Taste of Philly

Hanging out at Crown Center early Sunday morning while waiting for the Science Museum to open (noon) and surprisingly The Family got hungry. The sole brave soul running Taste of Philly opened a little early for us.(I assume early because this website said noon and all but one other restaurant were still closed)
I was skeptical of a place the serves both Philly Cheesesteaks and gyros. But we were hungry and willing to roll the dice and to our delight both my cheeesteak and gyro came out awesome. The kids got chicken strips w/​fries and those turned out… they way like chicken strips and fries usually do.
Overall a pleasant food court find.

DD#1 and I were shopping at Crown Center this afternoon and spent a little more time than we planned. It was almost 5:30 and we were too hungry to ignore the feeling so looked around at the choices and decided to try Taste of Philly, based partly on the fact that we were craving two different types of sandwich. I ordered a Philly Beef Steak Combo and DD went for a BBQ Beef Combo.
The Philly beef was generously portioned on a long bun and included grilled steak, onions and melted cheese, prepared after I made my order (as I watched it being made). I turned down the offer to add lettuce, tomato and mayo, none of which seem to go with traditional Philly steak sandwiches. The fries are crinkle-​cut and a combo has a soda included in the price. Daughter #1’s barbecue sandwich was served on a round bun with fries and a drink. She did mention that the meat was «credible» but that the sauce was «more than generous», making the sandwich messy to eat.
Both of us finished our food. But mine I would term ‘adequate’ and nothing more. Unfortunately!
And, most unfortunately, my experiences with food at Crown Center have fallen into the «Meh. I’ve experienced better» category on nearly every visit for the last few years with only a couple of exceptions. I’m not sure what it is that is lacking about the food, or maybe it’s the lackluster service and presentation that seems to pervade the whole area. No matter where we choose, it just doesn’t seem to click with my taste buds and I don’t even have as much pleasure eating there as I get at the food court at Independence Center Shopping Mall! At least at the mall food court, I can people-​watch while I eat.
Even though it was early on a Thursday evening, I have the feeling that a lot of other Kansas Citians must feel the same way I do. There were only a handful of other patrons all up and down the food court area the whole time we spent there.
I’d like to remind Crown Center that the success of a dining experience is not solely about the food. And people are looking for a vibe that was in short supply on Thursday evening! Which is too bad.

This place is weird. Philly cheesesteaks, gyros, and baked potatoes are featured. A single baked potato is memorialized as «potatoe» on the menu board. Dan Quayle orders that one.
The Philly cheesesteak come on an elongated, soft and mushy hamburger roll and is served with tomatoes, lettuce, and mayonnaise. Is there a Philadelphia, Missouri or has no one been to Philly, PA? The prices are a bit steep ($ 10 for the Philly Missouri cheesesteak, a small order of fries, and a soda).
The staff was nice but there was no one in line for me to really see what happens under pressure. Overall, the weirdness of the place earned it the A-​OK.