Business - Taste of Philly in Saratoga Springs

With the help of his best friend, Vaughn Downes, the two young businessmen will be opening Liberty Bell Cheese Steaks, the first shop of its kind in downtown Saratoga Springs after moving to the area in 2005.

“Saratoga seems to have everything, but there were no good late night places to get a cheese steak. In Philly, there is one on every corner,” Smith said.

The shop is located on at 88 Henry Street off of Lake Avenue and will employ about six people, Downes said.

“We really have built this place from the ground up,” Smith said. “We are the owners and cooks and we will be on site.”

Getting the whole process started seemed to be the only setback opening the shop. Time was always an issue and it was tough to find the right people for the job, Smith said. Finding the right location was a challenge as well, but they are confident they have the right spot. The whole process took about nine months, Downes said.

“I guess it went the way it had to go,” Smith added.

The brightly painted store will have a fun atmosphere, including stools and a counter to sit at and two televisions. And if cheese steaks aren’t your style, there is much more to offer, including pizza, hogies, salads and appetizers.

“We wanted to incorporate the whole atmosphere of Philly and make this a home away from home,” Downes said.

Before heading over to Liberty Bell Cheese Steaks make sure to be well versed in ordering a cheese steak properly. Step one, a customer must specify if they want their cheese steak wit (with) or wit out (without) onions. Second, let the cook know what kind of cheese – plain, cheese wiz, American or pizza cheese. Have the money ready, and repeat the order over and over until it’s right. If you mess up the order, you’ll go to the back of the line! Instructions were provided courtesy of Pat’s King of Steaks, a popular cheese steak shop in Philadelphia, Downes said.

“Ordering is a big deal in Philly. There’s a whole pace to a cheese steak shop. We aren’t doing it to be mean, it’s more of a fun thing. We’ll only really enforce it at nighttime when people come over from the bars,” Smith said with a smirk. “We really just want it to be a fun place to go.”

Liberty Bell Cheese Steaks is set to open this weekend, and there will be a grand opening the weekend of April 12. Hours will be Sunday through Wednesday, 11 a.m. to 11 p.m., and Thursday through Saturday 11 a.m. with delivery available until 11 p.m.

Recommendation from the chefs — visit www.libertybellcheesesteaks.com, read up on ordering, and try the American Wiz Wit.’