1st annual Fight Fire with Fire – Philadelphia Red Cross Press Review

Posted on September 21, 2013 by Bluejeanfood

Just left the 1st Annual Southeastern Pennsylvania Red Cross Fight Fire with Fire BBQ Event and it was a roaring success. From the second I set foot into the event it was hustling and bustling with people having a great time from one end to the other with amazing food, beverages, games, beer garden for the adults, and live music all included for one low price. The individuals, volunteers, sponsors, and vendors who organized and helped run the event  should really pat themselves on their backs for the tremendous turnout and flawless execution. I really think the Philadelphia Red Cross has a hit on their hands, and I can not wait till next year for what I am sure will be an even bigger and better event to come. Here are just a few pictures below featuring Famous Daves, The Fresh Grocer, Whole Hog Cafe – Cherry Hill, The Guerrilla BBQ Ultima Truck, Philly Soft Pretzel Factory who also had Famjuice next to them::

famous dave

fresh grocer

whole hog

gorilla

philly soft

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Del Rossi’s Cheesesteak Co. – Philadelphia, PA

Posted on September 18, 2013 by Bluejeanfood

Del Rossi’s Cheesesteak Co. – Philadelphia, PA

Del Rossi’s Cheesesteak Co. (DR) looks hip and young the moment you step inside. From the signs of order online at grubhub.com to make sure you get your mobile alerts from them, to joining their many social media pages. They want you to know they are not your grandfathers cheesesteak joint of years ago and welcome those who live in the digital world.

The menu is quite large compared to other steak sandwich locations around the city as some of their competitors only offer a steak sandwich to order and nothing else. With cheesesteak in their name, I went with a cheesesteak wit (that means with cheese and my choice was american), fried onions well done, and ketchup with a side order of spicy cajun fries that included a cup of melted american cheese.

del rossi

The cheesesteak was definitely of a higher quality cut compared to your average pizza shop cheesesteaks, but the meat that was given to me had a lot of gristle in it and made my sandwich very chewy and tough throughout. I could have just been unlucky, but whoever was cooking should have noticed this and corrected the problem and used a different batch of meat. The onions were grilled nicely and they were generous with their cheese portion, but they were a little heavy handed with the ketchup. The fries were fresh cut which is a nice thing to see and the seasoning was nice, but again they went a little overboard with the amount they applied. The melted american cheese cup is a welcome site and enhanced the french fry experience greatly compared to pizza shop fries.

DR has the makings of being a great steak sandwich location, but they need to focus a little more on execution. If they can work out the kinks and perfect something all their own without being too cliche, they could be the place to beat since they offer more than just cheesesteaks, but with cheesesteak the largest portion of their name, they need to work on that first.

Would I go back? Yes, I would at least try them one more time hoping the bad meat portion I received was just a fluke.

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Captain Kidd – Cape Cod, MA

Posted on September 11, 2013 by Bluejeanfood

Captain Kidd – Cape Cod, MA

With Cape Cod having so many marinas and docks, Captain Kidd (CK) fits in perfectly for any boat lovers pirate persona hidden inside themselves. The charm of CK really sits inside the restaurant which is very large with a happening bar scene and lots of pirate themed decor. I was lucky enough to snag a seat on their waterfront dining area which is one of the nicest waterfront dining areas around the Woods Hole area.

Things started out nicely with their homemade clam chowder. It had a nice texture to it with a decent amount of clam and variety of vegetables making it one of the best I had in Cape Cod.

cap kid chowder

 

The fun slowed down quite a bit with the main course though. I ordered the Fisherman’s Platter which was all fried seafood and consisted of Cod, scallops, shrimp, and clams. I will start out with the good. The clams were highlight of the dish and I could have eaten an entire plate of just them. The scallops were a good size and cooked nicely leaving them crisp on the outside yet moist on the inside. The fries were just average as they were not fresh cut fries, but better than the dreaded double breaded fry. Now to the portion of the meal I could have gone without. The cod was mushy and inedible and the shrimp was as hard as rocks. I think I could have skipped the shrimp across the water to the other side of the marina. It really was a mixed dish and had a little bit of everything whether good or bad.

cap kid meal

My visit to CK has me thinking this of them. CK is a nice spot for a drink at their bar or a nice bowl of clam chowder or fried clams sitting on their waterfront dining area as a little snack while enjoying the view. I do not think their claim to fame is their food, but what pirate tale did you ever hear of that talked about pirates eating well. I can not think of any, but I can think of many references to pirates enjoying a good drink and that is exactly what you can do at CK to bring your inner pirate out.

