On National Cheesesteak Day, free sandwiches at Spataro’s and an eating contest from Delco Steaks
Spataro's at Reading Terminal Market will sample a pizza cheesesteak, while Delco Steaks will host an eating contest. Three pounds of meat on two-foot rolls, anyone?
National Cheesesteak Day — which one could argue should be observed only within an hour of Philadelphia city limits — is Wednesday, March 24.
To mark the promo, Spataro’s Cheesesteaks at Reading Terminal Market will give away half-portions of its new pizza cheesesteak, while that evening, Delco Steaks will host an eating contest called the Cheesesteak Bowl at Splash Swim Club in Broomall.
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Free cheesesteak
Alex Spataro recently tried the pizza sauce from Vesper Bros. and decided to build a cheesesteak around it. The sandwich at his Reading Terminal Market stand features Angus top round from his neighbor Giunta’s Prime, provolone, onions, and the pizza sauce on a Carangi Baking Co. roll.
Spataro’s will offer comp halves to the first 100 people. The giveaway starts at noon March 24. Customers are asked to donate to Reading Terminal Market in lieu of payment.
The regular price is $11.99 for a ribeye version, and $13.99 for the Angus top round.
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Cheesesteak Bowl
WIP’s Wing Bowl — a bawdy spectacle disguised as an annual wing-eating contest — ran for 26 years before station management pulled the plug in late 2018.
Nick Reynolds, who owns Delco Steaks in Broomall with partner John McKenzie, saw the void for the eating part. He will mark National Cheesesteak Day with the first-ever Cheesesteak Bowl at the nearby Splash Swim Club, 2705 Sunset Blvd., from 5 to 8 p.m. March 24.
Reynolds is signing up 75 people to try to eat The Delco, his shop’s two-foot cheesesteak, which has 1½ pounds of meat. The 10 fastest will advance to a second round, where — you guessed it — a second two-foot cheesesteak awaits. The fastest to eat The Delco in round two wins a championship belt and an all-expenses-paid trip to Cancun. While it’s free to enter, Reynolds also is taking donations for the Coaches vs. Cancer nonprofit.
Former Eagles tight end Brent Celek will be “commissioner,” and Wing Bowl alumni Matt “Sloth” Dutton and Bill “El Wingador” have entered.