Vesuvio’s Philly Cheesesteak BLT!

Now before you get in a huff and tell me this isn’t the typical Philly cheesesteak: you are so right. Imagine a piece of beef filet cooked medium rare, then sliced and topped with cheese, bacon, lettuce, tomato and a secret spicy mayo. Those of you who love those wafer-thin sliced steak sandwiches on a hoagie roll with Cheez Whiz poured on top, better leave the room, or get ready for a phenomenal taste sensation!

So the next time you find yourself on 8th street in South Philly, stop into Vesuvios’s and order yourself what the Today Show viewers call “The Best Sandwich in America”!

9/27 UPDATE: And the winner is ...

When I first pitched the idea of this Best Sandwich in America contest to our Today Show producers, little did I expect the kind of responses I would get!

Thousands of nominations and almost 50,000 viewers logged on to vote on our web page. (I can't tell you who the winner is yet - but just tune in at 9:22 a.m. tomorrow morning to find out!).

But it was our viewers' emails (almost 3,000 of them) who shared their thoughts after they saw each sandwich on air last week that really made an impression! Of course there were the typical city-rivalry emails explaining why a particular sandwich in a particular city tasted better than that of another city. But it was how passionate and excited those of you who sent me emails were about these foods that made me smile.

Smile so much that now I'm thinking about looking for the Best Pizza and Best Hot dog next (so get ready to send me in your nominations!)

There was one email from a viewer in the Midwest that stood out from the rest, however. She challenged me to figure out a way to use this blog to actually let everyone who wanted to vote taste the sandwich before they could vote. So maybe next time I could let you know where I'll be and you could join me, but have to warn you - be hungry!!!

P.S. - and after the show on Thursday be sure to let me know if YOU agree that this IS the Best Sandwich in America!