Philly Food Finds: Filet Oscar on a roll at Antney's Grub

Food writer Carolyn Wyman wrote a feature for Philadelphia City Paper that probed the stories behind some of Philadelphia's most popular dishes. Alas, City Paper ceased publication. We're proud to continue Carolyn's fine work here at philly.com/food.  

Butcher & Singer is a nearly straight-shot 12 minutes from Antney's Grub on Oregon Avenue in South Philadelphia.

But in atmosphere, price and ethos, the steakhouse and the sandwich shop might as well be on different planets.

The Sircrabagus steak sandwich is Anthony Renzulli Jr.'s attempt to bridge that culinary class divide.

It's Renzulli's low-brow take on Filet Oscar, a dish of filet mignon, crabmeat, and asparagus dressed in bearnaise sauce that is served at Butcher and many other upscale steakhouse restaurants.

"It's what I always order at those kinds of places," says Renzulli. "I thought, 'Why not make a cheesesteak version?' People love crab - just look at Chickie's & Pete's," as well as the guys who sell live crabs out of trucks just a few blocks down Oregon.

The Sircrabagus consists of thin-sliced steak meat dotted with crabmeat and chopped asparagus and served on a burly Italian roll slathered with Antney's secret spicy mayo. Its name combines letters from three of its main ingredients. It's rich enough to make a cheesesteak's traditional American, Whiz, or provolone unnecessary.

The Sircrabagus is Antney's Grub's flagship dish, and is advertised that way on the walkup stand's signs and takeout menu. But it's not the best-seller. In fact, Renzulli estimates it accounts for only about 20 percent of his steak sales.

"Not everyone can afford to spend $10 on a sandwich," Renzulli says. In fact, Renzulli can barely afford the Sircrabagus.

"Crab is expensive," he says. The Sircrabagus is more of a way to get people in "to try the rest of my food," he explains. In fact, Renzulli spends the first few minutes of a meeting to talk about the Sircrabagus trying to get his visitor interested in writing about more ordinary offerings that make more money. Those include meatballs and pork and chicken cutlet sandwiches.

Entering and winning contests is one way Renzulli tries to make his business stand out from Oregon Steaks, Ralph & Rickey's, Not Just Pizza and the dozens of other grab-bag grub shops that seem to occupy every corner of deep South Philly. Being different is the other. It's the reason he invented the Sircrabulous and the more affordable, companion Frab fries (perhaps the only crab fries in town to feature crab meat as well as the traditional Old Bay seasoning). It's also why he uses sirloin for his steaks, instead of the more traditional ribeye, and Formica Bakery rolls from Atlantic City, instead of Liscio's or the nearby Carangi's.

Renzulli became a restaurateur after losing money in hip-hop promotion (although with his backward baseball cap, hoodie and Air Maxes, he still tries to dress the part). Renzulli has no formal food training but says he knows good food from growing up with it.

He launched Antney's (named, of course, for the way fellow South Philadelphians pronounce his name) and its signature crab sandwich in the kitchen of Grumpy's Tavern on Ninth. Owner Joe "Grumpy" DiSimone is a family friend and wasn't serving food at the time. Originally called the Filcrabagus, since it was then made with filet steak, the sandwich was an immediate hit, says Renzulli.

Antney's current location is actually its fourth, if you count Two Guys Grub at 18th and Wolf - a 2013 partnership that ended when the other Guy left to work in telecom. Renzulli moved to Juniper a little more than a year ago in hopes of luring summer crowds from the neighboring Pop's Water Ice - this summer, with funnel cake and deep-fried Oreos and Reese's from his new deep fryer.

So how does he like the business? "It's nonstop. You have no life," he answers wearily. Despite his shop's menu of calorie-rich temptations, Renzulli is pencil-thin from the fast pace and worry. He says he'll be OK financially "by next year, maybe."

Right now, though, he has neither the time nor the money to go out and enjoy the fancy dish that inspired his most famous sandwich.

Get It: $9.95 at Antney's Grub, 2655 S. Juniper St., Philadelphia, 215-334-4782, www.antneysgrubphilly.com.