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

Posted on July 9, 2014 by Bluejeanfood

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

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

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chips and dip

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

smoked and grilled wings

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

turkey ruben

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

Overall

Four out of Five Stars

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El Sitio Grill & Cafe – Collingswood, NJ

Posted on June 18, 2014 by Bluejeanfood

El Sitio Grill & Cafe – Collingswood, NJ

Strolling down Haddon Avenue in Collingswood, New Jersey your eyes
and nose are in for a treat. This street has a little bit of
everything for everyone and since I had never eaten at El Sitio Grill & Cafe
(ES) before I decided to give them a try for lunch. The inside is
very relaxing with a nice ambiance and mood about the place and
they have a large, if not the largest outdoor seating space of any
of Collingswood’s restaurants. ES starts your experience off with a
dish of Olive Oil sauteed mushrooms and herbs and fresh bread.

el sitio olive oil

I could have eaten ten dishes of this stuff, it was that good. It
was a nice change of pace from the normal and a great beginning.
My appetizer would be Argentinean Style Empanadas.

el sitio empanada

My Argentinean Style Empanadas consisted of wheat flour empanadas
stuffed with seasonings, fresh vegetables, herbs, chicken, and
beef. I went with the chicken and beef all in one since I could
not decide on which version I wanted more and my server
recommended to put them all in one. Well kudos to my well-informed
server, because they were fantastic this way and I highly suggest
any meal at ES to start out with them. My lunch entrée would be
the El Sitio Burger.

el sitio burger

The El Sitio Burger was beef, cheese, breaded onions, and homemade
BBQ Sauce. I will start out with the good. The fresh breaded
onions were fantastic and some of the best I have had in a long
time and the homemade bbq sauce was great. It gave the entire
burger a very nice distinct flavor unlike other burgers I have
had. It was not overpowering, yet it was strong enough to let you
know it was someone special and out of the ordinary. Now sadly on
to the bad. The roll was stale and just fell apart with each bite.
I requested my burger to be done medium, and it came out VERY well
done. It was served with provolone cheese. Not to say that I do
not enjoy a burger with provolone cheese, but this was not the
burger to be putting it on. It just put the flavor profile all out
of whack. Last but not least, the burger was served with the
dreaded double breaded french fry. Please I beg of all restaurants
to throw them in the trash, and either make your own or buy a
higher grade of french fry.

ES had their ups and downs, but I really did enjoy their ups
allowing me to slightly overlook their downs. The service was very
pleasant and efficient, prices were affordable, and they are
providing dishes not seen everywhere done well for the most part.
If they can keep an eye on the freshness of their rolls, be a
little more aware of overcooking their burgers, not putting
provolone cheese on them, and get a fresh french fry coming out of
the kitchen, ES has the potential to go from a place people are
talking about them for having dishes that are a little different then the
norm, to start talking about them having dishes you have to see and eat
to believe because of how good they are.

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The Crab House at Two Mile Landing – Wildwood Crest, NJ

Posted on June 11, 2014 by Bluejeanfood

The Crab House at Two Mile Landing – Wildwood Crest, NJ

Sitting far back off a tiny winding road that leaves Wildwood Crest and heads toward Cape May is The Crab House at Two Mile Landing and Marina (CH). I arrived during lunch time and was welcomed warmly. CH is a beautiful building with a picnic tables and a large bar as soon as you walk in and a gigantic dining room area as well as an even larger deck and bar in the rear of the place. They are setup nicely for the crowds that pack this place during the peak shore season and the views of the bay from CH are gorgeous and I can only imagine siting out and enjoying a nice sunset from CH. I came to eat for a quick off-season lunch and my order of the day would be a clam basket since my first choice of soft shell crabs and second choice of blue claws were not available.

crab house

The menu stated the fried clams strips were colossal Jersey clams. That may true, but with the amount of breading and the strips being so overcooked, all I tasted was beyond crispy fried bread to go along with the dreaded breaded French fries. It was such a disappointed with the superb service and nice atmosphere CH has going for itself. I came for crabs, but sadly only walked away crabby. I have a feeling if CH does crabs right, it may be one of the best places to go to, but with me not able to experience them I can only judge them with what I had. Even though my meal was not great, I enjoyed my time enough at CH to give them another try when I am around the area again, but next time I will call in advance to see if the crabs are available before I go.

