Left at the Fork

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Category: Reviews (Page 15 of 16)

Pesto Infused Omelette, from one morning's breakfast specials menu: egg whites infused with homemade pesto and filled with tomatoes, avocado, and diced onions. Sue asked them to hold the grilled portobellos.

Daphne’s Diner, Robbinsville NJ

October 15, 2014 / / 0 Comments

REVIEW

Our new favorite local diner! Especially after the sale of Mastoris in Bordentown a couple of years ago Daphne’s, open since October of 2011, has become our go-to breakfast out spot. Actually, we should say Daphne’s reopened in 2011, because this spot was once occupied by Daphne Wilczynski, up until 2005. Then Daphne closed the diner to focus on catering, and the old diner alternated between vacancy, a brief run as the Italian restaurant Diamond’s, and another brief episode as Fernando’s.
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Smothered fresh sausages were on Thursday's menu, along with smothered cabbage and white beans. Glenda's famous stuffed turkey wings are available Monday through Thursday, and we nabbed the last one of the day.

Glenda’s Creole Kitchen, Breaux Bridge LA

October 14, 2014 / / 0 Comments

REVIEW

Whenever we go in search of Left at the Fork eats, our fantasy revolves around finding that perfect, out-of-the-way, unassuming lunch spot with a local clientele, good food, and low prices, run by an out-front, hands-on proprietor who knows her customers. Such places are simply not that common. Well, that fantasy was fulfilled by Glenda’s outside of Breaux Bridge, LA. Continue reading

Don't be fooled by the "culinary confetti" garnish, this is grandma's turkey dinner.

Aunt Lucy’s Dinner House, Kingston ON

October 12, 2014 / / 0 Comments

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REVIEW

“Time-tested recipes for that familiar taste of home,” says Aunt Lucy’s website, and that statement pretty much sums it up. Aunt Lucy means to coddle you, not challenge you. There’s nothing to eat here that you haven’t eaten before, at home. And hallelujah for that! Continue reading

The Green Mountain Smokehouse does about as little as possible to call attention to itself.

Green Mountain Smokehouse, Windsor VT

October 11, 2014 / / 0 Comments

REVIEW

We were a little surprised by the Green Mountain Smokehouse. We’d read about it elsewhere and were expecting something more than what we found. The smokehouse has a small retail room, but they’re really geared towards their wholesale business. Oddly, we found very little selection among the smoked sausages. Most of what they offered were fresh, and frozen at that. The aroma was truly intoxicating, however. The kid manning the retail area told us he couldn’t even smell it anymore! Continue reading

Clay's line of Signature fruit pies features a layer of cream cheese filling and another of pecans between the crust and the fruit. It sounds like it could be a bit much but they execute this with restraint. The modest-sized wedge is wonderful.

Clay’s Family Restaurant, Fremont IN

October 10, 2014 / / 0 Comments

REVIEW

Two words: bluegill and pie. That’s what you need to know if you’ll be visiting Clay’s Family Restaurant, just outside of Fremont, Indiana. Continue reading

Willis and Tina Wood run one of the last remaining boiled cider production facilities in the country.

Wood’s Cider Mill, Springfield VT

October 9, 2014 / / 0 Comments

REVIEW

Boiled cider. Not cider syrup, or essence of apple, or apple nectar. Boiled cider. Why boiled cider? Because, with true New England logic, it starts with cider. And then it’s boiled. What remains after the volume is reduced about 85% is dark and opaque. It’s sold not in the kind of sleek and sexy bottle indicative of a rare and prized delicacy found in expensive urban food emporiums, but in a utilitarian jar that might hold generic white distilled vinegar, basic square black and white label, with red inverted triangle in the middle, glued front and center.  Continue reading

Fried matzo, known elsewhere as matzo brei, is perhaps the ultimate Jewish soul food. Here it's supplemented with onions and salami, creating something of a hoppel-poppel effect.

