A couple of years ago I was introduced to L’Angolo Ristorante located at 1415 W Porter St. in South Philly. I totally fell in love with it. Family owned, small, about 15 tables, personal service and very popular.
It is one of those places that when you leave you cannot wait to come back. Some of you may say Oh, in Philly? That’s a trip. It is so worth it. Their telephone is 215-389-4252. It is best to call and make a reservation because it is small.
You enter through the kitchen and that’s when you capture the aroma of the food cooking. It’s awesome.
The restaurant closes on Monday. Check the website for hours of operation.
Please note that it is BYOB.
A week ago the special of Pulpo (octopus), tomatoes, potatoes were immerse in a delicious vinaigrette which had good olive oil, lemon and capers. A dish to share, for sure.
Another starter of eggplant parm. It was also a special that evening. Very nice. I am salivating as I write an remember how something that simple could be that good.
Our dinner was accompanied by an 1858 Cab from Napa.
L’Angolo is so cozy and the friendly service is best.
Branzino is a Mediterranean fish that I thoroughly enjoy. Usually when the restaurants offer it, and have it whole, it is a favorite. At L’Angolo, Sunday they offered a mixed grill of fillet of branzino with shrimp and calamari, all grilled with herbed oil and veggies. Totally recommend it.
The pastas are delicious as well. All homemade.
We did not have dessert. Totally satisfied.
Wolfgang Puck has a quote and he says: Italian food is all about ingredients and it is not fussy and it is not fancy.
Isn’t the truth? So the next time you are in Philly don’t miss this Gem.
AboutMyBeaches is on FB and Instagram.
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For so many years my friends and I have had breakfast at Crystal. It opens 7 days. The food is consistently delicious. The service is attentive and the prices are great. No wonder there are always lines in the summer and on weekends.
And, what was the best stop after the Monsters on Parade on Sunday for some sustenance? Definitely Crystal was. It is located at 37300 Rehoboth Ave. Ext #1 right as you come into Rehoboth Ave. from Coastal Highway. 302-227-1088. You can find it on Facebook.
Crystal has a long bar with plenty of seating. And, in case you don’t know they have excellent Bloody Marys.
After watching Monsters on Parade at the Boardwalk Crystal was a must stop.
Besides the Bloody Marys Crystal has the best scrapple bar none. Cooked to perfection. I love it thin and crispy.
I kid you not, if I was to choose a last meal this would be it.
You may turn your nose up but you have to try it the way it should be cooked.
We met Yanni whose parents own Crystal and he has grown up in the business. His uncle likes to stay in the kitchen but he gave a smile and a wave.
So when you come to town make sure you try this family owned restaurant. Don’t forget the scrapple. Ohh and the Bloody Mary, of course.
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Considered one of the best restaurants in Atlantic City, New Jersey, and beyond I got the pleasure to experience great food. Cafe 2825 is located at 2825 Atlantic Ave. 609-344-6913. http://www.cafe2825.com
Several offerings are prepared at table side. That’s the Cacio e Pepe. Next time I am having it. There is the cheese wheel with truffle cheese.
It was great to see finally diners enjoying themselves.
Wine and cheese to start. 609 Taken was our choice. Our server was very knowledgeable. She said everything is good here.
An appetizer of Zucchini Flowers filled with homemade ricotta and pan sauteed in lemon sauce. Delicate flavors❤️
Our next dish was Spicy Stuffed Calamari. The tubes were filled with breadcrumbs and crabmeat in a spicy marinara with calamari rings.
Do you like what you see? So good.
A salad of Scungilli…Mediterranean conch with lemon, olive oil, celery and olives. I love anything conch but I had never tasted the dark Mediterranean one. Tender and light?
Pasta is homemade. My choice? Wild Mushroom. Fresh Fettucine, porcini, shiitake, crimini mushrooms, cream sauce and truffle cheese. Seasoned perfectly and melted in your mouth.
Portions Cafe 2825 are very generous so come hungry.
Next was the Pescatore Fra DiAvolo. This dish is a showstopper. A feast for your eyes and stomach. Beautiful presentation and the taste to die for. Shrimp, calamari, mussels, clams, lobster tail, and spicy marinara. A side order of pasta, as well.
