The Silver Diner

2131 New Jersey 38

Cherry Hill, NJ 08002
http://www.silverdiner.com/menu

We were in the area, after a visit to The Garden State Discovery Museum (which rocked, by the way!), and wanted something new for dinner.  It just so happened that The Silver Diner, as sponsor of the museum, had a whole play area that piqued our interest and had us pulling out the phones to look them up.  We decided to give it a go after finding coupons for kids eat free there!

This place is awesome!  I loved that the kids menu didn't really have standard kids menu fare.  Rather, they had "Chicken Pizza Quesadilla," which my kids chose and enjoyed, which came with a side of strawberries instead of fries.  Sweet!

I love the atmosphere... they have real personal table jukeboxes, though the music plays for the whole restaurant (we didn't hear any of our picks in the time we were there).

My husband and I were really happy with our food.  My husband was thrilled since he found something he's always sought from restaurants--the ability to have the burger replaced with chicken.  This place has it!  I chose something very different, something from the under 600 calories menu, the mango vegetarian stir fry.  I really enjoyed it, and was super thrilled to see a diner menu that has healthful choices, gluten free choices, vegetarian and vegan choices!  We also splurged on a shake (they have healthier options for these too!) and it was so good too.

You have to check out the Silver Diner when you are in Cherry Hill!

Pheasant's Landing

311 Amwell Rd Ste A
Hillsborough, NJ
(908) 281-1288
http://www.pheasantslanding.com/

I've been eyeing Pheasant's Landing for some time; I was considering it for my son's baptism but it's a little far from home to make a regular place.  So when they offered a Groupon, I jumped on it hoping to give it a try.

We went on a random Lenten Friday, in the midst of trying to get the almost three year old to learn how to use the potty.  So he was pretty cranky.  Not knowing what we were doing, we headed to the main dining room.  Due to his crankiness, it was *suggested* that we instead move downstairs where he would be more comfortable.  (Although it was certainly... probably...not meant THAT way, we were embarrassed that our kid was THAT kid who can't behave in a restaurant.

So we went downstairs.  Not only was the two year old more comfortable, but so were my husband and I!  The downstairs feels like you're in someone's basement, which might be a turn off to many, but we were happier there.  There were tvs, a foosball table that entertained the boys so my husband and I could chat, and folks were playing pool kindly letting the boys watch (and even let them take a shot each).  WAY more low key!

The menu is slightly different; I'd been eyeing something on the menu in the dining room that didn't appear on the menu downstairs, but it was still pretty similar.  The food was good, though I can't remember what we specifically had.  I know my husband had a sandwich of some kind and was really happy with it, while I had an entree that was large and delicious-- I definitely got at least two days of lunches from the leftovers.

The prices seem to be a little on the high side; if it wasn't for the deal, we probably would have complained to each other about the prices.  They ARE on restaurant.com, which you can buy through Ebates for even greater savings.

Overall, we were very happy with Pheasant's Landing and if they weren't so far from home, we'd probably be regular visitors.  I do plan to go back to sample some of their Oktoberfest offerings one day!

Smokehouse Barbecue

45 West Main St
Somerville, NJ 08876
smokehousebbqnj.com

I've had a hankering for barbecue ever since I started reading Gone with the Wind a few weeks ago, so when I saw a Living Social deal for this place, it went onto the radar.  Alas, I missed the deal but snagged a restaurant.com coupon via ebates (for 15% cash back!) and off we went.

The reviews I read online were mixed, but I was very impressed that the owner responds to each negative criticism on both yelp and urbanspoon, so thought it was worth a try.

I liked the decor of the place; it's small and homey with a southwestern theme going on.  Plus, the walls are lined with empty bottles (some of which are signed, sort of like those first few dollars on the wall at small establishments) of their private label root beer, sasparilla, lemonade, etc.  Pretty neat.  Also cool was that there was a wall of children's coloring; my sons thought this was so neat that THEIR work would hang on the wall at the restaurant!

