In need of a late night bite to eat and still stay healthy, my companion and I ended up at the Vincentown Diner. Located on Route 206, the diner sees plenty of traffic.
What my companion and I appreciate is their dedication to local products. We were greeted by an extremely cheerful waitress who was very patient with our delay in beverage choice. Vincentown Diner's commitment to local extends to NJ wines! Which you know excited my companion and I. We decided on a Vidal Blanc from nearby Valenzano Winery. Diner menus are always make it hard to order because they are so large, Vincentown Diner makes it even more difficult with their great list of specials. I went with something called Chicken Kalamata, which was chicken breasts topped with garlic, olives and tomatoes, served over spinach. It was supposed to come with mashed potatoes but I subbed them with beet salad, you know how I love my beets :). My dining companion ordered fried oysters and subbed regular fries for sweet potato fries. Both entrees came with soup or salad, we chose salads.
And they were great salads, mixed greens, shaved red onion, grape tomatoes and the best part? Fresh cranberries, yes not dried cranberries but actual fresh Jersey cranberries. We sipped our wine while enjoying our salads with oil and vinegar. Next came our entrees which came out looking fabulous, different from your typical diner fare. My chicken was cooked perfectly and the salty olives were perfect with the sweet tomatoes. And the beet salad? Yum-o! My companion gobbled up his fried oysters and sweet potato fries, it really hit the spot for him after a long day of tax returns.
If you are looking for the relaxing atmosphere of a diner but above average food, Vincentown Diner is your place. There are so many great things on the menu, plus NJ wines and a great beer list too. Don't just take my word for it take a road trip down 206 and stop for bite and a sip at Vincentown Diner.
http://vincentowndiner.com/
House of Skip
Monday, April 8, 2013
Friday, February 1, 2013
Super Bowl Recipe- It's Game Time!
Ok, I know I've been MIA for awhile. That doesn't mean I haven't been eating and cooking some amazing stuff. I will work on a complilation of Skip's most recent favs. In the meantime, I'm prepping for the big day, that's right, The Stupid Bowl, uh. Oh, I mean Super Bowl. I am sure many of you are doing the same, so I thought I'd share my classic chili which has long been a favorite of my companion and our guests.
Don't fear Paleo friends, we are not off the wagon, this is my original recipe, depending on your lifestyle and tastes feel free to omit or subsititute any of the items below. Example: paleo peeps omit the beans, but feel free to sub in some squash or other veggies. Likewise vegetarian peeps can leave out the chicken and just add a ton of veggies! Or if you want meat, ditch the chicken and use ground beef. It's all up to you folks, create your own destiny!
I hope you all have a rockin' time celebrating the Super Bowl. Feel free to share your recipes and tips with us at House of Skip!
Skip’s Special Chicken Chili
Skip’s Chili Spice Mix
3 tablespoons chili powder
1 packet taco seasoning
2 tablespoons Cumin
2 tablespoons Cocoa Powder
1 teaspoon Cinnamon
1 tablespoon Garlic Powder
2 teaspoons Cayenne Pepper
1 teaspoons Red Pepper Flakes
Salt and Pepper to taste
Combine all spices in a bowl or zip lock bag. Cover and let sit while you prep.
½ white onion, diced
1 red bell pepper, diced
1 green bell pepper, diced
2 Jalepenos, diced
2 (15 oz) cans diced tomatoes
2 (15 oz) cans tomato sauce
Dash of Frank’s Red Hot
2 (15 oz) cans each red and black beans
4 Chicken breasts
Heat a skillet with olive oil, sprinkle chicken breast with approx. 1 to 1 ½ Tablespoons of Skip’s Chili Spice Mix, add to skillet and cook until chicken is no longer pink in the middle. Remove from heat and let cool.
Meanwhile, add olive oil to a large stock pot, over medium high heat sauté onion, red and green bell peppers and jalepenos for 2 minutes, add diced tomatoes, stir. Add tomato sauce, beans and the rest of Skip’s Chili Seasoning Mix, let simmer.
Once the chicken is cool enough to handle use forks to shred into small pieces and add to the pot, give it a good stir and let simmer until well combined and heated through, approx. 20 minutes.
Follow my directions and you'll have happy guests.
Don't fear Paleo friends, we are not off the wagon, this is my original recipe, depending on your lifestyle and tastes feel free to omit or subsititute any of the items below. Example: paleo peeps omit the beans, but feel free to sub in some squash or other veggies. Likewise vegetarian peeps can leave out the chicken and just add a ton of veggies! Or if you want meat, ditch the chicken and use ground beef. It's all up to you folks, create your own destiny!
I hope you all have a rockin' time celebrating the Super Bowl. Feel free to share your recipes and tips with us at House of Skip!
Skip’s Special Chicken Chili
Skip’s Chili Spice Mix
3 tablespoons chili powder
1 packet taco seasoning
2 tablespoons Cumin
2 tablespoons Cocoa Powder
1 teaspoon Cinnamon
1 tablespoon Garlic Powder
2 teaspoons Cayenne Pepper
1 teaspoons Red Pepper Flakes
Salt and Pepper to taste
Combine all spices in a bowl or zip lock bag. Cover and let sit while you prep.