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Kevin Parker’s Soul Food Cafe – (Reading Terminal) Philadelphia, PA

Posted on September 4, 2013 by Bluejeanfood

Kevin Parker’s Soul Food Cafe – (Reading Terminal) Philadelphia, PA

Kevin Parker’s Soul Food Cafe (KP) at the Reading Terminal Market takes the spot formally held by Delilah’s Cafe who was there from 1984 until their sudden closure in 2012. Delilah’s Cafe was a media darling for a little while with the spotlight shining bright from a proclamation by Oprah Winfrey on her show “Oprah” that they had the best Mac and Cheese in America, but financial problems ruined their empire. With taking over this location KP has big shoes to fill, but Kevin Parker himself is no stranger to the high profile soul food scene with his already successful venture Ms. Tootsie’s Restaurant Bar Lounge on South Street.

The line at KP was brisk, but moved quickly and the new decor looked amazing and makes their location seem like a miniature restaurant inside the Reading Terminal which has added a nice flair not seen by other vendors. The order consisted of fried chicken, mac and cheese, and cabbage.

kevin parker

My first bite into the fried chicken was an immediate success. The meat was juicy, skin crisp yet loose, in every way cooked to perfection, and the seasoning was spot on. I do not know if I just got one of their best batches ever produced, but this was one of the best down home versions of fried chicken I have enjoyed in quite some time. With such a strong start I hoped for the trend to continue, but the sides just could not compete. They were both good, and slightly above average for each of them, but nothing really stood out about them. The cabbage was a little too crisp and under-seasoned for my tastes and the mac and cheese was a bit overcooked. Even with the sides deficiencies, the chicken really compensated for their downfalls. The price for the entire meal was about $15 which is a tad high for soul food compared to other locations around the city, but the other locations are not in the heart of the Reading Terminal.

KP has a good thing going in one of the greatest food terminals in the world, and if they focus some energy on their sides they could be one of the terminal’s must go to locations for any citizen or visitor of Philadelphia. They are a welcome addition to this storied locations legacy, and I hope they have just as long of a run if not longer than the previous tenant.

 

 

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Wicked Restaurant and Wine Bar – Cape Cod, MA

Posted on August 15, 2013 by Bluejeanfood

Wicked Restaurant and Wine Bar – Cape Cod, MA

Walking into Wicked, it has a bold and adventurous look about it. They tout a fresh and organic tagline for their food, but sadly the only thing exciting about Wicked was the decor. I will say that our server was extremely bubbly and since he formerly worked for one of the towns in Cape Cod, he knows how to deal with tourists and where they should go. He was a wealth of information and was a fantastic server, just too bad the food was not as great as he was.

We came for lunch, and I ordered the Grilled Chicken Sandwich that called for Antibiotic-free sweet, chili glazed chicken breast, served with grilled pineapple on a house baked organic sweet potato roll with fresh cut fries. When I ordered though, I only stated I wanted the grilled chicken sandwich. What came out was a chicken wrap that did not resemble anything I ordered. I mentioned this error immediately and the waiter gracious asked what I was looking for and he stated someone gave me the dinner menu and that both sandwiches are called grilled chicken sandwich in the computer, but computer doesn’t recognize my option until dinner time.

I do not know if what my waiter brought out would have been better, but what started out as a bad omen became one. The roll was as stale as anything I have been served in quite a long time and just fell apart upon touch. The chicken was rubbery and overcooked, the glaze had the taste of something out of a jar, and fries so dried out I think they were trying to serve me potato chip sticks instead thus ruining any resemblance of fresh cut fries. The only saving grace was the pineapple was cooked to perfection and delicious.

wicked
It is sad as it looks as if Wicked has a wicked bar scene that they cater to late at night, but they were wickedly bad during my stay. Their claim to fame it seems is their fire grilled pizzas, but I do not see myself heading up to Cape Cod again to give them another try anytime soon to find out. If you want a drink with friends with a nice ambiance, Wicked has a nice bar to sit at, but other than that unfortunately I do not have anything else to say.

