Skip to main content

Why fly to food when food can fly to you? Goldbely slings regional favorites online

goldbely philly cheesesteak menu patssteaks 3208
Image used with permission by copyright holder

As a native New Jerseyan… New Jerseyite? Jerseyer? …as someone from New Jersey who’s made a home in Los Angeles, there are certain things that you miss from time to time. The leaves changing color, the smell of toxic waste in the morning, and of course, the food. Any Northeasterner living in La La Land will tell you that certain foods out here just don’t measure up. Pizzas and bagels are obvious ones, but the big one for me is sandwiches.

Oh man, do I love a good sandwich. It’s just two pieces of bread and some meat, but somehow when those three things are put together it’s magical. Like the Three Stooges or Wilson Phillips. I love sandwiches so much that I named a production company after my favorite sandwich place back in East Hanover, Jersey, The Great Wazu. If you’re in the area pick up the #3 with hot peppers for me.

Recommended Videos

But the sandwich I love the most is a Philly Cheesesteak. Sure, people from Philly can be miserable bastards, but while others bake with love, they grill with hate and that makes all the difference. I fell in love with it on frequent trips to the Jersey Shore, where it’s as ingrained in the culture as bad techno music and hairspray. In college I cooked and did deliveries for a place called Philly Junction in Boulder, Colorado, which is where I learned how to make a true Philly Cheesesteak.

I know what you’re thinking, and you’re right. That’s a ridiculous … ly awesome price for four honest-to-god Philly Cheesesteaks!

The place was started by a native Philadelphian who realized that no one beyond a stone’s throw of the Liberty Bell could make a good cheesesteak, and he taught me the gospel: The bread has to be Amoroso’s, so he had it shipped direct from Philly. And while the rest of the sandwich is just steak, cheese, and onions, it’s all about the details – the amount of steak, the type of cheese (has to be whiz), and how you cook the onions.

In between deliveries to the local strip joint (great tippers) and the campus (not great tippers, unless you took bong hits instead of cash), I learned from a master the difference between a sandwich that fills you up and one that transports you to another time and place.

What does all this have to do with a tech site? Well, through the magic of the internets, you no longer need a great sandwich to transport you to another time a place – the internets will now deliver that time and place right to your door!

I’m talking, of course, about Goldbely.com, a site that bills itself as “an online marketplace that connects curious eaters with America’s best gourmet food purveyors.” Gourmet food … like chocolate-covered potato chips from San Diego and chicken wings from Buffalo.

How Goldbely accomplishes such an astounding feat varies depending on the nature of the food item, but I’m not here to talk about the merits of having a Peter Lugar Porterhouse shipped to you on dry ice versus the best cut from your local butcher, or if ribs from Charles Vergo’s Rendezvous being cooked then frozen for shipping is an abomination. I’m in Los Angeles and I wanted a real cheesesteak.

Goldbelly
Image used with permission by copyright holder

Lucky for me, Goldbely recently ran a special for a Philadelphia Cheesesteak Battle Box pitting two cheesesteaks from Geno’s Steaks against two from Pat’s for only $79.00. I know what you’re thinking, and you’re absolutely right. That’s a ridiculous…ly awesome price for four honest-to-god Philly Cheesesteaks!

I made the purchase on a Thursday, but since it was after 10 AM ET and they don’t ship Friday through Sunday, I had to wait for them to go out overnight the following Monday. And then Tuesday… there they were. Perfectly cooked, flash frozen, and delivered to my doorstep sandwiched between cold packs that were no longer cold. Even before I took a bite I knew these were the best cheesesteaks in California.

This is not a perfect system; reheating the cheesesteaks required some on-the-fly expertise. I knew I couldn’t leave them in the oven for too long without ruining that Amaroso’s bread, but the microwave could turn them into a soggy lump. Fortunately, a quick shot of the former followed by a little crisping in the latter, and my first one – from Geno’s – confirmed my earlier assumption. It might have even been better than the Philly Junction.