Cafe 2825 started 34 years ago. It is so popular with locals supporting it. Need to make reservations with time. I love eating late so really enjoyed our 8 p.m. reservation.
They are close Sunday and Monday. Mr. and Mrs. Lautato were so nice with Joe sitting with us for some time. They come to Rehoboth once in a while because at times you have to get out of your backyard. They love a restaurant in Delray called Tramonti which is a favorite of mine.
Please make sure to check them in social media.
All I can say is that Cafe 2825 delivered the texture, the tang, and the finish. I cannot wait to go back.
Remember that AboutMyBeaches is on Facebook and Instagram.
Fall is here. Enjoy it.
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Charleston, South Carolina is known for its Lowcountry cuisine. This type of cooking has influences from the coast and from soul food. Classics like the she-crab soup and the shrimp and grits are some of the offerings I taste as I go from one restaurant to another. Which one is best? As you know that is so personal but so is a blog. My personal experiences!!
Lunch at 82 Queen in Charleston in early March was memorable because of those 2 dishes I mentioned above.
It opened in 1982 and it is considered one of Charleston’s oldest restaurants.
March is a great time of the year in Charleston. Cooler evenings and days are warm, perfect for enjoying an outdoor lunch.
Starting with the French 75. Love this cocktail. I wanted made with Courvoisier because it makes such a difference. Very refreshing.
I was recommended to have the Queen’s Salad which was a mixture of lettuce, grape tomatoes, cucumbers, green onions, sweet corn, field peas, apple wood bacon, hard boiled egg, with a cheddar, buttermilk herb dressing. Starting with a salad and a cocktail, it is perfect for me.
They have been serving the She Crab Soup probably since the restaurant opened so there is perfection in its taste. Here, in Delaware, I don’t see this soup in restaurants. You use the female crab for this tasty soup.
Best of the several ones tasted I decided to look for their recipe. I think I found it and here it goes.
1 cup chopped celery
1/4 cup chopped carrots
1/4 cup chopped onion
1 stick plus 2 tablespoons butter divided
1/2 cup of flour
3 cups milk
1 cup heavy cream
2 cups fish stock or water and fish base
1/4 lb. crab roe
1 lb. white crabmeat
1/4 sherry
1 tablespoon Tabasco or your preferred hot sauce
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce.
Lightly saute celery, carrots and onion in 2 tablespoons of butter. In a separate pot, melt remaining 1 stick of butter; stir in the flour to make a roux. Whisk in milk and cream until smooth. Bring to a boil. Add sauteed veggies and remaining ingredients. Simmer 20 minutes. Serve and garnish with sherry.
This soup has the consistency of a bisque. The recipe came from Great American Publishers.
The other dish we had was one that has also been made in this restaurant forever. Their Barbeque Shrimp & Grits. Shrimp, stone ground grits, a bourbon-barbeque sauce, applewood baon, cheddar, and scallions.
On this particular trip the Fried Green Tomatoes were offered as starters but I can tell you that if you like to share this one is a nice big portion. I ate it all. It was my total favorite.
Pimento cheese, a must, stone ground-grits the best partner, and tomato bacon jam. The best.
So if you decide to take a trip to Charleston check these restaurants here on AboutMyBeaches. You can put Charleston on the search and see if some of them catch your interest.
AboutMyBeaches has a FB page.
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In going to Charleston, South Carolina, there are a few things that I want to taste all over the place…The She Crab Soup and Fried Green Tomatoes.
Have you been to the Peninsula Grill? This restaurant is elegant and their food is delicious. The first time in Charleston everywhere we went they kept saying we have to try the Coconut Cake at The Peninsula Grill. If you want to see that post with photos just put The Peninsula Grill on the search on the top right side of this blog. It is heavenly delicious. You can mail it but it will be expensive. It weighs like 15 pounds but it feeds a ton of guests.
Every visit I like to stop at this restaurant. Great service and atmosphere. The decor is very traditional. Their cooking has low country accents like greens, grits, and black eye peas.
The soup above is the She Crab Soup Jumbo Lump Crab with a Sherry drizzle and you do need that Sherry. It does something to this soup. An enhancement if that is what you want to call it. Yummy!! I find it interesting that as many blue crabs as we have, the she crab soup is never offered at restaurants.
This salad was my starter and it was light with macadamia nuts. The citrus added a light character to the salad.
