Today's lunch (7/1) was a place I have not been to in several years. I don't know why other than to say that I don't eat out at lunch time as much as I once did and also there are so many good places to choose from.
Tria (located at 18th and Sansom Street in Phila) is known as a wine and cheese bar; however, they serve very nice lunches as well.
My companion and I ordered 2 different bruschettas to start our meal. One was the Apple goat chees with basil and pesto ($4.50) and the other was the truffled mushrooms with fontina cheese ($5). Both of these were sensational and got the meal off to a rousing start. The bread on both was crispy as one would hope and the toppings were fresh and flavorful.
I then had the salad which had smoked chicken, romaine, lancaster bacon, egg, crispy shallots and homemade blue cheese dressing ($11). This salad was really good and exceeded my expectations. All of the ingredients were extremely fresh and the chicken was a nice thickness and easy to cut. The blue cheese dressing was very good and definitely homemade.
This is a salad worth coming back for which is not typically true for most salads.
My dining companion chose the oak roasted salmon salad ($12) with baby spinach, fregola sarda, feta, fennel and lemon dill vinaigrette. This was tasty as well and seemed to come together nicely, but I believe my salad was the better one here.
Since we both had salads, we decided to splurge on dessert. Good decision for both of us!
I ordered the Brioche bread pudding with banana, caramel and honey marscapone ($6). This bread pudding was extraordinary-- the taste of the bread putting itself was good, but when dipped in the caramel sauce that surrounded the plate along with the honey marscapone, it went to an entirely new level. Just outstanding!
My companion's dessert was excellent also-- this was the flourless chocolate espresso torte with hazelnuts and honey marscapone. this torte is very close to the one I have perfected in my own kitchen (courtesy of the recipe from Mary Donahue). this torte was extremely rich flavor with the addition of the espresso. The consistency of the torte was nice and the hazelnuts on top (these could be taken off if you are not a nut lover) were a nice addition providing a good crunch. The honey marscapone is nice to dip into, but almost unnecessary.
Lunch for 2 before tip was $48. Like I indicated above, we splurged here so the price could easily be less for lunch. also, the bartender (Andy) was great and happy to accommodate us. This is something we are seeing less and less in restaurants so I will go out of my way to recognize stellar service when we see it.
Overall 4.5 Brownies
Tuesday, July 15, 2014
Thursday, July 10, 2014
Ocean City Boardwalk Highlights/Favorites
Before leaving the shore today (6/29) we had to take a brief walk on the Ocean City Boardwalk. Below is a brief listing of my favorite spots:
Manco and Manco (3 Boardwalk locations)-- I will never get used to this name change from Mack & Manco. This past winter the owners were charged with income tax evasion so I was hoping it would not affect them staying in business. Thus far, it has not. The pizza slice I had (only ate one!) was as good as always. This is a thin crust done a bit crispy and was still as good as I remembered. You cannot go wrong here for $2.50.
Georges (700 Boardwalk)-- expanded a few years ago, but still known for the most incredible and freshest macaroons. Three varieties are served: plain coconut, milk chocolate dipped or dark chocolate dipped. We ordered one of each and were not disappointed. So fresh! Three of them are around $5.50.
Steel's Fudge (1000 Boardwalk)-- much better than the rest! Offer many flavors-- the vanilla, coconut, raspberry and pistachio are the best. Will do up to 6 flavors in a 1 pound box. One pound box is around $12.
Monkey Bread (972 Boardwalk)-- I buy these to take back for my son-- this is almost like a cinnamon roll that is a pull-apart style cake. These are phenomenal when warm. Pack of 4 is approximately $16.
Of course there are many more options, but these are my chosen favorites.
Manco and Manco (3 Boardwalk locations)-- I will never get used to this name change from Mack & Manco. This past winter the owners were charged with income tax evasion so I was hoping it would not affect them staying in business. Thus far, it has not. The pizza slice I had (only ate one!) was as good as always. This is a thin crust done a bit crispy and was still as good as I remembered. You cannot go wrong here for $2.50.
Georges (700 Boardwalk)-- expanded a few years ago, but still known for the most incredible and freshest macaroons. Three varieties are served: plain coconut, milk chocolate dipped or dark chocolate dipped. We ordered one of each and were not disappointed. So fresh! Three of them are around $5.50.
Steel's Fudge (1000 Boardwalk)-- much better than the rest! Offer many flavors-- the vanilla, coconut, raspberry and pistachio are the best. Will do up to 6 flavors in a 1 pound box. One pound box is around $12.
Monkey Bread (972 Boardwalk)-- I buy these to take back for my son-- this is almost like a cinnamon roll that is a pull-apart style cake. These are phenomenal when warm. Pack of 4 is approximately $16.
Of course there are many more options, but these are my chosen favorites.
Crab Trap
Tonight (6/28) we chose one of our shore's favorite restaurants-- Crab Trap in Somers Point, NJ located at 2 Broadway. We have been going to this restaurant for many years and can honestly say that we have never had a bad meal here.
Typical for a very good shore restaurant, this place is just over crowded at dinner time on summer weekend evenings. This is compounded more so at this establishment because they do not take reservations. It is not atypical to wait 90 plus minutes in season here, but they have a very nice outside bar located directly on the bay to help alleviate this wait. Should you wish to go and avoid the wait, a terrific option is to eat at the bar which offers a full service menu This is what we do most times when dining here.
I chose the soup sampler as my appetizer. This is one of the nicest offerings for soup served anywhere ($5.95). This provides a small (approx 3 to 4 oz each) sampling of their 3 soups. There is a manhattan clam chowder, a maryland crab bisque and finally a creamy clam chowder. Each soup is delectable in its own right with terrific flavor. The Maryland crab is a tad bit spicy for my liking, but still good-- the creamy crab is unbelievable. That would be my winner of the three.
My companion chose steamers first which are a dozen littleneck clams in a nice buttery garlic broth. These were quite good ($9.95).
We chose to split the cold seafood combination ($25.95). This is an extremely large platter and did not disappoint. The platter comes with an ample sized lobster tail, 3 large shrimp, 3 clams, a scoop of jumbo lump crabmeat, chicken salad, potato salad, cole slaw, hard boiled eggs and tomatoes on a bed of lettuce.
Everything on this platter was truly delicious. The chicken salad is homemade and the scoop of jumbo lump crabmeat is impressive in the amount that is o The bartender who served my companionn the platter. This dish is also served with a side salad which isn't really necessary and almost seems repetitive since the platter is also a salad in nature.
There is a bread basket served with the meal which has very good rolls along with blueberry muffins.
So, is there a negative here? Not usually, but tonight there was. The bartender who served my companion's wine was nice, but our order was taken by a waitress over our shoulders at the bar. This young server should rethink her career choices-- dealing with the public is not her strong suit. Her name was Tia and in trying to come up with a pseudo nickname to describe her I would call her "Tia-- wouldn't want to be ya or serve ya".
Upon taking our order she asked if we wanted to pay the $6.95 sharing charge. Huh? Of course I don't want to pay an extra fee! She seemed exasperated and finally explained that this was an extra charge enabling the additional person to have a side salad and another side as well. Once we heard this, we politely declined the charge.