½ white onion, diced
1 red bell pepper, diced
1 green bell pepper, diced
2 Jalepenos, diced
2 (15 oz) cans diced tomatoes
2 (15 oz) cans tomato sauce
Dash of Frank’s Red Hot
2 (15 oz) cans each red and black beans
4 Chicken breasts
Heat a skillet with olive oil, sprinkle chicken breast with approx. 1 to 1 ½ Tablespoons of Skip’s Chili Spice Mix, add to skillet and cook until chicken is no longer pink in the middle. Remove from heat and let cool.
Meanwhile, add olive oil to a large stock pot, over medium high heat sauté onion, red and green bell peppers and jalepenos for 2 minutes, add diced tomatoes, stir. Add tomato sauce, beans and the rest of Skip’s Chili Seasoning Mix, let simmer.
Once the chicken is cool enough to handle use forks to shred into small pieces and add to the pot, give it a good stir and let simmer until well combined and heated through, approx. 20 minutes.
Follow my directions and you'll have happy guests.
Sunday, November 4, 2012
Ploy Siam, Robbinsville
My companion and I have visited Ploy Siam in Foxmoor Shopping Center a number of times. And we continue to go back because not only is it close to our home, but it is also really yummy.
The only complaint is that the service is often very slow. The staff is really super nice and accommodating and very apologetic about the slowness. After several visits with the same issue, we think it has to do with a couple issues. The kitchen seems to be the cause of the slowness, it seems to take awhile for things to come out. Also, they seem to be understaffed and rather than one waiter or waitress being assigned to each table, they just kind of serve all the tables.
When it comes to Thai cuisine, my companion and I love the spicy, flavorful soup, Tom Yum Koong. It is a spicy and sour broth with kaffir lime leaves, lemongrass, and chili paste, with tomatoes, mushrooms and shrimp. The heat and citrus make it a nice clean taste with a kick. I'm convinced it will cure any cold, in fact after this most recent trip to Ploy Siam, we vowed to eat the soup once a week all winter and see if we can avoid getting sick!
We waited a long time for the soup after we ordered, it was bordering on ridiculous, but it was so worth the wait. One of the waiters told us that the kitchen was really backed up. It was astonishing given the place was busy, but not packed, there wasn't even a wait for a table. The presentation of the soup is almost as awesome as the soup itself, a large order (good for two) comes in a large soup bowl and we each got our own little soup bowl. The plates and bowls at Ploy Siam are very simple and basic, white with just a little design, really pretty. We did not have to wait as long for our entrees.
I of course could not go without ordering my favorite thai dish ever, green curry. I got the green curry with seafood. It is so yummy, I love the spice and the creaminess of the coconut milk. The veggies were perfect, still a little crisp to the broccoli and sugar snap peas. The seafood combination consisted of scallops, shrimp, calamari, and mussels. All were very delicious in the beautiful green curry sauce. My companion branched out and got the Plum Duck. It was a half duck (de-boned) served crispy with a beautiful reddish plum sauce, really the sauce was an amazing color and the duck was smothered in it. My companion thoroughly enjoyed it, making sure to sop up the sauce with some of the rice served with it!
All of these wonderfully spicy and delicious things went perfectly with our floral Sauvignon Blanc wine that we had brought, as Ploy Siam is a BYOB, again another plus for us.
To summarize:
Pros: close to home, yummy food, BYOB, inexpensive.
Cons: slow service.
http://www.ploysiamthaicuisine.com/index.php/welcome/home
The only complaint is that the service is often very slow. The staff is really super nice and accommodating and very apologetic about the slowness. After several visits with the same issue, we think it has to do with a couple issues. The kitchen seems to be the cause of the slowness, it seems to take awhile for things to come out. Also, they seem to be understaffed and rather than one waiter or waitress being assigned to each table, they just kind of serve all the tables.
When it comes to Thai cuisine, my companion and I love the spicy, flavorful soup, Tom Yum Koong. It is a spicy and sour broth with kaffir lime leaves, lemongrass, and chili paste, with tomatoes, mushrooms and shrimp. The heat and citrus make it a nice clean taste with a kick. I'm convinced it will cure any cold, in fact after this most recent trip to Ploy Siam, we vowed to eat the soup once a week all winter and see if we can avoid getting sick!
We waited a long time for the soup after we ordered, it was bordering on ridiculous, but it was so worth the wait. One of the waiters told us that the kitchen was really backed up. It was astonishing given the place was busy, but not packed, there wasn't even a wait for a table. The presentation of the soup is almost as awesome as the soup itself, a large order (good for two) comes in a large soup bowl and we each got our own little soup bowl. The plates and bowls at Ploy Siam are very simple and basic, white with just a little design, really pretty. We did not have to wait as long for our entrees.
