FYI – HAVE BEEN ADVISED THAT RIVER PARK PUB NO LONG HAS CHEF GILHAM OR CREOLE FOOD, THEY ARE JUST A BAR MENU AGAIN 03-2018
River Park Pub – Gloucester City, NJ
Had a fantastic Creole inspired meal at The Mansion House in Gloucester City, NJ from Chef Jeff Gilham formerly of Creole Cafe. Delicious crawfish bisque, Creole pieroge, beer battered onion rings, and seafood jambalaya. Yummy! They will be a guest on Small Bites Radio Show on January 8th.
Nha Hang Xelua Pho Viet-Thai Restaurant – (Chinatown) Philadelphia, PA
Better known as the restaurant with a train on the sign is quite a mouthful to say and a mouthful to things to choose from on the extensive menu. The interior could use a little bit of a spruce up, but the food was delicious. I had the bbq pork chop on white rice and the pan fired egg noodles with shrimp and vegetables. Everything was cooked nicely, very affordable, and service was top notch and friendly. They have a very intriguing menu that I am interested to try, so I will definitely be back.
David’s Mai Lai Wah – Philadelphia, PA
There are so many great places to eat in and around Philadelphia, yet Philly Chinatown always draws me in. For my next destination it would be to David’s Mai Lai Wah (DMLW) which has been known to have Iron Chef Jose Garces dine there many times and has been named by Esquire Magazine as the Best Late Night Restaurant in America as DMLW is open until 3am. I was hungry and gave DMLW a quick visit for what else, a late night snack to go.
I would have a simple order of pork fried rice which was very nice and one of the better versions of this dish in Chinatown, and their Salt and Pepper chicken wings which were tasty as well, but not the best around, but very good for a place that serves you late at night. DMLW is a decent location with friendly service, a diverse menu and bar if you want something to drink, as well as being one of the best options around to dine late night, so I can see why so many celebrities dined here since they tend to live a later lifestyle and the awards are well deserved.
A.P. J. Texas Weiner – Philadelphia, PA
Sitting a few steps from the Pennsylvania Convention Center and a block away from the Reading Terminal Market sits A.P.J. Texas Weiner (APJ). Make no mistakes, APJ is not high-end, let even medium-end cuisine, they are an old style lowbrow affordable luncheonette with very friendly (even though are little rough around the edges staff) efficient, and likeable service. What would I get? Hot dogs of course.
The hot dogs and the especially the special sauce topping hit all the right notes and was a delicious and cheap lunch. Many other places around the area may be much fancier or have higher quality food, but sometimes a lowly old tasty hot dog cooked well and spruced up nicely with a few special touches can be all you need sometimes. If in the area APJ is certainly an option and they won’t break your wallet.
Parada Maimon – Philadelphia, PA
So many parts of Philadelphia change so quickly it is hard to keep up any longer. Where Parada Maimon (PM), a Dominican restaurant sits is one such area. What used to be abandoned factories are now thriving condos, apartments, businesses, bars, and the Underground Arts center. PM was very vibrant, festive, and employees happy the day I stopped by for a visit. I would go with half rotisserie chicken with yellow rice and beans.
I was extremely pleased with not only meal as the chicken was moist, beans tasty, and rice cooked perfectly, but the price point was very affordable. PM is certainly not for everyone as the majority of food offerings at PM is nowhere near mainstream enough for the masses, but if you are in the area and wanted a little something different with a smile I certainly recommend giving them a try. I know I will again.
Mike’s Steaks Comcast Center – Philadelphia, PA
The market and shops and the Comcast Center provide a diversified picture of what Philadelphia has to offer. It may not be the greatest selection of what we have to offer, but a decent showing and possibly the best food court in town. At one of the far ends of the market sits Mike’s Steaks (MS). MS is a no frills sort of operation, with higher than normal menu prices for their basic offerings, but I am sure the rent is not cheap in this part of town. The service was nothing more than herding the lunch crowd through taking an order, giving a receipt, and waiting for your name to be called. With my turn in line finally, I would go with a cheesesteak with fried onions, American cheese, ketchup, and a side order of spicy Cajun fries with a cup of melted American cheese.
