It was kinda funny, actually. We were talking about what to have for dinner (which, on Saturday night, means going through the leftovers in the fridge), and Jonathan suggests we supplement our leftovers with pizza. We weren't swimming in extra food, so I agreed.
We dug through the coupons and pulled out the pizza ones and Jonathan picked La Villa as the place we'd try. After checking out their online reviews and menu, we went with the Trenton Tomato Pie, and added pepperoni. The Trenton Tomato Pie features light mozzarella, chunky tomato sauce, garlic, and olive oil. The crust is suuuuper thin. As in, there's really no way to hold a slice without it being floppy, unless you fold it.
We were slightly skeptical at first, I won't lie. It smelled amazing and all, but it looked kinda average. However, we were not disappointed. The taste was very different... the olive oil/garlic/chunky sauce made for a more bruschetta-like topping, which went very well with the lighter cheese and our added pepperoni.
Our only suggestion: eat it there. By the time we got ours home (probably 15 minutes), it was getting cold and needed to be microwaved. Actually, the place looked pretty nice and with a large menu and good location (right off US1), we might go back to dine-in anyway.
Showing posts with label Bucks. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Bucks. Show all posts
Tuesday, August 3, 2010
Sunday, August 1, 2010
Giggleberry Fair
I was with some kids at Giggleberry Fair for the day. They ran around and played and we had a good time, but I wanted to be sure to brag about their pizza. Not the greatest in the world, but suited the group just fine for lunch. Much better than some other entertainment center pizzas!
Wednesday, July 21, 2010
Carlucci's Grill
By this point, you may remember me mentioning Carlucci's before (especially if you follow me on Twitter). It's a family in the area that owns and operates a bunch of different restaurants. Well, it was finally time to try out the one we probably saw first, all things considered.
The only downfall was that we had eaten a late (and rather large) lunch of ribs and potato salad, so we weren't super-hungry. The appetizers alone were very filling - complimentary bruschetta and some sort of focaccia cheese bread. Service was pretty prompt, and it was nice to hear an atypical birthday song being sung to other tables throughout the evening.
Jonathan's parents shared the Pizza Del Mare, which is the same thing I ordered. I thought it was different - a wood-fired pizza with shrimp, scallops, and calamari. It was pretty good fresh (not as delicious in reheatings), but I think it would have been much better with a white garlic sauce rather than marinara.
Jonathan, on the other hand, went traditional and chose the lasagna. He got the New England Clam Chowder to go with it, and really enjoyed the soup. He kept trying to make me taste it, but I don't care for the milk-based chowders most of the time. He also thought the lasagna was excellent, but it wasn't my style. You could hardly taste the noodle, which to him was a plus but to me is a negative factor.
I don't know that we'll be back. The menu was pretty large, but there were probably only two other things that sounded outstanding to me, and with the plethora of good Italian places around, this one didn't really stand out. It's biggest draw is probably its location, honestly.
The only downfall was that we had eaten a late (and rather large) lunch of ribs and potato salad, so we weren't super-hungry. The appetizers alone were very filling - complimentary bruschetta and some sort of focaccia cheese bread. Service was pretty prompt, and it was nice to hear an atypical birthday song being sung to other tables throughout the evening.
Jonathan's parents shared the Pizza Del Mare, which is the same thing I ordered. I thought it was different - a wood-fired pizza with shrimp, scallops, and calamari. It was pretty good fresh (not as delicious in reheatings), but I think it would have been much better with a white garlic sauce rather than marinara.
Jonathan, on the other hand, went traditional and chose the lasagna. He got the New England Clam Chowder to go with it, and really enjoyed the soup. He kept trying to make me taste it, but I don't care for the milk-based chowders most of the time. He also thought the lasagna was excellent, but it wasn't my style. You could hardly taste the noodle, which to him was a plus but to me is a negative factor.
I don't know that we'll be back. The menu was pretty large, but there were probably only two other things that sounded outstanding to me, and with the plethora of good Italian places around, this one didn't really stand out. It's biggest draw is probably its location, honestly.
Monday, July 5, 2010
New Plum Tree Garden & Lemonleaf Grill
Well, we finally found the Asian place near us that's really good. It took almost 11 months, but it's probably safe to say that any and all Chinese we get from here on out will be from New Plum Tree Garden in Langhorne. They also have a Thai menu, and it was pretty good too, but we already have a Thai place, hehe. (No website, but the menu is online.)
We called in an order for pickup, and it was ready when we got there, so that's a big plus. I ordered one of the chef's specialties, the Shrimp Amazing. It had really large shrimp and a variety of vegetables, cooked in a Peking sauce that was slightly spicy with a great flavor. It came with white rice, and the overall dish really lived up to its name! Jonathan went for the Thai side, and had Khao Pahd Supparot. It's a coconut & pineapple fried rice with chicken, peanuts, and fried onions. He thought it was kinda different, not overly strong in flavor, and very good.
For an appetizer we got two shrimp egg rolls, which were a tad over-wrapped (if that makes sense), but otherwise very good. The shrimp were plentiful and the overall flavors were balanced nicely. We also got the gang sarong, which were deep-fried shrimp wrapped in thin, crispy noodles. They were okay... not worth the price, but the sauce with which they were served was fantastic.
We called in an order for pickup, and it was ready when we got there, so that's a big plus. I ordered one of the chef's specialties, the Shrimp Amazing. It had really large shrimp and a variety of vegetables, cooked in a Peking sauce that was slightly spicy with a great flavor. It came with white rice, and the overall dish really lived up to its name! Jonathan went for the Thai side, and had Khao Pahd Supparot. It's a coconut & pineapple fried rice with chicken, peanuts, and fried onions. He thought it was kinda different, not overly strong in flavor, and very good.