I of course could not go without ordering my favorite thai dish ever, green curry. I got the green curry with seafood. It is so yummy, I love the spice and the creaminess of the coconut milk. The veggies were perfect, still a little crisp to the broccoli and sugar snap peas. The seafood combination consisted of scallops, shrimp, calamari, and mussels. All were very delicious in the beautiful green curry sauce. My companion branched out and got the Plum Duck. It was a half duck (de-boned) served crispy with a beautiful reddish plum sauce, really the sauce was an amazing color and the duck was smothered in it. My companion thoroughly enjoyed it, making sure to sop up the sauce with some of the rice served with it!
All of these wonderfully spicy and delicious things went perfectly with our floral Sauvignon Blanc wine that we had brought, as Ploy Siam is a BYOB, again another plus for us.
To summarize:
Pros: close to home, yummy food, BYOB, inexpensive.
Cons: slow service.
http://www.ploysiamthaicuisine.com/index.php/welcome/home
Saturday, October 13, 2012
Morimoto, Philadelphia
For the anniversary of my birth, my dining companion had something special up his sleeve! Leaving the house, having no idea where we were headed, I was shocked and amazed when we ended up at Morimoto. It is unassuming from the outside and I had no idea what we were walking into as we approached the glass doors. The inside is sleek and modern from the front door all the way back to the sushi bar.
The tables are slim and the chairs, very modern and quite comfy actually. The light fixture in the middle of the table is a little phallic but still interesting. I would classify this design as minimalist and very sleek. The restaurant itself is very narrow and goes very far back, past the tables and to the very cool, open raw/sushi bar. The walls have a carved wave design in them that really lengthens the space.
We were seated and immediately greeted by waitstaff who presented us with menus and offered us a beverage. Just water while we decipher the menu please. I had known that Morimoto was on my companions "to do" list for quite some time, and the main reason was because of, omakase the chef's tasting menu. So, we went for it. And we did the beverage paring too. The omakase comes at different price points which really reflect the number of courses and the ingredients used, you can view their website for a limited explanation of it.
What is fun about this type of tasting menu is you have no idea what is coming out next. You get that anticipation and the fun of guessing what type of course it will be. We started our journey with toro (tuna belly) tartar which was paired with a cava (Spanish sparkling wine). The tuna was rich, fresh and delicious, the sauce, slightly salt, slighty sweet perfect for this fatty portion of the tuna. And the cava, those bubbles clean your palate for another taste. Really delicious and really great presentation.
Next we were treated to something from the raw bar, my companions favorite and slowly becoming mine, oysters. We were each given three oysters with different accompaniments. The first featured an orange salsa which was fresh and zesty, the second was cilantro lime which was tart yet refreshing and the last was jalapeno bacon which was spicy and smoky and oh so good. They really were the best oysters I had ever had, really unique, great size, super fresh and definitely memorable. This course was served with sake, light, perfect flavor to not overpower the oysters.
We then moved on to another seafood course, this was a snapper carpaccio with sea urchin. The fish was perfect. A nice sliver of beautiful white fish drizzled with yuzu and topped with a morsel of sea urchin, which is rich and creamy. This course was served to us with a nice red wine from Oregon.
Next was our salad course, it was sashimi served over micro greens with a lemon chive oil. This was paired with an Albarino, a nice, crisp white wine that went well with the fresh sashimi.
After that we received an "intermezzo" to cleanse our palate, some places give you a sorbet, not Morimoto, no here we got a Japanese Apricot and Plum soda. It was sweet, yet tart and the bubbles definitely help to cleanse your palate.
Our first "main course" was another seafood offering, this time lobster. It was a spicy half lobster tail, grilled and served with carrot, cauliflower and bok choy. It was accompanied by a creme fraiche, which was to help cool your mouth from the intense chili spices on the lobster. Due to the spice and the grilling, this was actually paired with a Pinot Noir, the light yet smoky red wine was a surprisingly good choice for a food that is typically paired with white wine.
The next offering was a waygu beef entree served with a panko crusted piece of mozzarella and summer squash. There were two sauces on the side, both made with pepper, one was a sweet sauce made with red pepper and the other was a spicy sauce made with yellow peppers. The portion of beef was small, but we'd had so much food that it didn't really matter at that point, but it was delicious.
Sushi came next. We received five pieces of sushi each. More Fatty Tuna, then Striped Jack, Fluke, Mackerel and Squid. All were extremely fresh and very tasty. What do you pair with sushi? More sake of course! It was crisp and clean and just a little sweet to balance the salt of the soy sauce.
Finally we arrived at dessert. And what a unique experience it was. We were amazed at the beautiful presentation of this pistachio cake served with Chevre cheese and figs. It was wonderful, sweet, nutty, tangy, all amazing taste and texture differences that made for a very fun dessert. And what else do you drink with dessert but the sweetest of dessert wines, an ice wine. Cold, sweet and perfect to end our evening.
So stop by Morimoto, check out the omakese menu or just pick from the great and exotic menu.
I'm a lucky girl.
The tables are slim and the chairs, very modern and quite comfy actually. The light fixture in the middle of the table is a little phallic but still interesting. I would classify this design as minimalist and very sleek. The restaurant itself is very narrow and goes very far back, past the tables and to the very cool, open raw/sushi bar. The walls have a carved wave design in them that really lengthens the space.
