DP Cheesesteaks? For me, that stands for Don't Purchase

You might not know a lot about me yet, so let’s set one thing straight: I really like to try out new places to eat. If people give me a suggestion for a place, it goes on a list and on occasion when the wife and I head out, we go try something new. The latest experiment has been to DP Cheesesteaks, or Downtown Philly Cheesesteaks. And while I gotta say that it wasn’t bad, I’m still disappointed.

First of all, let me describe the experience to you. We walk into the Provo, UT location with high hopes for something that’s going to blow our minds. It’s hard to find a good sandwich shop these days and you don’t want to have to depend on a place like Subway when your want your meat-and-cheese-inside-of-bread cravings filled. The décor is simple: tables and chairs set up almost like a cafeteria, a few advertisements for their special Birch Beer, a TV in the corner if you want see what’s going on in the world of sports, and some newspaper reviews explaining to you how this is going to be the best darned cheesesteak you’ll ever eat in your whole life. Even if you’re from Philly. High expectations, eh?

So my wife and I look over the menu and decide to go for a Cherry Pepper Steak and a Garlic Steak. We order a side of chips and a drink for each of us, costing an unbelievably high $2.95 extra per person, but they’ve got some interesting kinds of potato chips to try out (Jalapeno, anyone?). So, I say, why not?

While they’re making our sandwiches, I decide now is as good a time as any to try out Birch Beer. It’s just OK. It tastes similar to regular root beer, but also very sweet like drinking a liquid root beer barrel. I decide that it wasn’t meant to be and pick up some lemonade instead. At this point, my name gets called up to the counter to pick up our two steak sandwiches. Mmmm, dinnertime.

Now is probably a good time to clarify that when I ordered the Cherry Pepper Steak sandwich, I asked about how hot the Cherry Peppers were going to be. I was informed that it was a little less hot than, say, a jalapeno. I’m alright with that. I’m the kind of guy that doesn’t mind spicy foods, unless the spice is so hot it destroys your palette. I get the sandwich and immediately smell the sourness of many pickled hot peppers. I unload it of its surfeit of peppers and hunker down for a bite. It’s undeniably spicy. I taste very little cheese, which I’m positive I ordered and should come standard on a CHEESE-steak. The meat itself is nicely seasoned with lots of ground pepper and is pretty good but not quite as juicy as I'd hoped. The bread is amazing—perfectly crusty on the outside, nice and soft on the inside. It’s everything you could want out of bread for a sandwich like this. (My hat goes off to Stone Ground Bakery for making such good bread!) I swap bites with my wife, so I can try a little bit of her Garlic Steak. It’s much the same experience with my own sandwich except replace “spicy” with “garlicky” in the previous description. I taste very little cheese, the bread is great, the meat is OK, and the mushrooms add a different flavor element than what mine had. Overall, again, just an OK sandwich.

Here’s the problem, and ultimately why I will never go back to DP Cheesesteaks. I'm spoiled a little bit. Recently, I’ve been watching some of the Sandwich King on the Food Network. I’ve made some things similar to this (read: better), and I can’t justify paying for food I can make at home. It doesn't seem like they made any magic with it. No transformation of ingredients, just cook it and slap it together. So sad.

For some of you, this may not be as big of an issue. You may really like it here, and that’s where our patronage will differ. The food wasn’t bad, it just didn’t live up to my hopes and dreams for it to be awesome. Ultimately, I have to give the place a C. Not bad, not great, but I have to say that I rarely return to a place that I think isn’t great.

What I Discovered

In some ways, I’ve wanted to start this site simply for the purpose of having something to do in my spare time. I enjoy writing and have done some review writing in the past. I tend to think of myself as an opinionated person who is a jack-of-all-trades, yet master of none. I nibble on a feast of many different fields of study; a little bit of this, and a little bit of that, never quite filling up on any particular portion. Perhaps my palette isn’t refined enough for certain areas of interest, but that won’t stop me from dabbling from time to time.

What does this mean for you, the reader? Well, first and foremost, I promise you nothing more than my honest opinion about the things I discover about life. I wouldn’t expect anything less from you in return! Life’s twists and turns lead us down a road of discovery. We come across something new frequently throughout our mortal journey.

This site stands for just that: “new.” New music, movies, and food. New experiences, new excitement, new letdowns. New to you , new to me, new to the world and everything in between.

Now, “new” is perhaps an interesting concept. What is “new” will sometimes change depending upon our particular life’s circumstances. I may like meat now, but might become a vegetarian at some point into the future (because of some new experience or information, no doubt). Certainly that sheds a whole new light on the colorful world of bell peppers, carrots, and whatever leafy greens you can imagine? Therefore, I reserve the right to repeat myself. Or in the least bit, revisit things from time to time.

Now, for the last few promises. I promise that I can’t promise I’ll be writing in this blog frequently. Much about life can circle around a certain sameness that makes writing about the "new" difficult as a hobby. And while I enjoy writing, some of what I do might be found more readily in a personal blog. And while this is a blog and it does come from my personal life, there’s a different place for a personal blog and it’s not here. I do write there sometimes, too, so you’ll have to forgive me if I don’t check in here as often as I would like. If I can get in once a week, I think I’ll have accomplished something.

Lastly, I promise to be brief. Usually. To be honest, this is likely the wordiest thing I’ve written in some time. I have a rant problem in my blog writing. Ultimately, if it can fit in one-page Word document, I’ll be happy with it.

If you have any suggestions about things I should look into, let me know! Drop me an email at whatidiscovered (at) gmail (dot) com. Also, if you’re interested in contributing, contact me and let me know. I’m always up for sharing in the discovery!