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Category: Checking In At (Page 3 of 4)

This is the plain zep: cooked salami, mild provolone, sliced tomato and onion, on a Conshohocken Bakery zep roll. Perfection. Chris said the salami reminds him of the "luncheon meat" he and Amy got in Africa! Actually, we believe it comes from Hatfield and, in this context, with these ingredients, it works. But do dress it with crushed red peppers from the jars on the table.

Checking In at: Lou’s Steak Shop, Norristown PA

March 21, 2015 / / 2 Comments

The Chris half of ayersian and Bruce are sitting at the counter, waiting for their cheesesteak and zep, when an elderly gentleman approaches the register. Says the woman at the register, loud enough for half the place to hear: “Next time you decide to use the ladies room, put the seat down!” It sounds meaner on the page than it really was. They obviously have a history. That’s life at Lou’s. There’s no such thing as anonymity. Unlike at that Italian chain, when you’re here, you really are treated like family! Continue reading

The sampler covered all seven of their tap offerings this evening. From left: Gose, Amber Ale, German Pilsner, Porter, Bengal Gold I.P.A., Lent Beer, Nutt's Brown Ale.

Checking In at: Triumph Brewing Company, Princeton NJ

March 11, 2015 / / 0 Comments

Triumph’s beer is pretty good but the food is best left untouched. Add to that the fact that one of us does not enjoy the culinary wasteland of Princeton, NJ and the result is we don’t visit Triumph Brewing very often. But we found ourselves in town, at the art museum, with visitors from NYC, so here we were, sitting at the bar, beers in hand, plate of sloppy, so-so nachos in front of us. Continue reading

Daphne always has an extensive and creative specials menu. This breakfast is called Byrons Breakfast Burrito, which is filled with eggs, chorizo, diced avocado, corn, and cilantro, drizzled with a queso blanco cheese sauce, salsa and home fries on the side.

Checking In at: Daphne’s Diner, Robbinsville NJ

March 9, 2015 / / 0 Comments

We rolled into Daphne’s well into lunchtime but, of course, this is a diner, and breakfast is served all day. Both the breakfast and lunch menus arrived with long specials menus, where Daphne really stretches beyond the bounds of typical diner cuisine. Unlike at most diners, it’s OK to explore the outer regions here. Continue reading

A chocolate frosted and a salted caramel - the chocolate frosted, with its deep chocolate crown, is our favorite Donuts Time donut to date.

Checking In at: Donuts Time Cafe, Hamilton NJ

February 28, 2015 / / 4 Comments

For our return visit to Donuts Time we brought our friend with the inestimably discerning palate, Chris Ayers. We all agreed that these yeast-raised donuts are denser and chewier than those from other shops, and that we consider that a compliment. There’s an element of real substance to these pastries – the dough is not simply an airy vehicle for transporting sweet toppings to the mouth. We recognize others may disagree with us on the subject of light-textured donuts. Continue reading

Sandwiches come in two sizes: large and x-large. This is an x-large hot corned beef and pastrami combo. We know people who would dispute this but we still claim that Harold's pastrami is the best in the NYC region.

Checking in at: Harold’s NY Deli, Edison NJ

January 15, 2015 / / 1 Comment

Harold’s is our favorite New York deli, and has been for years. But we were struck during this meal by just how much corned beef and pastrami can vary at almost all good Jewish delis from visit to visit. When you go to Katz’s in New York, the counterman gives you a piece to taste when he begins to carve your sandwich. Sure, he does this because it’s tradition, and it encourages tips, but the idea is for you to decide if you like that particular piece of meat. The implication, of course, is that they vary enough to make a difference. Continue reading

The cream filling tastes like an especially light and fluffy marshmallow fluff, without the stickiness.

Checking in at: Donuts Time Cafe, Hamilton NJ

January 13, 2015 / / 3 Comments

A new donut shop opened near us, run by a woman named Rebecca who attended the Culinary Institute of America. Her tagline: “Home of handcrafted donuts.” All the donuts are of the yeast-raised variety. The filled donuts are sliced open, not injected. These are clearly superior to chain donuts, but we do have a few issues with them. The filled donuts could use a little more filling. They appear well-filled but all the filling is loaded in the front, open half of the donut. We like the cream filling, which tastes like marshmallow and is particularly light and fluffy, far superior to the greasy filling in chain donuts. Continue reading

Best biscuits in the Northeast

Checking in at: Trap Rock Restaurant & Brewery, Berkeley Heights NJ

January 11, 2015 / / 0 Comments

Captain Dunkin’s Scottish Ale is the polar opposite of an IPA: a little sweet, very malty, low hops, and supremely delicious on a frigid evening. One of us also tried a gin and tonic made with gin they make (season) right here. Interesting touch of rosemary. All the food was good or better; Trap Rock is becoming one of our favorite New Jersey restaurants. Continue reading

Mushrooms & Long Hots, in olive oil and garlic - one of those juicy Italian-American dishes that's so good to eat with Italian bread

Checking in at: Rossi’s Bar & Grill, Hamilton NJ

December 19, 2014 / / 0 Comments

We began with Mushrooms & Long Hots. Long hots are Italian-style hot green peppers that can vary in heat from a slight nip to explosively hot. It’s fun eating them because it’s like Russian roulette – you never know the punch each pepper is about to deliver until you eat one! The heat doesn’t hit immediately; it takes about 10 seconds to really set in. A couple of these were very, very hot, delicious laid across a slice of Italian bread. Continue reading

The basic Rossiburger is here gilded with bacon and cheddar.