Frances’ Deli, Chicago IL

October 8, 2014 / / 0 Comments

REVIEW

They say Frances’ Deli ain’t what it used to be, but what is? Well, perhaps Manny’s is, but Frances’ is actually even older than Manny’s, going back to 1938 Chicago. It’s now a few blocks north of its original location, and Frances, the man, is long gone. And replacing the Eastern European staff and old Jewish customers are crowds of 20- and 30-somethings from the surrounding Lincoln Park neighborhood. Continue reading

An Irish breakfast: eggs, black and white puddings, rashers, sausage, and broiled tomatoes. Irish brown bread on the side, next photo.

Mrs. Mitchell’s Kitchen, Holyoke MA

October 7, 2014 / / 0 Comments

REVIEW

Holyoke has a larger percentage of residents of Puerto Rican descent than any other city outside of Puerto Rico, but this city, once known as Ireland Parish, also has a distinctly Irish character. Their annual St. Patrick’s Day parade is said to be second in size only to the one held in The Big Apple. Is there food from the Emerald Isle to be found here? Sure enough, thanks to Mrs. Mitchell and her kitchen. Continue reading

Dirty rice is listed as an appetizer rather than a side, which seems odd to us. It's one of the best dishes in the house.

Barbara Jean’s, Ponte Vedra Beach FL

October 6, 2014 / / 0 Comments

REVIEW

As you stroll from the parking lot to Barbara Jean’s front door, eyeing the Mercedes and Jaguars and BMWs you pass along the way, you might be skeptical of your chances of finding good, and inexpensive, home cooking inside. Nonetheless, here it is, in the golfing mecca of Ponte Vedra Beach. Continue reading

Large pepperoni pie, requested crispy. Pies can be ordered undercooked, regular, crispy, and well done.

Letizia’s Pizza, Norwalk CT

October 5, 2014 / / 6 Comments

REVIEW

We imagine selling pizza in Connecticut is more challenging than in any other part of the country. After all, America’s greatest pizzas are found in the Nutmeg State. The bar here has been set awfully high. And while we wouldn’t match Letizia’s up against the best of its New Haven brethren, emerging from their oven are pizzas that we would be glad to call our neighborhood pies. These are well-executed pizzas, served with an unusual level of hospitality for a pie joint.

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A Bobbie is a compact tube of pure eating joy.

Capriotti’s, Wilmington DE

October 4, 2014 / / 5 Comments

REVIEW

Turkey sandwiches are a “thing” in Delaware. Oh, sure, you can get a turkey sandwich anywhere. It’s generally made with wet, gelatinous-textured deli turkey, and that’s fine for what it is. But Delaware is different: here, more than anywhere else we’ve been, the turkey often comes from a freshly roasted bird. Continue reading

Most of what we've sampled from the menu has been good but we still think the burger is the best dish in the house.

Trap Rock Restaurant & Brewery, Berkeley Heights NJ

October 3, 2014 / / 6 Comments

REVIEW

We visit brewpubs all over the country but rarely eat in them (and, therefore, rarely write about them). While we love craft brews the food in the pubs is fairly predictable: at best, hearty pub grub like burgers, sausages, fish and chips … Nothing wrong with any of that, mind you, and the execution is generally OK, if you stick to the less ambitious selections. But interesting food? Yawn. Trap Rock is one brewpub that smashes the mold.  Continue reading

Poutine for breakfast! The French fries are replaced by home fries and the meat is breakfast sausage.

Chez Ben Diner, Manchester CT

October 2, 2014 / / 2 Comments

REVIEW

It’s not easy to find Canadian cuisine in the U.S., unless you head up to our northern borders. Hell, most Americans probably don’t even know there IS such a thing as Canadian cuisine! Don’t they eat the same things that we do? Yes, they do, but there are also a surprising number of specialties unique to our northern neighbor, and many of them can be found at the Chez Ben Diner. Continue reading

Let the free banchan that open your meal be a clue as to how you should order. Clockwise from bottom left: kimchi, potatoes, bean sprouts, fish.

