Monthly Archives: July 2014

Cap’N Cats Clam Bar & Tavern – West Deptford, NJ

Posted on July 23, 2014 by Bluejeanfood

Cap’N Cats Clam Bar & Tavern – West Deptford, NJ

Cap’N Cats Clam Bar & Tavern (CNC) feels a bit out of place in West Deptford, New Jersey. The exterior and interior of CNC seems more fitted for an on the water back-bay sort of local seafood bar, not a landlocked standalone establishment. Doing the best they can with no water around them, I give CNC credit for doing it up in the middle of nowhere. I just wish they would have given as much thought and energy towards the food as they did the decor.

Ever hear of the saying what goes up, must come down? Well that is how my meal went at CNC. Things started out quite nicely with an order of Steamed Shrimp. They were generous in size, seasoned beautifully, steamed to perfection, and came with a nice cup of melted butter that most places do not give with an appetizer of shrimp. The sweet shrimp combined with the warm salty ooze of the butter had the shrimp just melt in my mouth.

captin cat peel shrimp

The downhill spiral started to begin my cup of Snapper Soup. The soup was extremely light in any aspects of snapper or seasoning being in the soup and it almost had a taste of being thinned out. I do not know if they were running out of the soup and decided to stretch the last bit out for me or if this is how it is always served. If this is how CNC always serves it I would recommend anyone who has never had snapper soup to try it here first as it is a light version of a very thick and hearty soup that I am used to and if you like CNC’s version of the soup you will love other places that do it even better.

captin cat snapper soup

To finish the evening, my scallops with a side of french fries were served. I will begin my rant by stating they were served with double-breaded french fries. Anyone who has followed me in the past knows my feelings of a restaurant copping out by using these cheap incarnations of something resembling a french fry, but are far from it. To make matters worse, the scallops were so overcooked it might have been easier to digest a bouncy ball instead of these things. Scallops are such a wonderful treat to eat when done well, and a terrible tragedy when done wrong. I had such high hopes for CNC after the steamed shrimp, but sadly things ended much worse than they started out.

captain cap broiled scallops

CNC has a nice bar area and an even nicer seafood display as soon as you open the door to enter. I have a feeling I may have ordered completely wrong at CNC. They call themselves a clam bar and I shied away from eating even one clam from them. If someone was to invite me to have a drink at CNC, I would order the steamed shrimp again and try my luck with something clam related. I could even see myself just buying some fresh seafood from the display case and taking it home to enjoy. I just can not see myself ordering the snapper soup or scallops again.

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Honey’s Sit N’ Eat – Philadelphia, PA

Posted on July 16, 2014 by Bluejeanfood

Honey’s Sit N’ Eat – Philadelphia, PA

With the gentrification of South Street west of Broad Street came along Honey’s Sit N’ Eat (HSE) just as a HSE came to North 4th Street with the gentrification of the North Liberties neighborhood many years ago. HSE touts an American comfort food menu with breakfast served all day and dishes heavy on nostalgia with locally sourced ingredients. The crowd the day I visited was quite eclectic and seemed HSE was more of a place where to be seen instead as opposed to what should be eaten. I decided to go with the Patty Melt.

honey

The Patty Melt consisted of a burger with swiss cheese and caramelized onions on marbled rye and a side of fries. The burger was nice, but slightly dry and completely overcooked as it was well done and I asked for it to be medium. The fries also were overcooked in a major way as instead of having the consistency of a French fry they had the feel of potato stix as they were beyond crispy, they were dehydrated and hard.  It was such a shame as the caramelized onions were beyond wonderful. Some of the best I have had anywhere, and  I do not see French Onion Soup listed on their menu, but I would be first in line to try it if they put that quality of caramelized onions in the soup and wonder why more menu items do have them included. The rye was grilled well and had a nice consistency to it showing that the bread was fresh, not overcooked, and holding up well throughout the meal.

HSE had such a high with the onions and such a low with the fries and overcooked burger. What I ordered was basic and there really is no excuse for the way it was executed. The staff seemed a little standoffish to me, but very welcoming to those who were obviously regulars. They were one step up with the onions and many steps back on many other fronts. I would give them another try, but nothing is having me rush back anytime soon.

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The Farm & Fisherman Tavern + Market – Cherry Hill, NJ

Posted on July 9, 2014 by Bluejeanfood

The Farm & Fisherman Tavern + Market – Cherry Hill, NJ

Just because a dining destination is great or successful in Philadelphia does not mean that it will translate well over the bridge in New Jersey and vice versa. With keeping this in mind, Chef/Owner Josh & Colleen Lawler have done it right with The Farm & Fisherman Tavern + Market (FF) in Cherry Hill, New Jersey. Realizing that as wonderful as their Farm and Fisherman Restaurant in Philadelphia is, with them living in New Jersey they knew it would not be the right fit to just duplicate what they have in Philly to Jersey. They had to come up with something a little bit different, but with the integrity and mission statement they hold dear, and with that in mind came the concept for FF. I came for lunch and I would get things started with a beer I do not see offered much in places around Jersey and is one of my favorites for summertime, 21st Amendment Brewery’s Hell Or High Watermelon Wheat Beer with a snack of 24-Hour Onion Dip & Chips.

beer

chips and dip

I could not have asked for a better way to start things off. The chips were some of the best around, and the dip was by far and away one of the best dips I have ever had. The onions were so flavorful and cooked just right, and I guess from having them stew in the dip for 24-Hours just made it all that much better. The beer and chips were dangerous combination and one that if I could eat regularly could cause my doctor to not be very pleased with me. The next order of business on my to-do list would be their Smoked and Grilled Wings.

smoked and grilled wings

The wings had a nice smoke flavor to them, grilled nicely, and the sauce and cheese on the bottom of the dish really complimented themselves perfectly. The only downfall was that the wings were a little tough and rubbery. They did not pull apart nicely, and the meat stuck to the bone a little too much. I think I may have just had a bad batch with the cooking temp or timing being slightly off, because with the quality in flavors and effort that was put into preparing them, I find it hard to believe this is how they are served regularly. Even with the minor flaw, these wings were still by far and away much better than your standard order of wings at a bar, so do not let my criticism steer you away from trying them. To end my lunch I would have the Turkey Ruben with Swiss cheese and local sauerkraut on Rye with a side of fries.

turkey ruben

The turkey meat was fabulous, the rye was better than most, just the right amount of Swiss cheese melted on point, and the fries were delicious and cooked perfectly. My only complaint would be that the sauerkraut was ice cold. I would have enjoyed if it was thrown on the grill to warm up. The difference in temperature distracted from the overall experience, texture, and maybe even if it was just subconsciously to me the flavor. Even though that could have been different, I really enjoyed my time at FF. The service and staff were very efficient and accommodating, bar area is beautiful, ambiance is relaxing, and the tiny market is amazing with some neat local foodie products to take home and enjoy. FF provided me with one of the best lunch experiences around the South Jersey area.

Overall

Four out of Five Stars

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