Vetri – This must be Heaven

Posted on June 5, 2013 by Bluejeanfood

Vetri – Philadelphia, PA

Everyone talks about Vetri, but not everyone would get Vetri.

Marc Vetri is a homegrown Philadelphia talent. He left Philadelphia in 1990 to spread his wings in Los Angeles. While living on the West Coast, he pushed, crawled, and clawed his way until finally getting the chance of a lifetime to  work in the kitchen of the hottest restaurants of the time, Wolfgang Puck’s Granita in Malibu. While working beside Wolfgang Puck, Puck was able to slay one of Marc’s personal demons. To treat Marc with respect and just like a normal human being and shatter Marc’s perception of being lesser than everybody else because of his stutter. (Read story about Marc’s stutter, CLICK HERE) With this weight finally lighted off his back, Marc made his way to the other side of the Atlantic to be trained by some of Italy’s best chefs in Bergamo, Italy. Upon departing Italy with his new found confidence and unparalleled skills, Marc came back to Philadelphia opening Vetri and within two years Marc was named one of Food & Wine’s Ten Best New Chefs and in 2005, Marc won the James Beard Award for “Best Chef Mid-Atlantic.” Philadelphia always loves an underdog, but Marc has gone from contender to Philadelphia’s culinary champion. One success after another has popped up under his direction. Restaurants Osteria, Amis, Alla Spina, and upcoming openings of Osteria 2 at the Moorestown Mall and Pizzeria Vetri in the The Granary  are under his watchful eye as well as two very successful cookbooks “Il Viaggio di Vetri” and “Rustic Italian Food”. With such success, the Vetri name may go down in history as Philadelphia’s largest and best contributor of culinary greatness.

Getting to Vetri has always been on my radar, but the time to go had just never seemed right. The food always intrigued me, but often I feel out of place in fancy establishments, and sometimes even I would wonder if the price you pay to eat there was really worth all the hype. Well after a year like my family has had, with the ups and downs of daily life while also experiencing the most breath taking moment I have ever experienced yet with my amazing son being born. My beautiful wife figured if I was not going to take us there, she would. Vetri was the culmination of a great birthday, and their is absolutely no one else I would have rather have gone and experienced this with than her. So a big thank you, and I love you and our little family. (Yes, that even means the crazy dog)

Now back to the first sentence of this article. I said everybody talks about Vetri, but not everyone would get Vetri. I say this, because I consider myself lucky and blessed to have been able to travel around the world experiencing so many different cultures, living outside the box, and eating so many strange and exotic things that sometimes Italian food gets overlooked easily. Vetri has woke me up from this problem and reminds me how beautiful Italian dining can be when done properly. Here is the catch to what I said. Vetri’s Italian is not to be mistaken for your grandmom’s fantastic Italian dishes with the gravy that simmered for days that everyone raved about on holidays, or those memorable Italian meals you ate in some South Philly restaurant. Vetri is Italian, and it is what Italy is all about in it’s purest form. Nothing massed produced here, everything meticulously prepared with only the freshest ingredients,  the food being the most important aspect, flawless service, time in between courses to enjoy light conversion, and the excitement of what will come out of the kitchen next.

This review is more of a synopsis of what I experienced, and less of what each meal consisted of. The first reason for this is that while eating at Vetri, even I felt it a bothersome endeavor to take decent photographs of the food as I wanted to eat what was put down in front of me as soon as possible. Second, Vetri is not an establishment that people want to have a flash going off while they are eating. You go to Vetri to escape your daily life and enjoy a once in a lifetime meal. I understand and respect that, so with no flash the pictures came out extremely crappy. Third, the staff at Vetri advised me that they change about seventy percent of the menu every couple of months, so even if I took a decent picture of something, chances are you would not even see it if you went there. Finally, not only with the menu changing quite a bit, there is no set menu at Vetri! You do not order off the menu. They bring you what they want to bring you and you will like it or not. Now the chances of you not liking something there I would say are slim to none, but either way you are not in charge of your own destiny. It’s a chef’s tasting menu. So only the chef and waiters are aware of what you are getting before it is sat on you table. I enjoyed this aspect of it thoroughly, as having to think of what to order is sometimes more of a burden than you think, but here it worked seamlessly. This is the luxury of being open minded and willing to be pampered when you eat here. If you can not handle being told what you are going to eat, you should skip eating here, but you may miss out on one of the best meals you could ever have.