 

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Durand Foundation’s First Annual Gourmet on the Runway Food Truck Fete

Posted on June 10, 2014 by Bluejeanfood

Durand Foundation’s First Annual Gourmet on the Runway Food Truck Fete

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What could be better than a night out on the town eating gourmet food truck samplings? By helping a great cause while doing it. Well the Durand Foundation put on one delicious fundraiser for the Durand Academy (more info on them CLICK HERE) who exists so that individuals with special needs can lead fuller, more independent lives.

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Not only was the food being offered by the many different food trucks top-notch, the entertainment provided by the “Rockin’ Road Grill” truck had the crowd ecstatic and dancing the night away. The “Rockin’ Road Grill” was a hybrid of music and food presented by former lead guitarist of the 80’s band “A Flock of Seagulls” Eddie Berner and his band provided the music portion and Food Network’s “Extreme Chef” television show winner and celebrity Chef Terry French manned the grills of the truck to provide the hungry crowd with three different gourmet offerings to choose from.

rockin w

As if that was not enough, a cigar station was available and open-bar for the entire evening. Everyone at the event just raved about how fantastic it was and what an amazing job the Durand Foundation did, especially since it was the first time ever doing an event such as this. With what they were able to do with their first one, I certainly cannot wait until next year as I know it will only be bigger and better from here on out. A few pictures of some of the other trucks below.

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20th Annual Taste of South Jersey at Adventure Aquarium – Presented by Camden County Regional Chamber of Commerce

Posted on June 3, 2014 by Bluejeanfood

20th Annual Taste of South Jersey – Presented by Camden County Regional Chamber of Commerce

When you think of any Chamber of Commerce sponsoring an event, you know you will be in for mixing, mingling, and marketed to by businesses seeking to expose their services to a diverse audience. The 20th Annual Taste of South Jersey held at the Adventure Aquarium in Camden, New Jersey was no different, and the three M’s of mixing, mingling, and marketing I have come to expect, but the ‘M’ that I was surprised not to see were the” M’M! M’M! Good!” M’s made famous by Campbells Soup especially since this event was held directly in their headquarters backyard and was attended by prominent minded business foodies who are bound to talk about the great food served. That made me scratch my head as I continue to read articles about Campbells Soup losing market share and wanting to expose the younger generation their old and newer releases of food out on the market as their competitors are gaining ground. Their loss is others gain to highlight their food offerings and services, and enough of me yacking about who was not there, let us talk about who was.

First and foremost the Adventure Aquarium was a highlight all of its own on a gorgeous night on the beautiful Camden Waterfront to have an event at one of the nicest aquariums around and be able to see some of their world-class exhibits while nibbling on an array of scrumptious foods. If you have never been to the Adventure Aquarium, you truly have to go and check it out for yourself and make a day of it.

Now time to talk about the food. The variety of food from bbq ribs, polenta budino, salt and pepper tiger shrimp, gourmet pound cakes, and hot corned beef sandwiches are just a few of the highlights I had and the event really covered the foodie spectrum from A to Z. (some pictures are at the bottom of the article) I was really impressed with the variety of exhibitors present, organization of the event, setup, and hospitality shown at every station. This was my first time covering this event and I am looking forward to next year as I am sure it is only going to get better.

If you would like more information on the Camden County Regional Chamber of Commerce and see what other events they have planned CLICK HERE

Here is complete list of exhibitors for 20th Annual Taste of South Jersey:

Lourdes Health System, Miller’s Mt. Laurel Ale House, Distrito, Benihana, Terra Nova at Wyndam Hotel, F&M Restaurant & Catering, Red Hot & Blue, Kitchen 519, The Kibitz Room – Reuben on Rye, Embers at the Crowne Plaza, Bahama Breeze, Leave the Details Too Me, Red Lobster, Classic Cake, Melitta Coffee, Dibartolo Bakery, Cocktails on Call, Victorian Savories Bakery, George’s Gourmet Pound Cakes, Sift Bake Shop, Seasons 52, Giambri’s Quality Sweets, Osteria

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The 6th Annual International Great Beer Expo: Philadelphia and The Whirly Pig

