Wait Wait ... Don't Tell Me!

Sandwich Mondays

Sandwich Monday: The Philly Taco

The Philly Taco.
Nora Gully

Like the Devil, today's sandwich goes by many names: the Philly Taco, South Street Sushi, the Lorenzo's-Jim's Challenge. Whatever you call it, you have to agree it's a great idea. A Philly Taco just like a regular taco, except instead of the usual fillings, there's a cheesesteak, and instead of a shell, you use a giant slice of pizza. After our show in Philadelphia, I was joined by some friends to take it on.

Lorenzo's & Jim's

hide captionLorenzo's and Jim's: two great tastes that taste great and cause you great abdominal distress together.


First, you go to Lorenzo's Pizza, and buy a slice of pizza. Then, you rush to Jim's Steaks, a block away. It's important to be fast, so the pizza is still hot when you add the cheesesteak. Also, the exercise of a brisk one-block walk helps work off 1/28th the calories of the first bite you take.

The raw materials.

hide captionBefore assembly.

Nora Gully

Once you have the raw ingredients, there are two schools of thought on how best to execute this terrible idea. I assembled mine so that the cheesesteak was perpendicular to the crust of the pizza, like a taco. Lily did hers sushi-style, with the pizza wrapped around the steak like a pig-in-a-blanket.

Nora Gully

Lily: This is Halloween-appropriate: the cheesesteak is wearing a slice-of-pizza costume.

Ian eats the Philly Taco.

hide captionIan cannot open his mouth big enough for the Philly Taco and keep his eyes open at the same time.

Nora Gully

Ian: I feel like I'm doing that thing where you're reading a comic book but you cover it in the jacket of your math book.

Leo: Except way worse.

A cross-section of the Philly Taco.
Nora Gully

Ian: Healthwise, can I expect the pizza to protect my stomach from the cheesesteak?

Nora: Yeah, it's like a gelcap.

Lily: That would be true if you swallowed it whole, like a snake.

Ian: I don't think a snake would eat something this gross. They're cool with live rats though.

Leo finishes up.
Nora Gully

Leo: Cheesesteak plus pizza would be a great option if this were my last meal, so I wouldn't have to decide.

Joel: I think even if you didn't plan on it being your last meal, it's your last meal.

Walls of Jim's.

hide captionMr.T pities us fools.

Nora Gully

Ann Marie [after finishing the challenge]: This is great! I'm not hurting.

Ian: You need to take that statement and wrap a slice of "yet" around it.

[Featured gastronauts: Lily Hawkins, Joel Rose, Leo Voloshin, Fresh Air's Ann Marie Baldonado, and Nora Gully.]




Wait Wait ... Don't Tell Me!
Wait Wait ... Don't Tell Me!


Support comes from: