The Madison area gained an outpost of The Original Steaks and Hoagies after it opened inside the Citgo gas station in Waunakee earlier this year. For such a small space, the mostly carryout restaurant sure sports a lengthy menu.
For example, I did not expect so many chicken dishes, which included a pizza chicken cheesesteak ($10), boneless wings with fries ($15) and a spicy honey chicken sandwich ($11.5). I thought the hot pepper chicken sandwich ($11.5) was tasty, just not spicy. The hot pepper relish added a unique flavor and crunch to the soft, breaded chicken, which was topped with pepperjack cheese and spicy mayo.
The cheesesteak sandwiches come in small (7″) and large (12″). You have your choice of provolone, white cheese or Cheese Whizz, and you may add toppings like lettuce, tomatoes and raw onions.
The Original Cheesesteak ($10 small, $13 large) looked and smelled awesome, and I loved that the wrapping paper was super greasy. It came with fried onions, mushrooms, hot peppers and sweet peppers, and I went with Cheese Whizz. The sandwich was excellent, but I think it would have been better without the toppings (which is the equivalent of the plain cheesesteak on the menu), since the ribeye and bread were so good on their own.
For the non-cheesesteak purists, you may want to try The Hangover ($11), which has hot sauce and bacon, or the Black and Blue ($10), which is topped with blue cheese cream.
The hoagies part of the menu has four choices, including a turkey BLT ($10). I picked the Spicy Italian ($10) and enjoyed the Genoa salami, hot capicola and pepperoni. However, the sandwich could have used a lot more meat than the few slices it came with, and the wilted lettuce and pickles detracted from the sandwich (I ended up removing the lettuce). It’s ticky tack, but I also would have preferred sliced onions vs. diced onions.
The Original Steaks and Hoagies is open every day for lunch and dinner.
Tags: sandwiches, Waunakee
