Federal Donuts – Philadelphia, PA

Posted on April 2, 2014 by Bluejeanfood

Federal Donuts – Philadelphia, PA

Sitting on a revamped 1600 Block of Sansom Street sits Federal Donuts (FD). FD has quite a few other locations throughout the city as well ranging from 7th and Fairmount Streets, 2nd and Manton, 3428 Sansom, and even a setup in Citizens Bank Park. What started out as a quirky idea of opening a coffee, doughnuts, and fried chicken eatery from Chef Mike Solomonov and Steve Cook has turned out to become an empire of its own with legions of fans singing FD’s praises. With the baseball now in full swing, I figured what better way to get into the spirit of the season then choosing FD’s Ballpark BBQ selection for my order of Fried Chicken.

federal donut

The chicken was cooked perfectly. So moist and juicy on the inside, yet a beautiful crispy skin surrounding each piece. Surprisingly just coming out of the fryer, the chicken had a minimal amount of grease. Even with no sauce and just a dry rub, the seasoning provided a nice smokey and bbq profile while being light enough to allow the chicken to still shine and be the star of the dish. After devouring all four pieces, a delicious Honey-Glazed doughnut was still left for a nice treat. It hit all the right notes and was a great way to end the meal.

FD is mostly a take-out only location as the places to sit or stand to eat-in are few and not setup for comfort. The service was quick and efficient. Chef Mike Solomonov and Steve Cook has FD’s business model down to a science and I can see how expansion has come quickly and easily and why FD has become so popular. A major part of their success is the coffee and the varied selection of fantastic doughnuts they offer, but the chicken is what made me notice them and is not to be ignored. With some of the tastiest doughnuts and fried chicken around, FD literally has a treat that could be a morning, afternoon, evening, or late night snack. FD being able to reach all these demographics sounds to me like they will be around for quite some time and that we will be seeing more and more of them around. With that being said, that may not be a bad thing, unless your name is Dunkin Donuts.

Overall

Four out of Five Stars

Comments Off on Federal Donuts – Philadelphia, PA

Posted in Restaurants and tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , . Bookmark the permalink.

Luke’s Lobster – Philadelphia, PA

Posted on March 26, 2014 by Bluejeanfood

Luke’s Lobster – Philadelphia, PA

Lobster roll is not something you think of when dining in and
around Philadelphia. The New England area is more what comes to
mind, but Luke’s Lobster (LL) by way of New York City not New
England wants you to think otherwise. Order of the day would be
none other than you guessed it, Lobster Roll with a side of chips.

Luke's Lobster

 

LL’s lobster roll is hands down one of the best I have had outside
of the New England area and far and away the best I have ever had
at a chain restaurant. Albeit they are on the small end of being a
chain restaurant with only eleven locations. They are a chain
nevertheless.

The roll was perfect and grilled just like you want. The lobster
meat was varied between claw, knuckle, and tail with a decent
amount of meat provided with the lemon butter drizzled throughout
and just the right combination of seasonings highlighting its
flavor profile, while still allowing the lobster meat to shine.

LL was not cheap to eat at by any means, but lobster is not cheap
anywhere you want to eat it at. Eating at LL is not something you
could do on a daily basis and not go broke, but LL sure is a nice
place to treat yourself to one of the finest lobster rolls around
every now and again. The service was friendly and the decor is
cute in its fisherman style. I just wonder with all of the menu
items being on the higher end of prices, maybe they could throw a
few cheap options on there as well for a friend who comes with you
and doesn’t want to shell out twenty dollars for lunch or does not
like seafood.

Overall
Four out of Five Stars

Leave a comment

Posted in Restaurants and tagged , , , , , , , . Bookmark the permalink.

