But if that's what Pat's King of Steaks uses, then that's what a Philly cheesesteak is. But at Barclay Prime in Philly, they're making cheesesteaks with shaved kobe beef, foie gras, triple cream tellagio cheese (it's ultra-rich: 48% fat) and carmelized shallots and shaved heirloom tomatoes on a homemade brioche roll brushed with truffle butter and homemade mustard. Carl's Jr. has the Six Dollar Burger. I guess Barclay Prime has the Hundred Dollar Sammich.

This leads me conveniently to the topic of snobbery among foodies. You've done it with beer, where you'll gladly drink Coors Lite (or as Fun Bobby put it, "Kerrs Laht") but you'll stay away from Tecate. Foodies just happen to take it to a whole new level. Look at me, Lah-Dee-Dah, Oh, I won't eat that, but replace that rib-eye portion of a Milwaukee cow with the tenderloin portion of a Kobe cow, and I'm in high-falutin' heaven! Bring me your finest meats and cheeses as long as no common person actually eats them!

There were these two fellows I overheard on the bus home yesterday, talking about the kinds of beers they like. One says, "Oh, I don't really like MGD, I'm more into Corona or Dos Equis. Or Tecate. Or Budwiser." The both then talk about Newcastle, which they regard as more of as sippin' beer. "Oh that don't stop me; I'll pound Newcastle. It's good!"

Once I got over my initial horror that someone was bothering to pound Newcastle, I realized that I don't miss much from my days of being a bar snob. Single malt, Glen Livet, Glen Galley, perhaps, any Glen. I found myself doing a bit of name-dropping the other day, "Oh, I know so and so who's a manager at Bobby Flay's new restaurant in Caesar's Palace..." so I know that there's still a bit of the food snob in me. I wonder how long it'll take to institutionalize it away.