We were seated and immediately greeted by waitstaff who presented us with menus and offered us a beverage. Just water while we decipher the menu please. I had known that Morimoto was on my companions "to do" list for quite some time, and the main reason was because of, omakase the chef's tasting menu. So, we went for it. And we did the beverage paring too. The omakase comes at different price points which really reflect the number of courses and the ingredients used, you can view their website for a limited explanation of it.
What is fun about this type of tasting menu is you have no idea what is coming out next. You get that anticipation and the fun of guessing what type of course it will be. We started our journey with toro (tuna belly) tartar which was paired with a cava (Spanish sparkling wine). The tuna was rich, fresh and delicious, the sauce, slightly salt, slighty sweet perfect for this fatty portion of the tuna. And the cava, those bubbles clean your palate for another taste. Really delicious and really great presentation.
Next we were treated to something from the raw bar, my companions favorite and slowly becoming mine, oysters. We were each given three oysters with different accompaniments. The first featured an orange salsa which was fresh and zesty, the second was cilantro lime which was tart yet refreshing and the last was jalapeno bacon which was spicy and smoky and oh so good. They really were the best oysters I had ever had, really unique, great size, super fresh and definitely memorable. This course was served with sake, light, perfect flavor to not overpower the oysters.
We then moved on to another seafood course, this was a snapper carpaccio with sea urchin. The fish was perfect. A nice sliver of beautiful white fish drizzled with yuzu and topped with a morsel of sea urchin, which is rich and creamy. This course was served to us with a nice red wine from Oregon.
Next was our salad course, it was sashimi served over micro greens with a lemon chive oil. This was paired with an Albarino, a nice, crisp white wine that went well with the fresh sashimi.
After that we received an "intermezzo" to cleanse our palate, some places give you a sorbet, not Morimoto, no here we got a Japanese Apricot and Plum soda. It was sweet, yet tart and the bubbles definitely help to cleanse your palate.
Our first "main course" was another seafood offering, this time lobster. It was a spicy half lobster tail, grilled and served with carrot, cauliflower and bok choy. It was accompanied by a creme fraiche, which was to help cool your mouth from the intense chili spices on the lobster. Due to the spice and the grilling, this was actually paired with a Pinot Noir, the light yet smoky red wine was a surprisingly good choice for a food that is typically paired with white wine.
The next offering was a waygu beef entree served with a panko crusted piece of mozzarella and summer squash. There were two sauces on the side, both made with pepper, one was a sweet sauce made with red pepper and the other was a spicy sauce made with yellow peppers. The portion of beef was small, but we'd had so much food that it didn't really matter at that point, but it was delicious.
Sushi came next. We received five pieces of sushi each. More Fatty Tuna, then Striped Jack, Fluke, Mackerel and Squid. All were extremely fresh and very tasty. What do you pair with sushi? More sake of course! It was crisp and clean and just a little sweet to balance the salt of the soy sauce.
Finally we arrived at dessert. And what a unique experience it was. We were amazed at the beautiful presentation of this pistachio cake served with Chevre cheese and figs. It was wonderful, sweet, nutty, tangy, all amazing taste and texture differences that made for a very fun dessert. And what else do you drink with dessert but the sweetest of dessert wines, an ice wine. Cold, sweet and perfect to end our evening.
So stop by Morimoto, check out the omakese menu or just pick from the great and exotic menu.
I'm a lucky girl.
Sunday, September 23, 2012
Philadelphia Pub Crawl
Friends of ours, let's call them Captain and Tennille, are huge fans of a show all about adult beverages, Drinking Made Easy starring Zane Lamprey and Steve McKenna. In the show, the two go out on the town and discover what and where to drink in different cities. Prior to Drinking Made Easy, Lamprey had a different show called Three Sheets, which was similar except he was without McKenna and was mostly international.
So, after watching many episodes and living vicariously through Lamprey, who states it is his job to drink, we decided we needed to conquer a nearby city and do the same tour as the Drinking Made Easy team. Philly is close and so we figured it was doable.
We grabbed our pal Pleepleus and hit the streets of Philadelphia. We had a big agenda and set out with the goal of hitting as many as possible. Our game plan was to have one or two drinks only at each bar, drink water and eat something at at least every other place.
We started our journey at a place called McGillins Old Ale House. We parked (love the pay stations, swipe your card, chose the amount of money to put in based on how long you'll be there and go). A short walk, past some dumpsters in an alley, from where we parked we found the first pub. Seemed like a big college hangout, lots of young guys with popped collars and flip flops. Not exactly our scene but they had beers, yum. Well, the rules were broken right off the bat as Captain and Tennille opted to share a "tasting" of beers rather than just get one drink each. The place was packed and after standing and looking confused for a minute, we were able to find a couple seats at the bar. Sports were on all the TVs lining the wood paneled walls at McGillin's. There were quite a few beers so the logic of getting the tasting does make sense. I started with the McGillins Ale and my companion started with the McGillins lager. Captain and Tennille were unable to really know what beer was what in their tasting because the bartender, who was very sweet, could not remember what order he poured them in. While talking to our bartender and another who was also working that end of the bar, we got to talking about stouts (some of my favorite beers) and so in addition to my ale, I also got to taste two stouts they had on draft (see photo). Oh boy.
