A Mix of it All...

Mixto

1141 Pine Street

Philadelphia, PA 19107

www.mixtorestaurante.com/ 

Growing up, I wasn’t privy to eating foods from many different cultures. I was kind of sheltered in my eating, because we never had different kinds of food cooked at home, and we always went out to eat at pretty standard American fare restaurants with the occasional Italian or Chinese restaurant thrown in there. Since I have been dating my girlfriend, who is both German and Colombian, I have opened up my horizons and began eating all kinds of cuisines. One of my favorite new food types to eat is that of Latin American cultures, so I was pretty excited to take my girlfriend out to Mixto in Philly one Friday evening.

Mixto is exactly what its name sounds like; a mix of different Latin cuisines. You can find items from Mexico, Argentina, Cuba, and Colombia, where the owners happen to be from. My girlfriend loves this type of food because she was born in Colombia and grew up eating it. We ordered a plate to share that contained all of her favorites and mine too. The plate contained tostones, maduros, chicken empanadas, beef empanadas, chicharrones, shrimp ceviche, arepas, and chorizo. They brought us out some bread and the guava margaritas that we ordered and we sat back and waited for the deliciousness to begin.

The guava margaritas were really spectacular. Guava is another thing that I have come to fall in love with while dating my girlfriend because the food that Latinos eat contains guava quite often. The taste is tropical and sweet and the tiniest bit sour. It paired so perfectly with the tequila that I almost didn’t realize my drink had any alcohol in it at all. I couldn’t get enough of them, and I kept refilling my glass every time that it was empty.

When our plate of food came out, both my girlfriend and my eyes lit up. It was huge and everything looked fantastic! I immediately dug into the shrimp ceviche. It was citrusy and light, a nice a refreshing way to start the meal. I next grabbed a beef empanada and was entranced by its flaky crust and tender filling. I grabbed a chicken empanada next and was met with more of the same deliciousness that I had experience earlier. The tostones were nice and crunchy and just a touch salty, the perfect balance. The arepas were really the only thing on the whole plate that I wasn’t impressed with.

The stars of the meal for me were the maduros and the chicharrones. Maduros are sweet plantains that are pan fried until they caramelize and become even sweeter and just a bit crunchy. Chicharrones are chunks of pork that are fried until they are as crispy as you can possibly imagine. The meat is salty and tender on the inside, and each and every bit left me wanting more. I still think about how delicious those chicharrones were.

Three pints for Mixto. The traditional Latin American fare that they serve is spot on, the service is very good, and the vibe is really fun. I would go back to Mixto in a heart beat. If you haven’t had that type of cuisine before, this it the type of place that can open your eyes to a whole new world. Run don’t walk to Mixto and give it a try! Cheers!

Beach Haven Gem...

Engleside Inn

30 Engleside Avenue

Beach Haven, NJ 08008

http://www.engleside.com/dining.html 

This year my brother got a job working at the Engleside Inn in Beach Haven, one of our favorite places to eat during the summer. One night when he had off, we decided to go over and indulge in some of the delicious offerings from their menu. They offer fine dining in a relaxed atmosphere, and they have an absolutely spectacular sushi bar as well. 

 

My brother and I both enjoy sushi, so we decided to split a roll as an appetizer. The roll we ordered was called the burn and burn roll. It was a spicy roll with spicy tuna, a spicy mayo, and masago on top. The fish was super tender, the rice was cooked exactly as sushi rice should be, and the spiciness of the sauce was delightful. We doused off the roll pretty quickly, and I immediately wished we had ordered more.

They offer a few salad dressing options with their house salad. I wound up choosing a wasabi soy dressing. It was a bit sweet for my taste, but it was tasty nonetheless. 

For my main course I had ordered the lamb chops with a red wine demi glaze, summer vegetables and a side of garlic mashed potatoes. The only complaint I have about the dish is that it didn’t have a thick enough crust on it. Other than that, the dish was magnificent. The lamb was cooked to a perfect medium rare, and it was incredibly flavorful. The demi glaze gave the lamb a little bit of a boost in flavor, and I used every ounce of it to sop up with my lamb, potatoes and vegetables. 

For dessert I ordered a piece of key lime pie, but once it came out I was pretty disappointed. It was nothing like I  had hoped it would be. I prefer my key lime pie to be as tart as possible, but this key lie pie was too sweet and it didn’t impart enough of the lime flavor in it. It definitely could have been much better.

Three and a half pints for the Engleside Inn. I always enjoy my meal when I go there, and I love that they are fine dining, without the fanciness aspect. They are one of the stars of show in Long Beach Island. The Engleside Inn is a deliciously awesome restaurant in Beach Haven, and it is definitely one of the best dining options that you can find at the shore. Check it out if you are ever in the Beach Haven area. Cheers!

