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closeFriday, Jan. 02, 2009
A Philly native shares some of his favorite foods with Arlington diners
The top seller is, natch, the cheesesteak, which is shaved rib-eye on a chewy 10-inch bun with provolone (the original cheese) or Cheez Whiz (the current Philadelphia favorite).
By Patricia Rodriguez
DFW.com
Billadelphia's
THE CUISINE: Yo! Philly food
THE CONCEPT: Lots of restaurants in Texas claim to sell Philly cheesesteak sandwiches, but, hey, some restaurants in Philadelphia claim to sell barbecue. Bill Walter grew up in South Philly, and he knows the real deal when it comes to Philadelphia’s namesake sand’, and he knew he wasn’t getting it. The only way to remedy the situation, it seemed to Walter, was to open up his own place. The first Billadelphia’s, a walk-up shack, opened in Bedford in 2005. In June, he and wife Kathy expanded to a sit-down sandwich shop near Rangers Ballpark in Arlington and the in-progress Cowboys stadium, with lots of TVs for watching the games.
THE FOOD: This is as authentic as it gets. Italian rolls baked by Amoroso’s and imported from Philadelphia. Herr’s potato chips, Tastykake snack cakes, birch beer, pork rolls, scrapple, soft pretzels — all the Philly/Jersey standards. The top seller is, natch, the cheesesteak, which is shaved rib-eye on a chewy 10-inch bun with provolone (the original cheese) or Cheez Whiz (the current Philadelphia favorite). Walter has purchased the equipment to make water ice, another Philly fave, and will soon add that to the menu.
Order it "wit," meaning with onions, if you want to look like a native. The second most popular item is the Italian hoagie, an Italian roll fat with capicolla ham, Genoa salami, pepperoni, provolone, and topped with lettuce, tomatoes, sweet and hot cherry peppers, onions and pickles, and dressed with oil and oregano. Both are hearty sandwiches that will fill up all the empty corners in your stomach. If you’re brave, you’ll try the scrapple, which Walter describes as "corn meal, sausage seasoning and the scrap of the pig, hence the name. You build it like a meatloaf, slice it, and fry it so it’s crispy." I wasn’t brave, but those who grew up eating it love it.
THE SETTING: Walter has covered the walls of his restaurant with Philly memorabilia, including pictures of Dick Clark (American Bandstand was filmed there), Grace Kelly, Peter Boyle and Kevin Bacon; T-shirts and other mementos from the Philadelphia Eagles and the Philly Flyers; a Philadelphia Story poster; and a listing of Philly firsts — such as the first brick house in America in 1682. The result is casual, but pleasant, a place where you’d be comfortable hanging out for an hour or two, watching a game, or dropping by for a bite with the family.
YOU SHOULD KNOW: They’ve applied for a beer permit, but it hasn’t gone through yet. In the mean time, Kathy Walter, says they’d be happy to provide you with a beer on the house.
This review originally appeared in the Fort Worth Star-Telegram on Friday, Sept. 21, 2007.
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