LOVE THIS PLACE. One day while walking down Haddon Ave I saw this Popcorn shop and said to myself “one day, i’ll stop in”. I never did. So after one year I said to hell with it and stopped in! And what a cute treat! As you walk in you are blasted away with the smell of popcorn. Mmmm! After you get over the smell you’ll then notice the 15,000 types of popcorn. If you like flavored popcorn then I have some good news for you this is your in a word: mecca. Now I didn’t sample everything, but I did manage to eat the Caramel Apple. It was exactly as you would imagine it to taste. There’s no ultra depth to the flavor. It really is just popcorn. You know there’s only so much you can do to popcorn. However that’s not to say it’s not good because, in fact, it’s wonderful.

As I walked around I found the Bacon-Cheddar and said “THIS IS MINE” as anyone with a pallet for meat would do. For the price of 4.50 a bag, I can’t really complain at all I feel this is some really good quality popcorn. I don’t know how you feel about popcorn, but if I eat a full bag of store bought I’m usually disgustingly full at the end and don’t eat another bag for months. This was the right amount for that popcorn fix. So give it a shot!

Bonus points to the owner for being extra friendly and helpful! Easily one of the more endearing traits about our little town and how “small town” it can be.

 

I was recently laid off from my job and thus was in a rotten mood so what better cure is there than some good old Texas BBQ? Texas BBQ is my favorite style amongst the more well known style of BBQ. So I booked a flight from Philly to Austin and a buddy of mine and me headed straight for Lockhart. Lockhart is a mecca for BBQ lovers, a self proclaimed capitol of Texas BBQ. And not without reason. Lockhart is this ultra small texas town with the cute picturesque (if a bit run down) center about a 30 minutes drive south of Austin. This story would be a great story were I to hit up all 5 places in and around Austin but I couldn’t do the 5 places in a day setup so on the first day we did hit smittys, blacks and kruez in one sitting. Hit all three. Oh man was it well worth it. I love Texas so much. You don’t even know.

Read on »

Mike Mills, known as “The Legend” in bbq circles is a personal hero of mine. I had the opportunity to MEAT him at the NY bbq festival last year. He said it was an honor to meet me – god I love traditional southern humility lost on so many sharks up here – no Mr Mills, it’s an honor to meet you. I should have asked for him to autograph my bible (his book) but I was too shy. Which never happens. And I say that to illustrate how in awe I am of this man. Here’s a picture of me with mike, and alternatively you can buy the book on amazon – Peace, Love, & Barbecue: Recipes, Secrets, Tall Tales, and Outright Lies from the Legends of Barbecue


Read on »

Little Louie's Ribs, Baked Beans, Cole Slaw

 

Before I lay this into Little Louie’s I want to leave some positives here. Little Louie’s appears to be doing well and for this I’m grateful. It’s nice seeing business’s succeed in town. This only means more people visiting and thus more taxes paid. By my insane line of reasoning I believe this will have some negligible effect on my astoundingly high prop taxes I pay each year. See: Too much. Probably not. Another is that they are most likely appealing to the audience that is in town that appreciates this type of bbq. However the reviews on yelp say otherwise. That’s all ok. Like what you like, I guess. Regardless I’m glad and want this place to succeed. It’s a well maintained property and will diversify the businesses in town (See not another Italian restaurant). I want them to keep on doing what is making them successful.

On the other hand my opinion is one of an extremely developed pallet for this stuff. I consider myself an expert into the styles, methods, and actual cooking of BBQ. My tastes are different, which doesn’t mean it’s right, but I can speak to things with authority. I can tell you what competition BBQ tastes like for example. I can also tell you the reasons why each region has distinct differences. I’m a snob.

Which leads me to the negative part of this review.

Read on »

I’m not a vegetarian, but having been very disappointed by other Chinese food in the Collingswood area, I figured I had nothing to lose by trying Green House. I’m so glad I did! After three visits, I can now say that Green House is my local go-to for Chinese.

The food is above standard for typical Chinese fare, with generous portions. The sesame seitan and general tso tofu are two of my favorites. I really liked the chow mei fun, but will ask them to include a few more veggies next time. I’m excited to try some of the more adventurous options on the menu. They do have a wide selection of bubble teas and fruit slushes – which (at the time of visit) come free with a meal as part of a grand opening promotion.

The dining room is nothing special, but spacious, so you’ll probably never have to wait for a table. This is a BYOB, so it’s a great place to share a bottle of wine with friends. I ordered takeout one night and it was very fast. While I was waiting, the hostess (owner?) was very engaging and explained different things on the menu. So nice!

