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We're not sure how many Cubans there are in Philadelphia, but the city does boast several good Cuban/Latin restaurants, a few of which are actually owned by Cubans. On the whole, we would rather be in Philadelphia -- a great eating town, with plenty of ethnic restaurants in the mix.

The Center City might remind you of Greenwich Village, a great urban landscape dotted with small, independent shops and restaurants. It's a place of refuge from "Corporate Restaurant America, Inc.," although even here the big chains have made inroads, they are kept at bay by the quality of the local places and their loyal clientele.

Traveling the Interstates this summer, we occasionally were faced with the dilemma of grabbing a late night meal from a conveniently located chain restaurant, or not eating at all. Many nights we went to bed no longer hungry, but also unsatisfied.

It was only when we ventured off of the Interstate and into the heart of the cities and towns along the way that we got a taste of real, soul-satisfying food, made with care by someone who lovingly put their heart and soul in every dish.

Whether from a little Greek shop selling gyros to a fried chicken wing shop in a less than desirable part of Pittsburgh -- "You guys aren't from around here, are you?" -- we always came away with not just a meal, but a memory.

Although we can’t name a single chain we suffered on our travels, we remember every last detail of each and every "real" restaurant we discovered.

Philadelphia surprised us with its energy and vitality. The Center City is relatively clean, the subway system remarkably graffiti free. The narrow, tree-lined streets only add to the charm, except when you need to find a parking space.

It's an easy city to navigate and everything in reality is much closer than you'd imagine from looking at a map. "I think we just drove by the Italian market!" The historic sites are a must, of course. The Liberty Bell is right there, so close you can almost touch it. The history you first encountered in grade school, with visions of Ben Franklin and Betsy Ross and the sights and sounds of colonial times comes alive.

Reading Terminal is a food bazaar with numerous shops and food purveyors. We liked the crepes, seafood, and the pulled pork sandwich.

Beautiful building infected with Giant Guitar. Where have we seen that before? Do yourself a favor and lunch at the nearby Reading Terminal.

At heart we are traditionalists when it comes to Cuban food. Some of the best dishes in Cuban cuisine come from the countryside, what we call criollo or "country style" food. These are the dishes that reflect the heart and soul of Cuba. We're not completely close minded. We do eat at some of the hip places occasionally, and just as occasionally we are pleasantly surprised by a dish or two that adds a new twist to one of the classics.

We have to laugh at some of the reinventions -- you'd never see "green tamales with raspberry vinaigrette dressing" in a real Cuban restaurant! But sometimes a new variation makes sense.

Cuba Libre in Philadelphia surprised us with a churrasco steak that was served with a red wine reduction over a bed of garlic mashed potatoes. Not traditionally Cuban -- OK, not even close -- but one variation that really worked.

It's hard not to like a restaurant where the interior captures the beauty of a Havana street corner in the 1950s. The design creates a great atmosphere for eating, and on a hot August night with the front of the restaurant open to the night air, you can almost imagine yourself in pre-Castro Cuba.

We made an appetizer out of one of the entrees, the Plato Cuba Libre, which on this night includes a sampling of churrasco steak, a small mound of tender lechón asado, and Camarones Enchilados.

Café Habana owner Juan Fernandez has done wonders with small spaces in this tiny gem on the west side of Center City in Philadelphia. It's amazing to see the dishes they turn out here from a postage stamp-sized kitchen in the front of the house. The restaurant is nicely decorated in dark wooden columns and a huge bar that dominates one wall.

The food here is authentic Cuban, but Fernandez has taken it decidedly upscale with a heavy emphasis on artistic presentation. Everything we had here was good and beautifully plated. Portions tend to be small by Miami standards. They do make a great mojito here and it is sweet, sweet, sweet -- just the way God intended!

We began our meal with the plato surtido, which featured ham & chicken croquetas, a beef empanada and one filled with cheese that was especially tasty; a sliced Spanish chorizo, yuca frita, a papa rellena, maduros, and two tostón cups filled with beef and pork. The "surtido" was enough for three people, but for four it would be a stretch.

We wisely added a ceviche de camarones, tender shrimp in a spicy tomato-based sauce. After the surtido, it was a refreshing change of pace that cleared our palates and prepared us for the entrees to come.

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We would have probably overlooked this restaurant in a neighborhood north of Philadelphia's Center City -- a place that many people told us was a "bit dicey." However, Rita Giordano, a features writer at the Philadelphia Inquirer, sent us to one of her favorite Latin restaurants -- Tierra Colombiana. The neighborhood is not that bad, just a little jog off busy Roosevelt Boulevard and for lunch and probably dinner, you will be reasonably safe here, although parking can be a problem.

