A Philly Cheesesteak in SLC??

As a Philadelphian living in Salt Lake, I miss food. So I found this place downtown called Maxwell’s East Coast Eatery. I read the reviews and menus. They all bragged about this NYC style pizza and how good and cheap it was (They must have raised their prices because the pizza is $3/slice). I miss my east coast deli style pizza deeply, but what I really miss is a cheesesteak. I’ve been to all the places out here so far. The Philadelphian was the worst. Not even worthy of that name. Guy Richie can kiss my ass, because Moochie’s sucks! The best one so far has been Back East in Fort Union. They owner is from Jersey. I even brought my parents there when they came to town. It still doesn’t compare to places back home like Steve’s, Peppermill, Father & Son’s, Jim’s, or Pat’s (Yes PAT’S!). There’s just something about our Amoroso rolls…Well, Maxwell’s hooked me when they said they served the proper meat, cheese, and bread for a Philly cheesesteak: Amoroso rolls!!

I decided to go on my day off. I was running some errands, so I just got some take out. No biggie because that’s how we do it on the east coast! When I walked in, I noticed the 9+ TV’s…it’s a sports bar. (Yay!) However, there was a definite lack of décor—especially for an “east coast” themed joint. Not to be picky, but Back East is covered with sports and other memorabilia from the east coast. Maxwell’s walls were plain and boring. There were parts of the remodeling that are not completed and in plain distracting sight. It seemed messy. Not like the upscale joint their website made them sound like. Now I know their first location is in Park City, probably more upscale, but that doesn’t excuse the lack of environment. As an east coaster, I’m used to the warm, welcoming, proud rudness of a real east coast eatery.

I ordered a cheesteak—and no, people in Salt Lake don’t know what a whiz wit is. Well, I did teach the guys from Back East so at least they know what I’m talking about. “Cheesesteak with whiz and onions please.” She asked if I wanted fries or a salad with that. It comes with stuff?? Fries. Can’t have a cheesesteak and salad, that’s just blasphemous. It took a few minutes to cook. They had a semi-open kitchen, but I couldn’t see anything. It came out in a paper to-go box. Not wrapped? Okay, I forgot it was upscale. The check? Over $10. The size? 6 or 8 inches. Definitely not 12. Here’s my breakdown of the food:

First impression: These fries look like McDonalds

Second impression: These fries taste like McDonalds

The steak: Bread = AMAZING! I love Amoroso rolls. Meat: Actually pretty decent. Thin sliced, lean meat. I felt like the onions were sliced a big large. I’m used to smaller diced onions that are nearly melted on the grill with the meat (Think Pat’s/Jim’s). There was a lot of grease. After every bite I felt like I had just applied chapstick or something. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but there wasn’t nearly enough whiz on the steak. The whiz was applied to the bun, which I believe is the wrong way to go. If the whiz is on the bun, it can’t soak into the meat. Regardless, this steak needed more whiz. It tasted like it was barely whiz-flavored instead of a whiz steak. I’m also blaming the lack of whiz for the fact that my half my steak was on the plate rather than the bun. The meat kept falling out, which happens from time to time. Yet, some part of me deeply believes if there was more whiz on it, applied in the right way, my meat would have stayed on the bun!

Overall, it was decent. I’m thinking too expensive for a city girl that’s used to a $5 footlong that’s on point. Maxwell’s did just open in July, so I’m hoping with time and some income, the décor/atmosphere problems will be fixed. As well as their liquor license. I don’t drink, but I’d like to be able to bring friends that do…especially to watch the Birds smash the cowgirls again in a few weeks!

BOTTOM LINE: 3/5 It’s not bad, by any means. I just think that with a few little improvements, this could be an amazing sample of east coast cuisine. I do have to try some other items off their menu, but I truly hope they get better. $10 is a hell of a lot cheaper than a $600 plane ticket home…

The Unhealthy Unselfish

Some one last night was talking about how to make themselves feel better they have been concentrating on others. Listening to their problems and helping them out. Basically, attempting to be unselfish. I wonder if that is the wrong way to go. I always feel better when I’m focusing on something or someone else than my problems. We all do. It’s a great way to not deal with our own insecurities and fears. My biggest problem is that I try so hard to make everyone better, that they drain the energy right out of my soul. I think I’m really good at boosting others’ self-esteem, but the down fall is that I usually get my self-esteem drained in the process. I guess I have a kind heart because I truly want the best for everyone. I truly want everyone to live at their fullest potential and feel good about themselves. After all, they have to be pretty awesome to be in my presence.

Here’s the perfect example. I am friends with a family of 5 brothers. When their sister died, I didn’t have a job or family, so I felt the need to keep them company. I had a great time, as did they. There were days that I never got to sleep because as soon as one passed out another was waking up. It was a 28 hour/day job. I got to know all of them pretty well. I got to the point where one day I spent about 3 or 4 hours with each of them chatting about whatever and giving advice on their problems and worries. I remember saying to at least three of them, “Well, don’t think of yourself that way. You gotta always think of yourself as the greatest and then the greatest people will surround you.” Great advice right? Wish I could follow it, but anyways. That was a great week, I felt good; except my stomach muscles were sore from laughing so much. After the funeral, I found myself in a funk. I’m convinced it was because I wasn’t entertaining or helping them anymore. We were just on the same level. And my positive energy was shot. I was sad and angry and anxious about everything. I’m still kind of feeling that way.