So a day-old flash-frozen Philly Cheesesteak via the internet works; what about a two-day-old Philly Cheesesteak? Amazing. Three-day-old? Delicious. Four days? I don’t know – the final Pat’s cheesesteak is bronzed and on my mantel next to a photo of me and the boys on the boardwalk in Atlantic City.

I can’t guarantee that everything Goldbely ships will be as amazing as my cheesesteaks were, but there are plenty of options – smoked fish from Barney Greengrass in NYC, Aunt Sally’s New Orleans Pralines, Kreuz Market sausages from Lockhart, Texas – that are made to keep and should be fine. And I can see why some people might balk at the prices, but then again, can you really put a price on getting Elegant Farmer’s famous “Paper Bag” apple pie from Mukwonago, Wisconsin for your Thanksgiving table? Goldbely can and it’s $39.99. Not too bad… unless you hate America.

As for who won between Geno’s and Pat’s? Sandwiches won. Sandwiches won.

Peter Soldinger
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Peter Soldinger is a Los Angeles-based screenwriter for film and television with a passion for sports and a contentious…
Early Black Friday chest freezer deals: up to 40% off today
The Insignia 7-cubic feet chest freezer placed in a garage.

Update 10/29/24: This starts our Black Friday coverage of chest freezers, and we like what we see so far. The following deals are from a variety of good brands, show a wide range of prices, and most importantly come in various sizes, so you can pick what is right for your home.

While Black Friday officially starts on November 29, retailers are getting started early this year. That means great early Black Friday deals, including on things like chest freezers. Here, we search high and low for the best deals on chest freezers to hit the market. That means we're looking at sources like Walmart's, Amazon's, and Best Buy's early Black Friday deals among others to get you the best deals possible. Whether you're wanting to store ice cream, meat, or a party's worth of frozen pizza, these are the best chest freezers for you.
Hisense 5 cu. ft. Garage Ready Chest Freezer — $165 $189 13% off

Read more
Best cordless drill early Black Friday deals: DeWalt and more
A DeWalt drill being used.

Update 10/28/24: This marks the beginning of our drill coverage for 2024's Black Friday shopping season, and all of the major brands have at least one great deal. While we're excited for what is to come, this is a fantastic start and there's really no reason to not go ahead and get prepped by buying something now.
If you're buying anything this Black Friday, there's a big chance you might want a drill/driver to go with it. A drill/driver is one part drill, one part (screw)driver and it can help out in many situations. For example, say you take part in one of these early Black Friday TV deals, you very well might want to wall mount it. Then, say you grab up an easy coffee maker from Keurig's early Black Friday deals. An extra side table in your study would sure go nice with that and a drill/driver could very well make the table's construction much easier.
Really, with so so many of your early Black Friday purchases, there might be a chance to pick up a cordless drill or driver and get to work. As such, we've compiled a list of the best cordless drill deals throughout Black Friday deals that are available now, so you can get a head start on prepping for the savings that are to come.

Skil Pwr Core 12 Drill/Driver — $50 $59 15% off

Read more
Best Roomba deals: Top robot vacuums from as little as $170
iRobot Roomba 692 Robot Vacuum.

If you come home and don't really look forward to doing the day-to-day dusting and vacuuming that's required to keep everything clean, then robot vacuums are a great solution. Probably one of the best-known brands is Roomba, and if you're looking to pick up a new one, then Roomba has a lot of great options you can pick from.. Whether you're looking for a budget-friendly option or something a little bit more high-end that comes with a self-emptying station, we've gone out and collected some of our favorite Roomba deals below.

That said, if you don't necessarily want a Roomba, you can check out these general robot vacuum deals, and for the more substantial messes, there are always these vacuum deals and cordless vacuum deals too.
iRobot Roomba i1 -- $170 $220 22% off

Read more