For an appetizer we got two shrimp egg rolls, which were a tad over-wrapped (if that makes sense), but otherwise very good. The shrimp were plentiful and the overall flavors were balanced nicely. We also got the gang sarong, which were deep-fried shrimp wrapped in thin, crispy noodles. They were okay... not worth the price, but the sauce with which they were served was fantastic.
Sunday, June 20, 2010
Tonelli's Pizza
Probably six months ago at this point, my friend Dani mentioned that there's a pizza place near her that has pierogie pizza on the menu. Since I'm a big fan of potato-type-pizza (thanks, Stevi B's, for turning me on to that!), I've wanted to try it ever since. Well, I finally got down there and Dani and I went to Tonelli's. It's a sports bar with a lot of televisions, and it was Friday night so it was pretty busy.
We decided to go with a half-pierogie and half-"the great white," in case pierogie turned out to be a dud. The Great White was an olive oil base with garlic and parmesan plus mozzarella, always a winning combination. This pizza was no different, another delicious white pie. The server was a little unclear on what was on the pierogie pizza (we asked since the menu did not specify), but it turned out to be a base of mashed potatoes, mozzarella and cheddar cheeses, and onions. We got the bacon on the side. The server also mentioned it had sour cream, but it didn't come with any. When I looked online, apparently it was supposed to be on the side. No worries, it was still yummy. Dani and I both agreed that chives would have been better than onions in this case.
I'd go back, it's a good place. It's rather far from us tho, probably a little more than half an hour. And in the land of pizza and cheesesteaks, there's not really a normal need to go further than ten minutes, hehe. I'd recommend it, especially to watch sports. Oh, and their coke is fantastic (for those of you who are picky about your fountain beverages).
We decided to go with a half-pierogie and half-"the great white," in case pierogie turned out to be a dud. The Great White was an olive oil base with garlic and parmesan plus mozzarella, always a winning combination. This pizza was no different, another delicious white pie. The server was a little unclear on what was on the pierogie pizza (we asked since the menu did not specify), but it turned out to be a base of mashed potatoes, mozzarella and cheddar cheeses, and onions. We got the bacon on the side. The server also mentioned it had sour cream, but it didn't come with any. When I looked online, apparently it was supposed to be on the side. No worries, it was still yummy. Dani and I both agreed that chives would have been better than onions in this case.
I'd go back, it's a good place. It's rather far from us tho, probably a little more than half an hour. And in the land of pizza and cheesesteaks, there's not really a normal need to go further than ten minutes, hehe. I'd recommend it, especially to watch sports. Oh, and their coke is fantastic (for those of you who are picky about your fountain beverages).
Tuesday, June 8, 2010
Hong Kong Pearl
It was Memorial Day and we planned to have a picnic. A couple months ago I had discovered a BBQ place (they're rare here), and we decided to pick some up and take it to the park where we'd spend the afternoon. Except, when we got there, we found out that they were closed. The Chinese restaurant next door was open and serving food, so we just decided to go in there. The menu was pretty big, and average-priced. We ordered a few things (couldn't really make up our minds since we were in the mood for BBQ, lol) and it was less than ten minutes before we were out the door and on our way to the park.
We both ordered chicken dishes - I went with the spicy garlic chicken and Jonathan chose the hunan chicken. Both came with pork fried rice and spring rolls. The problem? We couldn't really tell them apart. The sauces were the same color, and they tasted unbelievably similar. We ended up just each taking one, and neither of us were really in love with the taste. Eventually I realized that the one I was eating was indeed garlic for sure, but that took about ten minutes. The pork fried rice wasn't fried so much as yellow rice with veggies, so nothing special. I had to pick out the peas, but they were few and far between, plus we were at a park so I just plucked them and threw them. This reminds me, I bet we were a sight with chopsticks in the park, haha.
The spring rolls were average, too. Nice and crispy, but the filling was mostly cabbage. The chicken that was inside, however, was delicious. Jonathan also got an order of crab rangoon, which was the very best part. He reports that the wontons were incredibly well-made, fried just right, and the filling inside was delicious.
We both ordered chicken dishes - I went with the spicy garlic chicken and Jonathan chose the hunan chicken. Both came with pork fried rice and spring rolls. The problem? We couldn't really tell them apart. The sauces were the same color, and they tasted unbelievably similar. We ended up just each taking one, and neither of us were really in love with the taste. Eventually I realized that the one I was eating was indeed garlic for sure, but that took about ten minutes. The pork fried rice wasn't fried so much as yellow rice with veggies, so nothing special. I had to pick out the peas, but they were few and far between, plus we were at a park so I just plucked them and threw them. This reminds me, I bet we were a sight with chopsticks in the park, haha.
The spring rolls were average, too. Nice and crispy, but the filling was mostly cabbage. The chicken that was inside, however, was delicious. Jonathan also got an order of crab rangoon, which was the very best part. He reports that the wontons were incredibly well-made, fried just right, and the filling inside was delicious.
Friday, June 4, 2010
Bucks County Chocolate Show
So we heard that there was going to be a chocolate show up in New Hope. I found the website and discovered it was actually the 3rd annual Bucks County Chocolate Show. We couldn't really come up with a reason not to go, so we drove up to New Hope on May 23rd and went.
As always, downtown New Hope was completely packed, and there was no parking. Luckily, the event was being held at the fire hall, which has its own parking lot. They were apparently expecting over a thousand people, and had a shuttle set up so you could park at a local school. However, we pulled on up to the main event and parked about a hundred feet from the door.