Cheu Noodle Bar – Philadelphia, PA

Posted on March 17, 2014 by Bluejeanfood

Cheu Noodle Bar – Philadelphia, PA

As their name implies “Cheu  Noodle Bar” (CNB), noodles are the
name of the game and main attraction for most at CNB. With me
being familiar with Chef Ben Puchowitz and Shawn Darragh’s noodle
endeavors all the way back to Chef Ben’s days cooking at Matyson
when they would have a pop-up restaurant called “Round-Eye Noodle”
every now and again seeking investors, I could tell all the way
back then, that what they were doing with noodles was something
special. Well fast forward a few years. They have a restaurant of
their own, a signed a lease for a second location at the former El
Zarape at 12th and Passyunk and Morris Street intersection, and
Chef Ben is being honored by the James Beard Foundation as a
semi-finalist for “Rising Star Chef of the Year” award.

Opening the door to CNB showed without a shadow of a doubt that
the duo of Chef Ben and Shawn has been a very succesful
combination. Not a seat left in-house, jam-packed from front to
back. Great hip and trendy decor splatters the walls and ceilings,
nice music pumping through the speakers, and a staff that was as
friendly as I have ever seen in a place as busy as CNB was that
day. With my heart set on CNB, I was not deterred from having no
where to sit. I went with plan B, take-out. Having had their
noodles in the past, I decided to go everything but noodles that
day. I started out with the Black Garlic Wings.

cheu wings

The Black Garlic Wings consisted of lightly fried chicken wings
with shishito peppers, lime, and cilantro. At first sight I was a
little taken aback and unsure, but after first bite I was hooked.
They were perfectly balanced in flavor, cooked to perfection with
a nice crisp on the exterior even with all of the sauces applied
while being nice and juicy on the inside. The combination of
spices and sauce really were something special and I highly
recommend you have an order to start any meal at CNB. My main
course would be CNB’s version of Fish and Chips.

cheu fish ribs

cheu fries

The Fish and Chips would be Smoked Fish Ribs and a side of Cheu
Fries topped with miso truffle aioli and fish flakes. I will call
this the Yum and Yummy. The smoked fish ribs worked on so many
levels, even for a certified bbq judge as myself who loves pork
and beef ribs. The skin was extra crispy while the fish was as
tender and soft as biting into a cloud. The glaze on the ribs
worked beautifully giving each bite a wonderful array of tastes
while still being light enough to allow the profile of the fish to
shine. If that was not enough, the fries were amazing. I have
never had such a combination top my fries before and it was
wonderful. The fries were cooked just the way I like them as well. Not
too soft and not too crunchy. Just the right texture and with the
topping of the miso truffle aioli and fish flakes it made them
spectacular.

With CNB specializing in noodles and being able to produce so
extraordinarily with not a single noodle dish in my order, Chef
Ben and Shawn certainly have nothing to stop them from a long and
successful journey in the culinary world. I only hope the
consistency and quality can still be upheld with multiple
locations on the horizon. If this can be done, Chef Ben and Shawn
may be in the same sentences as the Vetri, Garces, Starr and
others who have created Philadelphia to be the great dining
destination it has become to be known globally now. Will the day
ever come that Philadelphia is not synonymous with cheesesteaks
and soft pretzels? I do not think so, but with CNB joining the
crowd we have so many more interesting things to eat and talk
about, and that is always a good thing.

Overall
Four and Half out of Five Stars

Comments Off on Cheu Noodle Bar – Philadelphia, PA

Posted in Restaurants and tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , . Bookmark the permalink.

Maxwells Caribbean Take-out – Philadelphia, PA

Posted on March 12, 2014 by Bluejeanfood

Maxwells Caribbean Take-out – Philadelphia, PA

Getting to Maxwells Caribbean (MC) is not one of the most scenic routes in Philadelphia. Sitting in a depressed area of North Philadelphia a couple of blocks from the Temple University campus MC sits. Temple has had up upswing of dining establishments popping up throughout the years to feed the hungry student base, but MC has been here long before that trend started.