Tia's next shining moment came when she brought my side salad with dressing on it-- I immediately told her I ordered the dressing on the side to which she responded curtly, "I'll get you another". There was no apology or admittance of a mistake and the attitude was less than desirable.
Finally, when our check was given to us, I had still not gotten our separate bar tab so I started to fill in the credit card slip for the meal while still awaiting the other. Before I was done with both slips, Tia had come back and tried to take the slip for the meal portion. I told her I wasn't finished-- again no apology and no real thank you for the business. I will say this restaurant is terrific and this blog is about the food, but a server like this can significantly impact the experience. This is also the first time we ever saw poor service/attitude here.
Tia-- I hope we don't see ya again!
Dinner for 2 with 2 glasses of wine was $59 before tip.
Overall 4.25 Brownies
Typical for a very good shore restaurant, this place is just over crowded at dinner time on summer weekend evenings. This is compounded more so at this establishment because they do not take reservations. It is not atypical to wait 90 plus minutes in season here, but they have a very nice outside bar located directly on the bay to help alleviate this wait. Should you wish to go and avoid the wait, a terrific option is to eat at the bar which offers a full service menu This is what we do most times when dining here.
I chose the soup sampler as my appetizer. This is one of the nicest offerings for soup served anywhere ($5.95). This provides a small (approx 3 to 4 oz each) sampling of their 3 soups. There is a manhattan clam chowder, a maryland crab bisque and finally a creamy clam chowder. Each soup is delectable in its own right with terrific flavor. The Maryland crab is a tad bit spicy for my liking, but still good-- the creamy crab is unbelievable. That would be my winner of the three.
My companion chose steamers first which are a dozen littleneck clams in a nice buttery garlic broth. These were quite good ($9.95).
We chose to split the cold seafood combination ($25.95). This is an extremely large platter and did not disappoint. The platter comes with an ample sized lobster tail, 3 large shrimp, 3 clams, a scoop of jumbo lump crabmeat, chicken salad, potato salad, cole slaw, hard boiled eggs and tomatoes on a bed of lettuce.
Everything on this platter was truly delicious. The chicken salad is homemade and the scoop of jumbo lump crabmeat is impressive in the amount that is o The bartender who served my companionn the platter. This dish is also served with a side salad which isn't really necessary and almost seems repetitive since the platter is also a salad in nature.
There is a bread basket served with the meal which has very good rolls along with blueberry muffins.
So, is there a negative here? Not usually, but tonight there was. The bartender who served my companion's wine was nice, but our order was taken by a waitress over our shoulders at the bar. This young server should rethink her career choices-- dealing with the public is not her strong suit. Her name was Tia and in trying to come up with a pseudo nickname to describe her I would call her "Tia-- wouldn't want to be ya or serve ya".
Upon taking our order she asked if we wanted to pay the $6.95 sharing charge. Huh? Of course I don't want to pay an extra fee! She seemed exasperated and finally explained that this was an extra charge enabling the additional person to have a side salad and another side as well. Once we heard this, we politely declined the charge.
Tia's next shining moment came when she brought my side salad with dressing on it-- I immediately told her I ordered the dressing on the side to which she responded curtly, "I'll get you another". There was no apology or admittance of a mistake and the attitude was less than desirable.
Finally, when our check was given to us, I had still not gotten our separate bar tab so I started to fill in the credit card slip for the meal while still awaiting the other. Before I was done with both slips, Tia had come back and tried to take the slip for the meal portion. I told her I wasn't finished-- again no apology and no real thank you for the business. I will say this restaurant is terrific and this blog is about the food, but a server like this can significantly impact the experience. This is also the first time we ever saw poor service/attitude here.
Tia-- I hope we don't see ya again!
Dinner for 2 with 2 glasses of wine was $59 before tip.
Overall 4.25 Brownies
Jon & Patty's Coffee Bar and Bistro
Today (6/28) we chose to eat breakfast at Jon & Patty's in Ocean City, NJ at 637 Asbury Ave. This was a place that we discovered last year on vacation and enjoyed very much.
I chose the "Patty's Baked Apple Pie Oatmeal". This is described as baked whole oats with apples, brown sugar and cinnamon topped with more brown sugar and whipped cream ($6.95). This is done like no other oatmeal I have ever had-- it almost reminds me of some bread puddings I have had over the years in terms of the consistency. The taste is sheer joy and is quite filling for breakfast. This is truly one of the best breakfast items I have had.
My dining companion went the simple route of scrambled eggs, bacon, home fries and toast ($8.50). This was enjoyable as well with the bacon being the highlight with a nice taste and texture.
I also had an espresso since this is a coffee bar and found the taste to be quite good.
We chose to sit outside on a perfect weather morning and enjoyed the ambiance a great deal.
Breakfast for 2 before tip was $18.
Overall: 4 Brownies
I chose the "Patty's Baked Apple Pie Oatmeal". This is described as baked whole oats with apples, brown sugar and cinnamon topped with more brown sugar and whipped cream ($6.95). This is done like no other oatmeal I have ever had-- it almost reminds me of some bread puddings I have had over the years in terms of the consistency. The taste is sheer joy and is quite filling for breakfast. This is truly one of the best breakfast items I have had.
My dining companion went the simple route of scrambled eggs, bacon, home fries and toast ($8.50). This was enjoyable as well with the bacon being the highlight with a nice taste and texture.
I also had an espresso since this is a coffee bar and found the taste to be quite good.
We chose to sit outside on a perfect weather morning and enjoyed the ambiance a great deal.
Breakfast for 2 before tip was $18.
Overall: 4 Brownies
Friday, July 4, 2014
Chef Vola
Tonight (6/27) we were very excited to be trying the very well known Chef Vola restaurant in Atlantic City, NJ. Chef Vola is in a small house and has no signage out front to let you know that it is a restaurant, but is very well known in the Atlantic City area.
We were seated upstairs on their outside porch. The ambiance is nice enough, but we had a "ten top" seated on the porch also who were all attorneys so you probably have an idea of the volume that we had to talk over most of the night!
My dining companion and I split an appetizer which was the tomato salad. This was very good-- it was a large beefsteak tomato served with maytag blue cheese and some onions. This was very flavorful and was adorned with a tiny bit of olive oil. This along with the italian bread was an excellent start to the meal. The italian bread was amongst the best that I have had with a nice layer of sesame seeds on the top. The bread basket also contained garlic bread as well which my companion said was outstanding.
For my entree I chose a special. I had the crab cake which had a basil pesto sauce accenting it along with 3 nice sized shrimp which were prepared francaise style ($39.95). With respect to the volume of food, Vola is a success. This was one of the largest crab cakes I had ever been served, but bigger is not always better! The crab cake contained mostly jumbo lump crab meat, but there was an attempt to also mix a smaller crab filler of some kind into it. The basil did nothing to enhance the flavor, but didn't really detract from it either-- it simply lacked flavor. The shrimp francaise was simply average-- they had a light batter breading almost on them which is atypical to other francaise styles that I have eaten over the years. This also made it difficult to take the tails off of the shrimp which is always one of my pet peeves when eating shrimp that are hot. Altogether there was a good volume of food on the plate, but it didn't really work that well for me.
