As many of you know, I live here:
While we have some great local food options, we just don’t have a huge variety. This shouldn’t be a surprise—while the Fairbanks North Star Borough is roughly the size of New Jersey, the population is only about 100,000. One of the menu items sorely lacking is a good traditional Philly cheesesteak. While there are a few places with cheesesteaks on the menu, these tend to be much fancier and more elaborate than what I’m used to from back east.
So last week when I discovered the insane fact that Doordash will deliver across the country, I had to look. And sure enough, Jim’s on South Street is there.
I happened to recognize that name from this wonderful article by friend of the blog Jay Polinsky, who also does sandwich reviews on Twitter.
I decided to do a thing a few weeks ago when I realized how much I missed traveling this past year. I missed out on trips to LA and Savannah last year and now Orlando and Boston this year. I started making state’s signature sandwiches each week as a fun little way to cope 1/51
— Jason Polinsky (@Jay_Poozle) February 8, 2021
So I texted Jay, asking if Jim’s was worth ordering. His delightful reply was
When I explained that I wasn’t anywhere near South, he understood, and I had his blessing to try.
That was eight days ago. And last night, an insulated box arrived with six Jim’s sandwiches, with whiz and onions. Too late for dinner, but today’s lunch was settled.
(by the way, I’m dying to know what the person making this thought, so if you know anyone who works at Jim’s, please ask)
The sandwiches are made ready, but flash frozen, and reheating was what I was most nervous about. Luckily, they’ve thought of that!
Reheating was a little more complex than I anticipated, and our oven and microwave are obviously a little different than what this was based on, but soon enough, we had delicious cheesy meaty goodness!
(I cut them into quarters to make sure they were heated through, they come as single hoagies)
And I have to say, this was good as hell. Not the cheapest lunch I’ve ever had—it was nearly $90 for six sandwiches—but a) that’s about what I’d pay here for a worse cheesesteak anyway and b) what’s life without a treat once in a while.
If you live in a place with all of the food options, this service is clearly not worth it. But if you live somewhere remote, or want a taste of home, this bizarre service is quite awesome!