MC is strictly a take-out location. No chairs, no stools, but lots of thick glass to protect its workers from the harm of the outside world and signs posted to leave your weapons outside. The staff at MC was so friendly and helpful it is such a shame they are located in a part of town where a sit down restaurant is challenge just for safety reason alone. With my weapons left outside, I ordered a medium sized Jerk Chicken platter.

maxwells

The chicken was a little more stuck to the bone than I enjoy for my jerk chicken. One of the benefits of jerk chicken usually is the luxury of a slow cooked meat that has the meat falling apart right off the bone. It was not under-cooked, but it just made it a tad bit more work than usual. The spice of the day was SPICY and I mean SPICY. The overall flavor had the signs of jerk chicken, but without any visible smoke taste applied to meat. I would have to say the MC only bakes the chicken. The plantains were cooked nicely, but I could have gone for a larger portion and the cabbage mix was nice, but again just a very small portion of it. Plenty of rice was provided, but it was not seasoned in any way.

I really enjoyed the staff at MC and hope that they are not given a hard time too frequently by the locals loitering across the street who seemed like they could get unruly at any moment and enjoyed what I can only hope was medical marijuana from New Jersey since Pennsylvania is not one of the states that offer it. They have been in business for quite sometime at their current location so they must be doing something right. My meal was good, but not great. With that being said it is hard for me to recommend an out of the way ride to get their offerings, but if you happen to be in the area or are a Temple student living around campus looking for a change of pace from fast food, food trucks, cafeteria food, and pizza joints, MC could be the spot you have just been looking for.

Leave a comment

Posted in Quick bites/Takeout and tagged , , , , , , , . Bookmark the permalink.

Thai Son – Pennsauken, NJ

Posted on March 5, 2014 by Bluejeanfood

Thai Son – Pennsauken, NJ

Sitting tucked inside the Saigon Plaza shopping center next to the very poplar SunSeng Supermarket is Thai Son Vietnamese Restaurant (TS). The inside of TS is very relaxed with their all wood decor, dim lights, and open floor plan. The menu is very large and daunting, and I sometimes have the feeling when I visit a new restaurant with a menu so large to that feeling you get playing scratch-off lottery tickets. You do have a chance to hit the jackpot, but many more opportunities to leave a feeling like a loser. My first scratch at TS would be their Crispy Pork Spring Roll.

spring roll

This was the perfect way to get things started at TS. With the provided sauces, it hit all the right notes of Vietnamese cuisine being sweet, salty, sour, bitter, and spicy all at once. Any meal at TS should start with them and do not be shy about using the provided sauces and condiments to meet your preferred flavor. My next two scratch-off selections would be the Egg Noodle with Pork Belly and Shrimp with wok fried lemongrass, carrots, onions, and bell peppers in curry sauce and coconut milk.

lemongrass

porkbelly

These two dishes could not have been more different, but provided the same result of enjoyment. Their were plenty of succulent slices of pork belly in the egg noodle dish as well plenty of perfectly cooked and decent sized shrimp in the lemongrass dish. I do not think I would have enjoyed either dish without the other as they were able to balance each other out. The lemongrass dish at times seemed a little too overpowering, while the egg noodle was a tad bland, but going back and forth eating each was delightful.

The service at TS was accommodating and friendly, and the prices were very affordable. This type of meal is not for everyone, but if you are adventurous, like strong flavors, and able to create the flavors that you like by mixing and matching then TS could be a good fit for you. I must say that I enjoyed my time there, and will definitely go back, but they were not the best I have ever had, but one of the best in South Jersey.

Leave a comment

Posted in Restaurants and tagged , , , , , , , , , . Bookmark the permalink.

