UNIVERSAL CITY -- Jimmy De Laurentis moved from Philadelphia to Universal City nine years ago when he opened Youz Guys. It's an authentic Philly cheesesteak restaurant that's all East Coast, attitude included.
"Everything we use in our cheesesteaks comes from Philadelphia," De Laurentis said. " Our meat is packaged in Philadelphia. Our bread is made in Philadelphia. Even I'm from Philadelphia."
De Laurentis is a former police detective who turned to cooking to relieve stress. He says the cooking is in his Italian blood.
"We love to cook. We love to eat," De Laurentis exclaimed.
At the urging of his cousin, the couple opened up a business at 316 Pat Booker Rd in Universal City not far from Randolph Air Force Base. The name: Youz Guys.
"We don't say 'y'all' up north," he explained. " We say 'youz guys.'"
The restaurant is covered inside and out with Philadelphia sports memorabilia and other mementos from the city of brotherly love. Benjamin Franklin and Independence Hall are painted on the walls outside. Inside, the walls are blanketed with East Coast license plates as well as people in pictures connected to the northeast. One of the cutest articles is a spelling test where a kid made 92 out 100. He spelled "you" as "youz."
De Laurentis's walls are also covered with law enforcement patches. He stopped counting his patch collection after he collected 800. Of course, Sylvester Stallone, also known to Philadelphians as Rocky, holds a huge space on the wall. Then, there's the warning about the East Coast attitude.
"If you want to experience something like the East Coast, then this is where it is," he said.
Military members from New Jersey, New York and Philly all make their way over from Randolph for meals that are under $15. Customers like Donald Buswell come by, at least, twice a week. He's a native of Delaware.
"It's worth it," Buswell said.
Neighborhood Eats had a chance to chow down on two kinds of Philly cheesesteaks. Every mouthful was worth it. Funnel fries covered in powered sugar taste just like an East Coast treat. Italian ice in coconut or lemon melt in your mouth. Don't stop there because Italian hoagies, meatball sandwiches or dirty Jersey fries are available. Go big and order the 'Boom-A-Latti' to eat. We won't waste words on what promises to be a good meal.
Truly this place is the cheapest ticket to Philadelphia from South Texas you'll ever get.
That's this week's Neighborhood Eats. If you have a suggestion for Marvin send him an email to mhurst@kenst5.com or tweet him: @MarvinHurst. Don't forget to tag it #Kens5eats
