Monthly Archives: February 2014

Grabbe’s Seafood Restaurant – Westville, NJ

Posted on February 26, 2014 by Bluejeanfood

Grabbe’s Seafood Restaurant – Westville, NJ

I like dive bars. They just seem authentic not having to please the customer into feeling like you belong like some fancy places pretend to do. I also like to eat a places where the seafood is fresh. Lucky for me Grabbe’s Seafood (GS) seems to fit both categories.

grabbes seafood display

GS has a beautiful display of fresh crabs, scallops, etc. immediately upon opening the door. They also have the decor, clientele, music tunes coming from a jukebox, and attitude of a friendly local bar knowing almost every person who steps inside by name.

wall of grabbes

My adventure at GS started off with a cup of Maryland Crab Soup. The soup was filled generously with pieces of crab, fresh vegetables, and spiced just right. This is the perfect soup on a cold day to warm you up.

grabbes maryland soup

The next selection unfortunately was not as good. The mussels were cooked nicely as almost all of them were opened, but the broth seriously lacked any sort of flavor profile thus lacking any delicious bread dipping potential and only creating wet soggy bread when dipped in the broth.

grabbes mussels

Thankfully my next choice picked GS right back up. GS’s U-Peel’em Shrimp were simply fantastic. Each shrimp was a decent size, cooked perfect, and the seasoning was spot delicious. This dish alone is reason enough to go to GS. Just go there, have a few shrimp, drink a few beers and be on your merry way much more happier than when you walked in.

grabbes u peel shrimp

Just when you thought I would be done eating, NO WAY! The main attraction showed up. Crab Cakes with french fries and apple sauce as the sides. The crab cakes were filled with large lumps of crab meat, not too much filler, moist throughout with a nice crisp exterior, and light on seasoning allowing the sweet crab meat to really shine and be the star. The sides were basic as the apple sauce I am sure came straight out of a can or jar and the fries were decent enough, but of the frozen variety.

grabbes crab cake

I really enjoyed my time at GS and easily see myself going there again especially for an evening of all you can eat blue point crabs that they offer every night. The staff was friendly even though service seemed just a tad slow at times. The food was far and above your chain seafood restaurant and their only real downfall being that there are no grilled or pan fried seafood options at all. The menu consists mostly of fried items with a few broiled and baked selections as well with their steamed crabs being the big draw to GS. Be this as it may, if you are in the mood for steamed crabs, a nice Maryland Crab soup, U-Peel’em shrimp or fried crab cakes, GS is definitely a place you should try. Just sit back, relax, and soak in the atmosphere of a local bar with nice seafood.

Overall
Three and Half stars out of Five

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Tex Mex Connection – Herradura Tequila Paired Dinner Event

Posted on February 21, 2014 by Bluejeanfood

(The following is a special series on Bluejeanfoodcritic.com written by guest contributing writer William Knowles. He highlights his passions of trying something new whenever the opportunity presents itself, or possibly something old, but new again since it has been awhile. I hope you enjoy his very special perspective that I am sure many of you can relate to. Follow him on his exciting journey “Around Town”)

On Tuesday evening, February 18th, the Tex Mex Connection in North Wales, PA. presented a special tasting dinner sponsored by Herradura Tequila.

tex mex teq

 

The company’s roving ambassador, Tal Ambrose, energetically guided us through his products history.  Samples of three different flavors, combined with unique food offerings, made for an interesting evening.

The four course meal started with delicious appetizers ranging from Ahi tuna to sugar cane chicken (more hot than sweet).  After enjoying Jicama Kale salad came the highlight of the dinner – mole chicken, lathered in a thick seasoned sauce.

tex mex food

Chocolate mousse capped the meal off…all amplified by the tequila and additional spirits served throughout.

Tex Mex general manager Kevin Gross has found an excellent way to showcase his newly renovated establishment, which is half sit down restaurant and half sports bar.

tex mex bar

 

This function was perfect for anyone looking to explore the vast offerings of Mexican food that they may not typically think to try, and the tequila presentation made it fun and relaxing all the while.