Posted on June 3, 2014 by Bluejeanfood

The 6th Annual International Great Beer Expo: Philadelphia and The Whirly Pig

navy yard

navy yard beer sign

When you spot Gary Monterosso walking the Marine Parade Grounds at the Philadelphia Navy Yard, you know you are in for a serious beer event. Gary is the unofficial “King of all things Beer in and around Philadelphia” in my book. He is a writer for several publications including the Prince of Prime Rib Ed Hitzel’s magazines, a radio and television personality, and hosts and provides tasting seminars. You also know you are in for some serious good eats from some of the area’s best food trucks when The Whirly Pig and Prime Stache show up at your event, two out of the three finalist for best Philadelphia Food truck from Philadelphia Magazine and nominees for Vendy Awards the food truck version of the Academy Awards.

navy yard food truck row

navy yard beer showing

The day started out with some of the brewers from Deschutes Brewery, Vicaris, Evil Genius, and Boaks giving presentations of what is new in the industry and what their plans are currently and in the future. Deschutes Brewery had the largest setup, serving station, and presentation with them boasting to have the beer “Black Butte Porter” that started the craft revolution and a delightful story for their “Twilight Summer Ale” and what twilight means to them. Vicaris Beer from Brewery Dilewyns Dendermonde in Belgium and representative Anne Catherine Dilewyns was next with a captivating personal story of how her family brewery came about, is one of only a few brewers who do not filter, centrifuge, or pasteurize their brews, and was lucky enough to have the claim to fame with their Philly Tripel Belgian Ale to be selected as the Official Beer for Philadelphia Beer Week. She was charismatic and you could tell that being a brewer is not only a passion for her; it truly is in the blood. Following her was Evil Genius Brewery hailing from Kennett Square, Pennsylvania and is a rising star in the craft beer world with major retail chains picking up their products and with all their beers being limited releases and batches, if you find something from them that you like you better buy it while you can and squirrel it away for a rainy day cause you will not see it again. They always want the demand higher than the supply. Last but not least was Boaks Brewery. Their brewmaster Brian Boaks started things out with a Mr. Beer Kit and was instantly hooked on making his own beer. He is proud to consider his organization “Reasonably Rebellious” and only makes beer that he likes. He realizes that this will cause some people not to like his beer, but he feels only making beer that he likes makes it so he can truly promote his product with a truthful passion that others do not have always. After the very informative session and many beers down the hatch, it was the perfect way to get things started and seeing pretzel necklaces adorned event patrons, I knew this was going to be a good time.

navy yard necklace

Walking around the grounds of the Expo it was obvious that Starfish Junction Productions really put on one of the best beer events I have been to in quite some time and the beautiful weather certainly did not hurt. The lines moved smoothly, security was present but not overbearing, and the event staff was accommodating for anything that was needed. I tried as many beers as I reasonable could as I had plans following the event, and then my stomach called out to me. I figured to get a bite to eat before I departed at the Whirly Pig Food Truck and ordered  the duck roast sandwich and the whirly cheesesteak.

navy yard whirly pig

The duck roast sandwich consisted of duck confit in pork fat, gala apple slaw, bacon, onion brioche, and a house pickle. Every part of the sandwich was delicious, but the bacon really stood out and I could have used at least one more slice. The meat was tender and moist while the onion brioche held up well. I enjoyed it, but I liked the whirly cheesesteak better which was roast pork, sautéed onions, and provolone cheese on a pretzel long roll. The onions were absolute perfection and they provided plenty of them, the cheese was just the right amount, the pretzel roll complimented everything harmoniously and the pork was just downright tasty. My only complaint was that they were a little light on the serving size of the pork. It filled less than half of the long roll. If they are doing portion control, they really should switch it to a round roll instead, otherwise they need to be a little more generous. I can see why they are up for as many awards as they are as they are one of the better food trucks around, and they are out and about spreading the gospel of tasty pork as talking with them they will be at the 1st Durand Academy Gourmet Truck Fete this upcoming Friday at the Flying W Airport in Medford, New Jersey.

navy yard duck

navy yard cheesesteak

I had a great time from start to finish at the 6th Annual International Great Beer Expo with amazing beers from many different brewers and a nice meal from The Whirly Pig to end the day. This was my first time to this event and I am already itching for next year to do it all again.

