Villa Rosa

One evening we ordered from Villa Rosa for dinner. It's one of the six Carlucci restaurants in our area, but the first that we've tried. The garlic knots were delicious (a tiny bit overpriced, maybe), but the pepperoni-and-green pepper pizza was different. The peppers tasted like french-cut green beans more than anything else, and the grease level was a bit obscene. Not bad, but not worth getting again. Carlucci's has a very good reputation, so I'm sure we'll try a couple of their other restaurants tho!

Maurice River Diner

On the way back from Cape May we stopped for breakfast at another diner, Maurice River Diner in Millville/Port Elizabeth. Dennis and I had omelets (served with homefries and toast) and Jonathan had a pancake-eggs-bacon-sausage-homefries plate. The portions were very large, and everything was pretty good. The diner was a very large place, but the menu wasn't as extensive as other diners.

Cape May, NJ

We hit some roadside farm stores and drove through Dennisville on the way over. We stopped at The Southville Corner Diner and Family Restaurant. The menu was verrry extensive, and the portions very large. I had a bacon cheeseburger with fries (average), Jonathan had the prime rib sandwich (fatty but okay) and French onion soup (I'd give it a C-), and Dennis had a flounder sandwich.

Campo's

We had lunch at Campo's, and totally saw it packed! The pretzels were okay, and beware that the hot mustard and cheese are not free, like the sign mentions. Instead there's a charge of $1.41 for either. Considering the pretzels are 3 for $1.35, it's a bit crazy. I had the chicken parmiagiana, it was above average. Everyone enjoyed their selections, although I should note that The Stockyard is not for everyone... it includes chicken, steak, pepperoni, bacon, marscarpone cheese, and fried onions. Sounds interesting, but it's a bit much. Jonathan had most of one, and his parents finished it off.

Cafe Graziella

We had Cafe Graziella in Hillsborough, NJ for dinner. I had the Capellini Sinatra. Jonathan had the canneloni. His dad had the Savoya. His mom and Dennis each ordered a noodles and bolognese dish which I can no longer recall the name of. I loved mine, even the leftovers were delicious! It was an angel hair pasta with clams, scallops (the tiny ones like we catch every year), and shrimp. The Savoya was chicken with mushrooms, onion, spinach, and roasted peppers - looked delicious!

Osaka Restaurant

...and the quest for good Asian food in Pennsylvania continues! We were out running errands on a Saturday, and were over in Mount Laurel, NJ with a craving for Thai. The internet seemed to suggest Osaka Restaurant in that area, so we drove over there.

Nope. bad place. don't go there. in fact, make sure you know NOT to go there, it was horrible.

It started out fine... we were one of two tables, but it was 1:30, so late for lunch. The decor was nice, and there was a sushi bar. We ordered a simple tuna roll for an appetizer, and the tuna was a bit old. I had strange wonton soup, Jonathan had average egg drop soup. The crunchies (I don't know what they're really called... you know... the cracker-like snacks they give you) were homemade, but a bit greasy. But even at this point, they could have turned around our impression... too bad they didn't...

I ordered Chicken Chow Mein, Jonathan ordered Penang Chicken. Mine was very Moo Goo Gai Pan; we're not sure what his was. Mine had NO NOODLES, and a strange sauce. His was not curry at all, but rather a lightly-spicy chicken with peppers. Neither of us were impressed. It was also not even ten minutes after we left the place that I had to find a restroom, if you get my drift. Boo to this place... spread the word that it's bad.

Jack's Cold Cuts

We felt like hoagies. We were in the Bensalem area. So, we drove down Street Road (seriously the name) and pulled into the first plaza with a deli listed on the sign. And it was a good choice.

Jack's Cold Cuts is a family-owned business. They didn't have much going on when we waltzed in, as it seemed they were preparing for a catering job (we believe someone ordered up a ton of smoked fish trays). They have deli meat available (Dietz & Watson brand), and have a variety of sandwiches you can order. It's a cross between a Jewish deli and your standard, New York-Italian deli.

I went with baked ham and swiss with dijon on a baguette (#25), and Jonathan had the Brisket with American cheese and horseradish on rye (#12). They came with pickles on the side... hand-sliced, thick circles, not-too-seedy, yummy pickles. Everything was very good. I need to get accustomed to ordering veggies upfront tho... I'm very used to the main part of the sandwich being made before being asked what else I'd like on it, but every time we go to a place up here there's no chance to add-on if you don't say it at the beginning of the order.

If you're down in that area, check it out. Bensalem in general seems to have good food (and a lot of Indian places if you're into that cuisine!).

Cramer Bakery

Behind the place is Cramer Bakery, which seems to cater well to the Jewish population (lots of challah bread, and specialty signs about bar/bat mitzvah cakes, etc. Jonathan got a fresh cannoli, and I went with a large (and thin) chocolate chip cookie. The cookie was among the worst I've ever bought singly, as it was dry and milky, if that makes sense. The cannoli was very sweet, and Jonathan was unable to eat it in one setting. I thought it tasted like a standard cannoli, but then again I'm not a fan. I was pretty disappointed overall with the prices of the items, since apple strudel or cake are $9.95. Apparently there's usually a lot more out there, but I guess we went on a busy day or something (?), since there weren't even any loaves of bread out. I wouldn't recommend the place, mostly since nothing has a price on it. I've yet to find a good bakery up here, but it's going to happen!