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.

pizza

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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Where everybody knows your name

Posted on December 18, 2012 by Bluejeanfood

Babe’s Bar & Grill – Paulsboro, NJ

Paulboro, New Jersey has been in the news lately so why not take a trip down to check out this now famous location. A quick stop with friends had us arrive at Babe’s Bar & Grill (BBG). Upon arriving to BBG, one feels more like you are visiting a friends house more than spending a night out on the town, especially since BBG is held in a real house. BBG is the true definition of what a neighborhood bar is. As soon as we opened the door, the staff here created an atmosphere no different than visiting a good friends house with the staff meticulously taking good care of our party of four throughout the night like we have always know each other. The waitress was as down to earth as you could want, while being so excited with that nights soup of the night “cheeseburger soup”, that she brought a bowl out on the house before we even ordered a thing so we could enjoy our evening right away.

The order of the night was a pitcher of beer for only $6 and four orders of three wings for $1. The beer was standard domestic tap, so sorry to all of you beer aficionados, but no review of my beverage will be carried out in this review. The order of wings arrived piping hot and made to order. Six hot wings on one side of the gauntlet and six garlic and parmesan on the other side ready to be put to the test. The size of all twelve wings were nice and meaty, while cooked perfectly by being gloriously juicy, yet still crisp.

Three for $1 wings

Three for $1 wings

The hot wings portion of the meal was a slight disappointment. The flavor was not very defined, nor did it seem authentically original. It seemed to be just sauce with a spicy kick to it. Now do not get me wrong, these wings were delightful for just a plain hot wing if that is what you are looking for. I am just spoiled with wings in Philadelphia with the arrival of korean fried chicken wings at many locations throughout the city and contenders such as Federal Donuts having an option of wings in any of their famous flavors. Thankfully, the garlic parmesan wings picked up the slack of the hot wings with a nice flavor balance, while not being overpoweringly cheesy or garlicky, but a pleasure filled experience in every bite.

BBG is going to get two ratings on this review. Why or how can they get two you ask? Because I write the reviews and I can change the rules as I see fit.

Overall three and half out of five stars

BBG has the ability to be a destination stop for foodies if they wanted to be by just putting a little time perfecting a wing recipe like no one has ever known.

Experience five out of five stars

BBG gives you an experience that can not be replicated. You could put this staff and food somewhere else and it just would not be the same. They make you feel wanted, provide service that is unheard of these days, and make you feel like family by bringing out something for you to eat before you even speak a word of what you want to order. This is a neighborhood bar, and I commend them for sticking to their guns. They could change and try to woo us foodies to come down to them with fancy menu options or the perfect wing to eat, but then it would not be BBG anymore.

If in the area would I go again?

Without a doubt, who doesn’t like great food and a whole pitcher of beer for $10

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Lee How Fook, Chinatown-Philadelphia, PA

Posted on November 28, 2012 by Bluejeanfood

Lee How Fook, Chinatown-Philadelphia, PA

Chinatown is without a doubt one of my favorite sections of Philadelphia. The flavors, attitudes, customs, architecture, and amount of restaurants in such a condensed area are hard to beat. With the amount of diversity and numerous selections, Chinatown can also be one of the hardest places to make up your mind of where to eat.

This was the first time I have ever been to Lee How Fook and I must say I did enjoy my brief foray there. The service was friendly and attentive, the menu was varied enough for whatever taste you are looking for, and the atmosphere is simple yet tasteful.

I had the Jumbo Shrimp with Chinese Broccoli. The portion was plentiful, shrimp were a nice size, and the flavor was uncompromisingly Asian, yet Western infused enough for almost anyone to enough. The only downside would be that they do not have a lunch special menu and are more suited for you to come for dinner than for lunch like I had, so that means the prices are slightly high for lunch with no extra freebies like most places with a soup, spring roll, or anything else that helps bring a lunch crowd and keep them happy.

Would I come here again? Yes, but I would only come for dinner again, with a few other people in my party to really get a taste of the menu and have everyone share their dishes like in most places in Chinatown.

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Shake Shack, Philadelphia

Posted on November 15, 2012 by Bluejeanfood

Shake Shack – Philadelphia, PA

Burgers, burgers, burgers everywhere in Philly these days. Directly across the street from Shake Shack is Iron Chef Jose Garces’s famed Village Whiskey, 500 Degrees a burger joint a few blocks away on Sansom Street, another Iron Chef Bobby Flay’s endeavour Bobby’s Burger Palace in University City, and the better than fast food Five Guys Burgers on Chestnut Street.
As much as Philadelphians hate most things related to New York, NYC just has some things that we simply can’t compete with. For example the Yankees have more championships than I will ever see the Phillies accumulate in three of my lifetimes. As much as people like to say Philadelphia is the birthplace of freedom with relics like the Liberty Bell, you really can’t compete with a large majority of this nation’s history marking the sight of the Statue of Liberty and arriving on Ellis Island as their first glimpse of America. Finally, as much as I love Rittenhouse Square as much as the next person, do I really have a fighting chance putting it up next to Times Square and Broadway, I think not.
With that being said, will a New York burger joint have what it takes to win us over to the ways of New York and does Philly have room for all these burger places? Yes and no.