Grabbe’s Seafood Restaurant – Westville, NJ

Posted on February 26, 2014 by Bluejeanfood

Grabbe’s Seafood Restaurant – Westville, NJ

I like dive bars. They just seem authentic not having to please the customer into feeling like you belong like some fancy places pretend to do. I also like to eat a places where the seafood is fresh. Lucky for me Grabbe’s Seafood (GS) seems to fit both categories.

grabbes seafood display

GS has a beautiful display of fresh crabs, scallops, etc. immediately upon opening the door. They also have the decor, clientele, music tunes coming from a jukebox, and attitude of a friendly local bar knowing almost every person who steps inside by name.

wall of grabbes

My adventure at GS started off with a cup of Maryland Crab Soup. The soup was filled generously with pieces of crab, fresh vegetables, and spiced just right. This is the perfect soup on a cold day to warm you up.

grabbes maryland soup

The next selection unfortunately was not as good. The mussels were cooked nicely as almost all of them were opened, but the broth seriously lacked any sort of flavor profile thus lacking any delicious bread dipping potential and only creating wet soggy bread when dipped in the broth.

grabbes mussels

Thankfully my next choice picked GS right back up. GS’s U-Peel’em Shrimp were simply fantastic. Each shrimp was a decent size, cooked perfect, and the seasoning was spot delicious. This dish alone is reason enough to go to GS. Just go there, have a few shrimp, drink a few beers and be on your merry way much more happier than when you walked in.

grabbes u peel shrimp

Just when you thought I would be done eating, NO WAY! The main attraction showed up. Crab Cakes with french fries and apple sauce as the sides. The crab cakes were filled with large lumps of crab meat, not too much filler, moist throughout with a nice crisp exterior, and light on seasoning allowing the sweet crab meat to really shine and be the star. The sides were basic as the apple sauce I am sure came straight out of a can or jar and the fries were decent enough, but of the frozen variety.

grabbes crab cake

I really enjoyed my time at GS and easily see myself going there again especially for an evening of all you can eat blue point crabs that they offer every night. The staff was friendly even though service seemed just a tad slow at times. The food was far and above your chain seafood restaurant and their only real downfall being that there are no grilled or pan fried seafood options at all. The menu consists mostly of fried items with a few broiled and baked selections as well with their steamed crabs being the big draw to GS. Be this as it may, if you are in the mood for steamed crabs, a nice Maryland Crab soup, U-Peel’em shrimp or fried crab cakes, GS is definitely a place you should try. Just sit back, relax, and soak in the atmosphere of a local bar with nice seafood.

Overall
Three and Half stars out of Five

Leave a comment

Posted in Restaurants and tagged , , , , , , , , . Bookmark the permalink.

Tex Mex Connection – Herradura Tequila Paired Dinner Event

Posted on February 21, 2014 by Bluejeanfood

(The following is a special series on Bluejeanfoodcritic.com written by guest contributing writer William Knowles. He highlights his passions of trying something new whenever the opportunity presents itself, or possibly something old, but new again since it has been awhile. I hope you enjoy his very special perspective that I am sure many of you can relate to. Follow him on his exciting journey “Around Town”)

On Tuesday evening, February 18th, the Tex Mex Connection in North Wales, PA. presented a special tasting dinner sponsored by Herradura Tequila.

tex mex teq

 

The company’s roving ambassador, Tal Ambrose, energetically guided us through his products history.  Samples of three different flavors, combined with unique food offerings, made for an interesting evening.

The four course meal started with delicious appetizers ranging from Ahi tuna to sugar cane chicken (more hot than sweet).  After enjoying Jicama Kale salad came the highlight of the dinner – mole chicken, lathered in a thick seasoned sauce.

tex mex food

Chocolate mousse capped the meal off…all amplified by the tequila and additional spirits served throughout.

Tex Mex general manager Kevin Gross has found an excellent way to showcase his newly renovated establishment, which is half sit down restaurant and half sports bar.

tex mex bar

 

This function was perfect for anyone looking to explore the vast offerings of Mexican food that they may not typically think to try, and the tequila presentation made it fun and relaxing all the while.

Stop in and say hello to Kevin and his  excellent team, and I’ll see you “Around town”

Bill

Leave a comment

Posted in "Around Town", Restaurants and tagged , , . Bookmark the permalink.

