  Philly beef in Chicago territory  "The cheesesteak is a
superior sandwich to the Chicago Italian beef," my friend from
Philadelphia told me. Them's fightin' words.  My knee-jerk
reaction was defensiveness and outrage, but this lasted all of
five seconds before my fist relaxed its clench. Because my
Philly friend wasn't a headstrong lunk drunk on civic pride. He
is a rational man.  More important, he gave me an excuse to
sample a lot of Philly cheesesteaks.  Three things non-
Philadelphians think they know about Philadelphia: It's always
sunny there, Eagles fans are lunatics, and their sandwiches come
with steak and cheese. The cheesesteak comes closest to our
familiarity with the city. It's a tangible grease bomb with its
own lingo (Whiz wit = Cheez Whiz with onions), spread nationwide
through sports bars and mall food courts.  The Chicago Italian
beef by comparison, at least outside a 100-mile radius of
downtown, remains a well-kept secret. From an ease-of-
preparation standpoint, the Chicago Italian beef is