Tickets were $13 each, and when you consider that we were more than done in about 45 minutes, it doesn't sound like a good deal. HOWEVER, Jonathan pointed out that a person would be hard-pressed to buy as much chocolate as we sampled for that price. Especially once you consider the rareness and uniqueness of some of the delectable pieces that we tasted. We started off with cake, ended with truffles, and had all sorts of goodies in-between, including some great melting bits, some pretzel-toffee-chocolate, and the most delicious bananas foster chocolates you could ever imagine. The only disappointing aspect was that the chocolate fountain was pay-only, and I wasn't feeling $3 to have two chocolate-covered strawberries.
It would have been good if we were there an hour earlier, so we could have attended the seminar on pairing wines and chocolates, as the table only had a white wine left when we got to it. It was still good wine, but I'm sure it would have made more sense if there was still the complementary chocolate next to it, hehe. The history of chocolate and the science behind making chocolate were also covered, and some really nice pieces were on display.
The place wasn't that big, and there were probably only about twelve different vendors there, but it was a fun way to spend the better part of an hour. Should you go in the future, buy your tickets in advance (save a couple bucks), and definitely park on-site to save that hassle. But, go. It's nowhere near the awesomeness of the Chef's Sampler in Tallahassee, but it's still delicious!
As always, downtown New Hope was completely packed, and there was no parking. Luckily, the event was being held at the fire hall, which has its own parking lot. They were apparently expecting over a thousand people, and had a shuttle set up so you could park at a local school. However, we pulled on up to the main event and parked about a hundred feet from the door.
Tickets were $13 each, and when you consider that we were more than done in about 45 minutes, it doesn't sound like a good deal. HOWEVER, Jonathan pointed out that a person would be hard-pressed to buy as much chocolate as we sampled for that price. Especially once you consider the rareness and uniqueness of some of the delectable pieces that we tasted. We started off with cake, ended with truffles, and had all sorts of goodies in-between, including some great melting bits, some pretzel-toffee-chocolate, and the most delicious bananas foster chocolates you could ever imagine. The only disappointing aspect was that the chocolate fountain was pay-only, and I wasn't feeling $3 to have two chocolate-covered strawberries.
It would have been good if we were there an hour earlier, so we could have attended the seminar on pairing wines and chocolates, as the table only had a white wine left when we got to it. It was still good wine, but I'm sure it would have made more sense if there was still the complementary chocolate next to it, hehe. The history of chocolate and the science behind making chocolate were also covered, and some really nice pieces were on display.
The place wasn't that big, and there were probably only about twelve different vendors there, but it was a fun way to spend the better part of an hour. Should you go in the future, buy your tickets in advance (save a couple bucks), and definitely park on-site to save that hassle. But, go. It's nowhere near the awesomeness of the Chef's Sampler in Tallahassee, but it's still delicious!
Tuesday, June 1, 2010
Number 1 Buffet
I really had a craving for Chinese food. We haven't really had much Chinese since we've been here, focusing mainly on Japanese since that's more prevalent in our area. Plus, we were spoiled with California on that one, LoL. We searched around online and found a buffet about fifteen minutes away that had great reviews. It's actually called "Number 1 Buffet" and it's in Morrisville.
It's only $5.99 for dinner, and the food is pretty good. For the most part, it wasn't greasy. The selection was pretty good, and most everything was very fresh. They had the typical foods: steak & peppers (average), chicken & broccoli (good sauce), pepper chicken (average), sweet & sour chicken (good), spring rolls (vegetarian and average), lo mein (average), fried rice (average), egg drop soup (really good), wonton soup (above average), chicken teriyaki on a stick (good chicken but pretty tasteless sauce), bourbon chicken (slightly below average), and General Tso's chicken (not spicy at all). They also had several types of dumplings/"dim sum", stuffed shrimp, and crab rangoon. The dumplings were all pretty good, although one tasted like pork and scallions and not much else. The Chinese donuts were also very good.
We'd go back. In my opinion, it's hard to find a buffet that even has an overall "average" rating, so this was a good find. I kinda wish they had filled the shrimp egg foo yung while we were there (it was empty the entire time), and maybe there will be a bigger selection of steamed/fried dumplings next time.
It's only $5.99 for dinner, and the food is pretty good. For the most part, it wasn't greasy. The selection was pretty good, and most everything was very fresh. They had the typical foods: steak & peppers (average), chicken & broccoli (good sauce), pepper chicken (average), sweet & sour chicken (good), spring rolls (vegetarian and average), lo mein (average), fried rice (average), egg drop soup (really good), wonton soup (above average), chicken teriyaki on a stick (good chicken but pretty tasteless sauce), bourbon chicken (slightly below average), and General Tso's chicken (not spicy at all). They also had several types of dumplings/"dim sum", stuffed shrimp, and crab rangoon. The dumplings were all pretty good, although one tasted like pork and scallions and not much else. The Chinese donuts were also very good.
We'd go back. In my opinion, it's hard to find a buffet that even has an overall "average" rating, so this was a good find. I kinda wish they had filled the shrimp egg foo yung while we were there (it was empty the entire time), and maybe there will be a bigger selection of steamed/fried dumplings next time.
Tuesday, April 27, 2010
Golden Eagle Diner
It was a Sunday night and we wanted to try something new. We drove down to Golden Eagle, a large diner about twenty minutes away, in Bristol. As diners go, this one is certainly very different. Yes, the menu was huge. Everything was a little greasy. There were jukebox-esque contraptions at every booth. They served at least six kinds of cake and six varieties of pie. BUT, they also had a VERY large liquor selection. In fact, Jonathan asked me if I was sure we were still in PA, since the liquor laws here are so strict!!
I knew I wanted a burger and fries, and it didn't take me long to pick the Canadian burger, which came with cheddar cheese and Canadian bacon. Turns out, that's not the most delicious combination ever. I'm also not positive that the cheese was cheddar, it tasted more like really melty American. The fries weren't as done as I would've liked them, but with ketchup they were fine. I opted out of the coleslaw, so I got an extra pickle. Nothing special there, just an ordinary dill spear. I will say, though, that tomato was the only other garnish provided for my burger, and I probably would have liked a few slices of onion or something.