Corinne’s Place – Camden, NJ

Posted on February 19, 2014 by Bluejeanfood

It is very rare to find success or good news coming out Camden, New Jersey usually. Corinne’s Place (CP) has been a thriving business in a tough town and I am sure they would not mind to see a revitalization of Camden while being a part of a plan. It will be no easy task, but creating a friendly business corridor for people to visit has to be one of the city’s top priorities as driving down Haddon Avenue to get to CP is no easy task with the multitude of jay-walkers, drug dealers, drug users, and many juveniles loitering the sidewalk and steps of businesses to get to CP.

The front door of CP is not even welcoming and I had to wonder if I was opening the correct door or if they were even open the day that I came. As soon as I stepped foot inside, I was immediately hit with a decor that I do not have the vocabulary to describe here. The best I can say is that it is a shrine to the owner of the place with various letters, pictures, newspaper clippings talking about CP just tacked on the walls looking more like a teenager’s bedroom than a business with no rhyme or reason about how they are arranged as well as any of the other furnishings or trinkets surrounding the restaurant.

Thankfully after I got out of my initial shock and awe of CP, the staff was friendly and accommodating to me. The menu is of your basic soul food variety choices. I went with the breast fried chicken platter with mac and cheese and cabbage.

corrines place

The portions were generous and about average price for this style of food around the Philadelphia region. The chicken was moist and tender, but the flavor seemed a little light for my taste compared to other soul food establishments fried chicken near here. It seemed as though my piece just was not seasoned well enough. The mac and cheese was creamy, but again did nothing to have it stand out from the crowd. The cabbage on the other hand had the opposite problem. It was cooked nicely as each bite of cabbage was as smooth as silk, but it was seasoned so heavily with salt that it was almost inedible.

CP was a mix of many things from the adventure to get there, the sensory overload of the interior, and the food they serve. I hear the best day to visit CP is on Sundays for their buffet, and I am sure being able to grab a little bit of everything of the menu can be a delight here. What I can tell you though is that the experience I had was not sufficient enough to have me go out of my way to visit CP. With that being said, I do not have any current or planned business to take care of in this part of Camden so it may be quite a while until they see me again. So until that time comes, then maybe a revitalization of the area will be in the works and it would not be such a hassle to get there and give me a reason to go back and happily walk down the street to get into CP.

Leave a comment

Posted in Restaurants and tagged , , , . Bookmark the permalink.

Tommy DiNiC’s at The Reading Terminal Market – Philadelphia, PA

Posted on February 5, 2014 by Bluejeanfood

Tommy DiNiC’s at The Reading Terminal Market – Philadelphia, PA

When your sandwich shop gets awarded to have the “Best Sandwich in America” by Travel Channel program “Man vs Food”, you must be doing something right. Well that honor was bestowed upon Tommy DiNiC’s at The Reading Terminal Market (TD) for their pork sandwich.

My love of the Reading Terminal is no secret as it is one of my favorite places in all of Philadelphia. As much as it is a tourist destination, it is just as great for the people who live around it as well. No matter what food mood you may be in that day, you are sure to find something to fit your needs there. They just completed a very nice renovation of the terminal and it is looking better than ever. One of the parts of the renovation was a new spot for TD. TD’s new digs are hands down better than their old location. The wood counter sit down area is gorgeous, the prep area is clean and has much more area for the employees to move around, and the take-out line at TD now moves light years faster than it did in the past. The area to place your order is now very defined where everyone needs to stand and pay, and for the most part the patrons who want to eat at the counter don’t have to push their way over to the counter and get into arguments for those just wanting for take-out. It is a dream come to for everyone who stops by. For my visit, what’s good enough to be America’s best is good enough for me to eat. So a roast pork with sharp provolone and broccoli rabe would the order of the day.

dinics reading term

 

The sandwich was perfection. TD has this thing down to a science. From the roll being able to hold the wonderful juices of the pork while not becoming soggy, to the broccoli rabe sauteed to its most delicious flavor profile available, and the sharp provolone providing the ying to everything else’s yang the combination here is superb. I do not know if TD has been this good since they first opened, but I do know that what they are serving is hands down one of the best roast pork sandwiches ever. Even with lines wrapped around the place and them serving their sandwiches in mass, they are able to provide a sandwich that tastes like it was made from scratch just for you. This sort of accomplishment did not just happen overnight and the entire staff of TD should be commended for the hard work and precision they provide their customers on a daily basis.

