Same here for me while I was at Penn (that's Univ of Pennsylvania, NOT Penn State, to you non-locals). Perhaps it's the right mixture of bread, cheese and auto exhaust that brings out the best in a Philly cheesesteak. Come to think of it, most of the best cheesesteaks I have eaten were from outside food stands. ummm, I see a research paper on this . . . or maybe a documentary "Steak Wit' "

And to Dovster:
There are still many places in Philly and the environs that make a good cheesesteak. Gotta know where to go!

But, snapper soup! I guess if you had to grade any of the indigenous Philly cuisine as classy, it would be snapper soup. Now awfully hard to find anyway.

And no one has mentioned that other of Philly's gift to the culinary world (he says with tongue firmly planted in cheek) -- scrapple. Scrapple and eggs for breakfast is a real treat.