My dining companion's meal was the better of the two. This was a special called Veal Portabello. This was a nicely thin pounded veal served in a flavorful mushroom sauce with portabello and oyster mushrooms accenting the dish. The veal was extremely tender and was a much better value ($28) than the crab cake special.
When the waiter cleared our entrees, I was fairly content, but the dessert which was Ricotta pie interested me. One of the specials was the apple walnut ricotta pie which I wanted to try. This dessert was served with some whipped cream and was good, but again not great. The downer to this dish was that it was served hot-- not warm, hot! This seemed odd to me and I think it detracted from the flavor ever so slightly. The topping almost seemed like a struesel one with the way that the walnuts and apples were diced. My companions dessert was interesting. It was a lemon pie with a graham cracker crust. Now let me just say that I am not a lemon person in any way when it comes to desserts; however, there was something about this one that made it very refreshing. The pie was a bright yellow and almost pudding like in texture, but overall just the correct amount of tartness along with sweetness. The blend was terrific and was better than mine. This dessert was served cold and was a nice contrast to the hot dessert that I had.
Chef Vola is a byob place and is a landmark in Atlantic City. I will give it another try at some point because I think that it is worth seeing what has made this a landmark in the town. Overall, it was good, but did not live up to the hyped reviews that some had offered. Dinner for 2 before tip was $109.
Overall: 3.25 Brownies
We were seated upstairs on their outside porch. The ambiance is nice enough, but we had a "ten top" seated on the porch also who were all attorneys so you probably have an idea of the volume that we had to talk over most of the night!
My dining companion and I split an appetizer which was the tomato salad. This was very good-- it was a large beefsteak tomato served with maytag blue cheese and some onions. This was very flavorful and was adorned with a tiny bit of olive oil. This along with the italian bread was an excellent start to the meal. The italian bread was amongst the best that I have had with a nice layer of sesame seeds on the top. The bread basket also contained garlic bread as well which my companion said was outstanding.
For my entree I chose a special. I had the crab cake which had a basil pesto sauce accenting it along with 3 nice sized shrimp which were prepared francaise style ($39.95). With respect to the volume of food, Vola is a success. This was one of the largest crab cakes I had ever been served, but bigger is not always better! The crab cake contained mostly jumbo lump crab meat, but there was an attempt to also mix a smaller crab filler of some kind into it. The basil did nothing to enhance the flavor, but didn't really detract from it either-- it simply lacked flavor. The shrimp francaise was simply average-- they had a light batter breading almost on them which is atypical to other francaise styles that I have eaten over the years. This also made it difficult to take the tails off of the shrimp which is always one of my pet peeves when eating shrimp that are hot. Altogether there was a good volume of food on the plate, but it didn't really work that well for me.
My dining companion's meal was the better of the two. This was a special called Veal Portabello. This was a nicely thin pounded veal served in a flavorful mushroom sauce with portabello and oyster mushrooms accenting the dish. The veal was extremely tender and was a much better value ($28) than the crab cake special.
When the waiter cleared our entrees, I was fairly content, but the dessert which was Ricotta pie interested me. One of the specials was the apple walnut ricotta pie which I wanted to try. This dessert was served with some whipped cream and was good, but again not great. The downer to this dish was that it was served hot-- not warm, hot! This seemed odd to me and I think it detracted from the flavor ever so slightly. The topping almost seemed like a struesel one with the way that the walnuts and apples were diced. My companions dessert was interesting. It was a lemon pie with a graham cracker crust. Now let me just say that I am not a lemon person in any way when it comes to desserts; however, there was something about this one that made it very refreshing. The pie was a bright yellow and almost pudding like in texture, but overall just the correct amount of tartness along with sweetness. The blend was terrific and was better than mine. This dessert was served cold and was a nice contrast to the hot dessert that I had.
Chef Vola is a byob place and is a landmark in Atlantic City. I will give it another try at some point because I think that it is worth seeing what has made this a landmark in the town. Overall, it was good, but did not live up to the hyped reviews that some had offered. Dinner for 2 before tip was $109.
Overall: 3.25 Brownies
Devon Seafood and Steak
Devon is a place I have been to many times over the years and today (6/25) chose to have lunch there. This is a well established Rittenhouse Square favorite and has been around a long time in the Philadelphia restaurant scene.
Today I chose one of the $18.50 Power lunches. This included a bowl of the Devon New Orleans style gumbo. This is a delicious concoction of flavors and is probably one of the only spicy items that I will ever order in a restaurant. The soup did not disappoint and is truly a staple of this restaurant. It comes with a little bit of rice which definitely helps to diffuse some of the spiciness that can exist from the broth.
For my main course, I chose the lobster mac n cheese with truffle bread crumbs. This again is another dish that this restaurant is known for-- this is a terrific mixture of macaroni and not too much cheese to over power it. I would say the restaurant is sometimes a bit cheap on the amount of lobster meat that is served with this dish and should consider adding just a bit more, but this is still a very nice item. The portion size of this is large and I took over half of it home with me.
My dining companion ordered the grilled salmon panzanella salad ($16)which is described as spinach, montrachet goat cheese, balsamic roasted onions, vine ripe tomatoes, basil oil and balsamic vinaigrette. This is a terrific salad and it is served with approximately a 5 oz. portion of salmon over the top. My companion was not disappointed with the salad today and when I tasted it I agreed as well.
Service was very efficient and is truly one of the few nicer Center City restaurants that can accommodate someone trying to get done in an hour. Lunch for 2 today before tip was $40.
Overall: 3.5 Brownies
Today I chose one of the $18.50 Power lunches. This included a bowl of the Devon New Orleans style gumbo. This is a delicious concoction of flavors and is probably one of the only spicy items that I will ever order in a restaurant. The soup did not disappoint and is truly a staple of this restaurant. It comes with a little bit of rice which definitely helps to diffuse some of the spiciness that can exist from the broth.
For my main course, I chose the lobster mac n cheese with truffle bread crumbs. This again is another dish that this restaurant is known for-- this is a terrific mixture of macaroni and not too much cheese to over power it. I would say the restaurant is sometimes a bit cheap on the amount of lobster meat that is served with this dish and should consider adding just a bit more, but this is still a very nice item. The portion size of this is large and I took over half of it home with me.
My dining companion ordered the grilled salmon panzanella salad ($16)which is described as spinach, montrachet goat cheese, balsamic roasted onions, vine ripe tomatoes, basil oil and balsamic vinaigrette. This is a terrific salad and it is served with approximately a 5 oz. portion of salmon over the top. My companion was not disappointed with the salad today and when I tasted it I agreed as well.
Service was very efficient and is truly one of the few nicer Center City restaurants that can accommodate someone trying to get done in an hour. Lunch for 2 today before tip was $40.
Overall: 3.5 Brownies
Village Whiskey
In the continuing quest to find a great burger place, today (6/13) we chose Village Whiskey at 114 S. 20th Street in Philadelphia. I have been to Village Whiskey once or twice over the years, but never was in love with the place because of the seating. Basically in their small booths that they have you are seated on top of one another and I have generally found this to be rather uncomfortable. I did want to come back to try the burger so we chose to sit at the bar which has a full service menu and avoids the aforementioned seating challenges.