The Red Snapper was the fish of the day. Loving seafood I decided to get and it did not disappoint. A little crab and asparagus finished the entree.
The Roasted Breast Duck got a review like “the best duck I have ever eaten”. I guess I do not need to expand on that. Confit leg, grilled cabbage, shiitake mushroom, wax bean and black garlic jus. Cooked per chef’s suggestion.
No dessert was necessary. But, the Coconut Cake was ever present in my mind as I saw several orders go to other tables. It was the beginning of my stay in Charleston and because it is a foodie town I needed to show some restraint.
Have a great day. Check AboutMyBeaches on Facebook.
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My previous post consisted of our stay at the Zero George Hotel in Charleston, South Carolina. When staying in this beautiful spot, you get a light breakfast in the a.m. and Happy Hour from 5 to 6. You may take advantage of their verandas and enjoy your wine and appetizers.
This restaurant’s Chef is Vinson Petrillo. A very well known chef who is very passionate about food and brings that to his team. He is a two time winner of Food Network’s Chopped and Chopped Champion, among other accolades.
You would think that his food would be prepared in a state of the art kitchen. Oh, no. I was so surprised as we came to check into the hotel and right there they were prepping for the evening. A tiny kitchen, no less, and his busy bees working on beautiful foods adding those finishing touches that show off his gorgeous offerings. The kitchen is in the property’s 1804 kitchen carriage house. Edible art is all I could think of.
Our last evening was having dinner at Zero George. Impeccable service, wines, drinks, and a great ambiance. Have in mind that coming to this food experience is to taste more than to have a full blown meal. Lots of small plates, almost like tapas style, except more sophisticated.
The first delicate dishes came all at once. From left to right on the next photo you will see the Beausoleil Oysters. These oysters are from New Brunswick Oyster Appelations. The name means beautiful sun. They are farmed by the tray suspension method on Miramichi Bay.
The next dish was the Royal Red Prawn. These are deep water species of prawns caught off the eastern coast of Australia.
Foitnut….now this was interesting. Only 2 of those peanuts is the Foinut and they are the ones with the gold on top. Aren’t they unreal? You think they are peanuts but they are filled with passion fruit and a crunchy fennel base.
The Beef Tartare, I do not know how to actually describe it but you had to eat it immediately and an explosion in your mouth told you that this was going to be memorable.
The Potted Plant and heirloom radishes with puffed red Quinoa and house made butter made a great conversation piece but to tell you the truth it was not my favorite.
This next dish I did like a lot. AAA Holland Asparagus, soft fried egg, white anchovy and horseradish. You could have added Bianchetto Truffles or Caviar but we did not.
Our other dishes were equally as good, but I have to laugh because I do not have the descriptions. Colorado Lamb Saddle is one. Trust me you get so involved into the food that you forget to take photos.
Ending our dinner with 2 desserts. One was 70% Chocolate with Mint and Passion Fruit and the other one was Chef’s Petrillo’s version of the ever so popular Tres Leches with a honeycomb and coconut.
And who is a true “Foodie”? You cannot wrinkle your nose at eating sweetbreads, or scrapple. A true “Foodie” understands what goes into a recipe, try different restaurants, try new dishes and ingredients. You read food magazines….GUILTY!! You enjoy discovering new food fads but also have a presence of what traditional cooking is all about.
Zero George was definitely an experience. They have a cooking school as well and can accommodate private events.
TGIF!! On Instagram find Zero George Restaurant as zerorestaurant.
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Erma Bombeck’s quotes were so on point. I love this one. “I am not a glutton-I am an explorer of food.”
I feel that is what I am. Everywhere I go I want to try the local delicacies. At a restaurant, it’s the most ordered dish. Will I like it? You never know. Taste is an individual thing. But trying different foods and later making the decision to see if you like it or not, is the thing to do. It may open doors to a fantastic new food adventure that you never knew. And, starting children at an early age is important.
I have my favorite restaurants here. I will travel to eat good food. There is one restaurant in Fenwick Island, DE that has the best chicken. I get a craving for it. I am not kidding. It is the best. The restaurant is Our Harvest located at 1106 Coastal Hwy. Telephone is 302-581-0377.
The only day it closes is Monday. I am visiting my restaurants because it will be harder once all the summer visitors descend on all these beaches.