The dining area is very intimate. I think the room could use a little more character as it just seemed a little plain and stuffy for my taste and the music was a little too much at times, but I understand that nothing else except the food is the star of this place. Every part of the meal eaten at Vetri was a highlight reel. One of the standouts I must mention was the sweet onion crepe with white truffle. This dish is one of only about three dishes that are never removed from the kitchens rotation I was advised and is one of the staffs favorite items to eat and is easy to see why after eating it. The onion is cooked for about eight to ten hours and what comes out is one of the tastiest things I have ever had the privilege of eating. Yes you heard right, an onion cooked for eight to ten hours and all of this press to an ONION. Ladies and gentlemen it is that damn good. Now you must be thinking am I crazy, but the magic of Vetri is that unless you were there, you would not know, and that is why everyone talks about Vetri, but not everyone would get Vetri.

Is Vetri worth the price? Yes, but only to those who are not picky eaters. If you are a picky eater, do not waste your time or money here.

Is it the best Italian ever? I had somewhat similar eating experiences in Italy that just blew me away, but getting to Italy and back is a bit much for the average person and a little more expensive than just going to Vetri, but I will  agree with GQ Magazine food critic Alan Richman and count Vetri as one of the
best restaurants in America.

Would I go back? In a heartbeat and I hope Mark Vetri comes up with some sort of food contest that he is going to cook at and have me be the judge.

Final
Five out of Five Stars (Would have given more, but Five is the Max)

Below are the terrible pictures for those you just want to have a blurry peek of my time at Vetri.

inside

starter

fish

onion

veal lobster

pasta

hen

pre-dessert

dessert

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Knife and Fork Inn, Atlantic City

Posted on May 8, 2013 by Bluejeanfood

Knife and Fork Inn – Atlantic City, NJ

Atlantic City has changed numerous times since 1912, but one thing in this town has stood the test the time.  The Knife and Fork Inn (KF) now owned by Frank Dougherty a fourth-generation co-owner of Dock’s Oyster House also in Atlantic City has KF primed to keep watching AC’s growth or decline first hand for the foreseeable future. KF embraces its past with painted portraits such as being an exclusive men’s drinking and dining club when it first opened housing illegal gambling and rumored prostitution, as well as getting a renewed spotlight due to the interest from the HBO show Boardwalk Empire staring Enoch “Nucky” Johnson a political hotshot of the time, who was a regular at KF and main character of the show. With KF’s purchase in 2005, Frank Dougherty has renovated KF into a pristine establishment that is just a joy to walk around and witness all of this buildings architecture just thinking how much fun it must have been to visit KF in the roaring twenties.

I arrived with a party of sixteen for this article, which KF handled with ease by sitting us on the third floor that was setup entirely just for us, with its own bathroom facilities and private server by the name of Casey. Now I wish I could give Casey a better title than server, because let me start by saying I hope KF and Mr. Dougherty recognize the talent they have in this man. The title of server extraordinaire, general manager to be, or future VP of hospitality management for some corporate conglomerate would be better suited for this individual. He was the most enthusiastic, knowable, and pleasant server I have encountered in quite some time and I hope his talent is recognized by those who matter. Having him take care of us made such a positive lasting impression this group will not soon forget.

Now lets talk about what we really came for, the food. The evening started out with a Thai infused soft shell crab that was to die for. The crab was cooked to perfection, having the sweet juicy crab meat squirt with each bite, while the Thai spices added an exotic and amazing take of a shore classic. A must order for any soft shell lover.

crab

After a start like that, KF really had their work cut out for them to out perform themselves, but they did just that with the colossal sized shrimp cocktail. They served four shrimp that were literally the size of small lobster tails and so fresh I would not be surprised if Casey himself pulled them out of the Atlantic Ocean.