Overall for the Whirly Pig

Four out of Five Stars

Overall for 6th Annual International Great Beer Expo

Five out of Five Stars

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Gia by Vincent and Mia Chiarella – Wildwood Crest, NJ

Posted on May 21, 2014 by Bluejeanfood

Gia by Vincent and Mia Chiarella – Wildwood Crest, NJ

Having small children creates one to change their dining schedule when their child is hungry or getting antsy. I am no different with an eighteen-month old rambunctious boy. After a terrible wind and rain storm swept through the Northeast on a recent Friday during a long weekend I was invited to stay at the beautiful Hotel Icona at Diamond Beach, my son had enough of being cooped inside our suite and wanted out. This created an early departure to dinner at Gia by Vincent and Mia Chiarella. This can cause havoc for some restaurants, but at Gia we were not only welcome with our early arrival, we were felt to feel like part of the family. With a toddler busting at the seams, the staff at Gia not only accommodated us wonderfully, they literally were at the ready with entertainment for him ranging from a bottle of bubbles to blow around all the way to a Spiderman cake topper for him to play with. With them having me expect the unexpected, I was ready for Elmo to walk out of the kitchen at any time and truly have my son become a customer for life. As much as my son loved the attention and entertainment at Gia, I came for the food and a personality whose profile has recently been skyrocketing, Chef Mia Chiarella. Chef Mia most recently appeared on the Food Network’s show “Kitchen Casino”, runs a foundation that gathers gift donations for patients in Cooper University P.I.C.U every Christmas season, is a health and nutrition columnist for newspapers and magazines, and was just awarded Atlantic City Weekly’s Top 40 Under 40 highlighting the region’s most influential and dynamic young leaders. Are the accolades warranted? Food does not lie, and I started my lie detector test with an appetizer of Fried Provolone with anchovies and prosciutto.

fried pro

Well the first test passed with flying colors and the detector came back with the result of delicious. It was the perfect combination in all aspects. The anchovies gave the dish a delightfully pungent and intensely fishy profile, while the thick slices of prosciutto provided a salty, sweet, and buttery texture to cut into through the crispy exterior holding together a melted mound of provolone inside. The dish was truly a trifecta of tasty. The main course lie detector test would be Pan-seared Diver Scallops pan seared with a compound butter.

scallops

The second round of testing came back with truths so evident; it practically preached the foodie gospel to me. The Scallops were accompanied by a bowl of pasta on the house with a wonderful sauce (or gravy depending on what you call it) that was hands down some of the best I have had in quite some time. Add to this surprise scallops that were cooked spot-on with a texture that was firm yet fine, a sear some chefs spend a lifetime trying to perfect, and some of the tastiest and flavorful scallops around. I was even more impressed with the price, as I have paid double for scallop dishes in major cities to not only receive fewer scallops in my dish, but they were nowhere near as good as what Gia’s is serving.

pasta

After having one of the better meals in a long time, the lie detector came back with its final analysis. It stated “The proof is in the pudding”. So with such a claim and Gia’s not serving any type of puddings that night for dessert, I opted for a pistachio encrusted vanilla ice cream.

ice cream

My dessert just topped a great meal from start to finish. It is far and few between that I leave a dining establishment without at least one critique or something that could have been better. My only wonder, is that I had the pleasure of visiting Gia’s during the off-peak of the shore season and if such excellence and attention to detail is able to be upheld when the waves of tourist come pouring through their doors as most restaurants have to deal with the summer crowds and struggle to even get you seat let alone a decent meal. With Gia’s though if they can provide even half of what I had the night of my visit, that would still be a million times better than most of the crap I have had at other shore eateries during peak seasons of the past while down there, and with Gia accepting reservations, they may be able to pace themselves accordingly and not have to worry such much about an overcrowding issue.