Stop in and say hello to Kevin and his  excellent team, and I’ll see you “Around town”

Bill

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Corinne’s Place – Camden, NJ

Posted on February 19, 2014 by Bluejeanfood

It is very rare to find success or good news coming out Camden, New Jersey usually. Corinne’s Place (CP) has been a thriving business in a tough town and I am sure they would not mind to see a revitalization of Camden while being a part of a plan. It will be no easy task, but creating a friendly business corridor for people to visit has to be one of the city’s top priorities as driving down Haddon Avenue to get to CP is no easy task with the multitude of jay-walkers, drug dealers, drug users, and many juveniles loitering the sidewalk and steps of businesses to get to CP.

The front door of CP is not even welcoming and I had to wonder if I was opening the correct door or if they were even open the day that I came. As soon as I stepped foot inside, I was immediately hit with a decor that I do not have the vocabulary to describe here. The best I can say is that it is a shrine to the owner of the place with various letters, pictures, newspaper clippings talking about CP just tacked on the walls looking more like a teenager’s bedroom than a business with no rhyme or reason about how they are arranged as well as any of the other furnishings or trinkets surrounding the restaurant.

Thankfully after I got out of my initial shock and awe of CP, the staff was friendly and accommodating to me. The menu is of your basic soul food variety choices. I went with the breast fried chicken platter with mac and cheese and cabbage.

corrines place

The portions were generous and about average price for this style of food around the Philadelphia region. The chicken was moist and tender, but the flavor seemed a little light for my taste compared to other soul food establishments fried chicken near here. It seemed as though my piece just was not seasoned well enough. The mac and cheese was creamy, but again did nothing to have it stand out from the crowd. The cabbage on the other hand had the opposite problem. It was cooked nicely as each bite of cabbage was as smooth as silk, but it was seasoned so heavily with salt that it was almost inedible.

CP was a mix of many things from the adventure to get there, the sensory overload of the interior, and the food they serve. I hear the best day to visit CP is on Sundays for their buffet, and I am sure being able to grab a little bit of everything of the menu can be a delight here. What I can tell you though is that the experience I had was not sufficient enough to have me go out of my way to visit CP. With that being said, I do not have any current or planned business to take care of in this part of Camden so it may be quite a while until they see me again. So until that time comes, then maybe a revitalization of the area will be in the works and it would not be such a hassle to get there and give me a reason to go back and happily walk down the street to get into CP.

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Tommy DiNiC’s at The Reading Terminal Market – Philadelphia, PA

Posted on February 5, 2014 by Bluejeanfood

Tommy DiNiC’s at The Reading Terminal Market – Philadelphia, PA

When your sandwich shop gets awarded to have the “Best Sandwich in America” by Travel Channel program “Man vs Food”, you must be doing something right. Well that honor was bestowed upon Tommy DiNiC’s at The Reading Terminal Market (TD) for their pork sandwich.

My love of the Reading Terminal is no secret as it is one of my favorite places in all of Philadelphia. As much as it is a tourist destination, it is just as great for the people who live around it as well. No matter what food mood you may be in that day, you are sure to find something to fit your needs there. They just completed a very nice renovation of the terminal and it is looking better than ever. One of the parts of the renovation was a new spot for TD. TD’s new digs are hands down better than their old location. The wood counter sit down area is gorgeous, the prep area is clean and has much more area for the employees to move around, and the take-out line at TD now moves light years faster than it did in the past. The area to place your order is now very defined where everyone needs to stand and pay, and for the most part the patrons who want to eat at the counter don’t have to push their way over to the counter and get into arguments for those just wanting for take-out. It is a dream come to for everyone who stops by. For my visit, what’s good enough to be America’s best is good enough for me to eat. So a roast pork with sharp provolone and broccoli rabe would the order of the day.

dinics reading term

 

The sandwich was perfection. TD has this thing down to a science. From the roll being able to hold the wonderful juices of the pork while not becoming soggy, to the broccoli rabe sauteed to its most delicious flavor profile available, and the sharp provolone providing the ying to everything else’s yang the combination here is superb. I do not know if TD has been this good since they first opened, but I do know that what they are serving is hands down one of the best roast pork sandwiches ever. Even with lines wrapped around the place and them serving their sandwiches in mass, they are able to provide a sandwich that tastes like it was made from scratch just for you. This sort of accomplishment did not just happen overnight and the entire staff of TD should be commended for the hard work and precision they provide their customers on a daily basis.

Is it the best sandwich in America? I do not know, but I do know one thing. Philadelphia is known as a cheesesteak town, but with what TD is putting out, the cheesesteak may have a fight on its hands to hold on to its crown.

Overall
Five out of Five Stars

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