Bringmethat.com

I was offered the opportunity to try out Bringmethat.com, a website that allows you to place an order from a huge variety of take out restaurants in your area, ONLINE.  They're new to NJ and looking to expand.

Image Source:  http://bringmethatinc.tumblr.com/post/65358943049/bring-me-that

I was intrigued, and signed up to participate.  First, I entered my zip code.  I then realized that I needed to enter my specific address, since I'm on the other side of town from the "center of town," and would have far better options with my exact address.

I decided to go for a pizza place; we had a visitor we were looking to feed, so pizza made the most sense.  I selected one with a lower delivery charge (listed right on the main page, which is really helpful), and was excited to see a whole menu (it's so hard to find menus online, even through a place like allmenus).  I placed my order and waited for confirmation.

About ten minutes later, I received a phone call.  It turns out that the location I'd selected does not deliver to my area, but rather only provides catering.  I was disappointed because not only did I waste about 10 minutes (at rush hour, waiting for delivery, with two kids to feed and keep on a schedule), but it seems that the website wasn't as updated as I'd hoped.  Still today, ten days later, the website does not indicate the restaurant is catering only.

The man who called suggested a similar restaurant to which he knew an order had been successfully placed, so I turned to that restaurant next.  I was now really disappointed, because it was a higher delivery charge and the site had no prices or menu on the site.  Since my family and our guest were waiting, I went ahead and placed the order anyway.

The ordering experience was fairly easy--you input it and go; in this case, I ordered two pies and mentioned in the comments we wanted one plain and one mushroom.  We got an email about 10 minutes later confirming the order and telling me that the order would be delivered in about 40 minutes (and THIS is why I so infrequently order delivery, but I digress).

The bell rang about 25 minutes later, sweet!

The delivery man was very confused, though, because the order was placed using a different card than the one I'd used to place the order.  It was also at this point that I found out how much I was actually paying for my order.  Hopefully this is something that will be resolved moving forward and as the company expands.

This service is definitely one I'd have loved when I first moved to the area; it's nice to have a one-stop-shop for which restaurants deliver to my address (aside from the catering only snafu) with menus too.  If we hadn't been in this particular situation (looking for something cheap to feed 5 people), it would have opened up a quick meal option for us beyond our typical Chinese or pizza routine, which is something I'm always happy to do; there's been a ton of times we order from the less-than-favorite pizza place around the corner because it's, well, around the corner and traffic around here around dinnertime is ridiculous.  I really like that you can see everything, from delivery charge to will they deliver to me, all in one place.

They are running a promotion right now; like Bringmethat on facebook to get $5 off your order, which isn't a bad deal at all!  Give them a try and let me know what you think!

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.