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Piston Diner (Review) – Westville, NJ

Posted on August 12, 2013 by Bluejeanfood

There are two things that Brooklawn, New Jersey had been synonymous for from 1979 until 2011. The Brooklawn Diner and the Brooklawn Circle. The Brooklawn Diner sadly went out of business suddenly in 2011 and had rumors of a re-opening in late 2012 that never materialized. The other, the Brooklawn Circle still stands strong, but sadly it seems if someone just even whispers the word rain, the entire circle becomes a watery swampy mess and backs up traffic horrendously. The only thing these two now have in common is while driving through the flooded Brooklawn Circle you can see the still abandoned shell that once was the Brooklawn Diner.

What was Brooklawn’s loss seems to be Westville, New Jersey’s possible gain. The former owners of the Brooklawn Diner, Gus and Aliki Miliaresis’s son Danny Miliaresis is now the owner of the Piston Diner (PD). PD also made a name for itself five months ago when a front loader construction vehicle drove through PD and forced its previous owner Jason Kramer to close PD for good after only being open just slightly past three months. I had never visited PD before so I do not know what if any changes were made by Danny Miliaresis to the interior of PD during my visit, but I can tell you the roof and ceiling are fixed as I sat in a booth that used to have a sky view. I liked the vibe and feel of the interior. It was bright and cheery with lots of old school nostalgia of legendary Hollywood stars hanging on the walls. The furniture seemed new and modern unlike some diners around whose glory days happened too long ago to even remember what unworn seating looks like.

PD started out with an Italian Minestrone Soup. The soup was a solid interpretation of this classic. From the broth, beans, pasta, and vegetables it was all seamlessly balanced with a decent flavor throughout. If all of their soups are this good, they may be a great place in the winter for a good soup and sandwich to warm up to. They also provided nice fresh rolls and butter to start the meal.

soup

The main course was Chicken Croquettes atop mashed potatoes drizzled with chicken gravy with sautéed string beans and apple sauce as sides. The croquettes were a generous size and better than some I have had in the past. The green beans were a little too al dente as well as being under seasoned and the apple sauce was your standard out of a jar variety. It is not the best meal I have ever had, but it is by far not the worst either.

pison chicken

All in all my assessment of PD is that they are exactly what everyone who loves a Jersey diner loves about them. They provided me a decent meal at a very affordable price and a menu that is six pages in length giving you the ability to order almost anything your heart could desire at anytime of the day. At ten dollars I could not expect gourmet, but what they did give me was a very tasty soup, fresh rolls, a dinner in quality that was better than your standard chain restaurant, and in an atmosphere that was friendly and fresh. If PD continues in this direction and construction vehicles avoid driving through PD, Danny Miliaresis’s legacy in the diner business has the ability to last as long if not longer than his parents.

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Food Trucks Driving Philadelphia’s Food Scene Even Further

Posted on August 7, 2013 by Bluejeanfood

Jamaican D’s – Philadelphia, PA – 3rd & Spring Garden Street Truck

Philadelphia’s food truck movement has been growing exponentially the last few years as highlighted in many published articles on the subject such as this one (click here) for uwishunu.com by Allison Stadd. Some trucks are mobile at all times, others are stationed at specific locations year-round. One resource to find information about the food trucks is Philly Mobile Food Association, but as of the date I wrote this article their website had not been updated since October 2012 and their Facebook and Twitter feeds seem to be used quite infrequently thus not making it easy or convenient to patronize their members. The food truck scene is by no means new in Philadelphia now, but their allure and ability to promote seem to have faded slightly after many roaring success in 2012 with the exception of The Food Trust’s wildly popular “Night Market Philadelphia” events like the next one planned at 5th and South Street on Thursday, August 15th.

My food truck visit would bring me to Jamaican D’s (JD) at their 3rd and Spring Garden Street outpost for an order of Jerk Chicken with fried plantains and cabbage. JD is a stationary truck here Monday through Friday as this truck is one of the many JD trucks in their fleet throughout Philadelphia. You may recognize the name from one of their most prolific and long standing trucks at the Community College of Philadelphia campus at 17th & Spring Garden Streets.

jam D

I ordered the medium sized platter which was nine dollars and the portions were very generous in all aspects of the meal. The plantains were cooked nicely with a decent amount of sweetness to them. The chicken was seasoned well along with being moist and tender while the skin had a good crisp firmness with the meat still easily coming off the bone. The rice was covered in a jerk sauce while the chicken was topped with an additional sauce of some sort with the option of mild or spicy giving the entire dish a nice mix of flavors in each bite. The only aspect of the dish that I was not thrilled about was the cabbage. The cabbage seemed it was not cooked long enough and could have been chopped a little smaller. It was tough and too chunky for my liking. The flavor seemed OK, but too much crunch in every bite for me.

