Tony Luke

Another Bollywood movie is being shot in Philly. Who's in it? Who knows? Yesterday was the first day of camera work for an untitled drama from Mumbai's Yash Raj Studios, which shot an action film called New York here a year ago. For Day One, cast and crew were camped at a store near Seventh Street and Girard Avenue in North Philly. Tomorrow, they'll shoot all day at the Trolley Car Diner in Mount Airy. Sri Rao , a Pennsylvania-born producer who does a lot of work in the Philly area, said exteriors would be filmed in and around Center City until Oct. 11 or 12. The production, which was begun in Mumbai, will wrap in New York.

Fascinated by cheesesteaks, all the lore and more? Then check out The Great Philly Cheesesteak Book, new from Philadelphia's Running Press. Author Carolyn Wyman (Spam: A Biography) doesn't fret about ratings and reviews as much as she dishes out heaping portions of local color, history and helpful info, like recipes. (Cheesesteak pierogis? Italian rolls!) Want to know who serves what meat on which rolls? She tells you for 38 major steak shops, from Pat's and Geno's to Claymont Steak Shop in Delaware - and shares stories about the folks behind the food.

Here's a hot and juicy topic to sink your teeth in: The cheesesteak is No. 2? Funny, the things you stumble across on the Web. "I may never eat another Philly cheesesteak - not, at least, when I can have a roast pork sandwich," a writer opined some weeks ago in the Washington Post. Tim Warren, who lives in Maryland, was such a big cheesesteak fan that he often made food runs to Philadelphia and found he "wasn't the only idiot who had driven 100 miles for a $7 sandwich.

We haven't been to a Phillies game this season. Maybe we'll go Tuesday. That will give me time to prepare, because going to a ball game these days is considerably more complicated than it used to be. Let's see, what should I wear? Having watched with dismay as Phillies crowds grow increasingly red and as Flyers fans continue to believe the color of their shirts can impact the outcome of a playoff series, I guess we'd better join the club and dress like 4-year-olds at a T-Ball banquet.

Let's cut to the chase: The reaction to the news last week that Tony Luke's, the gritty South Philly sandwich stand, was coming out with a frozen, microwavable/boil-in-a-bag version of its venerable cheesesteak was not exactly positive. "Sounds gross," was one of the milder e-mailed posts. "Two words," went another: " Nas-Tee . " "Blechhh," spat another. Then they got personal: "Tony sold out to The Man!" They had another thing in common. None of the commenters (except one, a defender)

Frozen steak sandwich in a boil-in bag? It doesn't exactly have the mouth-watering appeal that comes from the sound of thin steak sizzling on a griddle and, oh my, the aroma of those onions frying next to it. But after nearly two years - and more than 100 attempts - South Philly sandwich impresario Tony Lucidonio Jr. says he has found the winning formula for preparing frozen cheesesteak sandwiches for sale in grocery stores that won't result...

Here are some off-the-wall and off-the-cuff observations from around Citizens Bank park yesterday. Food department 1 While the pregame crowds at Tony Luke's and Rick's Steaks in Ashburn Alley were as thick as the grease on their grills, the lines for McNally's Schmitters were surprisingly short. 2 Here's guessing that the cheesesteaks also outsold the $10 Chili Glazed Duck Quesadillas at Harry the K's. Philly is many things. A duck-quesadilla town isn't one of them. 3 A trip to the ballpark can also be educational.

Barack Obama vows he shall return and sample a cheesesteak. Just one? Yesterday, sports talker Glen Macnow of WIP (610 AM) posted his nearly final rankings of 45 cheesesteaks sampled between West Chester to Atlantic City. Only the order of the top six could change, pending a final on-air showdown at noon on Saturday, April 19. Interestingly, ranked No. 1 was also the place that finished first with Inquirer restaurant critic Craig LaBan after his 2002 whirlwind tour of 23 eateries: John's Roast Pork on East Snyder Avenue in South Philadelphia.

Nothing says Philly like litigation over cheesesteaks. Take your high-cholesterol sandwich, which Philadelphia claims rightfully as its own. Add legal documents flying back and forth, another proud Philadelphia tradition. The dog days of summer are here. The Eagles have yet to play a game, the mayor's race is in a lull, and many folks are escaping heat and gunfire at the Shore. But the pending eviction of Rick's Philly Steaks from Reading Terminal Market has filled the news vacuum like a "works" sandwich on an empty gut. On Wednesday, Rick's first day "wit-out" a lease, more than 25 dedicated patrons waited in line for sandwiches before 11:30 a.m. "Gotta get here before the sheriff does," joked Ron Pressley of Lawnside, a fan of Rick's.

South Philadelphia restaurateur Tony Luke yesterday tried to distance himself from the volatile dispute between Reading Terminal Market management and steak sandwich maker Rick Olivieri, hiring his own lawyer and vowing not to start formal lease talks until the dispute is resolved. Luke, 45, set and then canceled a news conference yesterday morning at his original location on Oregon Avenue near Front Street. But his public relations consultant, George Polgar, said Luke stood by statements in an advance copy of his remarks.