I see great things on the horizon for Chef Mia. She has the talents, the drive, and with the Food Network now aware of her, it is only a matter of time before she is the next big female household culinary name that America comes to know through their talking boxes with pictures otherwise known as television. The only thing at Gia that seemed out of the ordinary was that everyone is highlighted in print of some sort from Gia (CLICK HERE for the story of Gia) to Vincent and Chef Mia Chiarella, but Beth Sobel Chiarella name is omitted and I do not know why. After dining there, you realize that Beth is just as much as a part of Gia’s success as everyone else by coming to each table to make sure everyone is comfortable, sharing personable and entertaining stories, while not overstepping the bounds to be a welcome guest at the table during service with impeccable timing and personality. With such amazing food, service, staff, and charisma coming out of Gia, they could join the list of must eats while down the shore such as salt-water taffy, fudge, Macks Pizza, and Curley’s Fries.

Overall

Five out of Five Stars

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Venice Italian Eatery – Pitman, NJ

Posted on May 7, 2014 by Bluejeanfood

Venice Italian Eatery – Pitman, NJ

Pitman, New Jersey seems to be in the news in the Philadelphia area around every December. With their “Keep Christ in Christmas” sign adoring the main street of town to the “Keep Saturn in Saturnalia” sign on the other side of town opposing each others view they are at least keeping their name relevant either way. My question was what goes on the other eleven months of the year?

Well Pitman is set up to be more than just a discussion during the holidays. With their Broadway Theater having entertainment all year with some top-notch performances, a few nice shops to buy odds and ends, and a main street with quite a few dining options they have a little something for everyone it seems. I decided to stop and grab a bite to eat at Venice Italian Eatery (VIE).

The wait staff was very down home and the large majority of patrons seem to come to VIE for their pizza and sandwiches. I was in the mood for a full meal, so I started things out with their Escarole Soup.

Venice Escrole Soup

 

Their version of Escarole Soup was of the red variety giving it more of minestrone feel to me since the white beans were missing and escarole almost invisible. The soup was not bad, and it was not great either. It was just not really anything I can think of that an escarole soup should be and did not stand out in any fashion. The fresh bread really helped out with the dipping cup of seasoned olive oil. I would follow-up the soup with chicken marsala.

venice chicken marsala

 

The chicken marsala was not plated in way that would win any presentation awards, but what it did have was a fantastic down home feel to the meal. The broccoli were nice and fresh and drowned in the butter, lemon, and herbs that it was sauteed in and the chicken was tender and marsala sauce had a nice tone to it with a generous serving of mushrooms to go along and with the nice fresh rolls they provided earlier it really was a joy to sop up all the sauce with the rolls. I could tell that everything was cooked when I ordered and nothing was sitting around. The dish would not pass in most fine dining establishments, but for a location that eighty percent of the menu consisted of pizzeria fare, I was pleasantly surprised. I would end the meal with Boston Cream Pie.

venice boston creme pie
The pitfall of my time at VIE would be the pie. It was obviously very old with the flavor of freezer burn in every bite and the cream did not resemble cream anymore. The only highlight of the dessert would be the whipped cream that topped it.

VIE was very affordable with some definite highs and definite lows of service. I felt like family the minute I set foot inside and everything had a home meal sort of vibe. I would love to go to a show at the theater and walk across the street to enjoy a meal at VIE either before or afterwards. Just make sure you go out for dessert somewhere else.

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Mario Cerrito presents “Evening with the Masters”

Posted on May 4, 2014 by Bluejeanfood

(The following is a special series on Bluejeanfoodcritic.com written by guest contributing writer Mario Cerrito. He is an accomplished director, actor, screen writer, and author. His latest movie “Deadly Gamble” is being release this summer CLICK HERE for more info and he has just started production as director of his latest film “The Stall”. Hope you enjoy his perspective on all things food and drink.)

Being asked to cover the event “Evening with the Masters”, by the Derek Timm aka The BlueJean Food Critic was an honor. Instantly I knew that I was going to be surrounded by tasty meals and an overall great time. The event held on Friday May, 25th by Meals on Wheels in Wilmington, Delaware at the Doubletree by Hilton Hotel absolutely exceeded my expectations. I was accompanied by my beautiful girlfriend and the night was spectacular. Upon arrival, we were greeted by friendly staff members and showed where the event was being held. Our first stop was into the beer garden to try out some craft brews. Personally, I am a rather simple beer drinker myself, but trying some different beers was refreshing. Some of them were not what I would go to the store and buy for myself, but great for a tasting. The anticipation of seeing the rest of the event had my girlfriend demanding we go into the main room where the wine and vodka were, and we all know wine and vodka are a woman’s best friend.

movie vodka

We made our way into the main room where it was packed. People were dressed to impress and it had an overall good vibe to it. There were tables set up everywhere around the big room and a live disc jockey spinning some quality tunes, making the room upbeat. Saving my appetite all day for this event, I couldn’t wait to dig in. The tables were set up next to each other and each had their display of the foods they were presenting for the evening. I was pretty sure that these talented chefs were giving their best shot tonight and who was I to say no.