But, let me back up. See, after I ordered my burger, Jonathan went with the lamb. That came with soup AND salad, AND two sides. So, before I even had a bite of burger, Jonathan had his minestrone soup (average, but he'd get it again over something like chicken noodle), his caesar salad (good but the dressing was heavy. and the serving bowl was super neat!), and rolls. I feasted upon half of the rolls pretty quickly. One was stuffed with cinnamon and butter, while the other was a sweet cheese of some sort (not sweet like cream cheese though, and neither of us have any leads as to what might have been on that bread).
The lamb itself was average, but was served with a lot of mint jelly on the side, some decent macaroni and cheese, and some vegetables that were cooked very well. While he did end up taking the leftover lamb home (they gave a lot!), he wouldn't really recommend it.
Oh, and on top of all those foods, we were also each given a small sliver of Italian Cream Cake, complimentary. It was a little dry, so I imagine that it had been sliced much, much earlier in the day and there were just plates of it sitting around to be given out. In retrospect, we probably shouldn't have had any, since it had probably sat out for several hours, but oh well.
Would we go back? Maybe. The rolls were good. The salad was good (and probably the best thing that either of us had... and for a diner to do salad the best, that's probably a bad sign). The prices were good. The concept of a diner doing cocktails intrigued us both. But, let's also remember, that a milkshake was $5.45, and extra thick was $6... I can't possibly imagine what they're putting in that milkshake to drive up the price so high!! My burger was only about $9!
I knew I wanted a burger and fries, and it didn't take me long to pick the Canadian burger, which came with cheddar cheese and Canadian bacon. Turns out, that's not the most delicious combination ever. I'm also not positive that the cheese was cheddar, it tasted more like really melty American. The fries weren't as done as I would've liked them, but with ketchup they were fine. I opted out of the coleslaw, so I got an extra pickle. Nothing special there, just an ordinary dill spear. I will say, though, that tomato was the only other garnish provided for my burger, and I probably would have liked a few slices of onion or something.
But, let me back up. See, after I ordered my burger, Jonathan went with the lamb. That came with soup AND salad, AND two sides. So, before I even had a bite of burger, Jonathan had his minestrone soup (average, but he'd get it again over something like chicken noodle), his caesar salad (good but the dressing was heavy. and the serving bowl was super neat!), and rolls. I feasted upon half of the rolls pretty quickly. One was stuffed with cinnamon and butter, while the other was a sweet cheese of some sort (not sweet like cream cheese though, and neither of us have any leads as to what might have been on that bread).
The lamb itself was average, but was served with a lot of mint jelly on the side, some decent macaroni and cheese, and some vegetables that were cooked very well. While he did end up taking the leftover lamb home (they gave a lot!), he wouldn't really recommend it.
Oh, and on top of all those foods, we were also each given a small sliver of Italian Cream Cake, complimentary. It was a little dry, so I imagine that it had been sliced much, much earlier in the day and there were just plates of it sitting around to be given out. In retrospect, we probably shouldn't have had any, since it had probably sat out for several hours, but oh well.
Would we go back? Maybe. The rolls were good. The salad was good (and probably the best thing that either of us had... and for a diner to do salad the best, that's probably a bad sign). The prices were good. The concept of a diner doing cocktails intrigued us both. But, let's also remember, that a milkshake was $5.45, and extra thick was $6... I can't possibly imagine what they're putting in that milkshake to drive up the price so high!! My burger was only about $9!
Sunday, April 25, 2010
Julio's Famous Pizzeria
We kinda felt like Italian food. The internet recommended Julio's Famous Pizzeria, so we drove on down there. It's only about fifteen minutes away, and it's incredibly economical.
Jonathan went with a calzone, with mushrooms, sausage, and pepperoni. He'd get it again, and thoroughly enjoyed each bite.
I chose the Taco Chicken Pouch... an interesting selection. Think of an oval-shaped bread bowl that's really moist and fresh, not hard like bread bowls tend to be. Now, stuff it to the max with chopped chicken mixed with salsa and a *tiny* bit of cheese. That's what it was. I wasn't impressed, but I blame myself. The bread, however, was AMAZING, even as a leftover.
We'll probably be back to Julio's, since it was a neat place inside, the menu was large, and they have something there called a ginacotti. Apparently it's a deep-fried calzone. Sounds different!
Jonathan went with a calzone, with mushrooms, sausage, and pepperoni. He'd get it again, and thoroughly enjoyed each bite.
I chose the Taco Chicken Pouch... an interesting selection. Think of an oval-shaped bread bowl that's really moist and fresh, not hard like bread bowls tend to be. Now, stuff it to the max with chopped chicken mixed with salsa and a *tiny* bit of cheese. That's what it was. I wasn't impressed, but I blame myself. The bread, however, was AMAZING, even as a leftover.
We'll probably be back to Julio's, since it was a neat place inside, the menu was large, and they have something there called a ginacotti. Apparently it's a deep-fried calzone. Sounds different!
Saturday, April 17, 2010
Saladworks
I was with Jonathan's parents up in Doylestown and we were looking for a place to have lunch. We stumbled upon Saladworks, and I was kinda glad. We often get coupons for them in the mail at home, and there's one in Langhorne and one in Newtown, but we had never made it over there. Now I had the chance to try them out.