MS provides food for the masses, and they do it quickly like a well-oiled machine. Cheesesteaks are the original fast-casual food and MS has that part down to a science. The fries were tasty and cheese hit all the right notes, but fries were not fresh and cheese I am sure probably came out of a can. They fill a niche for the office workers who do not want to take a chance on a food cart or have a sub-par cheesesteak from an average pizza-joint, so for that I commend them.
Donkey’s Place – Camden, NJ
Some places are so over hyped with so many awards or foodies telling you that you have to try somewhere that sometimes I do my best to avoid going there as I usually avoid the places where everyone else wants to be. Well I can tell you that Donkey’s Place (DP) in Camden, New Jersey is worth every good piece of good press or positive word of mouth they have ever received. I am not going to delve into is it the best around, as I am not a believer in “best”. What they are though is damn good, delicious, fun to be at, and someplace you have to experience in person to really “get it”. I had the cheesesteak with fried onions, fries, and used their house hot sauce on both that made the meal flat out AMAZING! It is an adventure to get there, the neighborhood is rough, the patrons are a colorful group, and the staff is great. Take one of these components out and I believe DP would not be what they are, and what they are is a full-fledged foodie experience. I know DP has a Medford, New Jersey location as well, but part of me just does not think it could not be anywhere as great as their Camden spot. Then again I did not think DP in Camden was worth the trip and boy was I incorrect. For someone who is always right (insert joke here) I would find it unbelievable to be wrong twice about the same subject. If I am wrong, I know why. It is because DP is a special place, with a mindset that only the owners of DP could duplicate. So until I visit their Medford location, just take my word along with the thousands of others who sing DP’s praises. GO, GO NOW, and ENJOY!
Woodbury Station Café – Woodbury, NJ
I always find old train stations to be an interesting look into the past. What I find most interesting about the old train station that sits in Woodbury, New Jersey is that is has been transformed into a dining destination called Woodbury Station Café (WSC). I did not expect too much from WSC, but I can say that I was thoroughly impressed.
I would go with a simple dish of chicken marsala, but WSC provided an delicious spin on an old favorite. Everything was cooked to perfection, with fresh giant chunks of mushrooms, asparagus, and potato wedges to go along with juicy chicken breasts topped with one of the better marsala sauces I have had in quite some time. Add to the mix a friendly and efficient service throughout the meal, and WSC has me planning to visiting them again sometime soon and hoping next time to catch a glimpse of a train riding by during my stay.
Schileens Pub – Westville, NJ
You can drive through the tiny town of Westville, New Jersey so fast that if you blink once, you may have missed the entire town on your journey. Well I am here to tell you that when you are getting near this mini-municipality you may want to keep your eyes open to see the sign for Schileens Pub (SP) and turn in and enjoy some of the best roast beef sandwiches in South Jersey.
They bring out some fresh hand cut roast beef on a perfectly puffy Kaiser roll with American cheese and delicious Au jus on the side. The sign outside SP at times keeps a tab on the number of roast beef sandwiches that have been sold there, which numbers in the hundreds of thousands, and after you have one you can see why they have sold so many and then wonder why the number sold is not in the millions, because I could have eaten ten of them by myself. They are that good.
The service was quick and efficient, and they are certainly a close knit neighborhood pub as the majority of patrons were welcomed on a first name basis. Their motto is “There are no strangers here, Just friends that never met yet” and I certainly felt that way the day I visited and left happier than I arrived.
Bo Ne Restaurant – Woodbury, NJ
I would have never thought to visit Woodbury, New Jersey to have some amazing Vietnamese food. Sitting in a small non-descript building close to the hospital is Bo Ne (BN). The staff makes you feel like family from the minute you step inside until the time you leave. They were very attentive to what everyone ordered and wanted to make sure you know what was in each dish and described them to make sure you would like it, or recommend something else that may be more to your liking. They hit the nail on the head for everyone that came. My meal would be their Thai chili glazed chicken wings that were FABULOUS and could be one of the best non “buffalo” style wings in South Jersey. Then I had the beef stew noodle soup that was fresh, flavorful, and delicious from first bite all the way to the last bite which was even more impressive than the first after all the different ingredients had time to simmer together to form on of the best bowls of this version of Pho around the area. There may not be much around the area to visit besides the hospital, or things to do, but BN is reason enough to make a visit to this part of South Jersey.
BlueJeanFood 