I ordered the Chicken sandwich in an effort to keep my new slimmer waistline in shape figuring I would sample the burger that one of my companions ordered. The chicken sandwich was very good and was served on a slightly long roll probably around 7 inches with sharp provolone and mushrooms. The grilled chicken had a nice flavor and was also served with caramelized onions that I added. The flavor was really good overall on this sandwich. The chicken was served in nice bite sized chunks. This was a nice value for $11 ($1 extra for the onions).
My companion ordered the Village Burger which is described on the menu as a burger on a sesame seed roll with boston bibb lettuce, tomato and house made thousand island dressing. My companion ordered cheddar as his cheese of choice and the burger was very flavorful. This was a nice burger, but certainly not the best that I've had in the city. The only complaint with this burger would be for $15.50 that it should fully reach the edges of the roll and it did not come close to doing so. Empty roll without meat is not something that should exist at this pricing point.
In choosing to eat at the bar, one would think that the bartender would be gregarious and pleased to serve people when the bar was virtually empty, but not this guy! Stan really acted like he was doing us a favor today and it is just something that should never happen! I've always said this writing is primarily about the food, but it is tough to ignore a poor attitude when evaluating a business.
Today's lunch was good, but Stan the Man should have take lessons from the real Mr. Stan the Man who ran a restaurant and bar after his playing days in St Louis and was known as being a jovial, outgoing guy.
Lunch for 3 was $42 before tip.
Overall 3.5 Brownies
I ordered the Chicken sandwich in an effort to keep my new slimmer waistline in shape figuring I would sample the burger that one of my companions ordered. The chicken sandwich was very good and was served on a slightly long roll probably around 7 inches with sharp provolone and mushrooms. The grilled chicken had a nice flavor and was also served with caramelized onions that I added. The flavor was really good overall on this sandwich. The chicken was served in nice bite sized chunks. This was a nice value for $11 ($1 extra for the onions).
My companion ordered the Village Burger which is described on the menu as a burger on a sesame seed roll with boston bibb lettuce, tomato and house made thousand island dressing. My companion ordered cheddar as his cheese of choice and the burger was very flavorful. This was a nice burger, but certainly not the best that I've had in the city. The only complaint with this burger would be for $15.50 that it should fully reach the edges of the roll and it did not come close to doing so. Empty roll without meat is not something that should exist at this pricing point.
In choosing to eat at the bar, one would think that the bartender would be gregarious and pleased to serve people when the bar was virtually empty, but not this guy! Stan really acted like he was doing us a favor today and it is just something that should never happen! I've always said this writing is primarily about the food, but it is tough to ignore a poor attitude when evaluating a business.
Today's lunch was good, but Stan the Man should have take lessons from the real Mr. Stan the Man who ran a restaurant and bar after his playing days in St Louis and was known as being a jovial, outgoing guy.
Lunch for 3 was $42 before tip.
Overall 3.5 Brownies
Standard Tap
Tonight (6/9) we chose a restaurant that I first had seen on Diners, Drive-in's and Dives called Standard Tap. Standard Tap is located at 2nd and Poplar Streets in Philadelphia. It is in the Northern Liberties section. Albeit I work in Center City, I have not been to this section of the city in a long time and understand now why the younger generation is drawn to the area-- it is definitely being reconstructed and seems like the "hip" place to hangout.
Standard Tap is a bar that serves food rather than a restaurant which has a bar. The restaurant is fairly no frills and is built around the bar. There appeared to be additional seating upstairs, but we chose to sit in one of the rooms just off of the main bar area. In addition to the menu, there were a number of specials on the blackboard and that is where I chose my meal from as did my dining companion.
The restaurant seems to specialize in American comfort food so I chose the Chicken Pie ($14). This dish is one of my favorites when made right. Upon arriving, this dish was like many other chicken pot pies in that it was too hot to eat because the crust really helps to lock in the heat; thus, I poked a few holes in the crust and broke it up playing the waiting game for it to cool. In a traditional pot pie, there is usually a chicken style gravy, but this chicken pie was different. It still had the chicken and carrots, but it did not have as many of the other vegetables with the gravy-- it had potatoes instead like a mashed potato. Although it was still flavorful, I prefer the Chicken pot pie with a gravy.
My companion chose the Lamb Sandwich ($13) which was a shredded/pulled variety with a brie cheese and sauteed spinach. This sandwich was quite good and was the better of the two choices.
I normally might not have gotten dessert in a bar setting, but the dessert special on the blackboard sounded good-- it was listed as a Peanut Butter Fudge Brownie served with ice cream ($7 with $2 of that going towards a charity). This was an interesting dessert because the brownie was warm and gooey, but the ice cream served with it was mint chocolate chip. Let me say that this dessert worked and was tasty, but no where in the description of the dessert was I led to believe that I was going to have a mint ice cream of any kind. That being said, this was very good.
Overall, this was a good place in Northern Liberties and would appeal to an after work crowd looking for a couple of beers and a quick sandwich. For those looking for a more formal dinner setting, this is probably not your place. Dinner for 2 with one glass of wine before tip was $45.
Overall: 3.25 Brownies
Standard Tap is a bar that serves food rather than a restaurant which has a bar. The restaurant is fairly no frills and is built around the bar. There appeared to be additional seating upstairs, but we chose to sit in one of the rooms just off of the main bar area. In addition to the menu, there were a number of specials on the blackboard and that is where I chose my meal from as did my dining companion.
The restaurant seems to specialize in American comfort food so I chose the Chicken Pie ($14). This dish is one of my favorites when made right. Upon arriving, this dish was like many other chicken pot pies in that it was too hot to eat because the crust really helps to lock in the heat; thus, I poked a few holes in the crust and broke it up playing the waiting game for it to cool. In a traditional pot pie, there is usually a chicken style gravy, but this chicken pie was different. It still had the chicken and carrots, but it did not have as many of the other vegetables with the gravy-- it had potatoes instead like a mashed potato. Although it was still flavorful, I prefer the Chicken pot pie with a gravy.
My companion chose the Lamb Sandwich ($13) which was a shredded/pulled variety with a brie cheese and sauteed spinach. This sandwich was quite good and was the better of the two choices.
I normally might not have gotten dessert in a bar setting, but the dessert special on the blackboard sounded good-- it was listed as a Peanut Butter Fudge Brownie served with ice cream ($7 with $2 of that going towards a charity). This was an interesting dessert because the brownie was warm and gooey, but the ice cream served with it was mint chocolate chip. Let me say that this dessert worked and was tasty, but no where in the description of the dessert was I led to believe that I was going to have a mint ice cream of any kind. That being said, this was very good.
Overall, this was a good place in Northern Liberties and would appeal to an after work crowd looking for a couple of beers and a quick sandwich. For those looking for a more formal dinner setting, this is probably not your place. Dinner for 2 with one glass of wine before tip was $45.
Overall: 3.25 Brownies
Crown Candy Kitchen
This afternoon (6/6) I had some extra time until my flight departed from St Louis back to Philadelphia. Most people would have probably headed to a bar on a Friday afternoon for a good start to their weekend, but in true "foodie like" fashion, I headed for an old very well known food establishment-- Crown Candy Kitchen.