My conclusion is: Well, I love doing things for others. Is it necessarily un-selfish? I don’t think so. I think subconsciously I’m looking for attention in return, but that’s a different issue. It’s still a nice thing to do. Is it healthy for me to do so? I doubt it. Every time this happens, I’m drained. I’m depressed. All I want to do is rewind time and re-live the good moments again. When it’s time to be alone and work on me, I don’t know what to do with myself. I’m not even sure what my problems even are. It’s a process, but I’m pretty sure I don’t even know WHO I am. My buddy last night called me a chameleon. Yep, that’s me. I fit in with everyone. I offend some, but the majority of people seem to like me. I’m kind of amazed every time because it hasn’t always been this way. If I’m a chameleon, then am I truly happy? Am I really being myself?

Life is short

People are always saying life is too short and you have to live every day of your life like it’s your last. Don’t miss out on opportunities. Follow your heart. Dance like no one is watching. Love like you’ll never breathe again. There’s a thousand clichés and sayings, but nothing hits home harder like seeing it in real life.

Two weeks ago, I witnessed a friend loose his sister to an auto accident. It was tragic and beyond sad. He kept saying things like, “Now I’m gonna live to the fullest.” And explaining how he was going to change for the better. He had motivation driven by an immense pain in his eyes. I like to believe I live my life to the fullest. I’ve always managed to have fun, go after what I want, and for the most part get what I was looking for. Yeah, I’m tired a lot. I’m not exactly where I thought I would be. And I get my heart broken A LOT, but at least I live. At least I love. I appreciate people who want to break out of their molds and live every second of their lives. Nothing is going to be perfect. Life is hard. But I always say, “Think positive. No expectations. No regrets.”

Think positive: There is always a silver lining. This Buddhist book I was reading mentioned that no matter how good or bad things are; they will always change. It is still a difficult concept to get over, but I’m learning. It’s great when things aren’t going so well. Just keep positive because things will change. However, when things are going good, I don’t want to believe that things will change. Then they won’t be good anymore. As I’ve watched my life change like the ebb and flow of the tides, I’ve learned to just always think positive. This keeps me from a lot of depression, and a lot of hating on others for free.

No expectations: Sounds negative, but it’s really not. People are always getting let down by their own expectations. You can only really rely on yourself, so don’t expect others to live your life for you. If you want something, go after it. If you’re waiting on something, you will always get let down. Just go about your business without expecting anything and then you will always be pleasantly surprised when things work out. It IS funny how things work out. Just be patient and stop expecting them to.

No regrets: Self-explanatory, but it ties everything together. No matter how much we think about it, we can’t change the past. We can learn from it and do better next time. The past, everything we do and experience, is what molds us into who we are. Therefore, you can’t regret anything. All of those fucked up things you did or things done to you made you who you are right now. And all the things you’re going through right now will mold you into the next version of yourself. That said, live your life. Experience everything you can. Don’t worry about regretting it. Life is too short.

You were meant for something…

And I have the most perfect example. Here’s a story I witnessed just a few hours ago:

A friend of mine, Allison we’ll call her, was working at a café when a young pregnant woman came in with her man-friend. She noticed the pregnant woman seemed meek and reserved. As the couple sat down to drink their drinks, Allison kept glancing over at them seeing the pregnant woman sinking into her chair as her man-friend was harshly speaking to her. The man finally left the table and Allison’s insides were screaming for her to go over and talk to the pregnant woman. After debating with herself for what seemed like forever, Allison finally succumbed to her instinct and went over to the pregnant woman. “Are you okay?” she asked. The pregnant woman looked up, her eyes swollen with tears and said no. Allison felt compelled to speak to the young girl-after all it wasn’t six years ago Allison went through almost exactly the same situation. Allison listened to the girl, shared a bit about her background, and tried to help her and explain that she was not alone. They exchanged numbers before the young woman left. When Allison told me this story she said, “And you know what’s funny? I had a blessing when I was a teenager that said that things will happen to me and I will go through things and not know why. But one day I will realize why I had to go through them. Right now, I feel like I know why I went through that.”

To me, this is a perfect example of how things will always happen as they should. Bad things happen…to good people too. Life sucks and shit happens but we have to stay strong. We learn so much about ourselves and the people around us when going through hard times. I truly believe that everything DOES happen for a reason. There IS a master plan behind it all. I’m not one to speak about God and stuff, but there is something. “Things will be okay in the end. If they aren’t okay, then it’s not the end.” When bad things happen, we have to rise above. There is no reason to lie down and let life get the best of us. What would be the point? Every person has a purpose and every experience in our lives has a purpose…it’s up to us to learn and recognize that purpose, big or small. On the other side, every person is in our lives for a reason. Either we are to teach them something, or they are to teach us something. Most people are not in our lives forever. Sometimes, people are just in our lives for a brief moment, but it doesn’t mean that they didn’t impact our lives any less. By the way, they were both wearing yellow…and Allison hates yellow.

Are you out of your blogging mind?

So after being told many times, I’ve decided to start a blog.  Not that anyone will read it, or even like it, but at least I’m putting it out there.  Have you ever just thought the Universe was picking on you? Or that there is way too many random events happening to be coincidence? Maybe you just didn’t think that life was going to end up that way.  Either way you spin it, life is weird, random, sucky, difficult, and amazing.  Instead of sitting idly and watching life pass by, I personally go after it.  So here will be my experiences, my lessons, my life…