I didn't go with the salad, since I was craving a sandwich. I was in luck! They had some good-sounding panini, and I love a good panini. After some silent debate, I went with Smoky T (or something similar, I can't remember and the menus on the website aren't loading for me right now). It was Turkey-Bacon-Cheddar with mustard. The turkey wasn't the freshest, and I wouldn't get it again. However, I would still go there, and I'm looking forward to it. At this late date, I also no longer remember what either of his parents had, although I remember his mom also ordered a panini. I guess that's even more reason to go back, hehe.
I didn't go with the salad, since I was craving a sandwich. I was in luck! They had some good-sounding panini, and I love a good panini. After some silent debate, I went with Smoky T (or something similar, I can't remember and the menus on the website aren't loading for me right now). It was Turkey-Bacon-Cheddar with mustard. The turkey wasn't the freshest, and I wouldn't get it again. However, I would still go there, and I'm looking forward to it. At this late date, I also no longer remember what either of his parents had, although I remember his mom also ordered a panini. I guess that's even more reason to go back, hehe.
Sunday, April 4, 2010
Dominick's Pizzeria & Italian Restaurant
It was Friday night. We wanted pizza. We had a new Netflix movie to watch. So we went to Langhorne, picked up a pizza from Dominick's Pizzeria, and went home to watch a movie. It was pretty good pizza (not as delicious as Yardley Pizza), and we'd go there again. We also got some garlic knots, but they don't compare to Carlucci's Express. We went with a bianca pizza (large) with pepperoni. We had a $2 off coupon, which equated to a free topping, so that worked out nicely. Plus, they were nice enough to give Jonathan a side of marinara, so it was like he had a normal pizza while I still had my delicious white pizza. One word of warning: when one of their descriptions includes garlic, they mean it! Luckily, we like garlic so this wasn't a problem.
Saturday, March 20, 2010
Oishi Restaurant
Yes, we've been dining out a lot lately. It seems that since the snow has stopped, everyone has come back to life and our social calendar is filling up again. But, when we're introduced to fantastic little places like Oishi, it becomes apparent how wonderful evenings dining out with friends are.
Bryan & Emily suggested we all go for sushi, and Oishi is a place that they've discovered in Newtown. It's incredibly popular with the locals, and even with a reservation we had to wait twenty minutes or so for a table. Service is prompt and friendly, and there's no sense of urgency once you're seated, which is good.
It's a BYOB place (many restaurants in PA are, because of the strict liquor laws), and it's the first time that Jonathan and I actually did bring in our own wine. We had picked up some Fu-Ki Plum Wine at one of our local liquor stores, and it was delicious. We also have tried the cherry flavor... I don't care for it but Jonathan does.
We started off with the Tartar Tuna, since that's a dish we liked a lot in Cali. But, it was very different here, and I'm not at all convinced it was worth $10 (aside from the very generous serving of caviar on top). It wasn't blended like tartars in Cali were... instead it was arranged in a little cylindrical tower with mango. It was okay, I wouldn't get it again. The photo is impressive. Bryan and Emily had some edamame, which was served warm and salted here, unlike at Mirim. Jonathan liked it, too.
The entrees came with soup or salad, and I was the only one who went with the salad. And that was the wrong choice, LoL. The dressing was heavy and hard to define. I'm still not quite sure what it was, but I know I'd never get it again (which is odd for me to say... rarely do I meet a dressing that peculiar). Everyone else thought the soup was very good, a miso-mushroom mix.
They went for the sweet potato roll, Jonathan and I had a salmon roll. The sweet potato roll has tempura inside, which was new. Jonathan tried it, I passed. Rave reviews. The salmon roll was very fresh and quite delicious.
Jonathan had Thai Green Curry, which was a variety that I had never seen before. They use different peppers to make it green, apparently. He thought it was bland, and didn't seem to enjoy it as much as he might if it was red curry. Bryan went with a bento box-type meal, and seemed to enjoy it all very much. I really liked the shape of the dish, it was large with three domes dug out for the items, neat!
Emily had a sushi platter, and I went with Chirashi (fish on top of a pile of rice, as opposed to each piece of fish on a little pad of rice). It was my first time having octopus, but the rest were all fish I knew. Octopus tastes exactly like you might expect... chewy like calamari, and there are some sucker-like pieces on it. The white tuna was divine. I'm talking like top 3 white tunas I've ever had. The whitefish was also delectable, and that's coming from a person who generally giver her whitefish to her husband, LoL. I thought that the salmon was average (three pieces of regular and three pieces with WAY too much roe), and so was the tuna. Emily had many of the same fish (no octopus tho, she had clam instead, which she was was very chewy), and also a California roll (with crab, FL folks).
If/when we go back, I'd probably get a more specialized dish (chirashi is very generic, in my opinion), and certainly the soup instead of the salad. Actually, they have a lot of noodle dishes, so I kinda wanna go back to get a feel for their non-raw stuff, LoL.
Bryan & Emily suggested we all go for sushi, and Oishi is a place that they've discovered in Newtown. It's incredibly popular with the locals, and even with a reservation we had to wait twenty minutes or so for a table. Service is prompt and friendly, and there's no sense of urgency once you're seated, which is good.
It's a BYOB place (many restaurants in PA are, because of the strict liquor laws), and it's the first time that Jonathan and I actually did bring in our own wine. We had picked up some Fu-Ki Plum Wine at one of our local liquor stores, and it was delicious. We also have tried the cherry flavor... I don't care for it but Jonathan does.
We started off with the Tartar Tuna, since that's a dish we liked a lot in Cali. But, it was very different here, and I'm not at all convinced it was worth $10 (aside from the very generous serving of caviar on top). It wasn't blended like tartars in Cali were... instead it was arranged in a little cylindrical tower with mango. It was okay, I wouldn't get it again. The photo is impressive. Bryan and Emily had some edamame, which was served warm and salted here, unlike at Mirim. Jonathan liked it, too.The entrees came with soup or salad, and I was the only one who went with the salad. And that was the wrong choice, LoL. The dressing was heavy and hard to define. I'm still not quite sure what it was, but I know I'd never get it again (which is odd for me to say... rarely do I meet a dressing that peculiar). Everyone else thought the soup was very good, a miso-mushroom mix.