Shake Shack arrives in Philly

Yes, I think Philly has room for another burger place as each one is different, and I do not think any single one of them is the be-all end-all one stop shop to get exactly what anything you would want at any moment. No, Shake Shack was good, but sure as hell isn’t going to convert Philly’s finest to lust for things related to New York.
Shake Shack’s bread and butter is their burgers and while the Smoke Stack Burger was delicious, it was not earth shattering. The good points are that with the Shake Shack special sauce provided a nice balance of sweet, spicy, and tangy, but was lathered on a little too thick and sogged the roll too much. The cherry peppers is a nice touch, but once again a heaping pile created a mess and distraction to the meal instead of an enhancement. The bacon, could not have been more perfect though. Exact crispness, taste, and size. The burger size was slightly small for my taste. If I had my way, I would increase burger size slightly, only put a touch of special sauce and cherry peppers or just give me the burger with the add-ons on the side for me to correctly portion it and prevent a soggy mess.

Here’s lunch

The crinkle cut fries were cooked to perfection with the cheese sauce simply phenomenal. As opposed to the caramel apple custard which was just slightly above average in taste, but not average in price for an infant sized serving of custard.
All in all, Shake Shack is a welcome addition to the Philadelphia burger scene. You have heard it from here though, that by no means is it the messiah that you would think it is on that hipster website, oh I want to be cool and relevent and have my friends think I am important so I post snarky reviews on Yelp makes Shake Shack out to be. The prices are slighty high, but then again you are only a block away from Rittenhouse Square where you will pay ten times more for a quick-lunch then you would here, and still not be full or satisfied eating at those other establishments. For me, Shake Shack fits like a glove for the common burger lover in this location, but may not be so great at a different one.
Will I go back? Yes

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Zeppoli – Collingswood, NJ

Posted on October 23, 2012 by Bluejeanfood

Zeppoli – Collingswood, NJ

Have you ever wondered what it must have been like to hear Mozart play for the first time, watch Michelangelo paint one of his masterpieces, witness Einstein figure out an equation, or be the first person to repeat any of the famed one-liners that so many people love so much from Benjamin Franklin. They must have been magical moments in history, and Chef/Owner Joseph Baldino of Zeppoli is serving up his take of what the culinary world will remember of him.

Zeppoli is situated in a tiny strip mall on Collings Avenue, and when I say tiny strip mall I mean TINY. They are also located outside of the main section of Collingswood on Haddon Avenue know as restaurant row. With them situated away from the hustle and bustle of the regular town and hosting in such a tiny location that only seats a maximum of thirty-five guests, the feeling of dining here truly feels exclusive and special, especially with the perfect ambiance and décor they have chosen.

I am not going to go into detail of what each dish tasted like or their nuances as I do not want you going there as saying “Oh, I did not taste this or taste that like he said”, but what I will tell you is that the meal was perfect on every level for me personally. The two extreme highlights were the Gamberetti e Fagioli which would be a crime not to order as an appetizer and as odd as it may seem; the other knock my socks off surprise moment was my beverage of choice, Sicilian Orange-Blossom Lemonade. With Collingswood being a dry town, no one should have to even think about consuming alcohol with a drink as tasty as that one is. Bravo, great job!

Now I am not the only who has witnessed Chef Baldino’s talents. Zeppoli was nominated for a James Beard Award for Best New Restaurant. This is truly an honor to be nominated, and he has created something fantastic and unique in a small and cozy South Jersey town. I only see bigger and better things for Chef Baldino, as he deserves the recognition for the excellence he has created.

Should you go there ASAP? YES! Without a doubt, Zeppoli is a gem and culinary destination for South Jersey and the execution presented here is heads above most around the area and even Philadelphia.

Should they expand their empire and would this experience be the same elsewhere? I do not know, but I think given the proper tools and location, I have confidence Chef Baldino could make culinary magic work anywhere. In its current state though, Zeppoli works perfectly as it stands and everyone needs to experience it there.

FIVE out five stars

Below are the pictures of the meal:

Bread and Olive Oil mix, Sicilian Orange-Blossom Lemonade, Gamberetti e Fagioli, On the house sampling of Gnocchi alla’ Argentiera, Tagliatelli al Limone with Sicilian bottarga, and Coniglio Pizzaiola.

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Levoy Theatre – Millville, NJ

Posted on September 3, 2012 by Bluejeanfood

What goes better than celebrating the hard work you have done on Labor Day? Laughs, laughs, laughs, a few chuckles, and more laughs!

