Taylor Charles Steak & Ice pushes the limits of cheesesteak shops Posted at 05:45 PM ET, 12/04/2012 Casey Patten, left, and David Mazza conducted plenty of research at Philly cheesesteak shops, but they're clearly beholden to none of them. (Ricky Carioti/The Washington Post) (Enlarge menu) Philly cheesesteak shops are not exactly bastions of progressive thinking, the prime example being the late Joey Vento's infamous sign at Geno's Steaks in Philadelphia: "This is AMERICA. But Casey Patten and David Mazza, the duo behind the ever-expanding Taylor Gourmet empire, are new generation cheesesteak operators. Just one look at the menu for Taylor Charles Steak & Ice, their Atlas District shop set to open Dec. 12, and you can see these guys are not beholden to any set traditions. Sure, you'll find rib-eye steaks sliced in-house, griddled and smothered in provolone and (should you be "wit" it) grilled onions. But you'll find a lot more, too. Check out some of the items available on the menu: Specialty cheesesteaks such as the "Buffalo" (a Buffalo wings riff, with chicken breast meat, hot sauce and blue cheese dressing) and the "Broccoli Rabe" (a version of the iconic Philly roast pork hoagie, this one with rib-eye, broccoli rabe, grilled onions and provolone). A portobello mushroom caps sandwich: One for the veg heads, this "cheesesteak" features marinated and grilled "shrooms smothered in whatever your eating ideology allows. "Wedge'd" salad: An apparently mini version of the wedge, with baby iceberg, chopped tomatoes, onion, bacon and blue cheese crumbles and dressing. "The Red" sandwich: A chicken parm knockoff with a "crispy chicken cutlet," pizza sauce and provolone. The "Yip Yip": Taylor Charles's sloppy Joe with long hots and the shop's housemade "white whiz" sauce. The "Sloppy Sloppy": A take on the chili dog, except this one is topped with the shop's "sexy sloppy Joe" sauce and white whiz. "Truffled Cheesesteak Spring Rolls," served with white whiz. Italian water ice: Lemon, of course, but with some seasonal flavors. too. Ice cream sandwiches, with talk of daily selections! See the entire menu here [PDF format]. Further reading: Taylor Gourmet rolls into the cheesesteak business Taylor Charles Steak & Ice set to open in December Sandwiches: The other masterpiece from Philly