The first table my girlfriend spotted was a table that had about 5 huge vodka bottles on it. The company name was American Harvest. The vodka happened to be organic which I thought was pretty unique. I do like vodka but usually when it is mixed with something else. This company was serving it straight without any mixer which I thought was strange at first but after I tried it I understood just why they were doing it. It was some of the smoothest, cleanest vodka I had ever tried in my entire life that needed no mixer at all. It went down as easy as water. Their was no kick in it whatsoever. I highly recommend American Harvest to any vodka drinker. In the near future I can see American Harvest being the top shelf in bars and high-end clubs.

american harvest

The next stop we made while wandering around the amazing setup was Tutto Fresco. Tutto Fresco is an Italian eatery located on Philadelphia Avenue in downtown Wilmington Delaware. Since I am Italian, I knew that this spot would be one of my favorites of the night. They served us some homemade gnocchi. Gnocchi has always been a personal favorite of mine and with the homemade sauce of Tutto Fresco it put it out of this world. The sauce was made just the way I like it with a hint of garlic and fresh basil. The gnocchi was perfect as well. Some places tend to not cook them long enough, but Tutto Fresco did them just the way I prefer them. The owners were very friendly and I vowed to visit their restaurant next time I was in Wilmington.

Overall the night was a great experience, from the atmosphere to the food it was an event that I  more people need to come out to attend and support this fantastic organization Meals On Wheels Delaware. I am very thankful and gracious to have had the opportunity to attend this event and hopefully get to go back next year. If anyone is on the fence about whether they should go or not I hope they take my advice and climb the fence. Get out to “Evening with the Masters” and experience the same greatness I did.

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Terra Nova Restaurant and Wine Bar – Sewell, NJ

Posted on April 30, 2014 by Bluejeanfood

Terra Nova Restaurant and Wine Bar – Sewell, NJ

Terra Nova (TN) feels more like three restaurants in one, especially with how large they are and how many room are in TN, than one cohesive establishment. The menu is almost exhausting to read with everything from soups, salads, Italian dishes, all the way to sushi, and a heavy influx of wine selections.

I started out with the Onion Soup with roasted garlic and gruyere. Now this is not French Onion Soup even though it closely looks like it and has the same setup and texture, but the flavor profile is slightly different and a nice change of pace. I enjoyed it and would recommend it to start your meal off with.

terra nova onion soup

Next was the Bang-Bang Tempura Shrimp. Ringing in at $13 it was a little disappointing to only get four regular sized shrimp on the dish. The shrimp were lightly battered covered in a sweet and chili sauce. The sauce was nice, but the shrimp could have been a little more numerous or larger in size in my opinion and sadly they were slightly overcooked creating a minor rubbery effect on the shrimp.

terra nova bang shrimp

For the main course I went with the Pan Seared Diver Scallops. It was displayed on the menu as having crab, leek and potato hash, and haricot vert (green beans). What it did not state was it coming out served like a soup. The scallops were decent as was the amount of crab meat served, but the plating was horrendous as was the amount of liquid making my meal float. The entire dish had a singular flavor since everything else was drowned out by the cream sauce covering the dish as well as well as a massive amount of potatoes served. They really need to review what they want this dish to be and execute it a little better.

terra nova scallops
To finish things off was your standard creme brulee. It was a nice way to finish the night, but was they did not do anything to enhance it out of the ordinary.

terra nova creme brulee

TN had their share of ups and downs. It was not a perfect meal at TN, but it was by far not terrible either. The experience I had at TN seems to suggest they would be a nice place for group outings, but not somewhere I would call a must go to location. The menu may need an overhaul and the kitchen could use some help sending out plates to look a little more appeasing and not so soupy.

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