So the food, which, of course is what you want to know.  My husband ordered a Cowboy Burrito and LOVED it.  He actually mentioned how good it was the next day.  He mentioned that he liked that there wasn't that much sauce because he could customize it to his liking and it wasn't as messy that way.  He was pleased.  Ever indecisive, I chose a 1/2 chicken and pulled pork.  The pulled pork was very tasty, though I'd say it was a little bit dry.  Still good though, and I enjoyed it the next day---the serving was HUGE.  The chicken was delicious, though I was not a fan of peeling the skin off (though this is my own problem since who gets skinless chicken barbecue?) and I thought the baked beans side was perfect and just what I was looking for in my barbecue craving.  The boys both had mac and cheese, and my husband said a few times that he was impressed that it seemed to be homemade.  Our server was super accommodating of our request to sub veggies for the fries, which always gets high marks in my book.

Overall, a good meal and we will be back!

Green Knoll Grille

645 Us Hwy 202/206
Bridgewater, NJ 08807
www.greenknollgrille.com

The Green Knoll Grille was a place that had caught my eye on the way to another place.  I'd heard of it from browsing various online dining reviews, but didn't formally have it on my list.  But when we drove by, "happy hour spot" came to mind and I'm always looking for ways to at least mentally relive my youth.

After two visits, the Green Knoll Grille is one of my favorite places in the area to take my family.  We've been in the summer when the outdoor patio was hopping and in the fall when everything outside was closed up, but the little playground area is a parent's dream.  My kids had a great time climbing while we waited for our food to arrive (so much better for the two year old than even crayons!) and I was happy to people watch folks at the outdoor bar area and soak up some sun.  We enjoyed this area on our fall visit too, because the play area was still open even though the bar area was not.

The food is pretty sports bar typical; burgers, fries, dominate, though there are some entrees that are good too.  We particularly like choosing our kids' dinners and an appetizer from the $3.99 happy hour menu, but we tend to eat dinner at 5 when such specials are available.

We have always had FUN and a good meal at the Green Knoll Grille!

Scampi's Seafood Restaurant

198 W Main St
Somerville, NJ 08876
http://www.scampisseafood.com/

Scampi's has been on my mental list for a very long time, so I jumped when a Living Social deal there appeared.  We ended up going with another couple and were very thankful for the deal because after everything we ordered, it was a very expensive meal!

My husband and I were hesitant to try here because so much of our dining is with our kids in tow, and I wasn't super certain that our kids (particularly the two year old) would do well here.  With that said, there was another table that had two couples and six kids between them and they seemed to do just fine.  With that said, it's more on the upscale side and while kids would surely be welcomed, it's probably only a place you'd take them in the very early evening so as to not disturb someone's romantic dinner.  The restaurant has two areas, a dimly lit bar area with some tables (we walked through and I didn't really make much note of the area) and a more typical dining area that has better lighting; the whole place was very classy and felt sophisticated.

Our food was really good.  As someone who loves variety, especially at a seafood restaurant, I went for the Fisherman's combo, which allowed me my beloved crab cakes as well as shrimp, tilapia, and scallops.  It was very good and very fresh, if on the pricey side (though what else can one expect when one is going for good seafood).  Our friends ordered an oyster plate appetizer and they enjoyed it very much, and everyone enjoyed their dinners.

We had a really great, if expensive, time at Scampi's.

Teppanyaki

275 Route 18 South,
East Brunswick, NJ 08816
http://www.teppybuffetnj18.com/

On New Year's Day, we were out on a family adventure to the aquarium.  Fish plus fun equaled sushi in my mind, so we did some quick googling and headed to a recommended sushi place.  On our way there, we saw the new buffet had opened and decided to give it a go.

Luckily, we arrived around 5 because the lobby was full of diners waiting to sit when we left!  On New Year's Day, they had an incredible special for the buffet and the price couldn't have been beat if I had made dinner at home.  It's not clear at this moment what their regular prices are, though.

The buffet was pretty good.  There's a wide range of Asian dishes to choose (as well as chicken fingers, fries, etc too) as well as Asian barbecue with a duck carving station, a hibachi station, and a sushi bar.  Since I wanted sushi, that's where I focused my attention.  They had some really interesting sushi rolls and the variety changed over the course of the time we were there too.  It wasn't the freshest sushi I've ever had, but for the super cheap price we paid, I was satisfied and my husband agreed.

