I lived in L.A. for 23 years. There were tons of "Philly Steak"
places all over town, yet none came close to the ones I knew from my
hometown in PA. The meat was usually too coarse. But worst of all,
the rolls were always too thick and dominant. Now I'm living in NC
and I found the same thing here. But it's not like I went around
searcing for the perfect cheese steak, which by the way I think tastes
better without the cheese - it's just that the ones I encountered
never measured up. Then my brother took me to a place in Greensboro
that had philly cheese steaks on the menu. Theirs too did not measure
up. But it was good. Since then I have learned to forget about
comparing every steak sandwich I eat to the ones I remember from my
hometown.

Whatever you do, don't go back to your hometown and order it again. Even if
it was EXACTLY the same, it would never measure up to your memories.