Next my companion decided we could walk to the next place and come back for our car. The walk was a little longer than he expected, I asked "are we there yet?' at least twice. Feeling bad for underestimating the walk my companion suggested he go get the car and come back to get me, Captain and Tennille to go to the place after that. Our long walk got us to one of the most unique places I have ever been. Eulogy Belgian Tavern is a narrow building with a bar and dining area both downstairs and upstairs. Seeing that the downstairs bar was quite full, we headed up stairs. On the steep, narrow staircase, I felt like I had been transported back to the row home I grew up in. The upstairs bar was cool, hip with an aura of secrecy. And you soon realize why they refer to this as beer heaven, the menu has more than 300 international beers. Our bartender, also super hip, must be used to the bewildered faces staring back at him, because he quickly offered that if we tell him what we like he'll pick us something. Still at a loss as to what we wanted, he started to name characteristics of beer, we stopped him at bacon. Yes, bacon. You know Skip and her companion love bacon, but Captain and Tennille (in addition to drinking buddies, are also fellow foodies) love bacon too. So, Tennille and I get them smokey delicious bacon beers, pictured above. And my companion and the Captain get lighter, fruity and yes even floral brews. All were very tasty. Also tasty was the food we had at Eulogy. We ordered two things to share. We got a dozen steamed shrimp, seasoned with old bay (great with the bacon beer by the by) and a duck confit strudel, which was yummy, juicy duck meat wrapped in buttery, flaky pastry dough, yum. We enjoyed our snacks and the atmosphere at Eulogy, the bartender was fantastic, really a great place to hang if you like beer and like to try new things. While my companion walked to get the car, Captain, Tennille and I shared one last beer. The next stop ended up being a closer walk than the our last walk, so my companion parked and we met him out front of City Tavern.
If you are a history buff, you'll love City Tavern, it is ripe with Philadelphia history. Given that, it is much less of a "hang out" type pub like the places we'd just come from. In this historic restaurant and bar, there was more formal seating for a meal, but we opted to sit on the back veranda and enjoy a couple drinks. My companion and I drank the same thing Zane did when he was there, the City Tavern Cooler, which is whiskey, rum, peach brandy and apple cider. It was really yummy and something that could easily sneak up on you because it is so sweet and refreshing you might forget there is alcohol in it. Again, Captain and Tennille ordered a beer sampler, but also shared a City Tavern Cooler so they could have the full experience. We stayed there long enough to have our drinks and chat and relax a little after our last adventure. It was a lovely day to sit outdoors with an adult beverage. Then it was time to move on again.
Next up on our itinerary was place I had heard about on local radio stations for years, always announcing shows that were happening there. So, we were not all that shocked when we arrived at the Blockley Pourhouse and were told they were only open for shows and you could not just go in and sit at the bar. So, we were directed to their neighbor, Jolly's. It happened to be a piano bar with dueling pianos. Given the time of day (at this point and time I am completely unaware of what time it was, but it was still light out) there was no one else in Jolly's but the four of us. By this time we were all feeling pretty good and so our memories from this point on are a little fuzzy. There was a cute, young, female bartender working who was very friendly and we harassed her for quite awhile. I remember having a watermelon beer by 21st Amendment. They have a great beer selection, including quite a few local beers on tap. I think Captain might have had the Lancaster Strawberry Wheat because he likes fruit beers. I have no recollection of what my companion or Tennille drank or how many we had. I know, I know, but we were having so much fun! So to keep things going we decided to move on to the next destination where we planned to eat.
On next stop is a Philadelphia legend, Monk's Cafe is a great bar and restaurant with an extensive beer list and awesome pub food. By this time we'd picked up a 5th, as we'd been joined by a friend of Captain's. We sat at a large round table and enjoyed food, drinks and laughs. The specifics are fuzzy, but I know that Tennille and I both had the pulled pork sandwich. It is possible that someone had the chicken apple sausage, I had it once on a prior visit and it is delish. The pulled pork was awesome the BBQ sauce was sweet and tangy and the pork was really tender and they really piled it on the sandwich, good for soaking up all the beer we'd had. My companion insists he had fish, he thinks it was tilapia, but there is only salmon and trout on the menu, so I am not sure what to tell you about that one.
We decided to trek to one last destination. As we arrived at the Ugly American, the power went out. It was only momentarily but it was interesting that it happened right as we arrived at the door. I recall feeling confused and a little unbalanced at this point. I think I had one beer and then some water. To be completely honest, I did not even remember the name of this place, I had to ask my companion prior to writing this. Upon consulting Tennille about this, she said, "we went somewhere after Monks?". So, beware, pub crawls are dangerous. Lucky for us, my companion had been drinking a lot less than everyone else and so after dropping off our 5th, he got us home safe and sound as the rest of us slept off our day.
Any of the places mentioned here are worth a visit. And Drinking Made Easy is worth a watch. So, check it out at http://drinkingmadeeasy.com/
So, after watching many episodes and living vicariously through Lamprey, who states it is his job to drink, we decided we needed to conquer a nearby city and do the same tour as the Drinking Made Easy team. Philly is close and so we figured it was doable.