Well you are in luck. The Levoy Theatre in Millville, NJ which is over 100 years old and has been closed for over thirty years, has undergone renovations the past five years to bring back its beautiful 1920 style architecture back to life. Rock band Rusted Root, kicked things off to promote The Levoy Theatre at the New Jersey Motorsports Park, and the first performance to be held at the actual theatre for the re-opening will be ‘Chaplin & Keating Featuring the Peacherine Ragtime Orchestra” on  Sunday, September 9th.  Other shows planned at The Levoy Theatre include, but is not limited to Harlem Gospel Choir, The Hunts, Jars Of Clay, Circo Comedia, The Irish Comedy Tour, John Oates, The Four Bitchin’ Babes, Mark NIzer,and Rocky Horror Picture Show.

Has does this relate to you laughing? I’m happy you asked. The Levoy Theatre is presenting Jackie “The Joke Man” Martling on Saturday, November 3rd with yours truly Bluejeanfoodcritic opening the show for 5-7 minutes and hosting throughout the night. The grand opening gala for The Levoy Theatre is not until Saturday, September 22nd where they will announce all of the shows available for purchase, but I have a link for you to be able to buy tickets TODAY! So if you want the best seats in the house before everyone else, just CLICK HERE

More information on The Levoy Theatre : http://levoy.net/

 

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Just Peachy Salsa

Posted on August 11, 2012 by Bluejeanfood

Just wanted to let everyone know of a great event and product now available for purchase at the Collingswood Farmer’s Market every Saturday. The Food Bank of South Jersey had a party to show off their Just Peachy Salsa made by Campbell’s Soup, that is an out of this world tasting salsa out of peaches that supermarkets refuse to sell and would otherwise have just been thrown in the garbage or dumped in landfills allowing no food to go to waste and for the Food Bank of South Jersey to receive precious funds out of this project to feed the hungry. They also held a competition to see who could make the best dish out of peaches with over ten restaurants competing. The entire event was a success with Aunt Berta’s Kitchen out of Oaklyn, NJ winning the competition having made three unbelievably tasty peach dessert dishes.

Pictured below is proof of me voting for Aunt Berta’s, showing that I always have the winning taste buds when it comes to me saying who has the best food, while wearing my “I Stumped Jackie The Joke Man” T-shirt also proving I have some the best jokes as well since I stumped The Joke Man, and jars of Just Peachy Salsa that you must buy ASAP!!!!!!

 

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Sushi for Beginners

Posted on August 1, 2012 by Bluejeanfood

My beautiful wife is the person who really opened my horizons as far as sushi is concerned. I dabbled here or there with sushi’s fan favorites while never delving into sushi’s underbelly, but now I have seen the light. One can think you have an idea of the culture of sushi, but until you spend some time in Japan like I have, you cannot even imagine its wonderful and amazing aspects it brings to ones culinary palate. I became immersed and hooked for life the minute I set foot upon Tokyo’s Tsukiji Fish Market and they presented me with live fish pulled right off a boat immediately after being caught and then sliced right in front of me to eat.

Now I do not want you to think that going to Mt. Fuji Restaurant will recreate my Tokyo experience, but I do think they can put on you the right path of enjoying some of sushi’s fan favorites in order for you to expand your horizons some day in the future when you have the chance to go to Tsukiji Fish Market for yourself. I started the meal with an order of Miso Soup. With its fish based stock, kelp, and onion, the soup really gets your tasted buds ready for sushi’s fishy wonderland of flavors. Mt. Fuji’s is not the best Miso Soup around, but it certainly is above average.

Next up were two very basic sushi items. Philadelphia Roll which consists of smoked salmon and cream cheese and two pieces of Kani otherwise known as a Crab Stick, but is not really crab at all as it is a mixture of fish pressed together. These are two of the mildest, yet delicious options for someone new to sushi and anyone fears of raw fish need not to worry with these options as they are cooked sushi. Yes there is such a thing as cooked sushi options to get you ready for the big leagues of raw fish. Mt. Fuji’s serving was as good as any of the places around this area, if not better than most.

The main course chosen was Eel Fried Rice. Now I enjoy eel quite a bit, but this may have been the case of too much of a good thing. The fried rice is cooked hibachi style, so it’s not that cheap yellow looking substance most Americanized fast-food Chinese takeout locations serve, but instead rice with a nice sticky texture making it chopstick friendly to eat and much tastier. The eel while good, overpowered the sublimity of the fried rice. The taste profile provided in this dish was by no fault of Mt. Fuji. This was a misstep in ordering on my part, as I was not looking for something as bold, so I would have been better suited choosing shrimp instead of eel. Now if you want bold, go with the eel. Again with fried rice, Mt. Fuji is above average in this category, but is not reinventing the wheel.

My final words on Mt. Fuji are that if you live or are around the Deptford Mall area to do some shopping, they are a nice surprise in an ocean of chain restaurants surrounding that area. They are above average in the quality of their food, while charging extremely reasonable prices as you can pay double for a lot of selections on their menu at sushi restaurants in Philadelphia. The atmosphere is quiet with the decor being bland, but that is better than being loud and ridiculous as most of the eateries are surrounding the mall. If you want to be adventurous one Sunday and have never tried sushi; be sure to check them out as it is only $20-$24 for all you can eat sushi, soups, and salads there. You will not be disappointed.

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