shrimp

Could KF keep the momentum going? The crock of french onion soup was the wildcard of my order and they did not disappoint. With a broth strong with the essence of perfectly caramelized onions, with just the right out of cheese and toasted bread, KF really sent this dish from a wildcard in my mind to a must have for any fan of french onion soup.

soup

Now the main course finally arrives. Ribeye filet with roasted long hot peppers and a side of sautéed wild mushrooms. Unfortunately  KF had a slip up. The steak was overcooked, quite a bit of gristle, and the mushrooms had a strong bitter profile to them. Do not get me wrong, this was just slightly better than the average, but when you perform with such perfection in previous courses, nothing except greatness becomes the only option.

steak

mushroom
After all of that food could anyone possibly eat dessert? For Bluejeanfoodcritic the answer is YES! A vanilla bean creme brulee with an almond florentine cookie and fresh berries is delivered. The cookie was a tasty nice touch and the berries were again so fresh I think they must have a garden out back. A perfect ending to a great meal.

creme

Atlantic City has had many changes throughout the years, but if KF’s performance is any indicator, I think KF may be standing longer than a lot of other things AC is famous for. They excelled in every portion of a meal a diner looks for with service that just is not seen these days. Maybe Casey is just a throwback to the roaring twenties type of service, but whatever school he came from, I hope other restaurants send their servers there as well. KF has a keeper in Casey, and the kitchen staff they currently have cooking for them.

To finish the night, AC’s latest catch phrase is DO AC, and the party of sixteen did just that after leaving KF. First a visit to Tropicana Casino’s Ri Ra Irish Pub and then ending the night at Harrah Casino’s hip The Pool After Dark Nightclub. No one in the crew hit for big money, or became famous, but we can always try again. You may never know how a night in AC will go, but what I can tell you is that if KF serves meals like they did the night I went, it is a guaranteed jackpot of an awesome meal out at least if you go to KF. Tell them Bluejeanfoodcritic sent you and ask for Casey.

Four out of Five Stars

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A Night out in Millville – NJ, Presenting: Andrea Trattoria Restaurant & The Levoy Theater

Posted on April 17, 2013 by Bluejeanfood

Andrea Trattoria – Millville, NJ

On a beautiful Saturday evening that kicked off the month of April, a crew of eight hungry showgoers and performers land in Millville, NJ with plenty of time to spare before showtime at The Levoy Theater. The downtown area has quite a few dining choices, but we descend upon Andrea Trattoria (AT) as our choice for the night.

AT is run by Andrea Covino who originates from Naples, Italy and spent a little time in my hometown Philadelphia, PA cooking at Girasole as well as their Atlantic City location. He operated another AT that was in Newfield that unfortunately is no longer in business, but he still runs AT2 in Sea Isle City. With this being said, Andrea is no stranger to the restaurant business.  The question I have, is can he create another successful restaurant and rise to the top of the up and coming Millville theater district dining scene?

If stepping inside AT Saturday night was any indication of measuring success, then AT has hit  it right where it counts, with butts filling all available seats. The restaurant was filled to capacity, with staff zipping around the room taking orders, filling glasses, bringing out ice buckets, quickly cleaning up when one table was done and immediately seating other patrons who were waiting at the door to be next.

Now crowds do not automatically equate to receiving great food, as fast food locations prove this theory easily. So could AT provide quality food in mass quantity? The quick answer is yes. AT started the experience off with homemade breads that were so delicious, two bowls of the stuff were dismantled so quickly I did not even have a chance to take a photo of either bowl.

After placing my order, a short while later, my two appetizers appeared. First to arrive was the Gambrei Con Fagioli, with sautéed shrimp, grape tomatoes, arugula and cannellini beans followed by my order of Antipasto. I will talk about the antipasto first as it was fabulous on every level, being fresh, tasty, with quite a nice variety, and I highly recommended it. The same can almost be said about the shrimp as the flavor profile was there, but the shrimp were slightly overcooked, and the plating was horrendous looking with the dish swimming in juice. Two very easily fixed problems, and problems that can easily occur dealing with crowds as large as they had that night, so hopefully they will take note on future orders of the Gambrei Con Fagioli.

