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!

By George

We had a little more than an hour of free time on Saturday morning before taking Jonathan's parents to the airport, so we stopped by the Reading Terminal Market on the way. First of all, I must say that it is much more impressive on a Saturday. Last time we were there, the Dutch vendors were not open, so we didn't quite get the full effect. It was such a bustling area of activity this time! We were able to explore more areas and saw a bunch of new things. Jonathan's parents rather enjoyed it, too.

On our way out, we had lunch at By George. I ordered a chicken parmigiana sandwich, while Jonathan and his parents went with cheesesteaks. Jonathan and I both decided that if we had seen all of the food displays of the place first, we probably would have ordered other items, since everything on display looked so delicious!

Regardless, the cheesesteaks were gigantic. Jonathan thought it could have been cheesier, but the problem was balanced with the fact that the sheer volume of meat was incredible. Jonathan also said he'd probably go for provolone next time (that's what his parents went with). The chicken parm was average, and didn't reheat well. I'd go for something else next time. We also had a small order of fries that the table shared. I didn't particularly care for them (they tasted undercooked to me), but the rest of the table thought that they were okay and very potato-y.

And, last but not least, we finally learned the validation process at the Reading Terminal Market, and it worked for us. We only paid $4 to park for up to two hours (and that's about all of the time we had, since we needed to be on our way to the airport after that!), which is good.

Bettola

We were in New York City with Jonathan's parents and had an early dinner at an Italian restaurant on the Upper West Side. I chose Bettola based on a short walking distance from the American Museum of Natural History (which was the basis for this particular trip), an average-priced menu, an authentic background, and good online reviews.

We were the only diners in there for the majority of our meal. We had a table in the corner, next to a window, and received excellent service from the time we sat down until our bill was paid. Our water glasses were refilled promptly, suggestions were good, and questions were happily answered.

We all ordered different items and were all satisfied with our selections. I went with the gnocchi, which wasn't the best I had ever had, but was very filling and rather delicious with the fresh mozzarella that was on top. Jonathan went with the prosciutto pizza - thin crust, fresh ingredients, perfectly baked. His mother had a tomato basil soup with pesto and croutons... I only had a taste and I'd give it two thumbs up! She also went with a warm salad that contained cannelini beans. Not something I'd go for, but it was certainly different! Lastly, his dad went with the fettuccine. It was green noodles and was served with fresh peas. He enjoyed the peas, and that's coming from a man who normally doesn't eat peas (although I'm not quite sold, LoL).

I'd completely recommend the place to anyone. We probably won't be back (at least in the near future) just because we don't get to NYC often, and we're always trying different places. [Next time, I'm dying to try out a burger place near Ground Zero that we heard about forever ago!]

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.

Kildare's Irish Pub

Jonathan's parents and I headed up to Scranton to have lunch with some relatives of his mother. Our original plan was a steak and seafood restaurant, but it was closed when we arrived (dinner only it seemed), so we kinda drove in the general direction of the other stuff and found Kildare's. It was an authentic Irish pub that's a small chain (six locations: four PA, one DE, and one NC). The atmosphere was neat, the decor was cool, and it was a nice place to spend a few hours catching up and looking at photographs.

The menu looked pretty good, and they have some very good lunch specials. However, all five of us decided to go traditional and order boxtys. His mother and I went with the chicken (I got no mushrooms); everyone else went with the Philly cheesesteak variety. What's a boxty, you ask? Well, it was news to all of us as well. Apparently it's a popular dish in the Ireland countryside that's kinda like a burrito, only the outside it a thin potato pancake, not a tortilla. And not like a latke, either. It's like a pancake with some potato flavor... kinda like if potato bread was made into a pita, that's a good description. Anyway, the chicken type had grilled chicken, tomatoes, onions, and cheddar cheese inside, with plenty of sour cream on top. The Philly kind was roast beef with onions, peppers, and American cheese, with CheezWhiz on top. The portion was huge, and all of this was served with mashed potatoes and mixed vegetables (mostly peas and corn).

I really enjoyed it, but I don't think I'd order it again. However, I can honestly say it's my favorite Irish dish so far (I have a history of disliking the Irish cuisine, LoL). It was an interesting combination of ingredients so it made for a very unique flavor. Everyone else at the table was also impressed with how different the meal was. I didn't eat many of the vegetables, but I can say that the mashed potatoes were only average - real with some skins. Anyway, if you're in Scranton, go ahead and check it out. I don't know of anything else in that area to recommend, LoL.

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.

Broken Barrel Tavern

When we're in Florida, we generally eat at places that we've been to before, since we miss them when we're away. But, there's always exceptions (like Royal Thai to eat with Alan) and new places to try (which is the point of this entry). Broken Barrel Tavern is in the plaza behind Chili's at the corner of Babcock and Palm Bay. In the ten days we were there, we actually managed to eat there twice, LoL. And kinda a third time, haha.

The night Jonathan got in from the airport, we went there at the suggestion of Ebad, who usually goes on Thursday nights with Bryan. But there was a problem in the kitchen, and some of us hadn't eaten dinner yet, so we left and went somewhere else. The next night we went back, since the guys just couldn't shut up about this place.

The reason it's so popular is because they have like 400 different types of beers (bottles and drafts, etc.), and Ebad and Bryan have been working their way through trying all of them. I tried some of each one that was ordered, but still haven't found a single beer I'd drink, LoL. They did have a couple ciders that I thought about ordering, but none were pear, and that's my favorite (flashback to Faultline Brewery, LoL).

The first time, I ordered the cuban with fries, and was disappointed on both counts. The cuban was barely average, and the fries were poorly cooked homemade chips with very little seasoning. I actually had to ask for extra seasoning, but that didn't help all the much since the chips weren't cooked completely. The table did have an order of carrot chips, which were pretty good. Sliced thin and fried, what makes them great is the wasabi-ish dipping sauce with which they are served. Joe and Ebad both ordered wings, and they were fabulous! The secret is that they're smoked rather than grilled or fried, and it makes such a difference! SO DELICIOUS. Jonathan had ribs, very flavorful and not a lot of fat, which equals good in my book!

The second time (the following Thursday), I went with a cheeseburger, but substituted the chips (which they call fries, don't be confused) for french onion soup. For a place that isn't all that fancy, the soup was pretty good. The breading could have been better, but the flavor of the broth and the amount/type of cheese was very good. And, since there's no up-charge to get that as a side, I don't see how anyone goes with those nasty chips/fries, LoL. The burger was different... it had a distinct taste, which is probably because it is around smokers (many of their foods are smoked) constantly. It wasn't huge (I ate the whole thing, and I generally have leftovers with a restaurant burger), but it was good. Jonathan went with a half chicken (smoked) which was very good. Joe went with a ribs/wings platter, and Bryan had the cuban (he likes them a lot, and orders them nearly every time he goes there, apparently).

I can't comment on the beers, since I really don't remember any of them (what they were called or what they tasted like, LoL). But, the restaurant does have a detailed description of each beer, and that seems to be very handy for the connoisseurs (like Ebad, LoL).