Cheesesteak Wiz
Entrepreneur Brings Authentic Philly Sammy to Murray Hill & Neighborhood Goes Crazy for It

You've never eaten a real cheese-steak unless you've had one in Philadelphia — until now.

Carl Provenzano has brought Philly's finest to Murray Hill, and New Yorkers can't get enough of it.

Three weeks ago, Provenzano opened Carl's Steaks at Third Avenue and 34th Street. He fell in love with the sandwich — basically cheese, steak, onions, and bread — while traveling to the City of Brotherly Love to visit his wife's family.

"My brother-in-law and I would go to Pat's, then walk right across the street to Geno's. We'd go to Jim's. I like Ishkabibble's on South Street. Abner's I went to," he told me, listing some of the best cheesesteak joints in Philadelphia.

"I know it's a staple in Philly, but I thought, this would be great in New York. There's no real, authentic cheesesteak here. You can go to any diner, you can get a cheesesteak; it's gonna come with green peppers, it's gonna come with mushrooms, it's gonna come in a Steak-umm form, but real, authentic cheesesteaks are with or without onions and that's it. You have your choice of three cheeses: your provolone, your Cheez Whiz, or your white American.
So I kept it as simple as possible, just like Phildelphia."

When I was at school at Wharton, I went to Abner's every Friday afternoon of my senior year. I preferred Geno's to the more famous Pat's. Jim's was great as well. But everyone on the Penn campus went crazy for Sophie's, sold out of a lunch truck.

A graduate of SUMY Oneonta's restaurant management school, Carl's employment history is a bit more complex than his cheesesteak recipe. He worked as a banquet manager in Palm Beach, was a manager at the Russian Tea Room when he was only 23 (10 years ago), did time in the garment center, then went into sports marketing. Stints at DoubleClick and Getty Images followed.

"I left Getty in July 2002," he explained. "I decided, that's it. I'm doing it. I've wanted to do it for 10 years. I'm not looking for another job. I put a business plan together, got an SBA loan, raised some money, and here we are."

The narrow space, which has an old-time diner feel, was formerly a cellphone store and a Dunkin' Donuts.

"We completely gutted it," Carl said. "Everything is brand new. My wife [Lesley] and I designed it — I designed the tin ceiling, I picked out the fans, I picked out the real brick. My wife did the mosaic tables — she's a mosaic designer. She has her own business, Mixed-Up Mosaics [with partner Allison Rott], so she did the mural, which was a very important element."

The mural, on the back wall, shows a mustached street vendor under a Carl's Steaks umbrella.

"Cheesesteaks started in Philadelphia at a hot-dog stand," Carl noted.

Carl and Lesley, who both hail from Long Island, live nearby with their baby girl, who wast born this summer. Carl actually handles some deliveries himself and refuses to treat customers as anonymous numbers, making sure he knows everyone's name.

In addition to the basic cheesesteak — mine had just the right balance of grilled meat, irreplaceable Cheez Whiz, caramelized onions, and soft bread that soaks up the necessary grease — Carl's also serves an outstanding chicken sandwich; a veggie version with onions, green peppers, mushrooms, and zucchini; and a low-carb chicken platter. Carl's favorite is the Whiz with hot peppers and a side of excellent cheese fries, while Lesley goes for the chicken platter.

Although business is already exceeding his expectations — helped by the wonderlul aroma emanating from the grill up front, which lures in unsuspecting patrons — Carl is hesitant to predict too much for the future.

"My goal is to have at least three places over the next few years. It could happen sooner, but I don't want to jeopardize this business before I open A new one," he said cautiously.

"I want it to stay this way. I don't want it to be a hype thing. And I think it's gonna stay."

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