anti

shrimp

After enjoying the appetizers  my main course appeared. I ordered farm-raised bass presented over a delectable puree, mashed potatoes, and fresh vegetables  Again AT hit the spots that really count, as the veggies were crisp with a taste that would make a vegetarian weep in joy. The potatoes were creamy and fluffy, and the puree simply was out of this world. Again, the meal was great, except the bass was slightly overcooked. It was not so overdone that it was too noticeable, but I could not peel the skin off the fish to enjoy like a properly cooked fish dish should provide. With a slight more precision, AT could have knocked it out of the park, but hit a slight bump in the road.

fish

With AT being so busy, the staff seemed a little overwhelmed at times, but I must say for the most part they were all extremely gracious during the entire service and very helpful in understanding the majority of the table had to have their dinner brought out expedited as we had to perform and get to sound check at The Levoy. Service started to run just a tad late, so myself and few others at the table had to skip dessert to prepare for the show. I can not personally attest to this, but those who were able to stay said that they thought the desserts at AT were wonderful.

With a fantastic dinner in our bellies, we were all prepared to put on a killer show at the amazing Levoy Theater that night. With its revitalization, Millville may be on to something and creating a hot culture and arts destination spot in deep South Jersey rather soon than later. This has been accomplished with new restaurants appearing, people coming into town to watch shows at a theater that truly doesn’t have a bad seat in the house while providing state of the art sound and visuals,  having a lineup of upcoming shows that has a little something for everyone, and also the town has provided more than ample free parking surrounding the entire theater area.

The show at The Levoy could not have gone better with a crowd that was just simply electric. Was it the food beforehand that made the show that much better? I do not know, but what I do know is my stomach thanked me for going to AT and then performing for a fun night out for the huge crowd who arrived at an amazing theater

Would I go back to AT? Without a doubt, and I hope the Levoy brings us down again soon as there are so many other things I would love to try on AT’s menu.

Is AT for everyone? For the Philadelphia crowd, AT fits in perfectly for a great meal out, but they may have to push the boundaries slightly more to appease the Philadelphia base. What I am not too sure though, is if the clientele living near AT is used to or fully appreciates what is going on there. I feel as their prices could keep a large majority of the local base away, as many of the people I talked to at The Levoy stated that while AT seems nice as well as another restaurant nearby called Winfield’s,  they are a little too pricey for their taste. To AT’s credit though, AT is a byob so that does allow them to be slightly more competitive to the cost conscience consumer. To correct this, maybe Millville could come up with a restaurant week like many other towns just so those on a fixed budget could at least experience some of their nicer restaurants once and then make the decision to save up and eat there again for special occasions or feel it is not worth it and continue to stay away. Either way, Millvile would at least have the locals energized and talking about their downtown.

What could be better? As mentioned above, just a slight bit more precision in the kitchen on overcooking, making sure the plating looks appealing, maybe have just one or two more servers on the weekend so that the staff could get into a more comfortable groove to cut down on the chaotic feeling at times, and to just keep on bringing that delicious bread out all night. Even with these things being said, it looks like Cumberland County has a culinary destination for the foreseeable future as the night could not have been better. Even with the slight negatives that were mentioned, if you are in the area and lucky enough to experience a great show at the beautiful Levoy, you should give AT a try as it takes talent for not one out of eight diners to be dissatisfied in the least with their experience or meal.

Overall
Four out of Five Stars

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Lock me up, I love to eat “ILLEGAL” food

Posted on March 28, 2013 by Bluejeanfood

A sleek black phone sits idly on the coffee table, window blinds closed tightly to seal out the daylight while I sit silently in the dark with my eyes burning from staring at it, just waiting for the phone to let me know they still care about me. When will the next message from them come? Will it be today, tomorrow, the next day, or never again? Should I cancel all of my plans for the next few days in case the message comes and the product is being sold sometime soon. I am frozen stiff in place with anxiety and do not want to move this way I can be assured if the message does come through, I will be able to get my next fix of it as soon as possible.

What am I supposed to do? I am breaking out in chills, palms warm and sweaty, pupils large, eyes red, teeth grinding, and unsure if I will ever have it again. Why does life have to be this way?