We never expected to find a restaurant like this in this part of Philly! The interior reminded us a lot of the Columbia Restaurant in Tampa. Although not quite that big, Tierra Colombiana features plenty of seating in two large, tastefully appointed dining rooms and a full nightclub upstairs.

Tierra Colombiana is another restaurant with a split personality: it's half Cuban and half Colombian. And no, it's not a fusion restaurant. In the true spirit of détente, the two cuisines coexist side by side on the same menu. We recommend that you ignore the segregation and order from both sides of the menu freely, and here's why: you're going to love both!

The restaurant is open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, but on this quiet Sunday we enjoyed a late afternoon dinner. This restaurant is more typical of Miami with large portions and classic preparations of traditional Cuban and Colombian food.

After eating hundreds of Cuban sandwiches in our lifetime, no trip to Philadelphia would be complete without sampling the local favorite, the Philly cheesesteak. We thought we had a pretty good handle on the cheesesteak; after all, you can find one in just about any city in America and it has become a food court fixture at many shopping malls. Those mass market versions of the cheesesteak are a poor facsimile of the original. Even the weakest sandwich we encountered in Philadelphia would beat any of these pretenders hands down.

The ingredients of the cheesesteak are simple and well known: sliced beef, onions, Cheez Wiz, and plenty of juices from the grill served on an Italian roll. That's it. As far as we could see, there were no secret spices in the mix -- just salt and pepper. We were a little put off by the idea of Cheez Whiz, that miracle of manufacturing that Glenn hadn't seen since grade school. Some places will make a cheesesteak with American slices or provolone on request, but do so at your peril. The regulars may hoot and howl and you'll be made to feel downright un-American!

The brother and sister team of Dennis and Erin (two of our field correspondents) enjoy a cocktail before dinner at Café Habana.

Tierra Colombiana has a warm and inviting lounge area for that pre-dinner mojito.

Pat's and Geno's both claim to have invented the cheesesteak and the two restaurants face each other on the tips of two wedges of real estate created by the diagonal intersection of 9th Street, Wharton, and Passyunk Avenues. Much has been written about the etiquette of ordering at these places and for the novice, Pat's posts complete instructions that you can read through while waiting in line. Just remember two things: order a "Whiz wit" (cheesesteak made with Cheez Whiz and fried onions) and know that you have to go to a second window for drinks and French fries.

Of the two places, Geno's is the most photogenic and it's the one you'll see in the magazines, brochures, and websites. We're not sure if Geno's always looked this way, or with success they just "went Hollywood." Pat's, on the other hand, looks like it hasn't changed much in 70 years. That's right, Pat Olivieri opened his shop in 1930. So for a great place to get a photo of the wife and kids, it's Geno's. For down-to-earth ingenuousness, we have to give Pat's the nod.

The best way to put the sandwiches to the test was a side-by-side comparison. This involved buying sandwiches at Geno's and bringing them over to Pat's -- probably not the smartest move on our part -- we realized that we were in danger of starting World War III. (Like asking for an order of French fries at the sandwich window!) However, we found a table (not easy to do at lunchtime) and slipped our Geno's sandwich into a Pat's wrapper, and nobody caught on.

So what was our verdict? Geno's had the best Italian roll, but Pat's sandwich provided the most satisfying experience overall. Somehow the meat tasted better at Pat's. That and the fact that Geno's owner Joe Vento posted a sign advising customers standing on line that they must "order in English," which dampened our enthusiasm for Geno's. Although we think all immigrants to this country should learn English if possible, we also know that it's a long and difficult process.

Both Raúl and Jorge arrived in this country speaking little English (they are now completely fluent) a situation that is true of most newcomers. We have to believe that Vento's parents and grandparents also faced the same uphill battle, a battle that's not made any easier by ridiculous signs and unwelcoming attitudes.

So what makes a great cheesesteak? It's all in the beef, baby. The best places use thinly sliced rib eye steak and the quality of the beef really shines through. It also helps to eat someplace busy, even if that means waiting in line. When the cook crew is really cranking out the sandwiches, the meat doesn't spend one second longer than necessary on the grill. The worst sandwiches we've eaten were overcooked and dry and probably used a substandard cut of meat, like bottom round.

The other key element is the Italian roll. Like great Cuban bread in a Cuban sandwich, the quality of the bread makes all of the difference. One caveat: the Philly cheesesteak is juicy and you must eat it rapidly as those juices turn the crusty loaf into mush by about your third or fourth bite. Not a sandwich you can order to go!

The best way to enjoy Philly is to walk and only resort to public transportation when your legs finally give out on you. Even late at night, the streets are alive with activity. The best experience comes from exploring and we were surprised and delighted by much of what we found there.