We really enjoyed our meal at this buffet.

Cafe Paris

441 Main St
Metuchen, NJ 08840
(732) 603-9200

After a recent doctor's appointment, I was starving on my sick day, so wanted to pick up something easy for lunch.  I looked on the internet for places that serve soup, trying to stay away from the old standby of Panera, and Cafe Paris came up as highly rated.  Folks mostly commented on their crepes, so I was super excited to try one.

After a quick glance at the menu, I didn't see any crepes (I later saw that they only have dessert crepes, and they seemed on the pricey side to me, but I digress), so I ordered a lunch special of soup and sandwich.  I received a chicken breast sandwich on delicious bread with a roasted yellow pepper, tomato, lettuce, and mozzarella cheese that was pressed and the silkiest butternut squash soup I've ever had.

Since I ordered takeout (and was the only customer in the place on a random Tuesday), the service was super fast.  The atmosphere is very cafe cute, and I told my husband we need to go there together sometime.

Mama Rosina's

350 E Main St
Bound Brook, NJ 08805
(732) 805-3377 
http://mamarosinas.info/

You know how it is during the holiday season, so when we had a Living Social deal and a hectic evening, we moseyed over to Mama Rosina's.  I was highly anticipating the meal, largely because I had read that it was in the former Bound Brook train station and knew this would be a real treat for my family.

As far as atmosphere, this was in fact a real treat.  The trains flew by and my sons bounced off their chairs to run to the window.  It's such a cool space, with the bar situated in the former ticket booth and it appears they have maintained some of the original windows for that space.

The service was really great too; I now judge service mostly on how accommodating they are of my children and at Mama Rosina's, they were incredible toward my kids (aside from the built in train entertainment).

The problem, of course, was that the food just wasn't that good.  I had the Pollo Rosina, described on their website as "Breast of Chicken Sautéed with Mushrooms, Artichokes, Sun Dried Tomatoes in a Pink Cream Sauce, Topped with Mozzarella."

Sorry for the horrible dark photo

The chicken was terribly overcooked, which made the rest of the meal really unpalatable.  The sauce was ok, though I definitely picked up the flavor of canned tomatoes, but after picking out the chicken, I was really disappointed and ended up not even taking my leftovers home.

My husband's dinner got a rating of "fine," which is a sure sign of good enough to eat and enjoy but not good enough to come back.  I actually would probably give it even lower marks, which is terribly disappointing to me.  I had super high hopes of LOVING this place, which is close to home and could have been a real regular place for us.

The New West Brook Tavern

525 Talmadge Ave
Bound Brook, NJ 08805
http://thenewwestbrook.com/

On Saturday, running errands conflicted with our eating at home plan, so we decided to go out and try a new to us restaurant.  A friend had mentioned this, and it sounded like a good and easy place to go after my look at their website previously.

It's pretty low key and the restaurant is on the smaller side with about 15 tables.  They have bands that play, and I can only imagine they remove tables to make the space for them.

Our server was great, giving us lots of attention and kindness to our two boys.

As far as the food, it's solid and portions are large.  The "kids" hot dog was enormous and came with an awesome looking roll, plus at $4.95 (with drink and ice cream), the price really can't be beat.  I had eggplant parm, which was really large as well and fairly priced.  It came with salad and was your typical restaurant eggplant parm dish.  When I looked at the menu, I noticed a sandwich that was like it was invented by my husband, having all the ingredients (and in a sandwich, no less) that he loves.  Not surprisingly, he really enjoyed it.  As far as the bar, they have a pretty standard selection of drafts, with probably 8-10 choices.

In short, this is a really solid neighborhood bar and restaurant with reasonable prices, great service, and good food.

 

Pasta Lovers

142 W 49th St.
(between 7th Ave & Avenue Of The Americas)
New York, NY 10019

We chose this restaurant because of its location near Radio City.  The reviews across the internet were mixed between really good and that it's a tourist trap and too pricey, but of the choices our group made, this seemed to be the best.

It's location to Radio City, Times Square, Penn Station, Port Authority, and Rockefeller Center is unbeatable.

Our food was fine.  We split a Mozzarella Caprese appetizer, which was quite good.  The mozzarella was super fresh, and the price was about double that of the same meal at a local central NJ Italian restaurant.  

