The Best Cheesesteak and Gyro in Dayton are on the same menu

Philly Steak House has the best cheesesteaks and gyros in Dayton. I am emphatic about this but I will taste your argument. The restaurant is at 3598 Salem Ave. Dayton, OH 45406. If you're coming from downtown, its on the left past Miami Valley Country Club but before you get to Siebenthaler. The restaurant sign is small and has too much color to be read. Be prepared to pass it. I found the place because I was lost around lunch time.

The place is scary. The first time that I was there, the owner told me that he'd been robbed the weekend before by guys with machine guns. No, this restaurant isn't in Dayton, its in Harrison Township. The kitchen/cash register is now closed off from the rest of the restaurant by very thick plastic.

I'm not telling you this to scare you off. I'm telling you this because it gives my next sentence more credibility. It's all worth it. I've taken a lot of people there since I've discovered it and all of them thanked me profusely for taking them there (and lived!). The food is a taste explosion.

Philly Steak House's cheesesteaks use great meat and are grilled fresh upon order. I know the meat is important because I've had the chicken philly and it was okay. Their cheesesteaks have everything a cheesesteak is supposed to have (except Cheeze Wiz. I don't care about that.) A better food writer than I would know why there are so awesome. I wish that I could replicate it but I can't. I can't replicate that the first bite is fantastic and yet, somehow, the last bite tastes even better than the first bite.

The gyros are just as good. I've always looked forward to the Greek Festival gyros. Now, I can't even eat a Greek Festival gyro. Philly Steak House keeps the lamb on a rotating kebab and they trim it off when you order and put it on the grill. I cannot imagine a more perfectly seasoned piece of meat. Then they put a very yummy, garlicky and brilliant Tzatziki sauce on the gyro. Honestly, I have no idea what the pita tastes like; all what matters is that it holds together for the rest of the goodies.

The hardest part about going to Philly Steak House is what to order. Gyro . . . cheesesteak. Cheesesteak . . . . gyro. There are two things I recommend in this situation. One, bring a good friend (mate?) who will order the other option and let you have a few bites. Two, share an order of chili-cheese fries.

I give the location and ambiance two lunch hours. Its adventurous to get to and I travel past some of my favorite Dayton neighborhoods but the restaurant is a former chain location and is really boring on the inside. The food is five lunch hours.

Just go there.

Update: I am devastated to report that Philly Steak House has served its last order. I talked to the owners and they were closing b/c business was not that good and they wanted to do other things. This is really bad news.

Tony's!!!

I like to have business meetings at memorable places because it makes the meeting itself more memorable. I took a guy who lives in Cincinnati to Tony's and he was so excited that, the next night, he took his wife and another couple from Mason to Tony's for dinner. What this means is that Tony's is a tourist destination. It's that good.

What makes Tony’s memorable and unique is the menu. Tony's specializes in Fair Food. Among its fried items include pickles, Oreos, Twinkies, and Snickers. They have things that no one else has on their menu including Loaded Spiral Potatoes and Funnel Cake with Cherry Topping (I actually recommend without the Cherry Topping, the cherries are too overpowering). I’m sure that they would fry anything else if you asked. They are very nice there. (SPECIAL INSIGHT: The best way to get to Tony’s is a really long walk.)

Tony's also has pizza, hamburgers, pork tenderloins and other regular food there. They also have salads. (I want to see the person who orders a salad, a diet coke, and a fried Snicker). Those are all good. You can't go and get the specialty desserts if the main food is bad.

Recommended order: Tony's Italian Sausage, Loaded Spiral Potato and Deep Fried Twinkie.

I give the restaurant ambiance three lunch orders. The restaurant is really boring but the family that works there is very generous with portions and offering free samples. The food is four lunch orders. You will have a meal that you will remember for a long time.

Its nice to have choices but its also nice to have a place that specializes in something that no one else is specializing in doing. Go to Tony's but beware of the tourists!