Schmitter Hits A Home Run

Let me start out by saying that being a Philly native, I love a good sandwich.

Perhaps that's why it's surprising that until Wednesday, I had never eaten a Schmitter.

Thankfully I decided to venture into McNally's Tavern at 8634 Germantown Avenue.

The business, whose aesthetics is that of a dive bar, but whose offerings say quality product, has been in existence for nearly 90 years.

The tavern was started by Hugh McNally in 1921. The idea was to have a place in which Route 23 Trolley operators could kick back after a long shift. 

The location, Germantown Avenue at Bethlehem Pike, was not chosen randomly; it's where the trolley line, (no longer active), ended.

On Wednesday, I sat down to a lunch at McNally's, and boy was I impressed.

One of the first people to greet me at the door was Anne McNally, who has been keeping her family business alive for more than three decades.

Anne was warm and friendly, but her tone changed slightly when she found out I never had a Schmitter before.

"What?" was pretty much her response.

Well, that had to change and change quickly. So when the server, (Anne's niece, home from college for the holidays), came over to my table, I ordered up the sandwich, consisting of shredded beef, salami, tomatoes, friend onions, cheese and a secret sauce that tasted a lot like Russian dressing.

Everything about this dish screamed yummy goodness. I describe it as a cross between an Italian hoagie, a Philly cheesesteak and a Rueben. Generally, the messier a sandwich, the better. In this case, the thing wasn't oozing to the point where I needed a bath afterward, but it did have enough drippage so as to warrant an A-rating.

In addition to the sandwich, which was served with chips, I opted for one of three homemade soups offered on this day: chicken with rice. The cup was a perfect starter for a chilly, winter day. The chicken was incredibly tender and the temperature was on spot. (I hate being served lukewarm soup).

Being that I was soon introduced to Meg McNally, Anne's sister, a former educator who has been working the family business for 10 years, I just had to have dessert.

Meg handles the baking, so I decided to give one of her cakes a try. I ordered up a thick slice of coconut cream cake, and it was quite delicious. The moist, generous heaping was the perfect ratio of cake-to-icing. I can't say enough good things about the end to the meal.

In fact, the entire meal was a pleasure. I may now have a new favorite lunch spot in the neighborhood.

Of course, one doesn't have to come to McNally's in Chestnut Hill to eat a Schmitter; the sandwich is served at both Lincoln Financial Field and Citizens Bank Park.

For me, though, nothing beats sitting down at a tavern that still feels like it's operating during Prohibition, (McNally's did just that in the days after opening and prior to Prohibition's repeal).

And a trip to McNally's really does the trick when it comes to nostalgia.