The phone finally chimes and a personalized encoded cryptic message comes through. I rub my eyes to sooth the red puffiness that has overcome them and remove the crust surrounding them to beable to see my phone in the dark. It reads “today jerk and curry chicken available and red snapper made to order all with rice and beans, cabbage and plantains, $xx.xx per platter, meet at such and such parking lot, only between 4:30pm-5:30pm, thanks for your support”. I quickly get myself together, and frantically send out my message to others letting them know I received notice and let me know if they would like me to do business for them. A total of nine orders are what I will set out to pick up undercover to have a party get started again.

I arrive at the destination with a few unfamiliar cars surrounding me and a police patrol vehicle parked nearby. Do the authorities know of my underground food dealings? Is this an undercover sting operation? Have I been setup the entire time, with news reporters and cameramen hiding in the bushes coming to flash bright lights in my face exposing my addiction to Jamaican food. Will this be my last meal as a free man? Should I flee while I still have the chance, and deal with my terrible withdraw symptoms? I feel like screaming! Thankfully, all of these thoughts passed by in only 3 seconds, and within a minute, I hear the crank of the  engine, headlights flash on, and our fine protector of the peace  depart the parking lot as well as the other unknown vehicles. I  now sit calmly waiting for the transaction to be happen.

A familiar face pulls into the parking lot. I walk over, we exchange pleasantries, ask how the family is doing, and anything else on the top of our minds. The food is sitting on the floor of the passenger side of the vehicle, packaged up and ready to go. The money is exchanged for the product I came for, and back home I go to start the cycle all over again of wondering if and when this will ever happen again, and wishing my friend good luck in his culinary endeavors.

jam

This underground food exchange is nothing new for me, and surprisingly happens quite frequently. The one I just described isa former restaurant owner, who tried their hand in the culinary world by opening two different restaurants, both of which did not survive and left the restaurant business for good. We became friends, years have since passed and out of the blue a call came through saying that they needed to raise some money here and there and that they were going to dabble in the food business again, but only cooking things at home for friends and family when time permitted and sending out a random text when that day and time would be and where to meet. Then there was the time I met aprofessional foodie rebel, who I met making the most delicious
lobster rolls I have ever tasted in his basement in Brooklyn during a under the radar weekend culinary tour of all five of New York City’s boroughs. He also, will remain unnamed, but he has appeared on the Food Network, even alongside famous Chef Bobby Flay so it goes to show that the underground food market is not just for some at home cooks or people down on their luck looking to get money anyway possible. During the visit you had to stay completely silent during your meal because his neighbors had become tired of the amount of visitors and noise coming from his basement apartment.

The two dealings I just mentioned are illegal. Technically the law is being broken and I am supporting criminal behavior. As much as Uncle Sam may hate it, I am sleeping soundly at night, and I will continue to join in on such illicit affairs. I am not endorsing this type of lifestyle, I just am highlighting that such a thing exists.

Now you may be asking yourself was the jerk chicken shown in the picture any good? The answer is yes and I will eat it again and again given the opportunity is there and I am available that day to pick it up. I will say thought that it was not as good as what they used to serve at their now defunct restaurants, but I do not think they are interested in that lifestyle again.

I am not giving stars on the food as each experience is different and not able to be duplicated or available to the general public. What I can tell you, is live life a little bit, ask around to find some underground foodie speakeasy or events near you even if they are serving horse meat. Get over your fears of food. Trust me, even if the food is not the best you have ever had, the experience alone will give you something to talk about for quite some time.

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North Broad Street Revitalization

Posted on March 18, 2013 by Bluejeanfood

Owl Breakfast & Lunch – Philadelphia, PA

The landscape around North Philadelphia and Temple in particular is mind boggling how much it has changed during the last five years. Higher end projects and gentrification is being pushed further up North Broad Street and are working their way up to areas that were previously plagued with only crime and blight. If the rumors are true about the Divine Lorraine Hotel finally going to be renovated, and with Bart Blatstein’s Tower Place at Spring Garden getting finished and the possibility of his Provence Casino being built, I think this trend will continue and the revitalization may be for real this time.

With an increasing population hitting the area, those people are going to need someplace to eat a nice breakfast. Could Owl Breakfast & Lunch (OBL) be North Philly’s answer to South Philly having the Melrose Diner?