The rest of our group was late due to train issues, and despite having the appetizer, we were given a great deal of pressure from our waiter about where the rest of our group was.  He wouldn't bring us bread and asked us probably three times where they were.  I completely understand the need for table turn around, but the restaurant was empty.  The tables on either side of us were the same size and unused.

My friends enjoyed their meals of varying pasta dishes, and my mom and I each had a pizza roll type thing--basically a stromboli.  Based on the amount we each ate, we could easily have shared one.  It was good, typical, but nothing to really write home about.  These also happened to be the least expensive entrees on the menu; my eggplant stromboli was $10, which I thought pretty reasonable for anywhere, let alone Midtown Manhattan.

Our waiter warmed to us once our friends arrived, but I was pretty ticked off as a result of the pressure about the rest of our party.

So, my recommendation would be to find a small place over on 8th Ave if you're going to the area and are able to walk a little bit away from the center of the action.  It's definitely fine, but who goes into town for a fine meal?

 

Nectresse Review

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of NECTRESSE™Sweetener for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.

I do not like artificial sweetener; I worry about the potential risks of the chemicals in the product and I HATE the taste.  Of course, I know there are risks associated with regular sugar too.  So I was both interested and skeptical when NECTRESSE™Sweetener arrived on my doorstep.

 

First, I tried the product in my tea.  I wasn't a huge fan, but must make a note that I usually drink tea without any sweetener at all.  I then tried it in coffee and while it wasn't bad, it would take me some getting used to.  I then had a friend over and offered it when she asked for a cup of tea; she is an artificial sweetener user and said she really enjoyed it.

 

Nectresse is an interesting blend of no calorie sweetener and all natural (read:  no artificial junk); it's made from "monk fruit," and seems to be 150x sweeter than sugar; this is the only 100% natural sweetener made from fruit in my grocery store.

 

also made a video about the product; you should check it out!

 

 

 

You can get a FREE sample of NECTRESSE™Sweetener by visiting the Nectresse sample site.  Also take a look at the Nectresse Facebook page.

 

Carriage House Cafe

600 W Union Ave Bound Brook NJ
http://www.cafecarriagehouse.com/


We've tried to go here before, only to discover too late that they are closed on Sunday.  We were in the area and decided to splurge on lunch out.

We got our meals to go; the boys shared (and enjoyed) a kids' cheeseburger, which came with fries.    I had a Chipotle Chicken Panini and it was  so good.  Half was plenty for me, especially when combined with the fries I swiped from the boys and the onion rings (perhaps the best I've ever had) I shared with my husband.

My husband had their signature Bulgogi (Chicken) Sub.  It's chicken in a Korean style sauce.  It was tasty, and he enjoyed it, but it definitely wasn't quite as good as my sandwich.

A good, and not too expensive, meal at Cafe Carriage House!

Gateway National Recreation Area

Check out the National Parks Service page for Sandy Hook!

This year, I have made it my mission to expand the beaches to which I (and my boys) have been.  Growing up, we went went to 44th Street Beach in Long Beach Township (at Wida's!) every time.  My mom still goes there. 

This week, we ventured to Sandy Hook.  I'd been there once before, on a field trip in High School.  We didn't go to the beach but rather to the Twin Lights and probably something for bio class.  Otherwise, I don't think I've ever been there.  I chose this because it is the northern most ocean beach, and so is closest to our central NJ home.

For $15, the whole car-ful gets access to the National Park.  This is a great deal if you'd be paying for your whole family's beach badges, but for just me and my two little (free on most beaches) boys, it really wasn't worth it.  If my husband was with us, though, it would be a day that would make everyone happy, since he'd have plenty of trails to ride on his bike and there's more than just the beach to see (he's not a fan of the beach at all). 