Sweetness All Around...

Scoop Deville

1734 Chestnut Street

Philadelphia, PA 19103

scoopdeville.com/ 

My girlfriend is a sweets lover, and she has converted me into one as well. She had been raving about an ice cream shop in Rittenhouse Square that she had been to a few times with different people. I was pretty excited when we decided to go one night. When we walked in I was pretty enticed by the way they had it decorated and all of the house made candy that I saw in the glass cases. We walked up to the counter and I was immediately perplexed because there were so many options to choose from. 

 I decided on the Nutty Buddy, but there were about 20 different things that I was choosing between. The whole menu is spectacular! It was chocolate ice cream with pretzels and peanut butter. It was blended to absolute perfection! Each and every bite was a little crunchy, sweet, salty, and delicious. I finished the ice cream in a flash and was almost enticed to go in and get another!

Three and a half pints for Scoop Deville because of their massive selection, delicious execution, and all around fun atmosphere. I will definitely be making frequent visits to Scoop Deville, although maybe not as often as I would have had my girlfriend not moved further away from it. You should get out and try it whenever you get the chance! Cheers!

Casual Italian in Hammonton...

Marcello’s

225 Bellevue Avenue

Hammonton, NJ 08037

www.marcellosinhammonton.com/ 

I had been spending a lot of time in the Hammonton office of the CPA firm that I work for because I was working on a new job that we had gotten in and it was taking quite a long time. I went out to lunch with a few of the guys I was working on the job with one day to a little Italian spot on the main drag in Hammonton called Marcello’s. I haven’t ventured out to too many places while working in Hammonton, but after visiting Marcello’s, I think I need to start!

I ordered a ciabatta sandwich that they had on the menu called the Leave It To Us Ciabatta, a sandwich with grilled chicken, prosciutto, mozzarella and blush sauce on ciabatta bread. It was a pretty simple sandwich in theory, but the complexity of the flavors was pretty amazing. Each element of the sandwich was seasoned perfectly and pumped full of flavor. The blush sauce on the sandwich was really a nice touch, adding a salty and creamy element on another level to the sandwich. It all came together perfectly, and it disappeared pretty quickly. The fries that were served with it good, but nothing amazing. 

Marcello's gets a solid two and a half pints from me. Its a pretty casual spot, but definitely a great place to grab a quick and tasty lunch at. One of the coworkers I went with eats there all the time, and he told me they have awesome food. Pizzas, pastas, sandwiches, all for a good price and all tasty. I will definitely have to return some time soon, and I think you should try it in the mean time! Cheers!

Quite the Show...

Mikado

793 Route 70

Marlton, NJ 08053

mikado-us.com/ 

My cousin and his wife invited my girlfriend and I out to dinner one night when they had plans to go out to a restaurant in Marlton called Mikado. Mikado is a hibachi and sushi restaurant that does the traditional show on the hibachi flat top. I was really in the mood for sushi, as I always seem to be, so I decided to order a couple rolls and sat back and sipped my Sapporo while we watched the highly entertaining hibachi chef perform his tricks.

I was super excited when the sushi came out. It was presented quite beautifully and it looked absolutely delicious. I had decided on ordering the following two rolls and sashimi:

• Sexy lady roll – hot pepper tuna and avocado inside, spicy salmon and crunch on top
• 4 Pieces of hamachi sashimi
• Amanda roll – spicy tuna and crunch inside, yellow tail, tuna, jalapeno, and spicy sauce

The sushi was all incredibly fresh and delicious. It was impeccably prepared, and every aspect of it was phenomenal. The Amanda roll was really spectacular. I loved the spiciness of it, and the textures of the different fish were really enjoyable.

The sexy lady roll was really spot on as well. I always gravitate towards rolls with hot pepper tuna on them, and when I saw that it was topped with spicy salmon, I knew it would put my mouth in a state of euphoria. 

Nothing can beat the simplicity and freshness of a piece of sashimi grade fish. This hamachi was no different. It was excellent! It was only enhanced by my dipping of it into the wasabi and soy mixture that I created when my sushi was brought out. 

Three pints for Mikado. Great experience from start to finish, and some really delicious sushi. Service wasn't great, but the hibachi chef was fantastic so that really made up for it. I really enjoyed the entire experience that we had at Mikado. Our hibachi chef was quite the master, and he put on an excellent show. I didn’t partake in the food he made very much, but he made me a part of the show nonetheless. The sushi was expertly prepared, and I cannot wait to go back and get some more fantastic sushi. Get out there and try one of their locations soon! Cheers!