OBL sits nondescriptly in the middle of the block between a Dunkin Donuts and City View Pizza on the 1400 Block of Cecil B Moore Avenue. The interior is bright, bland, slightly tiny and clean, with friendly service, and the usual suspects on the breakfast menu at reasonable prices. I chose a bacon, egg, and cheese sandwich on a bagel with salt, pepper and ketchup.

owl

 

The order was prepared quickly, with the bagel nicely toasted on the grill, bacon plentiful and crispy, with the egg perfectly cooked with just the right amount of condiments added. The Melrose Diner is not going to have to worry about losing their customer base to OBL anytime soon, but for North Philadelphia it is a nice change of scenery in a setting that makes you feel comfortable to enjoy a nice breakfast. I am sure if the transformation of North Broad Street continues, that OBL will transform with it to keep up with its clienteles needs.

Will I go back? If I am in the area, without a doubt. Until then, a visit to OBL is only necessary and warranted if you have early morning business around Temple to take care of and did not eat breakfast beforehand. They were good, but not something to go out of your way for with nothing else around to do just yet.

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A glimpse into the underbelly of Philly’s Chinatown

Posted on March 14, 2013 by Bluejeanfood

Tasty Place – Philadelphia, PA

Philadelphia’s Chinatown is a large and daunting task to take on culinarily  especially for those of us not having an Asian background to guide us to the path of enlightenment there. Having been to many places in China, Taiwan  Singapore, Thailand, Hong Kong, and Japan, Asian flavors have maintained a spot in my palate that are not easily found, especially when I had no idea what I was ordering or eating when I was at most of those locations. Tasty Place sits by stepping into the underbelly of Philly’s Chinatown in the Chinatown Mall below ground at 11th and Race Streets that gives you a feeling of excitement seeing lots of foreign things to most people and the fun of exploring new products not normally found in your neighborhood supermarket. I encourage you to walk around, buy a few new things you have never seen, and then enjoy Tasty Place.

The first thing you may notice is that nothing on the menu is over ten dollars, and everything is very reasonably priced. For all of the food that I ordered, the total was only twenty-three dollars. Just as much, or if not less that what a normally fast-food Americanized Chinese take-out place near you that serves bottom of the barrel commercialized flavors to the masses that the majority of Americans think is real Asian flavors or food. So the excuse many people say that a lot of restaurants in Chinatown being too expensive to experiment with and try their food is not a valid argument here. What I will agree with is that it is not the most romantic place, nor is it that visually appealing as a stand alone restaurant, but this is what makes Tasty Place its own. It is bare bones, not caring about anything but the food destination. When I ordered, not a lot of non-Asian were present when I visited which made the remark of a little boy who could not be older than six years old sitting next me ask, “What you do here?”. I replied “Getting some food”, with him retorting “Oh, I don’t see a lot of people like you. You’ll like it, food good here” and he then asked if I liked superheros (which I do) and I had a friend for the duration of my stay at Tasty Place talking superhero mumbo jumbo and he even walked me all the way to the door as I left and yelled “Hope to see you again”. He may have been knowledgeable out superheros, but did this little boy know anything about good food? Well, as the saying goes “Out of the mouths of babes”, this child could not have been more correct about getting good food there and he will be seeing me there again.

tasty

I am not going to list a blow-by-blow of what I ordered. I am sure you can see by the picture, wonton soup and pork fried rice were two of the options. The other two were complete guesses, and they did not disappoint. The soup was amazing and the fried rice cooked to perfection with a flavor that can not be duplicated easily. With Tasty Place’s set ten-dollar cap for pricing, trying new and unusual things is half the fun of going there, and with a menu featuring over one-hundred options plenty of fun tasty adventures are bound to happen in the future for me there and hopefully you as well. Give them a try, I have a strong feeling they will not disappoint you, and if you do order something that was not exactly what you were looking for, I am sure that you have wasted ten-dollars on something sillier than trying to expand your horizons

Now if you want a breakdown of Tasty Place’s history, a complete story about food ordered there, and more about its chef Simon Sei, I encourage you to CLICK HERE for Philadelphia Inquirer food critic Craig LaBan’s article about them.