We started our journey at a place called McGillins Old Ale House. We parked (love the pay stations, swipe your card, chose the amount of money to put in based on how long you'll be there and go). A short walk, past some dumpsters in an alley, from where we parked we found the first pub. Seemed like a big college hangout, lots of young guys with popped collars and flip flops. Not exactly our scene but they had beers, yum. Well, the rules were broken right off the bat as Captain and Tennille opted to share a "tasting" of beers rather than just get one drink each. The place was packed and after standing and looking confused for a minute, we were able to find a couple seats at the bar. Sports were on all the TVs lining the wood paneled walls at McGillin's. There were quite a few beers so the logic of getting the tasting does make sense. I started with the McGillins Ale and my companion started with the McGillins lager. Captain and Tennille were unable to really know what beer was what in their tasting because the bartender, who was very sweet, could not remember what order he poured them in. While talking to our bartender and another who was also working that end of the bar, we got to talking about stouts (some of my favorite beers) and so in addition to my ale, I also got to taste two stouts they had on draft (see photo). Oh boy.
 |
| Sly Fox O'Reilly Stout, O'Hara's Irish Stout and McGillins Ale |
If you are a history buff, you'll love City Tavern, it is ripe with Philadelphia history. Given that, it is much less of a "hang out" type pub like the places we'd just come from. In this historic restaurant and bar, there was more formal seating for a meal, but we opted to sit on the back veranda and enjoy a couple drinks. My companion and I drank the same thing Zane did when he was there, the City Tavern Cooler, which is whiskey, rum, peach brandy and apple cider. It was really yummy and something that could easily sneak up on you because it is so sweet and refreshing you might forget there is alcohol in it. Again, Captain and Tennille ordered a beer sampler, but also shared a City Tavern Cooler so they could have the full experience. We stayed there long enough to have our drinks and chat and relax a little after our last adventure. It was a lovely day to sit outdoors with an adult beverage. Then it was time to move on again.
 |
| Dueling Pianos at Jollys |
On next stop is a Philadelphia legend, Monk's Cafe is a great bar and restaurant with an extensive beer list and awesome pub food. By this time we'd picked up a 5th, as we'd been joined by a friend of Captain's. We sat at a large round table and enjoyed food, drinks and laughs. The specifics are fuzzy, but I know that Tennille and I both had the pulled pork sandwich. It is possible that someone had the chicken apple sausage, I had it once on a prior visit and it is delish. The pulled pork was awesome the BBQ sauce was sweet and tangy and the pork was really tender and they really piled it on the sandwich, good for soaking up all the beer we'd had. My companion insists he had fish, he thinks it was tilapia, but there is only salmon and trout on the menu, so I am not sure what to tell you about that one.
We decided to trek to one last destination. As we arrived at the Ugly American, the power went out. It was only momentarily but it was interesting that it happened right as we arrived at the door. I recall feeling confused and a little unbalanced at this point. I think I had one beer and then some water. To be completely honest, I did not even remember the name of this place, I had to ask my companion prior to writing this. Upon consulting Tennille about this, she said, "we went somewhere after Monks?". So, beware, pub crawls are dangerous. Lucky for us, my companion had been drinking a lot less than everyone else and so after dropping off our 5th, he got us home safe and sound as the rest of us slept off our day.
Any of the places mentioned here are worth a visit. And Drinking Made Easy is worth a watch. So, check it out at http://drinkingmadeeasy.com/
Tuesday, September 11, 2012
Alps Bistro, Allentown, NJ
Good German food. Not something we often hear a lot about in the restaurant world. French, Italian, Asian and Latin seem to rule the roost. But every once in awhile you want the comfort of Spätzle. So, grab your favorite Riesling and head to Alps Bistro in quaint Allentown, NJ, right on Main St.
It really feels like you are walking into some one's living room when you walk in to Alps Bistro. The place is small and narrow, there are probably about 8 tables in the whole place. The decor is cute and very homey. The tables have nice cloth place mats and instead of plain cloth napkins there's are plaid. A couple Eastern European knick knacks and mostly country style art line the walls. The waitress dressed in German attire, is the owner/chef's wife. She is very sweet. My companion and I started with a pate platter as an appetizer. There were two types of pate, we weren't told what they were (we also did not ask) but they were both wonderful, we are guessing one was chicken liver and one goose liver, as one was definitely more gamey than the other. The platter also had crackers, various cheeses, dried apricots and an awesome honey mustard dip. Oh I almost forgot!! Before our appetizer came out we were presented with an adorable little cloth lined basket that contained magical little pretzel rolls. They were crusty on the outside, soft and warm on the inside, just like a pretzel, but round like a dinner roll, they were fantastic. Okay, so back to the pate, we ate as much of it as we could, it was a lot of cheese for two people, but it was yummy. Our waitress brought over our salads (all entrees come with a salad) and took away what remained of our cheese and pate. The salads were a typical house salad except they had beets on them, yum! My companion gave me all his beets, double yum!