Crown Candy Kitchen is over 100 years old and is St Louis' oldest soda fountain. The restaurant is located in an urban part of St Louis-- upon arriving, I was immediately sat in a small booth and my experience began.
The lunch/dinner menu is mostly sandwiches and of course all different types of ice cream concoctions. I ordered the "Heart Stopping" BLT sandwich which is described on the menu as thick sliced bacon, lettuce and tomato with miracle whip on white toast ($8.99). This sandwich was absolutely delicious. The bacon could have fed 3 people and there was an ample amount of lettuce and tomato. Don't worry though, I did order the miracle whip on the side so I could at least do some damage control! Sometimes the simple things in life are the best and that definitely held true with this sandwich.
I did save enough room for dessert and ordered the hot fudge banana sundae. This was served in the old style glass sundae dish and had a nice amount of hot fudge and bananas. The ice cream I ordered was black cherry and chocolate mint so I had a lot of flavors going on with the sundae and it work very well together. This sundae ($6.29) was terrific and I would encourage people to try the place just for the ice cream if nothing else.
Dinner for 1 was around $16 before tip. Be careful when paying because Crown has a well stocked candy counter and it would have been very easy to add some additional items to go back to Philadelphia with that evening.
Overall: 4.25 Brownies
Crown Candy Kitchen is over 100 years old and is St Louis' oldest soda fountain. The restaurant is located in an urban part of St Louis-- upon arriving, I was immediately sat in a small booth and my experience began.
The lunch/dinner menu is mostly sandwiches and of course all different types of ice cream concoctions. I ordered the "Heart Stopping" BLT sandwich which is described on the menu as thick sliced bacon, lettuce and tomato with miracle whip on white toast ($8.99). This sandwich was absolutely delicious. The bacon could have fed 3 people and there was an ample amount of lettuce and tomato. Don't worry though, I did order the miracle whip on the side so I could at least do some damage control! Sometimes the simple things in life are the best and that definitely held true with this sandwich.
I did save enough room for dessert and ordered the hot fudge banana sundae. This was served in the old style glass sundae dish and had a nice amount of hot fudge and bananas. The ice cream I ordered was black cherry and chocolate mint so I had a lot of flavors going on with the sundae and it work very well together. This sundae ($6.29) was terrific and I would encourage people to try the place just for the ice cream if nothing else.
Dinner for 1 was around $16 before tip. Be careful when paying because Crown has a well stocked candy counter and it would have been very easy to add some additional items to go back to Philadelphia with that evening.
Overall: 4.25 Brownies
Monday, June 9, 2014
Morton's Steakhouse
Tonight (6/1) we chose to dine at Morton's Steakhouse in King of Prussia. I have dined here several times over the years and chose to return here because of their Savor the Summer specials for $49. This is a four course meal for this price.
I chose the Baked 5 Onion soup as my appetizer while my dining partner had the Ahi Tuna Tower. The soup is served with swiss cheese and is served as a regular cup of soup. The cheese was baked on nicely, but the soup was not very good in my opinion. It lacked flavor and seasoning that I would expect in a soup. My partner's Tuna Tower was much better and was a nice mix of avocado and tuna. The taste of this appetizer was far superior to mine.
The next course was the salad one. I chose the tomato and mozzarella salad and asked for some blue cheese crumbles on this along with a blue cheese dressing on the side. This salad was terrific-- the dressing was delicious and perfectly accentuated the tomatoes and cheese. My dining companion chose the Morton's salad which was an iceberg lettuce with chopped egg, bacon bits and anchovies. This salad was extremely good as well.
For my main course I selected the 6 oz Filet Mignon. The steak was done to perfection and was the perfect size for this new Foodie's life style. Mr Foodie from yesteryear and 70 lbs ago would not have been as happy with the size of the steak! The steak had a wonderful flavor and had the perfect accompaniment with the creamed spinach vegetable that I ordered. The spinach was served as a full family sized side and was a nice complement to the main course. I have been told in the past by some that you can judge a good steakhouse by the quality of the creamed spinach!
My dining partner had the Chicken Christopher which consisted of 2 lightly breaded boneless breasts of chicken in a garlic beurre blanc sauce. This dish was very good and there was an abundance of food served with this in comparison to the steak. My companion chose Lyonnaise potatoes as the side dish and these were very good as well. The potatoes were crispy and served with a very small amount of onion for additional flavoring.
Dessert was a bit of a disappointment. I chose the chocolate souffle. The souffle came out nice and puffy which is an art unto itself; however, there is very little flavor in this dessert. The souffle almost tastes like a popover because there was virtually no chocolate in it that could be tasted. One of my other companions ordered the raspberry souffle and said similar things about his. This is a big miss for a steakhouse with this fine of a reputation. My dining partner ordered the chocolate mousse and this was extremely tasty in comparison to what mine was.
Overall, this was an up and down meal because there were some very good items and also some big misses. This was my second visit within the month to this place and both times it has not been crowded which makes me wonder if other patrons are feeling the same way about the restaurant.
Dinner for 2 with one glass of wine was $109 before tip.
Overall Rating 3.25 Brownies
I chose the Baked 5 Onion soup as my appetizer while my dining partner had the Ahi Tuna Tower. The soup is served with swiss cheese and is served as a regular cup of soup. The cheese was baked on nicely, but the soup was not very good in my opinion. It lacked flavor and seasoning that I would expect in a soup. My partner's Tuna Tower was much better and was a nice mix of avocado and tuna. The taste of this appetizer was far superior to mine.
The next course was the salad one. I chose the tomato and mozzarella salad and asked for some blue cheese crumbles on this along with a blue cheese dressing on the side. This salad was terrific-- the dressing was delicious and perfectly accentuated the tomatoes and cheese. My dining companion chose the Morton's salad which was an iceberg lettuce with chopped egg, bacon bits and anchovies. This salad was extremely good as well.
For my main course I selected the 6 oz Filet Mignon. The steak was done to perfection and was the perfect size for this new Foodie's life style. Mr Foodie from yesteryear and 70 lbs ago would not have been as happy with the size of the steak! The steak had a wonderful flavor and had the perfect accompaniment with the creamed spinach vegetable that I ordered. The spinach was served as a full family sized side and was a nice complement to the main course. I have been told in the past by some that you can judge a good steakhouse by the quality of the creamed spinach!
My dining partner had the Chicken Christopher which consisted of 2 lightly breaded boneless breasts of chicken in a garlic beurre blanc sauce. This dish was very good and there was an abundance of food served with this in comparison to the steak. My companion chose Lyonnaise potatoes as the side dish and these were very good as well. The potatoes were crispy and served with a very small amount of onion for additional flavoring.
Dessert was a bit of a disappointment. I chose the chocolate souffle. The souffle came out nice and puffy which is an art unto itself; however, there is very little flavor in this dessert. The souffle almost tastes like a popover because there was virtually no chocolate in it that could be tasted. One of my other companions ordered the raspberry souffle and said similar things about his. This is a big miss for a steakhouse with this fine of a reputation. My dining partner ordered the chocolate mousse and this was extremely tasty in comparison to what mine was.