Here is my breakdown for my review:

For the price and quality of the food – Four Stars.

The atmosphere kills them as you do not get the usual dining out experience and it is not a date night location for sure – One and a half Stars

Order take-out and eat at home compared to your normal take-out chinese place – Five Stars

Giving Tasty Place an overall score:
Three and a half stars out of Five

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Life isn’t Fare

Posted on March 6, 2013 by Bluejeanfood
Fare Restaurant, Philadelphia PA
In Philadelphia’s Fairmount section, sitting in the shadows of the
former Eastern State Penitentiary, famous for housing mobster Al
Capone and holding one of America’s best haunted house attractions
“Terror Behind The Walls” every Halloween season, sits Fare
restaurant. It has a lot going on around it, but does it have as
many great things happening within its walls?
The atmosphere and decor inside Fare are nice, as well as the
service very friendly and attentive. Fare prides itself for
providing diners with its organic, locally grown and sourced
ingredients it prepares meals with. I am all for this movement,
but some places seem to pull this out as an advertisement as a
reason you should eat there, instead of the food being the sole
reason for ones patronage. Unfortunately Fare sided more with it
being an advertisement from my experience.
The burger was juicy, but extremely bland. A few extra spices, or
another blend of meat may be needed to make it worth its $14 price
tag, especially with Philadelphia hosting great burger places like
500 Degrees and Shake Shack offering much better burgers at a much
better price. The bun was perfect in each way, but again the
cheese distracted the experience being overcooked and greasy. The
fries are supposedly made fresh, but mine were so dried out and
overcooked I could have played Jenga with them.
Fare
It really is a shame that Fare did not provide a great meal,
because all of the other aspects of the experience were spot on. I
do not know if it is a matter of a menu overhaul or better
execution in the kitchen, but a change is needed in order for them
to last as long as the stories and legends who have visited the
Fairmount area in the past. As Frank Tagliano says in Netflix show Lillyhammer which I can not wait for Season 2, “Life ain’t easy”. Well I am here to say it isn’t Fare either.
Would I go back? Sure for happy hour with friends as the bar area is very nice
Would I order a meal there again anytime soon? Yes, as soon as they relaunch the menu

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Build it and WILL they come?

Posted on February 23, 2013 by Bluejeanfood

Speranza – Westville, NJ

http://speranzaristorante.com/

https://www.facebook.com/SperanzaItalianRestaurant

outside

Westville, New Jersey does not seem like an obvious location to open an semi-upscale Italian themed restaurant, but  the Finney Restaurant Group who run eateries Gia Nina’s and Woodbury Station Café have to believe the saying from the movie Field of Dreams with Kevin Costner, “If you build it they will come”. Speranza in Italian means hope, and I know that not only is the town of Westville hoping for this to be the building block to finally have their much neglected and failed retail stretch of downtown finally thrive, but former Executive Chef of the now shuttered Red Square of Tropicana Casino; David Strano is hoping that the great reviews he received while chef there continue their trend here. During Red Square’s tenure open in Atlantic City as Atlantic City Insiders point out in their article (CLICK HERE TO READ) Executive Chef David Strano opened and closed its doors while being the only restaurant in Atlantic City to receive four stars by The Press of Atlantic City the entire time Red Square was in operation.

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Speranza occupies the space formerly held by seafood restaurant Sea Haag. Sea Haag, who had service so slow and bad; I think two people could step inside the restaurant, either person could leave, drive down the shore, catch their own crabs, drive back home, cook and eat all the crabs they caught, head back to Sea Haags, and the other person would still being waiting for anyone there to even acknowledge they wanted to eat there. Well not only has Speranza done a complete 360 in terms of the ambiance and appearance,  the moment you step foot inside (the gelato bar looks amazing and I want to try all the flavors), they also had some the most accommodating and gracious individuals working there.