A friend mentioned that the beach at the Sea Gull's Nest restaurant was nice, so that's where we went.  As soon as we arrived, we hit the bathrooms; they are plentiful and clean.  I saw many outdoor (and not private) showers, and found online that there are indoor showers available (I couldn't confirm that by spending many minutes searching and calling the visitor's center).  We walked to the beach and it's really wide.  Luckily for those of us towing a heavy Wonder Wheeler, it's fairly flat (though still difficult going back up with said Wonder Wheeler and two tired kiddos who aren't interested in carrying anything).  We chose the lifeguard protected side; it was nice because you don't have to worry about swimming "between the flags" like on many other beaches.  Here, as long as you go to the lifeguarded side, it's ALL "between the flags." 

It didn't seem like such a clear day, but yet:

Manhattan; you can see the Freedom Tower on the left.

The waves were pretty gentle here.  My almost 5 year old got knocked down a few times, standing at the water's edge, but it is definitely not a place to go surfing.  It didn't even seem like really a good place to go boogie boarding; the waves were crashing maybe 10 feet from the water's edge.  The nice thing about this, though, is that you can get out pretty far just by walking, or be in up to your hips and yet you're out past the breaks.

One complaint, and you'll see it on any review of the beach here, is that there are no trash receptacles anywhere.  It's a carry in, carry out place, which makes sense, except that many people DON'T.  There was trash around us, which I picked up and carried out, only to find there was NO WHERE to throw out what I picked up (and sorry, I'm not carrying other people's garbage and beer bottles home in my car with me).

We then went for a little drive to see what we could see.  We passed the famous Gunnison Beach (that would be the nude beach to which my high school boyfriend always said he was going to take me), and drove around the lighthouse and Fort Hancock barracks area.  My son was thrilled to see missiles and canons... not so impressed by the lighthouse.

In short, we had a great time, but it's not going to be a regular beach destination for us; the price is prohibitive... at least until I have to pay for each of my sons to join me.   We will definitely be back, though, with my husband and his bike in tow.  Maybe we'll even combine a beach and bike tour one day!

Shore Fresh Seafood Inc

703 Bridge Ave Ste 707 Map.7142063
Point Pleasant Boro, NJ 08742

I wanted to do something fun this afternoon, so we decided to take a ride to the boardwalk and get dinner before we got there.  We chose this spot largely because of its high marks for being kid friendly, but also because it was off the beaten path.

What an excellent choice; this place rocks!

My husband and I started by sharing a bowl of Lobster Bisque.  We both really enjoyed it; it had the right amount of spice and creaminess with big and small chunks of lobster throughout.  Our boys split an adult size Shrimp and Chips; I tasted the shrimp and it was delicious.  The fries were really good "boardwalk fries," which went perfectly with the malt vinegar on the table (this is not my preferred version of french fries, but they were really good nonetheless).  My husband had a shrimp po' boy; I suspect it was good since he devoured it in probably 5 seconds.  As for me, I tried a Mahi Mahi special.  It was outrageously good; this french fry addict ate all the fish and only half the fries.  I really enjoyed the fish; it was in a sweet sauce with a tiny bit of kick at the end.

As for atmosphere, it's BYOB and very kid friendly; there were families all over the patio, some of whom had arrived by bicycle.  There are indoor seats, but it seemed to us that it was much nicer to sit outside and enjoy the great weather.  There's a fairly busy street next to the restaurant, so not the world's best outdoor dining atmosphere, but we had a great time anyway.

This place is fantastic; we will definitely return again.  Prices were pretty reasonable; we fed our family of four for slightly less than $50.

The Grub Hut

 

The Grub Hut has been on "my list" for a very very long time.  We finally wandered over there when another place on the list was closed on a Sunday.

The Grub Hut is a pretty interesting fusion of BBQ and Mexican food.  As you can see, I went all out with the Mexican, ordering a Make Your Own platter with a Jefe's Way taco and a ground chicken burrito with black beans.  Oh, it was so good and way too much for me to eat for lunch (their website indicates a lunch menu, but we were not given it as an option, maybe because it was Sunday).

I loved their eclectic decor; it's really a cozy place with a neat vibe since it's in a small walking/downtown area.