They went for the sweet potato roll, Jonathan and I had a salmon roll. The sweet potato roll has tempura inside, which was new. Jonathan tried it, I passed. Rave reviews. The salmon roll was very fresh and quite delicious.
Jonathan had Thai Green Curry, which was a variety that I had never seen before. They use different peppers to make it green, apparently. He thought it was bland, and didn't seem to enjoy it as much as he might if it was red curry. Bryan went with a bento box-type meal, and seemed to enjoy it all very much. I really liked the shape of the dish, it was large with three domes dug out for the items, neat!
Emily had a sushi platter, and I went with Chirashi (fish on top of a pile of rice, as opposed to each piece of fish on a little pad of rice). It was my first time having octopus, but the rest were all fish I knew. Octopus tastes exactly like you might expect... chewy like calamari, and there are some sucker-like pieces on it. The white tuna was divine. I'm talking like top 3 white tunas I've ever had. The whitefish was also delectable, and that's coming from a person who generally giver her whitefish to her husband, LoL. I thought that the salmon was average (three pieces of regular and three pieces with WAY too much roe), and so was the tuna. Emily had many of the same fish (no octopus tho, she had clam instead, which she was was very chewy), and also a California roll (with crab, FL folks).
If/when we go back, I'd probably get a more specialized dish (chirashi is very generic, in my opinion), and certainly the soup instead of the salad. Actually, they have a lot of noodle dishes, so I kinda wanna go back to get a feel for their non-raw stuff, LoL.
Sunday, March 14, 2010
JB Dawson's
Jonathan had a business lunch at JB Dawson's shortly after we moved here, but was rushed on the food part. We both went there once, but they only had one television and FSU was playing, so we had to go elsewhere (Langhorne Ale House). We have friends who are always recommending their happy hour, so we decided to give that a try.
It's a small chain (three locations, all in PA) with a decent-sized menu. The place is pretty big, and was decently busy on a Tuesday night. We sat at the bar, and the bartenders were pretty friendly. They make a good airhead (cranberry juice & peach schnapps, but beware they don't count it as a "well drink" in their happy hour special), and they have half-price appetizers from 5-7pm as well. We had Italian fries ($2!!), ahi tuna, and a half-pepperoni-half-tomato-and-basil flatbread. The fries were pretty good in flavor, but they're the super-skinny, kinda floppy fries, so I don't know that I'd get them again. The ahi tuna was good for half-price, but I wouldn't have paid full price. There was a strange mustard-horseradish-something sauce drizzled on it that I wasn't too fond of. The flatbread was really good, and I'd recommend both flavors.
Our friends have had many of the appetizers, and didn't have any that they wouldn't recommend, so the place is pretty much a winner up to this point. The burgers and ribs look good, too, so we may be back.
It's a small chain (three locations, all in PA) with a decent-sized menu. The place is pretty big, and was decently busy on a Tuesday night. We sat at the bar, and the bartenders were pretty friendly. They make a good airhead (cranberry juice & peach schnapps, but beware they don't count it as a "well drink" in their happy hour special), and they have half-price appetizers from 5-7pm as well. We had Italian fries ($2!!), ahi tuna, and a half-pepperoni-half-tomato-and-basil flatbread. The fries were pretty good in flavor, but they're the super-skinny, kinda floppy fries, so I don't know that I'd get them again. The ahi tuna was good for half-price, but I wouldn't have paid full price. There was a strange mustard-horseradish-something sauce drizzled on it that I wasn't too fond of. The flatbread was really good, and I'd recommend both flavors.
Our friends have had many of the appetizers, and didn't have any that they wouldn't recommend, so the place is pretty much a winner up to this point. The burgers and ribs look good, too, so we may be back.
Friday, March 12, 2010
Mirim Japanese & Korean Restaurant
We actually left the house with the intention to get pho at Savor Saigon. But, we forgot that they are closed on Mondays, so we searched Yelp and found a good sushi place a mile away.
Mirim Japanese & Korean Restaurant looks kinda seedy on the outside, and it at the end of a small strip mall in Langhorne. But, the inside is really very nice. We had excellent service and excellent sushi.
The menu is about half sushi and half entrees - some Udon noodle dishes and a bunch of Korean dishes. We chose four rolls and split them, and Jonathan also had a piping hot miso soup. He said it was pretty good. We were first served edamame, which I don't care for, but Jonathan thought it was okay. The sushi came out pretty fast, from the sushi bar that nobody was sitting at. We had a plain tuna roll, an Alaskan roll, an eel with cucumber roll, and a salmon-tuna with green onion strange-looking but FABULOUS roll (I also forgot the name, LoL). They were all pretty good, and aside from some of the tuna being a tad past ultimate freshness, it was all very good.
Pricing was a smidgen high, considering rolls are 6 pieces instead of 8, and they were average in diameter. BUT, finding fresh sushi close to home is difficult, and this is certainly a contender in that department.
Mirim Japanese & Korean Restaurant looks kinda seedy on the outside, and it at the end of a small strip mall in Langhorne. But, the inside is really very nice. We had excellent service and excellent sushi.
The menu is about half sushi and half entrees - some Udon noodle dishes and a bunch of Korean dishes. We chose four rolls and split them, and Jonathan also had a piping hot miso soup. He said it was pretty good. We were first served edamame, which I don't care for, but Jonathan thought it was okay. The sushi came out pretty fast, from the sushi bar that nobody was sitting at. We had a plain tuna roll, an Alaskan roll, an eel with cucumber roll, and a salmon-tuna with green onion strange-looking but FABULOUS roll (I also forgot the name, LoL). They were all pretty good, and aside from some of the tuna being a tad past ultimate freshness, it was all very good.