The meal JD provided was as good if not better than some I have had at full blown Caribbean restaurants. The service was quick and friendly with portion size very generous and affordable. If you drive to order something from JD, just be aware that parking is not the easiest thing to find near them at this location. With the experience I had at JD I see no reason why the food truck movement can not grow even larger. The days of having to go to a singular location to eat something specific could easily come to an end with these trucks ability to go out and about where the crowds want and need them. I only hope they can band together to get their message out to the masses in an effective manner.

Overall
Three and half out of Five Stars

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Cooke’s Seafood – Cape Cod, MA

Posted on July 30, 2013 by Bluejeanfood

Cooke’s Seafood – Cape Cod, MA (Mashpee Location)

Fresh seafood is one of my weaknesses. With this being in mind I traversed over to Cooke’s Seafood (CS) as they have won Best Seafood Award from Cape Cod Life magazine every year since 1993. With a twenty year stretch of winning the big one, expectations were high.

The ordering system of CS is that you order everything you will eat immediately upon entering. This puts you on your toes, especially since the menu overtook not only every inch of space above the cashiers, but also three mock menus hand written on paper hanging on the wall across from the cashiers. Your head is spinning back and forth trying to figure out the perfect combination for a meal.

I ordered the Clam Chowder, Quahog Clam, and Baked Stuffed Scallops & Scrod topped with their special crabmeat stuffing and a side of steamed veggies. You are given a number and then your meal is walked out to you on all paper products and plastic silverware. Everything is self serve from the napkins to the ketchup.

My chowder arrived and was thick as molasses, missed any flavor profile, and was very light on clam pieces.

chowder

The Quahog Clam picked it up a notch, as the seasoning was nice, had some decent sized pieces of clam throughout, moist in every bite while having a nice crisp on the top, and something I would recommend.

quahog

Unfortunately CS came stumbling back to point zero when the Baked Stuffed Scallops & Scrod arrived.  I will start out by saying the veggies were steamed nicely with a dash of seasoning making them quite nice.  Enough of the niceties, now to the bad. First they served the dreaded breaded french fry. It boggles my mind why any restaurant would bring them self down to the lowest denominator buying these things when fresh cut fries are so easy and cheap to make. Then they said it would be topped with a crab-meat stuffing. I did not bring a microscope, so sadly I was not able to see or taste any crab on top of my meal, but it was plentiful in the crumby and plain tasting department. Looking to let them slide on the topping, I dug into the dish searching for a scallop to enjoy trying for a fresh start. I dug, and I dug, and I searched and I searched to no luck at all. I swallowed my pride and did something I NEVER do, I approached the cashier to inquire about the dish. The young lady behind the register looked over my order and said indeed I did order the Baked Stuffed Scallops & Scrod and asked if she could look at my dish.  After she dug through it could not find a scallop either, she called over to the manger and stated she could not find a scallop either. The manager who was only standing on the other side of the room and not working in any manner yelled over “I am busy, I know we put scallops in that thing, they have to be at the bottom.” I in turn, scooped the entire thing upside down and indeed did find ONE tiny scallop in the dish. I yelled over my finding as did the cashier and the manager still refused to even walk over and just yelled across the room “You are going to have to keep searching, there should be more than one.” The cashier responded saying there was only one, to his reply, “I know there is more than that, I don’t have time to deal with this, we throw them on the botton of the dish.” At this point I did not want to make any more of a scene, picked up my dish and stated it should be called ONE baby Scallop & baked Scrod. I tried to make the best of a bad situation, but nothing could be done. The Scrod was so dry and tasteless it could have been used as the crumb topping of the dish instead and could have possibly been better than what they put on top. I have never in my life thought I could be a vegetarian, but I would have been better suited to be such during this meal as the vegetables were the only highlight.

baked scallop scrod

I have never read Cape Code Life, nor did I see one of their magazines anywhere during my stay in Cape Cod. I do not know how their chose their award recipients, but they may want to take a closer look at who is getting them. It is an extreme rarity for me to complain to someone about a meal, and to be treated the way I was is a complete disgrace and whoever owns CS should be embarrassed.

CS should be thankful for how tasty their Quahog and steamed veggies were, otherwise this could have been my first review in the negative category.