The menu at Alps Bistro is chock full of all the classic German style comfort foods, pierogi, kielbasa, Sauerbraten and more. My companion got the Rouladen, which is bacon, onion and peppers wrapped up in thin sliced beef and served with Spätzle. He said it was very good. It looked awesome. Of course they have schnitzel and it changes daily with the specials, the night we were there it was pork schnitzel, covered in a pretzel breading, guess what I got? Ding, Ding, Ding, Ding, Ding! You win. I got the pork. And it was awesome, truly awesome. The breading was not thick, but you could definitely tell it was pretzel, gave it a unique flavor and crunch. The pork was pounded thin and cooked perfectly. The Spätzle was great too, we both couldn't get over how tender they were, sometimes they are too chewy. The other side was red cabbage, it was sour and soft and oh so delish. I am a cabbage fan, so I always like it, but my companion who can usually take it or leave it said it was really yummy.
We were so full from all the pate, cheese and meat that we hadn't even thought of the idea of dessert and so just asked the waitress for our check. Right after we brought it the chef came out to our table with a gorgeous looking piece of cake and said it was on the house. We had seen him sitting in the back talking to other guests and he had come over once before to ask us how everything was. I love that about small mom and pop restaurants. While he was there he explained that this little chocolate cake he was giving us was an Austrian dessert known as Sachetorte and traditionally has an apricot filling but this one had a raspberry filling. It was great, chocolate and raspberry always go well together, the cake was sweet, tart, and delicate. We devoured it. And then rolled home.
www.facebook.com/pages/The-Alps-Bistro/
It really feels like you are walking into some one's living room when you walk in to Alps Bistro. The place is small and narrow, there are probably about 8 tables in the whole place. The decor is cute and very homey. The tables have nice cloth place mats and instead of plain cloth napkins there's are plaid. A couple Eastern European knick knacks and mostly country style art line the walls. The waitress dressed in German attire, is the owner/chef's wife. She is very sweet. My companion and I started with a pate platter as an appetizer. There were two types of pate, we weren't told what they were (we also did not ask) but they were both wonderful, we are guessing one was chicken liver and one goose liver, as one was definitely more gamey than the other. The platter also had crackers, various cheeses, dried apricots and an awesome honey mustard dip. Oh I almost forgot!! Before our appetizer came out we were presented with an adorable little cloth lined basket that contained magical little pretzel rolls. They were crusty on the outside, soft and warm on the inside, just like a pretzel, but round like a dinner roll, they were fantastic. Okay, so back to the pate, we ate as much of it as we could, it was a lot of cheese for two people, but it was yummy. Our waitress brought over our salads (all entrees come with a salad) and took away what remained of our cheese and pate. The salads were a typical house salad except they had beets on them, yum! My companion gave me all his beets, double yum!
The menu at Alps Bistro is chock full of all the classic German style comfort foods, pierogi, kielbasa, Sauerbraten and more. My companion got the Rouladen, which is bacon, onion and peppers wrapped up in thin sliced beef and served with Spätzle. He said it was very good. It looked awesome. Of course they have schnitzel and it changes daily with the specials, the night we were there it was pork schnitzel, covered in a pretzel breading, guess what I got? Ding, Ding, Ding, Ding, Ding! You win. I got the pork. And it was awesome, truly awesome. The breading was not thick, but you could definitely tell it was pretzel, gave it a unique flavor and crunch. The pork was pounded thin and cooked perfectly. The Spätzle was great too, we both couldn't get over how tender they were, sometimes they are too chewy. The other side was red cabbage, it was sour and soft and oh so delish. I am a cabbage fan, so I always like it, but my companion who can usually take it or leave it said it was really yummy.
We were so full from all the pate, cheese and meat that we hadn't even thought of the idea of dessert and so just asked the waitress for our check. Right after we brought it the chef came out to our table with a gorgeous looking piece of cake and said it was on the house. We had seen him sitting in the back talking to other guests and he had come over once before to ask us how everything was. I love that about small mom and pop restaurants. While he was there he explained that this little chocolate cake he was giving us was an Austrian dessert known as Sachetorte and traditionally has an apricot filling but this one had a raspberry filling. It was great, chocolate and raspberry always go well together, the cake was sweet, tart, and delicate. We devoured it. And then rolled home.
www.facebook.com/pages/The-Alps-Bistro/
Sunday, September 9, 2012
Francisco's on the River, Washington Crossing
My companion and I had been wanting to try Francisco's for a long time, but once got turned away because we did not have a reservation. So, when our friends, Mr. and Mrs. Tabata agreed to join us for dinner, I quickly made a reservation there. That was no easy task either since they don't open until 5 pm, there is no lunch served at Francisco's. But I managed to get us in!
Now the question was, will it be worth it? Francisco's on the River, in not technically "on the river" the Delaware River is across the street, but let's be real, that's not "on the river". Their parking lot is all gravel and can be tricky to walk in the dark if you like to wear 4" heels like I do, if not you'll be fine. On the plus side, it is BYOB, so we waltzed in with 4 bottles of wine, we figured one each would work! Oh, I'm so funny, actually we only drank 3 of them and rumor has it Mrs. Tabata was not feeling so good the next day.
