This Ain't the President's House...

White House Restaurant

4 West Camden Avenue

Moorestown, NJ 08057

A few months ago I had to go out to a client in Moorestown for the day with a group of coworkers to count their inventory. We spent the entire day out there, so we went out to lunch as a group and the partner that we were with picked up the tab. We went to a local spot called the White House Restaurant, and we began searching through the menu. The place is kind of a hybrid between a diner and mom and pop shop restaurant, and the locals in the area love it. The place is always jam packed, so be aware if you go to try it.

Once we sat down I was pretty impressed with the selection and the prices. I wound up ordering a chicken salad club with bacon on rye toast and French fries because it caught my eye.

The sandwich turned out to be great. I have a new obsession with rye bread, and I will order it almost any chance I can get. I use it all the time at home as well now. This rye was particularly fresh, and the chicken salad was quite delicious as well. While I prefer a more rustic style of chicken salad, large chunks of shredded chicken as opposed to minced chicken, their form was still very good. You could taste the chicken without it being overpowered by the mayo, and the tiny bits of celery added a nice bit of crunch as well. The fries were very crispy, and they were pillowy and light on the inside.

I would definitely make a trip back to White House if I was in the Moorestown area. The prices are phenomenal, and the food was pretty fantastic as well. Give it a try and let me know what you think! Cheers!

Hoagie Land...

Primo’s Hoagies

826 Haddonfield Road

Cherry Hill, NJ 08034

http://www.primohoagies.com/ 

I’m not really sure why it occurred to me at the time, but the last time that I went to Primo’s for a hoagie, I realized I had never reviewed it. I have probably been there 5 or 6 times at least since I started working in Cherry Hill because it has come into our circle of places to go out to lunch to when we do our weekly lunch. This time was a celebratory last lunch together, because two of our coworkers were leaving the firm to pursue other opportunities.

This particular time I ordered the Crusher. The crusher is packed full of Thumann’s cracked pepper turkey, cooper sharp American cheese and it was topped with lettuce, onions and pepper shooters. It really was a flavorful and filling sandwich. There was nothing I didn’t like about the ingredients on it, and the pepper shooters really set it over the top. Pepper shooters are semi-spicy cherry peppers stuffed with prosciutto and provolone cheese and then soaked in a brine of some sort. They really add a bit of texture and tons of flavor to each and every bite of the sandwich. You can really taste the quality in the lunch meats and cheeses that are in this sandwich. The tang of the cheese and the peppery nature of the turkey are a pretty fantastic combination.

The thing I love most about Primo’s is the selection of hoagies that they have available. While I think their prices are a bit steep, I feel that they are worth it because of the filling nature of the sandwich. Don’t get me wrong, it isn’t the best hoagie in the world, but it is pretty damn tasty and the amount of options they offer really make them stand out to other places. If you haven’t ever been you should give it a try and let me know what you think. Cheers!

Spreading Some Christmas Cheer...

Baking Brownies & Making Bisque

For Christmas, my family usually gathers at my aunt and uncle’s house where I live on Christmas Eve. I wanted to contribute this year, so I told my aunt that I would be making a soup and a dessert. We always have tons of food, so I figured a bit more couldn’t hurt, and I really enjoy cooking, so I spent one afternoon that I was off before the holiday cooking and baking. One item I had made numerous times and had had great results with, which was my shrimp bisque. The other I was attempting for the first time, and I was a bit weary because my track record with making brownies hasn’t been the best. However I saw Paula Deen make them one day while watching the food network, and I decided I had to try them because they looked fantastic.

I really want to nail down the basics of baking, because I can't seem to get it perfect yet. The end result of the brownies turned out pretty tasty, but im not sure that the process was right. I feel like I may have overbeaten the batter, because the brownies kind of flaked apart when I was trying to cut them and remove them from their tray. Are you supposed to try to take them out of the tray before the cool completely and then cut them outside of it, or wait until they are completely cooled? Again, these are the things I really need more practice with.

Here is the brownie recipe. They are really decadent and the perfect holiday treat. Give them a try!

Ingredients

• 1 cups (2 sticks) butter, softened
• 2 cups sugar
• 4 large eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 11/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 (10-ounce) package Creme de Menthe baking chips (recommended: Andes)
• Shaved Creme de Menthe thins (recommended: Andes)
• Chocolate frosting (see recipe below)

Frosting:

• 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, melted
• 1/3 cup cocoa
• 2 cups sifted confectioners' sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 tablespoons milk

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 13 by 9 by 2-inch pan.