Is it the best sandwich in America? I do not know, but I do know one thing. Philadelphia is known as a cheesesteak town, but with what TD is putting out, the cheesesteak may have a fight on its hands to hold on to its crown.

Overall
Five out of Five Stars

Leave a comment

Posted in Quick bites/Takeout, Restaurants and tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , . Bookmark the permalink.

L’Oceano Ristorante – Collingswood, NJ

Posted on January 29, 2014 by Bluejeanfood

L’Oceano Ristorante – Collingswood, NJ

I find one of the hardest types of restaurants to enjoy is seafood. When going out to eat at a seafood restaurant, just like visiting a steak house, you know you are going to be paying quite a bit more money for your meal than at other places before you even see the menu. Now this would not be a problem if these types of establishments served quality meals the majority of the time as I do not mind paying a premium for good food, but I find it is quite the opposite and I leave angry and hungry most times. Well thankfully, L’Oceano Ristorante (LR) had me wondering when I would be back the second I stepped out the door. Let us start at the beginning of my visit with my order of Stuffed Clams.

clams

These were the appetizer special of the night. They were very similar to Clams Casino with a few changes such as a few different cheeses in the mix and some baby shrimp thrown in for good measure as well. I liked the different spin they put on their dish, and it had a high-end feel rarely seen in clam dishes, so the night started off well. Next up would be the Stuffed Trout accompanied by a side of broccoli rabe. .

fish

rabe

LR’s stuffed trout dish highlights New Jersey’s state fish the Brook Trout. They put farm raised Brook Trout, stuffed it with balsamic glazed caramelized onion compote, wrapped in prosciutto, and served over wilted greens and a rosemary cream sauce. I do not know who asked for Brook Trout to be named the state fish of New Jersey, but I know if I had a say in the manner, after eating LR’s version of this fish I would want my state to be know for such a delicious morsel as well. I just might have to get a fishing license and try to catch a few for myself. Everything was heavenly from the onion compote being delicious, to the greens sautéed to perfection, and the cream sauce adding that final flair of fantastic flavors to compliment the dish. I can not say enough good things out this dish. The only complaint would be that the fish was burnt on one side, but with it being wrapped in prosciutto, the prosciutto protected most of the flesh and caused the fish meat to just stick just a tad to the prosciutto. As if things could not get any better, LR topped it off with the broccoli rabe. Seasoned beautifully and cooked just the way I like it, LR really made my meal go from great to extraordinary.

LR had one major downfall. The prices they state on their website were not what were shown on my receipt. I do not know if the website needs to be updated or if my server charged incorrectly, but overall this caused a twenty dollar increase with everyone in my party meals accounted for with the higher prices. Even with that being said, I was very surprised and happy after leaving LR. The service was so friendly and you can tell it is mostly being run by family. The interior is decorated nicely and it is an intimate spot allowing you to watch your meal be made and brought right to you. I visited LR on New Years Eve with my wife and one year old son. With this being said, a meal at a restaurant on a holiday usually equates to a less than stellar experience with large crowds, long waits, and so-so food being rushed out. Not so at LR, so for that I was even more impressed. If they can produce the service and quality of food coming from the kitchen on a busy holiday night, I can only imagine the magic and experience they provide a guest on a slow night.

Overall

Four and Half Stars out of Five

Leave a comment

Posted in Restaurants and tagged , , , , , , , . Bookmark the permalink.
← Older Posts
Newer Posts →