Overall, this was an up and down meal because there were some very good items and also some big misses. This was my second visit within the month to this place and both times it has not been crowded which makes me wonder if other patrons are feeling the same way about the restaurant.
Dinner for 2 with one glass of wine was $109 before tip.
Overall Rating 3.25 Brownies
Tuesday, June 3, 2014
Vincente's Restaurant
Vincente's is a restaurant located at 5914 Kirkwood Hwy in Wilmington, DE. This is a restaurant that I had been to several times before making the plunge to lose weight in January of 2013. Conversely, we had not visited this restaurant during the last 17 months as a result.
Upon arriving, we were told that the waitress we had requested (Danielle) was no longer there. Also, I noticed someone other than Vincent making the renowned table-side Caesar Salad. When I asked our server (Nicky) where Vincent was that night, she was a bit confused and asked, "who"? I responded, "the old man who owns the place". She then said, "he died". This really saddened us because Vincent was a showman and really solicited participation from his diners in making his Caesar Salad, offering his "walking menu" and preparing his table-side bananas foster.
Vincent's son has come out of the kitchen and taken over his Dad's role as the "front man". His brother is the main bartender.
Vincente's always starts the diner with a complimentary hors d'oeuvres which is a small piece of flounder with a few bread crumbs over it and perfectly seasoned. It was delicious as usual-- this is accompanied with a half of a roll with a cheesy beer spread over it. Again, quite good.
We then chose our dinner without using the menu and not waiting for Vincent's son to come over to provide the walking menu. Let me just explain the walking menu briefly for those who have never encountered it-- he will come over and ask you what you feel like eating that night. The choices are endless (steak, seafood, veal, chicken, pork, etc.). Once you make that decision, he will ask spicy or not spicy. He then zeroes in on a dish and will suggest that. This is how I found my favorite Vincente's dish which is named after one of the grandchildren-- Chicken Leah Brie. This is how the walking menu is presented and it is unbelievable to watch as a chef decides with you the diner what you are going to eat that evening.
For my meal this evening, I chose the table-side Caesar Salad for 2 as an appetizer ($9 ea). The salad was prepared by Vincent's son who tried his best to emulate his Dad, but he doesn't have the 50 plus years of being in front of the patrons yet like his Dad did. The Caesar Salad was good still, but just seemed to be off a tad, but that could just be the whole aura of not having Vincent make the salad. Part of the show before you are served the salad is that Vincent would go about 35 feet away from the salad bowl with a few round clumps of romano cheese and attempt to throw it half way across the dining room into the bowl. Vincent had this down to a science and would often yell, "Larry Bird for 3, bang!!" The salad was still very good and provided an ample amount of romaine and dressing.
I am one that tends to like a certain dish at a restaurant and usually do not like to deviate-- this is the case here. I ordered the aforementioned Chicken Leah Brie. This is chicken stuffed with jumbo lump crabmeat with cheese, shrimp and mushrooms in an unbelievable orange cream basil sauce-- the first time this was ever described to me, I had some reservations about it, but my concerns turned into admiration because this is truly an outstanding dish. This is also served with a side of pasta (I ordered angel hair). This dish again did not disappoint and I ended up taking about half home because of the quantity of the food.
My dining companion chose the Veal Marsala and that was a tad bit disappointing. I thought the flavor was off and had never seen a Marsala served with peas before. My companion ended up dipping the veal into my orange basil cream sauce for better flavor and enjoyed that much more.
Normally I would do dessert, but I was too full to entertain the idea. I should mention that the dessert of choice is a table-side bananas foster.
My partner had 2 glasses of wine during the meal-- dinner for 2 before tip was $82.
Overall rating-- 3.75 Brownies
Upon arriving, we were told that the waitress we had requested (Danielle) was no longer there. Also, I noticed someone other than Vincent making the renowned table-side Caesar Salad. When I asked our server (Nicky) where Vincent was that night, she was a bit confused and asked, "who"? I responded, "the old man who owns the place". She then said, "he died". This really saddened us because Vincent was a showman and really solicited participation from his diners in making his Caesar Salad, offering his "walking menu" and preparing his table-side bananas foster.
Vincent's son has come out of the kitchen and taken over his Dad's role as the "front man". His brother is the main bartender.
Vincente's always starts the diner with a complimentary hors d'oeuvres which is a small piece of flounder with a few bread crumbs over it and perfectly seasoned. It was delicious as usual-- this is accompanied with a half of a roll with a cheesy beer spread over it. Again, quite good.
We then chose our dinner without using the menu and not waiting for Vincent's son to come over to provide the walking menu. Let me just explain the walking menu briefly for those who have never encountered it-- he will come over and ask you what you feel like eating that night. The choices are endless (steak, seafood, veal, chicken, pork, etc.). Once you make that decision, he will ask spicy or not spicy. He then zeroes in on a dish and will suggest that. This is how I found my favorite Vincente's dish which is named after one of the grandchildren-- Chicken Leah Brie. This is how the walking menu is presented and it is unbelievable to watch as a chef decides with you the diner what you are going to eat that evening.
For my meal this evening, I chose the table-side Caesar Salad for 2 as an appetizer ($9 ea). The salad was prepared by Vincent's son who tried his best to emulate his Dad, but he doesn't have the 50 plus years of being in front of the patrons yet like his Dad did. The Caesar Salad was good still, but just seemed to be off a tad, but that could just be the whole aura of not having Vincent make the salad. Part of the show before you are served the salad is that Vincent would go about 35 feet away from the salad bowl with a few round clumps of romano cheese and attempt to throw it half way across the dining room into the bowl. Vincent had this down to a science and would often yell, "Larry Bird for 3, bang!!" The salad was still very good and provided an ample amount of romaine and dressing.
I am one that tends to like a certain dish at a restaurant and usually do not like to deviate-- this is the case here. I ordered the aforementioned Chicken Leah Brie. This is chicken stuffed with jumbo lump crabmeat with cheese, shrimp and mushrooms in an unbelievable orange cream basil sauce-- the first time this was ever described to me, I had some reservations about it, but my concerns turned into admiration because this is truly an outstanding dish. This is also served with a side of pasta (I ordered angel hair). This dish again did not disappoint and I ended up taking about half home because of the quantity of the food.
My dining companion chose the Veal Marsala and that was a tad bit disappointing. I thought the flavor was off and had never seen a Marsala served with peas before. My companion ended up dipping the veal into my orange basil cream sauce for better flavor and enjoyed that much more.
Normally I would do dessert, but I was too full to entertain the idea. I should mention that the dessert of choice is a table-side bananas foster.
My partner had 2 glasses of wine during the meal-- dinner for 2 before tip was $82.
Overall rating-- 3.75 Brownies
Rouge
You may have caught my recent theme that I have eaten in a few places that were deemed to have the best burger in the area judged by 94 WIP radio.
A few weeks ago, the esteemed judging panel in the WIP contest rated the burger from Rouge as the best in the area. That of course means a job for the Fat Foodie.
It was interesting that when I attempted to reserve a table for lunch at Rouge that Open Table indicated there were no reservations around 12:00 for the next 2 months! Hmm-- playing hard to get? Not to be deterred, I called last Friday and asked about sitting at the bar and miraculously they got me right in at a regular table for that day.
