch shell somewhere in the Bahamas before he sailed the ocean blue. But in reality, pizza’s a lot newer to the States than most people realize—it didn’t reall