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I thought I read Mr. Wilson’s take on the Philly Cheesesteak sandwiches at Papa John’s downtown but since I can’t find it, I’ll open a new thread.

The owner of Wasabi’s shushi restaurant purchased Papa John’s Greek restaurant down the street (near 14th and O streets right by Bennet-Martin Library).  Some of the menu from the Greek restaurant is still available but they now serve Philly Cheesteak.

The choices for the Philly were beef, chicken, gyro and a fourth that I don’t remember now but it may have been Reuben.  I went with beef, just to establish a benchmark.  The sandwich was very good, especially with the mushrooms, which I had to request.  The sandwich comes with steak fries and there appear to be no other side choices.  I’ll check on that next time I’m there.  The fries were good but I’m not a steak fry lover, so I can’t rave about them.  I would prefer the side option of a salad or something not deep-fried.

Good fresh bun, not stale.  That’s a big one for me with sandwiches.  Served piping hot with melted cheese.  The onions and peppers (and mushrooms) were sauted and the beef was good and not stringy.

The whole kit and kaboodle, with soda, was $6.  Anymore, that’s a darn good lunch deal downtown.

Overall, observations ...
* They painted the awning outside the building.  It’s an eye-catching red but not necessarily eye pleasing.
* The salad bar is still available but not stocked as well as Papa John’s used to be.
* The place, unfortunately, wasn’t as busy as it used to be.
* Things seemed a little dirty overall, at least not as clean as the former owners kept things.
* The bus stop directly in front of the restaurant has been removed, giving a more pleasing feel to the place.

The sandwich was good, I recommend you try it if you like Philly Cheesesteak sandwiches.

I see J.J. Harder at the Daily Nebraskan didn’t at all like the Philly or the restaurant.

Link

Unfortunately, J.J. Harder’s goal these days seems not to be to review restaurants, but to bask in the knowledge that students get a kick out of his writings. He is negative for the sake of being negative, a definite sign that he has jumped the shark.

Well I don’t know what a “real” philly cheese steak is, but both times I have been to Phreddy’s I enjoyed mine very much. It was better than many other versions I have seen and tasted (whether here in Lincoln or for that matter anywhere - although I have never been to Philly).

I have noticed that at Phreddy’s (and Papa J’s before that) the exact cut of french fries differ. One day its the big steak fries, the next its crinkle cut, then shoestring cut, etc. Since I am no longer a huge fan of french fries, that doesn’t matter too much to me.

I do agree with you that the atmosphere leaves something to be asked for. I was a bit surprised that at my first visit there (which I believe was in the opening days of the place) and my most recent one (which was 2-3 weeks later) it didnt seem like there was any progress at all in terms of interior design. I understand it takes time to improve on those sorts of things however. And its a big challenge in itself to keep a kitchen and restaurant operational WHILE redesigning, so phreddy’s deserves some slack for that IMHO.

Regardless, I plan on being a regular customer. Its a really good sandwich for the $.

As far as Harder’s review - I have some thoughts on that - but its a different story completely and I dont have the time now.

Mr. Wilson - 29 September 2006 12:45 PM

Unfortunately, J.J. Harder’s goal these days seems not to be to review restaurants, but to bask in the knowledge that students get a kick out of his writings. He is negative for the sake of being negative, a definite sign that he has jumped the shark.

Yeah, this was not one of his better reviews.  The lede was written for shock value alone, didn’t seem to fit the story/review.  I can’t say I understand what it was he didn’t like about the place, other than:
1. It doesn’t serve coffee, have WiFi or isn’t open 24 hours
2. It isn’t Rock ‘n Roll Runza
3. The fish sucked

Foxspit - There was actually a letter written into the DN today denouncing Harder and calling on him to apologize for overly harsh reviews. Personally I find his reviews to be entertaining and usually pretty informative. He typically packs in a lot of information about a place even though I don’t necessarily agree with the commentary on everything. I do agree with you though that the Phreddy’s review is almost like some sort of strange disconnect. The fish is likely one of those deep fried, pre-frozen filets you can buy in bulk. Sure its not the best, but at a place like Phreddy’s - or for that matter any other inexpensive grill-type of diner - that type of fish is something to expect. What you wouldn’t expect is seared Ahi tuna. So I don’t understand what his expectations were for the fish.

Having said that, he makes a good point in suggesting that if there was a 24 hour, bottomless cup of coffee Perkin’s/Denny’s type of restaurant near campus - with wireless - it would be a huge hit. If I owned enough property somewhere around campus, that’s what I would put in.

Mr. T - 24 October 2006 05:30 PM

Having said that, he makes a good point in suggesting that if there was a 24 hour, bottomless cup of coffee Perkin’s/Denny’s type of restaurant near campus - with wireless - it would be a huge hit. If I owned enough property somewhere around campus, that’s what I would put in.

Yeah, I love some of Harder’s reveiws.  Two of his in the last couple of years are among my all-time favorites.  Not this one though.

I like your idea about a downtown place for coffee/breakfast.  Seems like a great idea to me, although there was a Denny’s adjacent to campus for quite some time and it was closed nigh onto eight years ago or more.  Any number of existing downtown businesses could fill that niche if they wanted to: Kuhl’s, WC’s, Barry’s.

I’m actually posting from Texas with questions about Papa John’s.  We had several by that name in Houston years ago and I loved ‘em.  They had the steak and cheese subs (Philly), gyros, etc., and some greek items (stuffed grape leaves?) as well.  Oh, and balklava, of course.  It was the kind of place where you walk up to the counter, place your order, and they called your number.  Is it that type of place?  They had the founder’s picture on a wall in the corner with a short history of the place, but don’t remember any details.  I was wondering if y’all’s up there in Nebraska might be the last one left in the country.  Thanks in advance for any info you may be able to provide. 

Jeff

I doubt our Papa John’s is related to any restaurants of the same name outside of Lincoln, though I can’t say that with 100% certainty. Our Papa John’s was owned and operated by a local man, and I don’t recall the subject of satellite locations ever coming up. In any event, Papa John’s has changed ownership and no longer exists under its old name. (It is now called Preddy’s Philllys [sic].) If Lincoln’s Papa John’s was the last of a dying breed, you can officially declare it extinct.