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The food is also something people hailing from the small towns surrounding Westville will be surprised by. No longer will they need to make a plan for a night out in the city of Philadelphia and be bent over backward by the evil parking authority that hands out tickets like lollipops making your night out meal even more expensive than it needed to be, hang with the hipster types that are confused and wondering which social injustice they want to stand for today in Collingswood’s restaurant row, or pretend to fit in with the highfalutin types that make you want to gag in your mouth around Haddonfield. You can just head to Westville, be yourself, and enjoy a night out. Everything was of the utmost quality, with prices that would be double in the towns I just made fun of.

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The Bianco wood-fired pizza was perfect in each way. Not too overdone, nice and crisp, with flavors that were appeasing in each bite. The Cioppino was amazing, with fresh shrimp, crab, mussels, clams, herbs, and a broth that was made to have its garlic bread soak in it and then shove it in your mouth with all of its soggy glory. YUMMY! The only blip on my radar was the shrimp and crab risotto. The flavor was slightly too minimal for the profile I was searching for,  especially with gulf shrimp listed in it, I would have liked to seen them cooked whole to enjoy instead of just being mashed inside the risotto drowning out their flavor. (FYI – the dishes were taken out due to unforeseen circumstances so please do not think this is what your plate would look like if you ate there)

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Speranza has nothing but great things on its horizon if they continue the trend of quality dishes and friendly service. The only question is can they convince other people to stop in a town almost no one has ever heard of with nothing else surrounding them to make it a true night out expect maybe a hop over the famed roast beef hot spot Schilleens Pub for a night-cap. Only time will tell, but what I can tell you is that providing that the infamous Brooklawn Circle is not flooded, I will be making my way back to Speranza to check them out again.

 

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Super Bowl 2013 Winner

Posted on January 26, 2013 by Bluejeanfood

Angelo’s Pizza – Audubon, NJ

So with Super Bowl 47 around the corner featuring the Baltimore Ravens VS San Francisco 49ers I was wondering how can could Philadelphians get ready since our beloved Eagles are not playing this year again. The matchup is offering a brother versus brother for the first time with the Harbaugh brothers, and we are the city of Brotherly Love, but couldn’t think of anything to go on with that. Baltimore does sport a raven as the team logo which is in the bird family, just like eagles, but that is a stretch and I do not know anyone who cooks ravens around here.

The story locally has been about a somewhat local Philadelphia boy done well, Joe Flacco who played for the Delaware Blue Hens, and hails from Audubon, New Jersey. So I decided to go on a field trip to check out his hometown. It is a sleepy little hamlet, with its main street called Merchant Street is only one block long, but it seems like a nice place to grow up, play football, and raise a family. I was told that Joe would frequent a pizzeria called Angelo’s Pizza located directly across the street from a very homely and family friendly coffee spot called The Treehouse Coffee Shop.

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The pizza was fresh, evenly cooked, nice ratio of sauce and cheese, and delicious. The interior could use a little freshening up as the place seems a little out dated, but the gentleman behind the counter could not have been nicer and happy to serve his goods. If this is truly where Joe would get a nice pizza, while preparing himself for the following weeks football games, I will be sending a few pies to the Philadelphia Eagles new coach Chip Kelly and ask him to serve them to whoever they bring in for quarterback next year, and hopefully lightning can strike twice from Angelo’s for a Super Bowl contending team and quarterback we can all get behind and cheer for.

I am not giving stars for this review. I will say the pizza was above average. Not the best I ever had, but well worth the trip, while getting into a Super Bowl state of mind.

Would I go here again? Sure if I’m in the area and looking for pizza, it hit all the right notes you look for from a local pizza shop.

In the mood to make your Super Bowl party special? Then order a few pies from Angelo’s, check out Joe’s hometown, buy a Flacco jersey, and be the talk of the party with your own adventure story like mine.

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Good & Evil Chocolate Bar

Posted on January 19, 2013 by Bluejeanfood

I am not a fan of chocolate candy and have always thought chocoholics were crazy. Well I am here to apologize to everyone of you. This chocolate bar is out of this world! I’m hooked. It’s from Anthony Bourdain who has a new show called The Taste airing on ABC Tuesday, January 22nd, famous Chef Eric Ripert, and christopher curtin. It’s called Good/Evil from Peru made by Éclat Chocolate.

Good & Evil Chocolate Bar

Want to try for yourself? CLICK HERE to buy some

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