And THAT Is How You Take Over The World

The opening of a new, neighborhood cheesesteak joint? Not really news.

The opening of a new, neighborhood cheesesteak joint IN FRANCE? Definitely news.

Especially when said cheesesteak joint has been opened by Nadine Kobeitri, daughter of Rene Kobeitri, who owns Rim Cafe in South Philly. And what’s super-weird about this story? Opening a cheesesteak joint in Nice, France isn’t so much breaking new ground for the Kobeitri family. It’s really something like a return…

See, many years ago, Rene was a restaurateur in and around the Cote d’Azur. He opened cafes, was a caterer, got into the printing and cyber cafe business. He was very successful in France before deciding, round about 2006, to expand his operations to the United States. When he came here, he chose South Philly as the place to be, and opened Rim Cafe, “bringing with him the essence of the French Riviera and the Italian cafe tradition,” according to the timeline at the Rim Cafe website.

So, then, it seemed only natural that after the French guy brought his Riviera style to South Philly, the French guy’s daughter would bring the pride of South Philly–the cheesesteak–home to Nice. According to Nadine, she uses French cheeses and mounts the sandwiches on French baguette, but other than that? Just like the real thing.

For you French speakers, there’s this:

C’est à Pat et Harry Olivieri qu’est attribuée l’invention de ce sandwich au début des années 1930.

Ils ont commencé à vendre le cheesesteak dans leur stand à hot dog près du marché italien dans le sud de Philadelphie. Ils sont devenus si populaires que Pat a ouvert son propre restaurant et est aujourd’hui reconnu comme « le roi » (Pat’s King of Steaks).

Geno est également une référence en la matière : les cheesesteaks de Pat et Geno ont une rivalité très médiatisée. Leurs restaurants sont situés l’un en face de l’autre dans le sud de Philadelphie.

Le cheesesteak est devenu très populaire dans les restaurants et les cafétérias de toute la ville. On le retrouve également dans les chaînes de restauration rapide ainsi que dans les bars et restaurants haut de gamme.

Vous n’avez pas forcement envie de vous déplacer jusqu’à Philadelphie pour gouter ce délicieux sandwich? Venez le découvrir à Nice! Ouvert en 2012, The Cheese Steak House vous propose l’authentique cheesesteak, mais églament des bagels, des burgers et des hotdogs!

Which serves as both a concise history of the cheesesteak and an introduction to those who might otherwise be confused by this strange American invention. Almost makes them seem classy, doesn’t it? And I like how there’s now real French word for “cheesesteak.”

Anyway, if you’re curious about how they serve the first cheesesteaks ever to be offered in Nice, you can check out the website below.

The Cheese Steak House [Official]