When Steven Urglavitch looked at the restaurant scene in Harrisonburg, he realized something was missing: an authentic Philly cheesesteak eatery. Urglavitch and his brother, Tommy, decided this could be their niche, and formed what is now Urgie’s Cheesesteaks on 245 E. Water Street.
Right now, the Urglavitch brothers serve their cheesesteaks out of a tent next to the building they plan to permanently occupy by June. They are just getting started, and excited about future possibilities. “I hope to get to a point where we’re doing a thousand cheesesteaks a week,” Steven Urglavitch said. “I’m hoping to be there by summer. We’re at 70 a day now, but we’re hitting the tipping point of how much we can do in a tent in the cold.”
On a rainy Saturday afternoon, the tent did look cold, but with the hanging lights, the Philadelphia Eagles paraphernalia hung about, the sounds of sizzling meat, and the Urglavitches’ personable presence, the tent felt like a respite from the gloom.
At Urgie’s, “food comes first.” The brothers craft their steaks from never-frozen Angus beef, which they trim, cut, season, and slice paper thin by themselves. When the farmers’ market is open, Urgie’s buy their produce there. “We want to be as local as possible,” Steven Urglavitch said. “We would love to go local on everything, as long as we can afford it. You know, you don’t want a twenty dollar sandwich.” Mushrooms are their only nonlocal vegetable.
The rolls ship fresh and direct from Philadelphia and New York. “The rolls make a difference on a cheesesteak,” Steven Urglavitch said. “I mean, it’s a big part of it. It’s a massive part of it.”
The rolls definitely make the sandwich, I will agree with him there. Soft and fluffy, the Costanza earned its role as meat-vessel, the sturdy carrier of the cheesesteak to its final destination. Do not fear, though, if you are gluten-free or just do not want the bread, for Urgie’s has an option for you, much like a take-out box of Asian food but with steak, cheese, and veggies instead.
I ordered the Hat Trick Wit’, which means a regular cheesesteak with all three cheeses — provolone, American, and Cheez Whiz — and, as they apparently say in Philly, “wit’” onions, mushrooms, and green peppers. This menu quirk is all in fun, to keep up the Philly spirit.
The sandwich is huge and stuffed to the seams with meat and gooey cheese — that’s the whiz, the gooey om-nommy flavor that seeps into every crevice and mushes around in your mouth as you chew. Urgie’s seasons their meat just right, with a nice balanced use of pepper. The sandwich, wit’ the extras, costs $10.50, a hefty price to match a hefty sandwich. You get chips with the sandwich, though, and if you bring your student ID, Urgie’s offers a 10 percent discount.
Keep an eye on this one, folks. The brothers plan to gut out their permanent building and remodel by June, envisioning a covered patio, heat lamps, and a walk-up bar. With their passion and vision, I have no doubt these two will settle nicely into the niche they have found.
You can visit the Urglavitch brothers Wednesday through Saturday, beginning at 11 a.m. For closing times, check their website, as hours vary daily.
