Jack In The Box's Prime Rib Cheesesteak - A Review

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Jack In The Box's newest promotion touts three sandwiches inspired by gourmet food trucks.

• Asian Fried Chicken Sandwich - Crispy fried chicken strips, fresh cucumbers, Asian-style slaw, and gochujang mayo on a toasted rice flour baguette. It's meant to be somewhat of a take on a Vietnamese banh mi  sandwich.
• Pork Belly BLT - Two strips of seared pork belly, green leaf lettuce, tomato, and tangy honey aioli on a toasted rice flour baguette.
• Prime Rib Cheesesteak - Strips of prime rib steak, peppers, onions, white cheese sauce, provolone cheese, and a little garlic herb butter on a toasted rice flour baguette.

| Subject: Jack's Philly Cheesesteak | Date: 01/08/2018 |

| Photographers: James Kiester & Dani Cogswell |

| This picture was taken by the author of this blog. |

I was intrigued when I saw the commercial for this new line of sandwiches. I knew I wanted to blog about it. However, I had a problem. I've never had a banh mi sandwich. I know, I know, I have to give my foodie ID card back. But in my defense, while I like a variety of Asian dishes, Indian Samosas being among my favorites, I lean more towards European and American cuisine.

Likewise, I'm not familiar enough with pork belly to do justice to a review. I've had pork belly before, but the ones I've had have always been fatty and chewy. I don't think I've ever had ideal pork belly. So, I didn't feel I had a good baseline which would allow me to compare Jack's version to what pork belly is supposed to be.

All that being said, I have had my share of cheesesteaks. I've had the good, the bad, and the ugly. At this point, I must disclose that I like my cheesesteaks Geno's style, which features Cheez Whiz. Jack's version is based on Pat's, utilizing provolone cheese. Nevertheless, I thought I'd give Jack's a try.  (Pat's has added Cheez Whiz, American cheese, and mozzarella cheese options to its menu, but is best known for its original provolone version.)

For $4.99 I got a five-inch long sandwich featuring the aforementioned ingredients on a soft roll. I opened up the sandwich to find it loaded with filling. As I ate I found a nice grilled char on the onions and peppers, gave depth to the flavor of the veggies.

The strips of steak were cooked to well-done giving them a slight chew.  A nice garlic flavor pleasantly permeated the beef, but it could have been seasoned with a little more salt.  For fast food steak, it was pretty good though.

What made this sandwich worth the price though was the fact that they did not skimp on the cheese. Ooey-gooey provolone held the filling together and it was present in every single bite.

Yes, you can get a foot-long sandwich over at Subway for the same price, but it won't be the quality that this was. I had my doubts going in, but I have to admit Jack In The Box nailed the cheesesteak. I give Jack's Cheesesteak 8 out of 10 stars.

Side Note:
I find it odd that Jack In The Box is using Martha Stewart to promote this line of "street food." When I think of street food, I think of Adam Richman, Guy Fieri, and Anthony Bourdain waaaaaay before I think of a domestic goddess like Martha Stewart.