Pricing was a smidgen high, considering rolls are 6 pieces instead of 8, and they were average in diameter. BUT, finding fresh sushi close to home is difficult, and this is certainly a contender in that department.
Monday, March 1, 2010
Meglio
We were both craving pizza, and in our effort to try more local places, we headed into Newtown for Meglio, which specializes in wood-fired pizzas. It was Saturday night and dinnertime, so we had to wait about five minutes for a table, but we got a nice booth.
The service was very friendly, and I'd certainly recommend dining in (there's also a carry-out option). We split a margarita pizza with pepperoni and carmelized onions, and also shared a tortellini pasta salad. The pasta salad was served cold on a bed of lettuce, and included tomatoes, roasted red peppers, garlic, and olive oil. I thought it could have used more garlic, but overall we both thoroughly enjoyed it. The pizza came out very quickly, and also cooled down in just a few minutes. The onions were a little slimier than I was expecting, but the flavor was good (they were cooked with bacon). I didn't like the pizza for the most part, as the sauce had a sweet flavor to it (that Jonathan enjoys), and I didn't think there was enough cheese. Jonathan really liked it, and between eating in the restaurant and the leftovers at home, he ended up having 3/4 of the pizza.
They have quite a menu there, but I don't think that I'd go back, since I don't like their sauce, and I already have a favorite white pizza place (Yardley Pizza). But, I'd still recommend it, since it's more of a personal pickiness than anything else, LoL.
The service was very friendly, and I'd certainly recommend dining in (there's also a carry-out option). We split a margarita pizza with pepperoni and carmelized onions, and also shared a tortellini pasta salad. The pasta salad was served cold on a bed of lettuce, and included tomatoes, roasted red peppers, garlic, and olive oil. I thought it could have used more garlic, but overall we both thoroughly enjoyed it. The pizza came out very quickly, and also cooled down in just a few minutes. The onions were a little slimier than I was expecting, but the flavor was good (they were cooked with bacon). I didn't like the pizza for the most part, as the sauce had a sweet flavor to it (that Jonathan enjoys), and I didn't think there was enough cheese. Jonathan really liked it, and between eating in the restaurant and the leftovers at home, he ended up having 3/4 of the pizza.
They have quite a menu there, but I don't think that I'd go back, since I don't like their sauce, and I already have a favorite white pizza place (Yardley Pizza). But, I'd still recommend it, since it's more of a personal pickiness than anything else, LoL.
Friday, February 26, 2010
Bailey's Bar & Grille
Last night, during the snowstorm, we decided we were going to have Denny's for dinner. Pancakes just sounded good, and they now have unlimited pancakes (and french fries) with any entree that includes those items. Jonathan called Rob to see if he wanted in, and he told us he was on his way to Bailey's Bar & Grille for their Thursday night wing special. We decided to head that way.
It's in Levittown, in the area known as Five Points, as a ton of roads come together, and it's even worse than Confusion Corner in Stuart, FL. Not far from us, just one light past H-Mart and Walgreens, so maybe a 15-minute drive when there's no traffic and no snow.
Rob and his roommate, Jason, had a good table, and we were able to watch the Olympics (women's single figure skating and women's aerials, specifically) as we dined. The place is a dive bar in a strip mall, really. I probably would have overlooked it and never gone (particularly since they have no website), but it was a decent experience.
The place is really smoky, and we didn't even see any smokers, so the place just must be naturally smoky at this point. This is the only major downfall to the place, although I imagine that parking would become an issue on a major sports day or something. We also only saw two staff members the entire time, but perhaps the low number of patrons contributed to this. Otherwise, I imagine service would be very slow (it was average timing, but very friendly last night).
The wing special runs from 9-11pm on Thursday nights, and is 35-cent wings. Minimum order of 10, no maximum. 9 flavors, and you can choose bone-in or boneless. We went with 10 sweet and spicy bone-in and 10 garlic boneless. I was happy with the size of the wings, as sometimes boneless are pretty puny. I was anticipating to enjoy the garlic more, but my first bite soured that idea. In the end, I only ate two of those, as I thought they kinda tasted like a marinara with garlic. Luckily, Jonathan really liked the flavor, so he had the rest of those while I had the sweet and spicy. They're much more sweet (like honey), but the hint of heat was nice. Little gristle and excellent preparation made for good wings that could be picked clean.
Not sure how much the wings are normally, but I'd recommend the place on a Thursday night. We had twenty wings, ranch and celery, and a Sprite and paid $13 WITH tax and tip. Of course, this also requires waiting to eat until 9pm, so your mileage may vary. This worked out for us since Jonathan had a raquetball game at 8pm, and we almost always eat after the gym.
It's in Levittown, in the area known as Five Points, as a ton of roads come together, and it's even worse than Confusion Corner in Stuart, FL. Not far from us, just one light past H-Mart and Walgreens, so maybe a 15-minute drive when there's no traffic and no snow.
Rob and his roommate, Jason, had a good table, and we were able to watch the Olympics (women's single figure skating and women's aerials, specifically) as we dined. The place is a dive bar in a strip mall, really. I probably would have overlooked it and never gone (particularly since they have no website), but it was a decent experience.
The place is really smoky, and we didn't even see any smokers, so the place just must be naturally smoky at this point. This is the only major downfall to the place, although I imagine that parking would become an issue on a major sports day or something. We also only saw two staff members the entire time, but perhaps the low number of patrons contributed to this. Otherwise, I imagine service would be very slow (it was average timing, but very friendly last night).