Pilsner Haus

1422 Grand St
Hoboken, NJ 07030

(201) 683-5465 

http://www.pilsenerhaus.com

We met friends here for an adults only night out.  The original plan was for us to meet at the Biergarten in Jersey City, but our friends like the Pilsner more, so that's where we went.
I can't tell you about the beers we sampled.  I overindulged.  The food, though, was great!  I can't imagine much of it going along with summertime, but it was great in December--very comfort food.  We started with the Bavarian pretzel, and it rocked.  I could probably have just eaten that and been good to go, but I also got a Weisswurst, hoping to relive my time in Germany.  It was excellent.  It's a pretty cool system; for grill food, you just walk right up to the grill, though you can order other food from the menu via your server.

The atmosphere is pretty cool; you eat at a long table and it does feel European.  It's a bit loud, so it's kind of hard to hear the people across the table.

I had a ton of fun at the Pilsner.  The food was awesome, the atmosphere rocked, and the beer flowed!

Gabriel's Fountain

1948 Washington Valley Rd
Martinsville, NJ 08836
http://www.gabrielsfountain.com/

My husband got the idea to take the family out for ice cream tonight, but with the constraints of giving the boys their bath and getting them to bed on time, we decided instead to go someplace we could get dinner AND ice cream.  Gabriel's Fountain fit that bill; it's close to home and was on my list, has ice cream as well as food.

We thought the vibe was super cute, and there's a patio that would be great to hang out and eat food or ice cream.  The food options are really varied but we went with pretty low key, standard meals.  The boys got mac and cheese, my husband got  a Jazzed Up BLT with onion rings and I got a Chicken Portobella Wrap.  Mine was really interesting, so tasty, and HUGE.  I could only eat half and saved the other for tomorrow's lunch.  My husband enjoyed his sandwich (and didn't even offer a taste; guess it was THAT good!), saying the bacon was cooked just the way he likes it and the bread was tasty.

We then ordered ice cream.  The choices are extensive and different from anything you'd find anywhere else.  We got a sundae with Scarlet Knight (the Rutgers love extends far and wide), which is chocolate ice cream with cream cheese frosting and red velvet cake, and a banana flavor (forgetting the name and it's not on their online menu) with brownie chunks.

Our food was great, the place has a great atmosphere and is kid friendly!

Bahama Breeze

520 Woodbridge Center Drive
Woodbridge Township, NJ 07095
http://www.bahamabreeze.com/

I'd heard before of Bahama Breeze because there's one in Cherry Hill, where we often meet up with friends from Delaware; we'd never made it to that location, but when we had an opportunity to visit the new location in Woodbridge, we jumped on the chance.

In what I call "The land of the chain restaurant," Bahama Breeze stands out.  You won't find potato skins or mozzarella sticks on their appetizer menu, but rather dishes that are truly inspired by the Caribbean.  We were so impressed with everything the restaurant put forth: 

• our service was great, responsive to our needs as well as those of our two children, and very friendly.
• the food was delicious.  The prices were pretty reasonable, and the portions seemed decent.  We commented that the food didn't feel like chain food, probably because the menu is so unique compared to other chains around.  Hey, not many chain restaurants on Route 1 offer curry anything, but BB does.
• this restaurant was incredibly clean.  My husband mentioned that he had to go under the table to retrieve one of our kids' toys, and that it was spotless.  Yes, the place is brand new, but surely other diners have sat at that table before and spilled something.

If you want a unique and enjoyable experience, definitely check out Bahama Breeze in Woodbridge!

Fallen Behind

Argh, life has gotten in the way of blogging.  Additionally, we've been trying to limit our meals out A LOT.

In addition to the post a few back, here are some places I still need to blog:

• Aunt Nanny's
• Pete's Pizza
• Bahama Breeze

Luca's Ristorante

109 Harris Ave
Middlesex, NJ 08846

(732) 560-1292 

In our continuing quest for awesome pizza in central NJ, we decided to try Luca's in Middlesex tonight.  We ordered a large, half mushroom, pie and an order of mozzarella sticks and the order came to $18.99.  

The pizza was really tasty; the sauce was different from others we've tried, in a good way.  The crust was a little crispier than I tend to like up at the "handle" part, but overall the crust was a good texture, and the pie had the right amount of cheese. 

As for the mozzarella sticks, they were great too.  Sometimes. I find, sticks can be bland and I'm not willing to indulge, but that was not the case here.  The sticks inside weren't too melty, and the breading had flavor and crunch.