But you really want to hear about the food right? In addition to a menu full of Italian specialities, they also had a nice specials menu. Mr. Tabata and I both had a mushroom soup from the special menu, it was soft and creamy, without being heavy. If you love mushrooms, you'll love the soup, much like Mr. Tabata and I did. My companion got the mussels in red sauce as an appetizer and as usual I conned him in to giving me a couple, delish. Salty, seafood should taste like the ocean and the sauce was awesome. Mrs. Tabata had a house salad.
So far the four of us were enjoying the evening, wine, good food and laughs. On to entrees, my companion went with something from the special menu that should come as no surprise to regular reader, Ahi Tuna. It was a nice piece of tuna and he enjoyed it. Mr. Tabata and I had ordered the exact same thing, a special featuring Turbot, a white, mild fish that was topped with lump crab meat and a white wine sauce. Several minutes after ordering the waiter came back to tell us that there was only one turbot left, being a gentleman, Mr. Tabata left me have the turbot and told the waiter he'd have the other fish special, the tilapia. The waiter, whom was great to us all night, offered to ask the chef to make the same dish as the turbot, just with the tilapia instead. Both came out and looked great. There was a good amount of crab meat and all was delicious. As for Mrs. T she had the Linguine al Frutti di Mare Fradiavolo, which as some of you know, linguine with seafood in a spicy tomato sauce. The seafood was fresh, the sauce tasty and the linguine must have been great because there was none left when she was done.
We were having so much fun and still had more wine to drink so we decided to stick around for dessert. Alright, the waiter had a tray of desserts and despite our intentions to say no, you cannot look at amazing desserts and turn them down. All restaurants should bring you the tray without asking, they'd sell so much more dessert that way. My companion and I shared a flourless chocolate cake. It was awesome. Rich, chocolaty and divine. The Tabatas shared the cheesecake, it had a fruit topping, could have been blueberry or maybe blackberry? Hopefully one of them is reading and can correct me. I do remember that they enjoyed it and it looked amazing.
It is always fun to spend time with Mr. and Mrs. Tabata and Francisco's on the River was a good setting for this evening. The staff was friendly (and put up with us being the last table to leave!) and the food was top notch. Just watch out for that gravel parking lot and make sure you have a reservation.
http://www.franciscosontheriver.com/
Now the question was, will it be worth it? Francisco's on the River, in not technically "on the river" the Delaware River is across the street, but let's be real, that's not "on the river". Their parking lot is all gravel and can be tricky to walk in the dark if you like to wear 4" heels like I do, if not you'll be fine. On the plus side, it is BYOB, so we waltzed in with 4 bottles of wine, we figured one each would work! Oh, I'm so funny, actually we only drank 3 of them and rumor has it Mrs. Tabata was not feeling so good the next day.
But you really want to hear about the food right? In addition to a menu full of Italian specialities, they also had a nice specials menu. Mr. Tabata and I both had a mushroom soup from the special menu, it was soft and creamy, without being heavy. If you love mushrooms, you'll love the soup, much like Mr. Tabata and I did. My companion got the mussels in red sauce as an appetizer and as usual I conned him in to giving me a couple, delish. Salty, seafood should taste like the ocean and the sauce was awesome. Mrs. Tabata had a house salad.
So far the four of us were enjoying the evening, wine, good food and laughs. On to entrees, my companion went with something from the special menu that should come as no surprise to regular reader, Ahi Tuna. It was a nice piece of tuna and he enjoyed it. Mr. Tabata and I had ordered the exact same thing, a special featuring Turbot, a white, mild fish that was topped with lump crab meat and a white wine sauce. Several minutes after ordering the waiter came back to tell us that there was only one turbot left, being a gentleman, Mr. Tabata left me have the turbot and told the waiter he'd have the other fish special, the tilapia. The waiter, whom was great to us all night, offered to ask the chef to make the same dish as the turbot, just with the tilapia instead. Both came out and looked great. There was a good amount of crab meat and all was delicious. As for Mrs. T she had the Linguine al Frutti di Mare Fradiavolo, which as some of you know, linguine with seafood in a spicy tomato sauce. The seafood was fresh, the sauce tasty and the linguine must have been great because there was none left when she was done.
We were having so much fun and still had more wine to drink so we decided to stick around for dessert. Alright, the waiter had a tray of desserts and despite our intentions to say no, you cannot look at amazing desserts and turn them down. All restaurants should bring you the tray without asking, they'd sell so much more dessert that way. My companion and I shared a flourless chocolate cake. It was awesome. Rich, chocolaty and divine. The Tabatas shared the cheesecake, it had a fruit topping, could have been blueberry or maybe blackberry? Hopefully one of them is reading and can correct me. I do remember that they enjoyed it and it looked amazing.
It is always fun to spend time with Mr. and Mrs. Tabata and Francisco's on the River was a good setting for this evening. The staff was friendly (and put up with us being the last table to leave!) and the food was top notch. Just watch out for that gravel parking lot and make sure you have a reservation.
http://www.franciscosontheriver.com/
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