Rouge is located in the heart of Rittenhouse Square at 205 South 18th Street. We were seated at a nice table just inside the big windows which open fully to look out to Rittenhouse Square.
I ordered the Rouge burger as did my dining companion. This sandwich is described on the menu as a Burger with caramelized onions, gruyere cheese, bibb lettuce, tomato and a dill pickle on a challah roll with pommes frites ($16).
The taste of the burger was excellent and it was cooked to perfection. They do not tell you up front how many ounces the sandwich is, but I believe it is 10 to 12 ounces of meat. So while the flavor was good, you might wonder what could be better? For me, the roll cannot sustain this size sandwich with the juices flowing from the burger. The bottom part of the roll was almost gone when I was two thirds done the sandwich. You are left to ponder whether continuing to use your hands or switch to a knife and fork and this is a faux pas that should not be part of the equation.
As aforementioned the burger was delicious, but here are two other small negatives about Rouge. First, the server (Jalina) seemed somewhat aloof and second the fries were not as crispy as one would typically find in a thinner fry like they serve. That being said, the burger sells the place and some of its minor deficiencies.
Lunch for 2 before tip was $34.
Overall Rating: 4.25 brownies
A few weeks ago, the esteemed judging panel in the WIP contest rated the burger from Rouge as the best in the area. That of course means a job for the Fat Foodie.
It was interesting that when I attempted to reserve a table for lunch at Rouge that Open Table indicated there were no reservations around 12:00 for the next 2 months! Hmm-- playing hard to get? Not to be deterred, I called last Friday and asked about sitting at the bar and miraculously they got me right in at a regular table for that day.
Rouge is located in the heart of Rittenhouse Square at 205 South 18th Street. We were seated at a nice table just inside the big windows which open fully to look out to Rittenhouse Square.
I ordered the Rouge burger as did my dining companion. This sandwich is described on the menu as a Burger with caramelized onions, gruyere cheese, bibb lettuce, tomato and a dill pickle on a challah roll with pommes frites ($16).
The taste of the burger was excellent and it was cooked to perfection. They do not tell you up front how many ounces the sandwich is, but I believe it is 10 to 12 ounces of meat. So while the flavor was good, you might wonder what could be better? For me, the roll cannot sustain this size sandwich with the juices flowing from the burger. The bottom part of the roll was almost gone when I was two thirds done the sandwich. You are left to ponder whether continuing to use your hands or switch to a knife and fork and this is a faux pas that should not be part of the equation.
As aforementioned the burger was delicious, but here are two other small negatives about Rouge. First, the server (Jalina) seemed somewhat aloof and second the fries were not as crispy as one would typically find in a thinner fry like they serve. That being said, the burger sells the place and some of its minor deficiencies.
Lunch for 2 before tip was $34.
Overall Rating: 4.25 brownies
Monday, May 26, 2014
The Birchrunville Store Cafe
We visited the Birchrunville Cafe this past Saturday evening (5/24) with two other couples.
Birchrunville is a BYOB place and one of our other diners had secured a reservation for the outside table on the deck. This is the only table outside (can accommodate up to 8) and it was a bit nerve wrecking leading up to the night of the meal because there is no contingency plan if there is inclement weather. The weather held during our meal with one ever so slight spritz of a few raindrops and that was it. So we were lucky on that front!
For my appetizer, I enjoyed the Caesar Salad ($9) which was described as a romaine heart caesar salad wrapped in parma prosciutto and truffle dressing. The salad was delicious and the meal was off to a nice start. My dining companion ordered the gnocchi ($11) served in a blue cheese cream sauce which was unbelievable. The gnocchi were reminiscent of only one place from all of my years of dining out-- that establishment is no longer there, but was in South Philadelphia at 11th and Ellsworth (Felicia's). The other two couples tried some of the other appetizers and were equally pleased with them.
My main course was the Veal Tenderloin served in a balsamic wine reduction sauce with walnut risotto ($34). The main course was even more delectable than the appetizers. The veal was tender and succulent and the risotto was perfectly cooked to accompany the veal. My dining partner ordered one of the specials which was a duck breast wrapped in pancetta with foie gras and dried cherries ($34). This was served with some sauteed peppers, broccoli rabe and sweet potatoes. My companion raved about the dish-- I tasted it, but decided mine was the better of the two by far!
The other couples ordered a variety of dishes from the menu and were equally pleased with the food.
Since the first two courses were so good, we struggled and took one for the team to both order a dessert. I had the chocolate molten cake with vanilla gelato ($9). As many like to say, this wasn't your father's Oldsmobile! This molten cake was unbelievably moist and delicious. It would be difficult for me to think of another establishment that makes one any better. My companion ordered the butterscotch cake with dolce deleche gelato. This was equally impressive when I sampled it, but as I always say, "you can never go wrong with chocolate!"
This was a very pleasant evening from beginning to end and the food just accentuated the experience. I have been to many of the fine restaurants in Chester County over the last 20 years and would have to say that Birchrunville was the best! It is difficult to find anything wrong to comment on-- I would say maybe there could be just a few more menu choices (there were only about 6 to choose from) and that they need to make sure there is a better contingency in place if there is inclement weather. These are very minor points when dealing with a restaurant of this quality.
Dinner for 2 was $138 after tip and tax.
Overall rating: 5 Brownies
Birchrunville is a BYOB place and one of our other diners had secured a reservation for the outside table on the deck. This is the only table outside (can accommodate up to 8) and it was a bit nerve wrecking leading up to the night of the meal because there is no contingency plan if there is inclement weather. The weather held during our meal with one ever so slight spritz of a few raindrops and that was it. So we were lucky on that front!
For my appetizer, I enjoyed the Caesar Salad ($9) which was described as a romaine heart caesar salad wrapped in parma prosciutto and truffle dressing. The salad was delicious and the meal was off to a nice start. My dining companion ordered the gnocchi ($11) served in a blue cheese cream sauce which was unbelievable. The gnocchi were reminiscent of only one place from all of my years of dining out-- that establishment is no longer there, but was in South Philadelphia at 11th and Ellsworth (Felicia's). The other two couples tried some of the other appetizers and were equally pleased with them.
My main course was the Veal Tenderloin served in a balsamic wine reduction sauce with walnut risotto ($34). The main course was even more delectable than the appetizers. The veal was tender and succulent and the risotto was perfectly cooked to accompany the veal. My dining partner ordered one of the specials which was a duck breast wrapped in pancetta with foie gras and dried cherries ($34). This was served with some sauteed peppers, broccoli rabe and sweet potatoes. My companion raved about the dish-- I tasted it, but decided mine was the better of the two by far!
The other couples ordered a variety of dishes from the menu and were equally pleased with the food.
Since the first two courses were so good, we struggled and took one for the team to both order a dessert. I had the chocolate molten cake with vanilla gelato ($9). As many like to say, this wasn't your father's Oldsmobile! This molten cake was unbelievably moist and delicious. It would be difficult for me to think of another establishment that makes one any better. My companion ordered the butterscotch cake with dolce deleche gelato. This was equally impressive when I sampled it, but as I always say, "you can never go wrong with chocolate!"