This is what we had last night. First we had a great table. We could see the open kitchen and the beautiful food being prepared.
Look at those peppers. Don’t really know what the one on the right was but on top of their serving table it made for a good entry photo and our table was right there.
This Prosciutto Flatbread was going somewhere but not before a photo moment was taken. There are different ways to eat at Our Harvest. If you are coming with a large group they have feasts that can be ordered for the table to share. There are small plates and regular size entrees. And for the Vegan, there are plenty of choices, as well.
A Grilled Baby Caesar Salad was ordered and it was topped with a Boqueron which is a white anchovy. They are from Spain and totally perfect addition to a Caesar. The baby romaine was from Baywater Farms, charred sourdough bread and a Caesar aioli finished the salad.
Also for the tables we ordered the Baywater Blistered Shishitos, with sambal butter and sesame salt. Sambal is a chili sauce made from a variety of chili peppers. Shishitos peppers are slender and wrinkly. They have a bright green color. You can’t just eat one. Give me a full bowl. They are mild but once in a while you get one with a little bit of heat. Charring them is the best.
An order of short ribs topped with Chimichurri sauce. This was considered a small plate. I liked them, I ate them, but I did find them a little dry even though they fell off the bone. I needed more moisture or more Chimichurri.
You may say why order chicken when you can have something else to eat. You don’t understand, this is the best roasted chicken. Whole Amish Air Chilled Chicken is part of their feast. We usually order it and take home whatever we do not eat. It is a whole chicken. It is brined in Arnold Palmer tea and wood fired with lemon and rosemary. I tried it at home and marinated chicken parts for 2 days and then grilled it and it really gives the meat a distinct flavor.
So good I cannot wait to eat the leftovers tonight.
Please make reservations early. Restaurants are getting so busy and cannot imagine how busy they will be a month from now.
Food brings us together. It starts conversations and make new friendships. Enjoy you time with friends and family.
AboutMyBeaches has a Facebook Page. If you want to leave a message, please do so.
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Southern Delaware and its restaurants!! You find them up and down the coast line. I always say “Good Food, Will Travel”. The Flying Fish is located at 300 Coastal Hwy. in Fenwick Island, Delaware. From Rehoboth Beach, where I live, it is only about 20 minutes. Depending on the time of the day and the season it could be more.
Right before you get to the intersection of Rt. 54 and Coastal Highway the cluster of red buildings is called Village of Fenwick Shoppes. You have arrived then!!
Reservations are a must for dinner. The restaurant is small. Tel. 302-581-0217. Have in mind that it is worth going.
I am trying to catch up with the restaurants before Memorial Weekend arrives. It is the official opening of the summer season. This year promises to be a very busy one.
I was dying for some Sashimi. It is my favorite. For some, having raw fish is not their thing but The Flying Fish has plenty for everyone.
I started with a Seafood Ceviche of squid, octopus, crab, scallop, fish and shrimp. It was served on a bed of greens. After eating the ceviche I asked our server if I could have some of that ginger dressing and it was perfect!! That ceviche was marinated in just enough of sesame line ceviche oil to give it a very light and tasty flavor. My friend, Sharon, decided to get the Gyoza Dumplings with a homemade dipping sauce. The Gyoza is a thinner dumpling wrapper and more finely chopped stuffing. Delicious, by the way.
I got the Sashimi Sampler which usually has the chef’s choice but since I love sashimi scallops I asked if that could be included and they obliged. Everything tasted so fresh. Loved it.
If you see on my plate there is wasabi. Well, in reality what it is usually served at sushi restaurants is horseradish that has had coloring added to it. It is strong, almost too strong and it really takes away from your rolls and fish. Fresh Wasabi is amazing. It has a slight sweetness to it. It is an expensive delicacy and most restaurants add a couple of dollars to your dish. Please try it and you will taste the difference. Where have you been all this time? Haha
Sharon’s roll was a the Mexican. It is a roll that has been around for a long time. Topped with crab meat.
As you can see, she also ordered fresh wasabi.
It was a nice dinner. Time to catch with a friend. And off we went to drive around Bethany Beach and tour Rehoboth Beach’s neighborhoods at night.
Have a great weekend. Remember that AboutMyBeaches has its own Facebook Page. Let me know how the Flying Fish was. Thanks.
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