Asian Bistro, Princeton Junction NJ

September 30, 2014 / / 0 Comments

REVIEW

Pan-Asian? Really? Yes, we know, we know … But it appears there’s something more going on at Asian Bistro. Here are our first impressions after an initial visit. The restaurant features the cuisines of Korea, Thailand, China, Japan, and Vietnam (represented by only a bowl of pho). The owner is Korean-American, and as soon as you’re seated, an array of banchan, small dishes of food (Korean) meant to be shared,  is brought to the table. Today the banchan included kimchi, potatoes, bean sprouts, and fish, all cool and bright tasting, each boasting its own herb, spice, and sauce profile. Let this be a signal: we think the best way to approach Asian Bistro is as a Korean restaurant (something in very short supply in these parts.). Continue reading

Enstrom's keeps a sampler dish out for tasting while you shop. Reason enough to visit if you're in Denver.

Enstrom’s, Denver CO

September 29, 2014 / / 0 Comments

REVIEW

Butter, sugar, almonds, milk chocolate, salt. Can’t get much simpler than the ingredient list for Enstrom’s milk chocolate almond toffee. Those are the same ingredients that went into the batches of toffee that Chet Enstrom made decades ago for those lucky enough to be on his gift list. In 1960, he and his wife started a business around that toffee recipe in Grand Junction, Colorado. Today, the business is run by Chet’s daughter and grandchildren, and the toffee has become a legend. Continue reading

Patsy Grimaldi's of Scottsdale makes pizzas that compare favorably with the best of the East.

Grimaldi’s Coal Brick-Oven Pizzeria, Scottsdale AZ

September 28, 2014 / / 0 Comments

REVIEW

There are a handful of Grimaldi’s pizzerias in Arizona, owned and operated by sons of the owner (no longer Patsy Grimaldi, incidentally) of Grimaldi’s in Brooklyn. We’ve only visited the one in Old Town Scottsdale (they’ve been expanding: there are now seven in AZ, twelve in Texas,  six in Vegas, and more in California, Colorado, Florida, Idaho, Louisiana, and South Carolina), but in our experience the pizza in Scottsdale, if you order correctly, is superior to the pies found at the Brooklyn original. Continue reading

The Reggie Deluxe is Pine State's signature item: fried chicken, bacon, gravy, cheese, and a fried egg on a fresh biscuit. Fried chicken for breakfast? Why not!

Pine State Biscuits, Portland OR

September 27, 2014 / / 0 Comments

REVIEW

We fancy ourselves pretty fair home cooks, but superlative biscuits have always eluded us (as well as, in our experience, our Northern compatriots). This is too bad because we really love biscuits. Our cravings have, until now, been satisfied in Dixie, where folks are apparently born with the talent. So how did quality biscuits find their way to Oregon? Continue reading

A lunch-size portion of mofongo with chicken

ME Casa, Jersey City NJ

September 24, 2014 / / 2 Comments

REVIEW

We won’t pretend to be experts on Puerto Rican cuisine, but we are experts on what we like. And we like what’s served at the small and unobtrusive, below-street-level ME Casa very much. The owners call the cuisine Puerto Rican-inspired, not Puerto Rican. The mofongo sure seemed like the real thing. Mofongo begins with green plantains, which are fried and then pounded with garlic and chicharrones in a mortar-and-pestle-like device called a pilon. At least, the best ones, like that served at ME Casa, use a pilon. The result, a garlicky mound filled with crusty bits, reminds us texturally of Thanksgiving stuffing. Choose your topping: beef, shrimp, or chicken. This is very easy-to-enjoy eating, Puerto Rican soul food. Continue reading

They were out of the extra-wide zep rolls, so they built our large zep using regular long rolls. Since they also came from the Conshohocken Bakery, they had that distinctive soft/chewy texture.

Lou’s Steak Shop, Norristown PA

September 22, 2014 / / 1 Comment

REVIEW

We’re sitting at the counter enjoying our sandwiches when the cook addresses the old man eating soup and crackers to our left: “You doin’ OK? Are these people bothering you?” He motions toward us. The man smiles and continues spooning into his bowl of soup. “What kind of shake you got?” Now he’s talking to us. Our waitress fixed us a superlative chocolate shake. He scrunched up his face. “I only like banella shakes. You know banella? The little kids down the street, they come in here asking for banella, now they got me saying it.” Continue reading

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