This was a very pleasant evening from beginning to end and the food just accentuated the experience. I have been to many of the fine restaurants in Chester County over the last 20 years and would have to say that Birchrunville was the best! It is difficult to find anything wrong to comment on-- I would say maybe there could be just a few more menu choices (there were only about 6 to choose from) and that they need to make sure there is a better contingency in place if there is inclement weather. These are very minor points when dealing with a restaurant of this quality.
Dinner for 2 was $138 after tip and tax.
Overall rating: 5 Brownies
Sunday, May 25, 2014
Billy's Burgers
Yesterday my dining partner and I decided to try a second burger place that finished in the top 6 for the WIP burger hunt. This time it was a local establishment very close to our home in West Chester. We have gone to Billy's Burgers many times before our weight loss, but have stayed away probably purposely during that time since. But we had to try it in an effort to determine our favorite burger.
Billy's is a small "mom and pop" establishment on Five Points Road in West Chester just off of Rte 3. When you see how hard these people try, you are really pulling for them, but today's effort wasn't great for them.
We both ordered the Billy's burger with cheese. Mine of course was my preferred cheddar and I had fried onions as well. The burger is reasonably priced with cheese at $6.45. The burger was cooked nicely, but since it is a smaller thinner burger, it was not to my liking since it was served medium/well. Also, a miss in my opinion was that the edges of the burger as well as the roll were burnt slightly. This was a real shame because Billy's has a terrific hamburger roll.
Before the burgers arrived, we ordered beer battered onion rings ($4.65) which were good, but I thought the batter was a little thick for the amount of onion inside. The horseradish sauce that accompanied the rings helped, but again the breading was a bit too much in this case.
Unique to Billy's is the fact that Billy's wife Sally is a baker and has an excellent selection of cupcakes, cookie bars and other goodies. My companion chose a coconut cupcake while I had a chocolate coconut bar which was probably the best part of yesterday's experience. This was delicious.
Lunch for 2 was around $28 and the establishment prefers cash, but will still accept a card.
Overall 2.75 brownies.
Billy's is a small "mom and pop" establishment on Five Points Road in West Chester just off of Rte 3. When you see how hard these people try, you are really pulling for them, but today's effort wasn't great for them.
We both ordered the Billy's burger with cheese. Mine of course was my preferred cheddar and I had fried onions as well. The burger is reasonably priced with cheese at $6.45. The burger was cooked nicely, but since it is a smaller thinner burger, it was not to my liking since it was served medium/well. Also, a miss in my opinion was that the edges of the burger as well as the roll were burnt slightly. This was a real shame because Billy's has a terrific hamburger roll.
Before the burgers arrived, we ordered beer battered onion rings ($4.65) which were good, but I thought the batter was a little thick for the amount of onion inside. The horseradish sauce that accompanied the rings helped, but again the breading was a bit too much in this case.
Unique to Billy's is the fact that Billy's wife Sally is a baker and has an excellent selection of cupcakes, cookie bars and other goodies. My companion chose a coconut cupcake while I had a chocolate coconut bar which was probably the best part of yesterday's experience. This was delicious.
Lunch for 2 was around $28 and the establishment prefers cash, but will still accept a card.
Overall 2.75 brownies.
Del Frisco's Double Eagle Steakhouse
We'll it has been a long time coming, but the Real Fat Foodie is back baby! A lot has changed over the past few years, but this man's love of a great culinary experience has never waivered! It may be a little bit tempered since I lost 70 pounds last year, but I am returning to find the best dining spots once again! This has been thought about often, but I was inspired to make my return after hearing the Great Burger Challenge on 94 WIP radio in which my favorite host Glen Macnow ate 40 burgers in 40 days. I listened to that and thought if Glen can take one for the team then I certainly could too!
So I started this past Friday (5/23/14) and as aforementioned being inspired by the thought of burgers, that is the first review.
For lunch on Friday, my dining companion and I chose Del Frisco's in downtown Philadelphia at 15th and Chestnut.
We decided quickly to both opt for the Prime Cheeseburger. The burger is described on the menu as a prime burger served with american cheese, lettuce, tomato, red onion and pickle. My only deviation to this was to substitute cheddar cheese for the american. The burger is served with fries or chips, but I chose mashed instead.
The burger arrived and was quite a handful (10 ounces)! The sandwich was tasty and to my chagrin, I made quick work of it considering during my weight loss period that I thought I learned to eat smaller portions. I guess old habits die hard! I was happy that they were able to serve the burger medium rare because many spots will not. The meat was tender and juicy, but the roll was having a difficult tome holding this large concoction together and for a brief moment I actually thought about committing the cardinal sin when eating a burger of using a knife and fork. That thought quickly dissipated and I "manned up" to finish. I will say I did not eat the lettuce with the burger, but did keep all of the other condiments. The mashed potatoes were average and I ate about a quarter of those-- I prefer them without the skin for future reference.
My companion also ordered the burger and opted for no condiments and seemed to share a similar opinion at the end of the meal.
This burger was good, but not great. The ambiance of the restaurant is terrific since it is the Old Packard building which once housed First Pennsylvania bank. That being said, this reviewer is interested more in the food than anything else!
This prime burger carries a prime price too at $13.50. While the waitress Tara was excellent and intrigued with our attempt to find the best burger, the sandwich was just satisfactory. It is one that might be a lot more appealing at 2 am than at noon time!
Lunch for 2 was $29 before tip.
Overall rating 3.25 Brownies
So I started this past Friday (5/23/14) and as aforementioned being inspired by the thought of burgers, that is the first review.
For lunch on Friday, my dining companion and I chose Del Frisco's in downtown Philadelphia at 15th and Chestnut.
We decided quickly to both opt for the Prime Cheeseburger. The burger is described on the menu as a prime burger served with american cheese, lettuce, tomato, red onion and pickle. My only deviation to this was to substitute cheddar cheese for the american. The burger is served with fries or chips, but I chose mashed instead.
The burger arrived and was quite a handful (10 ounces)! The sandwich was tasty and to my chagrin, I made quick work of it considering during my weight loss period that I thought I learned to eat smaller portions. I guess old habits die hard! I was happy that they were able to serve the burger medium rare because many spots will not. The meat was tender and juicy, but the roll was having a difficult tome holding this large concoction together and for a brief moment I actually thought about committing the cardinal sin when eating a burger of using a knife and fork. That thought quickly dissipated and I "manned up" to finish. I will say I did not eat the lettuce with the burger, but did keep all of the other condiments. The mashed potatoes were average and I ate about a quarter of those-- I prefer them without the skin for future reference.
My companion also ordered the burger and opted for no condiments and seemed to share a similar opinion at the end of the meal.
This burger was good, but not great. The ambiance of the restaurant is terrific since it is the Old Packard building which once housed First Pennsylvania bank. That being said, this reviewer is interested more in the food than anything else!
This prime burger carries a prime price too at $13.50. While the waitress Tara was excellent and intrigued with our attempt to find the best burger, the sandwich was just satisfactory. It is one that might be a lot more appealing at 2 am than at noon time!
Lunch for 2 was $29 before tip.
Overall rating 3.25 Brownies
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