Using an electric mixer, combine butter and sugar in a large mixing bowl; beat at medium speed until creamy. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Add vanilla, mixing well.
In a separate bowl, combine flour, cocoa, and baking powder. Gradually stir into butter mixture. Fold in mint chips. Spoon into greased pan. Bake for 35 minutes.
While brownies are baking, prepare frosting. Combine butter, cocoa, confectioners' sugar, vanilla and milk in a large mixing bowl; beat at medium speed with an electric mixer until dry ingredients are moistened. Beat at high speed until spreading consistency.
Remove pan from the oven and allow brownies to cool in pan on wire rack. Spread with chocolate frosting. Top with shaved mint thins.

The soup got some really rave reviews from everyone that tried it. I know that it is one of the best things consistently that I cook, and I look forward to making it each and every time that I do so. Scratch cooking is the only way I like to do things, and hopefully on the day that I finally realize my dream of becoming a restaurant owner, I will only be doing scratch cooking. My shrimp bisque has a slight hint of heat, while still maintaining its creamy roots. The shrimp and tender and delicious, and I leave them in a bit bigger chunks than most restaurants. A few people asked for my recipe, and my one cousin told me “I could drink this out of a bowl all day long”. Those are the types of compliments that make me love cooking. I love to share my creativity with other people, and cooking is the best way that I know how to do that. I think I would make a great chef, and I hope one day that I can realize that dream. 

Here is the basic shrimp bisque recipe I started with if you want to give it a try. I have tweeked a couple things to my liking, and you can too. Cheers!

• 3/4 cup butter
• 1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
• 3 quarts seafood stock
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 1/2 pounds medium shrimp - peeled, deveined and shells reserved
• 1 pound onions, minced
• 1/4 cup butter
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 3 tablespoons paprika
• 1/4 cup tomato paste
• 3 fluid ounces brandy
• 1 quart heavy cream, heated
• 3 dashes hot pepper sauce
• 3 dashes Worcestershire sauce
• 1/2 teaspoon Old Bay Seasoning TM
• 1/2 cup dry sherry

Directions

1. In a large saucepan over medium heat, combine 3/4 cup butter and flour. Cook, stirring, until flour taste disappears, about 7 minutes. Stir in seafood stock and season with salt and pepper. Simmer 15 minutes, then remove from heat and set aside.
2. In a large saucepan over medium heat, cook shrimp shells and onion in 1/4 cup butter until onion is translucent. Stir in garlic, paprika and tomato paste and cook until brown. Stir in brandy and light it on fire. Let it simmer until reduced and thickened. Stir in reserved stock, reduce heat and simmer 45 minutes. Strain through a fine mesh or cheesecloth.
3. Return strained mixture to a simmer in the saucepan. Pour in cream.
4. Dice shrimp and cook until opaque in a medium skillet over medium heat. Stir into soup and simmer 5 minutes. Season with pepper sauce, Worcestershire and Old Bay. Stir in sherry just before serving.

Chocolate Heaven...

Max Brenner, Chocolate by the Bald Man

1500 Walnut Street

Philadelphia, PA 19102

www.maxbrenner.com/

After our manly day of fun and meeting up with the ladies for the light show, everyone wanted to get some dessert, so we headed over to Max Brenner, Chocolate by the Bald Man and tried to get a table to enjoy some dessert and coffee. I had loosened up some room while walking around the city, so I was pretty excited to try the raved about chocolate creations that Max Brenner provides. 

I couldn’t believe how long the wait was for us to sit down at the time that we were there. It was late, around 9 o'clockish, and there was still a 45 minute wait to be seated. When we finally sat down, I was pretty impressed with the menu. I hope to go there one day for a full meal because the menu looked pretty fantastic. We were only there for dessert however, and we all got quite a different array of items. I ordered the cookieshake, an Oreo milkshake with white chocolate cream, my girlfriend ordered the melting marshmallow hot chocolate, and my uncle ordered the chocolate fondue for the table which came with milk and dark chocolate and a toffee dipping sauce. 

My cookieshake was pretty spectacular. It was super cool because the straw was metal. It kept the shake nice and cold all the way from the glass into your mouth. I would definitely order that shake again because it was quite delectable. The marshmallow hot chocolate was very good as well. I can’t say that it was incredibly different from most other hot chocolates, and I am still partial to WaWa’s but it was pretty good nonetheless.

The real star of the dessert round was the chocolate fondue. I loved both the milk and dark chocolate dipping sauces, but the best in my opinion was the toffee sauce. I dipped bananas in it, strawberries, and flame kissed marshmallows. Of course I dipped all those goodies into both chocolate dipping sauces as well. They were incredibly sweet, but not overpowering; the perfect consistency that a chocolate fondue should have.