 

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Raw Bar – Cape Cod, MA

Posted on July 17, 2013 by Bluejeanfood

Raw Bar – Cape Cod, MA

As soon as I think about the New England area, I immediately think about lobster as well. Nestled close to the beautiful Popponesset Beach area inside Popponesset Marketplace, I was lucky enough to stumble into Raw Bar (RB) with their claim to fame being voted voted the home of the number one lobster roll in New England by Billy Costa of the TV Diner, Channel 5’s Chronicle, The Phantom Gourmet, V.B, and Maria of Fox News. With lobster rolls gaining popularity in Philadelphia with the recent grand opening of Luke’s Lobster in Center City, I figured why not try where the rolls in their home turf of New England.

Stepping into RB tickles your senses immediately. Hanging all over the walls are somewhat revealing photos of patrons showing their hind quarters or cleavage with RB tattoos to cover the embarrassing parts. This could turn some people away as soon as they saw something like this, but this did the opposite to me. It made me wonder how a teeny tiny place like RB could cause such a fury of exhibitionism on an otherwise mostly conservative peninsula.

The staff at RB was helpful, friendly, upbeat, and the service was flawless. First up were the Jamaican Jerk Chicken Wings. They were by no means authentic in any fashion, but they were indeed fantastically tasty. The rub they used on the wings was one of the best combination of spices I have had in quite sometime that gave the wings a jamaican flair while having a distinct flavor all their own. I only wish the skin was crisped just a tad bit more.

rb jerk

After devouring the wings, the main attraction arrived. I will start off by saying that this was indeed the best food and the best lobster roll I had during my stay around Cape Cod. The lobster portion was very generous with a nice combination of lobster meat throughout the roll. My only complaint would be that when I ordered, I asked for the roll to be light on the mayo, but when it arrived it had no more or no less mayo than everyone had on their lobster roll in the group. This would not be a problem if you are a fan of lobster rolls with a decent amount of mayo, but it is not my preference. The roll was good, but I think it could have been enhanced by being toasted with butter and herbs on the grill to firm up the roll a little bit and give the flavor profile a slight kick start.

lobster roll

All in all though a great time was had at RB and they did serve me the best lobster roll I had during my stay. RB was one of my highlights of visiting Cape Cod and I highly recommend you stopping by as well if you are in the area. My visit to RB was during lunch hours and the crowd was pretty subdued. With this being said, I would have to assume all of the wild debauchery at RB must happen at night in order for them to get the sort of pictures they have posted on their walls. If you want to find out, go there at night and I only hope that what happens at RB stays in RB.

Overall
Four out of Five Stars

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Put a little Soul in your party

Posted on July 8, 2013 by Bluejeanfood

Aunt Berta’s Kitchen – Oaklyn, NJ

This is a review that got lost in the shuffle. Aunt Berta’s Kitchen was called upon to cater for a Wrestlemania 29 viewing party. The person holding the party wanted good food at reasonable prices and stumbled on Aunt Berta’s Kitchen (ABK) at a previous get together of friends and family that ABK catered and I was lucky enough to be invited to their party that ABK catered for them. The order of the day was sixty-four pieces of fried chicken and a large tray of mac and cheese and cabbage.  (Note: in picture is only thirty-two of the sixty-four pieces)

aunt berta

ABK is owned and operated by Alberta Ferebee who has enjoyed cooking for others since childhood. She started her career in the culinary world as a dishwasher in an Italian restaurant and worked hard until finally reaching head cook. She learned how to run a business through her management skills picked up from being a food service supervisor as well during her storied career, until she finally opened up ABK in Oaklyn, NJ and has another ABK to opening in the Berlin Farmers Market in the very near future.

Now this review will be a little different since only the food is the only factor, but what ABK provided was phenomenal. The chicken was plump and juicy throughout while having a beautifully seasoned crisp  skin surrounding each piece. The flavors were just right in every bite while not being dried out like fried chicken I have had at many other places. The cabbage was soft with vivid tones of sweetness bypassing that cabbage taste most people do not like, but should have been drained just a little more as the tray was filled with liquid. The mac and cheese was creamy in each bite with a hardened top layer while providing a delicate balance of cheeses mixed in and I can see why ABK has been invited to the Food Bank of South Jersey Mac and Cheese cook-off numerous times.  Not one person at the party went home hungry or disappointed and the amount of food ordered was plenty for over twenty people as there was even a tiny amount of food left over. I do not know how the service and experience would be eating at ABK’s actual location, but what I do know is that ABK provided one heck of an affordable catered event for all to have.

Overall

Four out of Five Stars

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