The wing special runs from 9-11pm on Thursday nights, and is 35-cent wings. Minimum order of 10, no maximum. 9 flavors, and you can choose bone-in or boneless. We went with 10 sweet and spicy bone-in and 10 garlic boneless. I was happy with the size of the wings, as sometimes boneless are pretty puny. I was anticipating to enjoy the garlic more, but my first bite soured that idea. In the end, I only ate two of those, as I thought they kinda tasted like a marinara with garlic. Luckily, Jonathan really liked the flavor, so he had the rest of those while I had the sweet and spicy. They're much more sweet (like honey), but the hint of heat was nice. Little gristle and excellent preparation made for good wings that could be picked clean.
Not sure how much the wings are normally, but I'd recommend the place on a Thursday night. We had twenty wings, ranch and celery, and a Sprite and paid $13 WITH tax and tip. Of course, this also requires waiting to eat until 9pm, so your mileage may vary. This worked out for us since Jonathan had a raquetball game at 8pm, and we almost always eat after the gym.
Wednesday, February 24, 2010
The Great American Diner & Pub
We were out with some friends, and stopped by The Great American Diner & Pub. I had the tiramisu, Jonathan went with a country-fried steak breakfast, and our friends had a pancake breakfast and the carrot cake, respectively. I thought the tiramisu was really good, although I would have been happier if it was $1 less. Emily reported that the carrot cake was good, but the icing was disappointing. Jonathan thought the steak was good, the gravy was different and kind of sweet, the potatoes were thick (much like the kind I had at the Maurice River Diner) and I didn't ask about the eggs.
It was our first time there, although Bryan and Emily had been there a few times before. It's an interesting place. There were way more cars in the parking lot than people in the place, but it was still busy for a Friday night. The bar area kept most people occupied though, and the service was pretty prompt. I don't know if we'll go back, but we have been meaning to try out more diners, so it's entirely possible.
It was our first time there, although Bryan and Emily had been there a few times before. It's an interesting place. There were way more cars in the parking lot than people in the place, but it was still busy for a Friday night. The bar area kept most people occupied though, and the service was pretty prompt. I don't know if we'll go back, but we have been meaning to try out more diners, so it's entirely possible.
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
Yardley Pizza
We've been meaning to take in more local pizza. And we found a great place. After we went sledding in Lambertville (NJ), we came back along the river and ate at Yardley Pizza. Family-owned and operated, in downtown Yardley, and they take cash or check only. They also make a great pizza.We ordered a medium pan pizza to share, with white sauce (olive oil and garlic instead of the traditional marinara) and pepperoni. Great flavor all around. Plus, leftovers! I can't wait to try more!
Friday, February 19, 2010
Wing Wah Chinese Restaurant
There we were... we had just come out of the meat shop (not a butcher, just a meat shop, LoL), and had started the car. While Jonathan was looking at the GPS to plan a better route home (we were down New Falls), I noticed it. A Chinese restaurant across the street. But not just any Chinese restaurant... the sign read "Dim Sum Szechuan Cantonese" ... and before I knew it my arm was extended and pointing at the sign, as I said "Look! Dim Sum!" Our plans to head home were temporarily set aside as we quickly decided to dart across the street and check out Wing Wah.
The Dim Sum menu consisted of nine items and a combo platter. We ordered the platter to go, and Jonathan also tried the chicken egg drop soup. We waited about 15 minutes and then were headed home again. The menu also featured a bunch of regular dishes, and some unique things which we may go back to try at some point, especially if we're down in that area of Levittown.
We were quite excited about how good the food made the car smell (we also needed to stop at the liquor store on the way home, since I needed to pick up some sherry for a soup I was going to make the next night). When I opened the container in the kitchen, the mouth-watering aroma came pouring out all over again. I divvied up the goodies, and we each had plenty for just $7.25.
The shrimp dumplings were fantastic. The pork shu mei was very good. They fell apart a little bit, but that could have been because they sat in a closed box for twenty minutes so there was a bit of condensation build-up. The mini spring rolls were tasty considering their size and content. The flavor was more intense than many of the plain spring rolls most places serve. Lastly, the satay beef sticks were very large in portion. They had a great, sweet sauce lightly on glazed on them, and even I thought the beef was delicious. Jonathan said that the soup was "a little different" and "it had crunchy things in it," LoL.
If you're in Bucks County and want dim sum, this is the best place we've found. And for a great price, considering this isn't Chinatown! If you know of something better, please share the info!! :)
The Dim Sum menu consisted of nine items and a combo platter. We ordered the platter to go, and Jonathan also tried the chicken egg drop soup. We waited about 15 minutes and then were headed home again. The menu also featured a bunch of regular dishes, and some unique things which we may go back to try at some point, especially if we're down in that area of Levittown.
We were quite excited about how good the food made the car smell (we also needed to stop at the liquor store on the way home, since I needed to pick up some sherry for a soup I was going to make the next night). When I opened the container in the kitchen, the mouth-watering aroma came pouring out all over again. I divvied up the goodies, and we each had plenty for just $7.25.
The shrimp dumplings were fantastic. The pork shu mei was very good. They fell apart a little bit, but that could have been because they sat in a closed box for twenty minutes so there was a bit of condensation build-up. The mini spring rolls were tasty considering their size and content. The flavor was more intense than many of the plain spring rolls most places serve. Lastly, the satay beef sticks were very large in portion. They had a great, sweet sauce lightly on glazed on them, and even I thought the beef was delicious. Jonathan said that the soup was "a little different" and "it had crunchy things in it," LoL.
If you're in Bucks County and want dim sum, this is the best place we've found. And for a great price, considering this isn't Chinatown! If you know of something better, please share the info!! :)
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