Max Brenner was a pretty cool place to eat dessert. I can’t wait to go back for a full meal. You should give it a chance if you can next time you are in the Philly area and let me know what you think. Cheers!

Fogo de Wow!!!

Fogo de Chao

1337 Chestnut Street

Philadelphia, PA 19107

http://www.fogodechao.com/home/ 

My cousin invited my uncle, my cousin’s fiancé, and me out for a day of male bonding in Philly a couple of months ago. We had plans to go to the Flyers/Bruins game at 1pm on Saturday, followed by a cigar and some drinks at a cigar lounge, and a night full of meat at Fogo de Chao before meeting up with our significant others at the Christmas lights show at the Comcast Center in Center City. I was really excited about it because I had never been there, even though my family had all gone together while I was down in North Carolina at college. 

From the second that we stepped in the door I was super excited. I could see the large slabs of beef and other meats being toted around the dining room by the servers, and I couldn’t wait until it was my turn to begin indulging. For those of you that do not know what Fogo de Chao is or how it works I will explain it. You pay a set price and you get to eat as much as you want of everything that they serve in the dining room. They offer many different kinds of meat listed below. 

Picanha – Top sirloin – garlic seasoned beef

Filet mignon

Beef ancho – rib eye

Alcatra – top sirloin

Fraldinha – bottom sirloin

Costela – beef ribs

Cordeiro – lamb chops & leg with mint marinade

Frango – chicken legs & bacon wrapped chicken breast

Costelo de porko – pork ribs

Lombo – pork loin with parmesan crust

Linguica – Brazilian sausage 

Each table is also given the following sides, which are replenished each time that they are empty: caramelized plantains, crispy hot polenta, and garlic mashed potatoes. 

You are given a card which is red on one side and green on the other. As long as you have that card turned to green, every person carrying any of the meat around the room will stop at your side and look to cut you off a piece of what they have. If you don’t like the temperature to which the meat is cooked, you can tell them and they will send another person around with the meat at the temperature you prefer it. It was absolutely the manliest and most awesome eating experience I have ever had. I tried everything on the menu, and I was impressed with it all. My favorites included the beef ancho seasoned to perfection and with the perfect amount of crust on the outside; linguica, covered in perfectly crunchy skin with a moist, flavorful center, the cordeiro, hands down some of the best lamb chops I have ever had; and the lombo, a pork loin crusted with parmesan cheese that was simply divine. Each and every one of the side dishes was incredible. I love polenta, and this particular polenta was incredibly crunchy on the outside, but it remained light and fluffy on the inside. I was particularly wowed by the caramelized plantains. They were fantastic! I could eat them that way all day every day. 

If you like to eat a lot and you like to eat meat, you have to go to Fogo de Chao as soon as possible. The restaurant really gets the experience right, and I cannot wait to go back. Let me know what you think. Cheers!

Brunch Let Down...

The Bayberry Inn

1302 Long Beach Boulevard

Ship Bottom, NJ 08808

Sorry for the week long hiatus. My cousin was getting married. I will be back a few times this week. Cheers!

On a Sunday morning a few months ago, my family and I went to mass, and then we decided to head down to LBI to check out our house because it was decorated for Christmas. Our plan was to go down and check out the decorations, and then have brunch together somewhere. The problem is that after Labor Day weekend, there are not too many places open to enjoy brunch at. My aunt picked a place none of us had ever heard of before called the Bayberry Inn, so we all met there for a champagne brunch.

From the minute we stepped inside, I was a little bit weary. The decoration inside was dated, and because I had spent so much time in LBI and never heard of the place, I was even that much more uneasy about it. The meal started with teeny, tiny glasses of champagne. It was free so I gave them a pass on that. Our waitress was an absolute airhead. She was hardly ever around, didn’t listen when we asked for things, and took far too long bringing the check, clearing the table, etc. 

When we went up to the buffet, we were all pretty disappointed. I was quite hungry, and the food looked like it had been sitting out all day. There was barely any food left, and when we asked they said no more would be coming out. I thought that was really poor of them to say, but after tasting the food I cant say that I would have enjoyed them bringing out more of it. Everything tasted cheap. Nothing was cooked well, and everything was under seasoned. It was a pretty bad experience from start to finish. 

To top off the horrible experience that we were having, the bill came and it was ridiculously expensive. They charged $25 per person and the food honestly wasn’t worth a dollar per person. We all left hungry and irritable, and I can tell you none of us will be returning. I would recommend you avoid it as well. Cheers!