If you like Su Xing or Kingdom of Vegetarian in Philly, you’ll be right at home in Green House. If you haven’t tried veg Chinese before, give it a shot. It’s not like your corner Chinese takeout place uses high grade quality meat in their dishes anyway, so why not try some seitan or tofu? It actually tastes better.

 

Sorrento Cheese Pizza

Sorrento Cheese Pizza

Hello from a long time ago! Or from the present if you just got here! We’ve been absent for a few months as most do in the winter, but truth be told we hit a wall as we’ve been to most places in Collingswood. However there are still more places to tackle as we venture on our quest to eat at every spot in Collingswood (so you don’t have to).  One of the places we neglected is Sorrento’s Pizza located at Collings Ave and The White Horse Pike. We’ve kind of given up on finding Pizza we like in town and often find ourselves hitting up Rustica just across the bridge in Philadelphia but this place comes recommended by good sources. Here’s what we had to report on our experience.

Read on »

Chicken Ellen Hoagie

Chicken Ellen Hoagie

Situated in the basement of the Bellevue Ellens Bagels, Hoagies and more is a cute little shop that has been success for years. And thus the Chicken Ellen has been the light of my life for many years. I’ve ordered it so much over the years that I took about a year off of it and when I came back they knew exactly what I wanted. That’s customer service folks!  The hoagie is on a massive and well made roll – I always get the sedded roll. The tomato’s are fresh and the lettuce is giant leaf that is chopped right in front of you. The chicken is juicy and of high quality. His magic trick is to make the chicken breaded utilizing the chopped ends on his rolls.  What a fantastic solution to combat his waste. Love it! The sauce is where it’s really all at. I cannot lie. It’s this sweet ranch flavor with a mixture of what I believe to be vinegar. So good.  Finish it off with Sharp Provolone and i’m in hoagie heaven.

The flip side to this is that as Ellen’s has become popular his prices have adjusted accordingly. I remember starting out a few years back it was 6.99 and you got a bag of chips with a soda. Now it’s 8.99  and only a drink. I’m glad for them, they’re wonderful people and always friendly. I think a great many businesses could learn a lot from Ellen’s on how to treat customers. I’ve been a loyal one for a long time and look forward to many more.

I consider myself an adventurous and somewhat worldly eater, but there are a few cuisines I’ve yet to try. Moroccan, for one. I’ve only had Spanish once or twice. And until today, I’d never had Ethiopian.

I recently finished Abraham Verghese’s Cutting for Stone for my book club, a novel that primarily takes place in Addis Ababa. The book is well worth the read, and I was particularly intrigued by the descriptions of Ethiopian cuisine. I knew I had to try this “injera” that kept coming up in the book. A quick Yelp search later, and I found myself headed to Almaz Café in the Rittenhouse section of Philadelphia.

Read on »

Casa Loma

Casa Loma

Toronto in Ontario Canada is as our cab driver referred to it “The other Manhatten” and I completely agree. With it’s glass filled skyline, bustling foot traffic, shopping and expansive parks you’ll easily see why.  Beyond T-town’s (that’s what the locals call it) business there’s much to find, see, and do both in town and outside.  The ideal trip to Toronto to fully take in the city is a busy 3 days, but you can see the big sites in 1 jam packed day. Our most recent trip lasted 1 1/2 days and while we were sad to leave we managed to sneak in a lot.  We took a stroll around the St. Lawrence Market, went to the top of the CN Tower,  enjoyed the eye candy architecture of Casa Loma and Old City Hall, strolled through the massive Eaton Centre, spent too much money for food at a baseball game in the Rogers Centre and then finished it off at the clashing point between Modern and Old in the Royal Ontario Museum.

 

Read on »

Anyone who knows us would not be surprised that our first meal during a trip to Toronto over the weekend was an Indian buffet. Wherever we travel, we’re constantly on the lookout for three things: good Indian, good BBQ, and a hotel without bedbugs (seriously, have you heard the stories?). Luckily, there was an Indian restaurant called Bombay Palace across the street from our clean and bug-free hotel. While Jamie is wary of buffets, I love nothing more than putting a few bites of a dozen different dishes on my plate and calling it a meal. Variety is the spice of life!

We sure lucked out. Bombay Palace had a reasonably priced lunch buffet with hot choices like chana masala, tandoori chicken, butter chicken, beef curry, and eggplant masala. A separate cold bar had all the fixings, like a simple salad, mango chutney, raita, rice pudding. There was even a small case of chocolate, vanilla, mango, and strawberry ice cream/sherbet. The best part – everything was great! The naan went fast and was gone by the time we went to the buffet, so the waiter/host brought us a fresh serving from the kitchen. Out of this world! He told us it would be the best naan we’d ever have, and he was right.

Bombay Palace lunch buffet

Read on »

Switch to our mobile site