Checking In at: Rossi’s Bar & Grill, Hamilton NJ

December 15, 2014 / / 0 Comments

This is our second time to Rossi’s new location in Hamilton, but our first burger at the new spot (we’d eaten them for years in Trenton). That’s Rossi’s biggest claim to fame, the Rossiburger. And those burgers have not changed a bit. They are still as bulbous and massive as ever, still served on a Kaiser roll, and are still under-seasoned, a small flaw that can be mostly corrected for at the table. Continue reading

Burgundy Braised Short Ribs, served over horseradish mashed potatoes, with purple carrots and caramelized onions

Checking In at: Trap Rock Restaurant & Brewery, Berkeley Heights NJ

December 13, 2014 / / 0 Comments

Early Sunday evening visit. We dined at the bar, as we always do. Trap Rock was in top form. Prof. Bob’s Brown Ale is a delicious malt bomb. Kestrel IPA is a crisp, bitter classic American-style IPA. Now if we could only figure out how to get our beer photos to focus. Continue reading

A breakfast special: chili con carne omelette with cheddar and home fries. The chili is a Northeast classic, beany with tomatoes.

Checking In at: Daphne’s Diner, Robbinsville NJ

December 11, 2014 / / 1 Comment

Breakfast at “our diner” on the way to the tree farm for our Christmas tree. Interesting mix of gospel and soul playing loudly on the sound system this Sunday. Continue reading

The gingerbread cupcake can be found in tents set up on the grounds, where you can also find hot chocolate and hot spiced cider to remove the chill on a crisp winter's night.

Checking In at: Longwood Gardens, Kennett Square PA

December 9, 2014 / / 0 Comments

500,000 Christmas lights… illuminated fountains dancing to Christmas music… decorated and lit trees galore… holiday singalongs… hot cocoa, spiced cider, cookies and cupcakes… all that and more can be found through January 11th at Longwood Gardens during their annual A Longwood Christmas celebration. Continue reading

Rosemary white bean dip topped with roasted peppers and served with cumin-dusted pita wedges

Checking In at: Long Trail Brewing Co., Bridgewater Corners VT

December 5, 2014 / / 0 Comments

We stopped by Long Trail Brewing about ten minutes west of Woodstock for a couple of brews. Our beer photos were poor so all we have to post are shots of the good hummus-like white bean dip and the mammoth serving of French fries, which we should be ashamed to admit to finishing. But it’s not for the food that we note Long Trail. Continue reading

Smoky split pea soup was the best thing we ate at the Blue Swan, although it was slightly marred by the packaged seasoned croutons.

Checking In at: Blue Swan Diner, Oakhurst NJ

November 23, 2014 / / 0 Comments

First time at a diner is always chancy. There are different levels of diner in New Jersey. You have to peg your food order to the diner level. We’ve got a few near where we live that does well with dishes beyond the diner basics. With others, it’s best to stick to sandwiches, breakfast, onion rings, you know? We misread the Blue Swan; had it pegged a notch too high, so we’ll take some of the responsibility for the lackluster food. Credit where credit’s due: our waiter was terrific. Continue reading

Summer Salad: cucumber, tomatoes, corn, basil

Checking In at: School Street Bistro, Rochester VT

November 21, 2014 / / 0 Comments

School Street Bistro opened at the end of 2012 in the space formerly occupied by The Village Porch. School Street almost looks like just another house in Rochester, save for all the people dining on the extensive porch. Eugenie Smith, who used to manage The Porch, runs the front of the house while husband Brent is the chef. Together, they lease the restaurant from the owners of the former Village Porch. Continue reading

We really enjoy Capuano's garlicked and herbed pizza dough rolls.

Checking In at: Capuano Ristorante, West Windsor NJ

November 13, 2014 / / 0 Comments

Capuano Ristorante falls into one of two major categories of central New Jersey pizzeria Italian restaurants: the food is OK (the other category: the food is terrible). That’s about the best you can hope for at these restaurants, which are sprinkled by the dozens all over the region. You’ll never hit one where the food is better than OK, but sometimes OK is good enough. (Keep in mind we’re not talking here about those rare, and spectacular, pizza masters like De Lorenzo Tomato Pies in Robbinsville.) Continue reading

Yeah, it's gas station convenience store food but, darn, an Amato's "Original" Sandwich ain't bad at all!

Checking In at: Amato’s Xpress, Woodstock VT

November 9, 2014 / / 0 Comments

We’re pretty confident in saying that no one is going to travel to the picture-perfect village of Woodstock, Vermont to eat a sandwich in a 24-hour gas station convenience store. No matter what we say here. And that’s probably as it should be. Still, our first experience with an Amato’s Italian sandwich was better than we expected. Quite good, in fact.  First, the backstory: Continue reading

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