Restaurant Routine

There are a few restaurants in the area that my wife and I frequent. We don’t go out to eat as often as we used to so when we do we usually go to the same places over and over again. We would much rather go somewhere that we know has good food and reasonable prices than somewhere that we know very little about.

We reserve the adventurous dining experiences for when we are on the road. As a result we have had some amazing meals (the pastrami salmon sandwich at Bar Louis in Milford) and some downright horrendous piles of food-like substances (the fish and chips at the Hilton Hotel in East Brunswick, New Jersey) during our travels this summer. Overall, we have been mostly lucky and even when we weren’t we didn’t get sick.

When we are at home and we are looking for something quick and inexpensive, we usually end up at Hummus Mediterranean Grill in Ardmore. While my wife usually rotates her selection between the chicken kabob and the vegetable platters I am pretty set in my ways and I get the combination platter every time. While this pales in comparison to the many delectable dishes we enjoyed in Jerusalem (particularly around the Mahane Yehuda Market), this may be the best Israeli style Middle Eastern food I have been able to find in the states. I recommend first timers go hungry and order the combination platter to get a little taste of everything. If that still isn’t enough, and I doubt that, get a side order of fried cauliflower to top off your bursting belly.

Hummus Mediterranean Grill

18 Greenfield Avenue, Ardmore, Pennsylvania 19003

http://www.hummusardmore.com/

Urban Spoon Rating: 100% (2 reviews)

Zagat Food Rating: 19/30

Dining room photo taken from the website.

Fellini Café in Newtown Square is our other usual dining spot which we were first introduced to by my parents a few years ago. What confuses some on the Main Line is the common name that this establishment shares with other restaurants in Ardmore, Berwyn, and Media. Do not be mistaken, these are completely separate eateries and the others can’t hold a candle to the one in Newtown Square which, simply put, has the best authentic Italian food on the Main Line. For this reason, reservations are recommended.

Each and every ingredient can be differentiated in their dishes which do not try to dazzle you with fancy twists or interpretations. This is best exemplified in their Eggplant Parmesan which I frequently order as my entrée (don’t be fooled when you see it listed as an appetizer). It has just the right bite and light breading smothered in a simple red sauce covered in a perfect blanket of creamy fresh mozzarella. So simple but addictively delicious; this is as good as it gets.  

Fellini Café

3541 West Chester Pike, Newtown Square, Pennsylvania 19073

http://fellinicafenewtownsquare.com/

Urban Spoon Rating: 83% (43 reviews)

Zagat Food Rating: 24/30

Exterior photo taken from internet.

There is only one establishment that I visit on a regular basis which is Aldar Bistro right down the street in Bala Cynwyd. Each week I attend my Rotary meeting at this restaurant and I have never been disappointed even having ordered nearly half of the dishes over the past year. A regular special is the cocoanut crusted honey mustard salmon which is one of the best pieces of fish you can order in the area.

Even though it is described as a Mediterranean restaurant (in more of the Lebanese style) there is a wide variety of other options on the menu that compliment the more traditional food quiet well. However, equally exceptional is the service as Host and general manager Walid Assaf and the rest of the staff treat guest more like family than customers. While the food and service is exceptional no matter what time of day, it is especially nice for a casual business lunch. If so inclined, you can also join us for a Rotary meeting on Wednesdays at 12:15 PM.

Aldar Bistro

281 Montgomery Avenue, Bala Cynwyd, Pennsylvania 19004

http://www.aldarbistro.com/

Urban Spoon Rating: 84% (66 reviews)

Zagat Food Rating: 20/30

Exterior photo taken from website.

So those are my three regular spots where I go out to eat. Hopefully this gives you some additional options of where to eat in the Philadelphia suburbs. Whether you live in the area or you’re just visiting for a few days, set aside a meal or two and indulge yourself with some incredible food without having to sell your first born to afford it.

Milford And Waterfalls And A General Store! Oh My!

This week’s Shabbat adventure was more about driving than exploring one particular area. Our plan this past weekend took us as far as Milford, Pennsylvania where we turned around and stopped at a few places on the way back.

It’s always interesting as to where ideas come from with regard to places to visit. During an excellent discussion on Thursday, the woman interviewing me mentioned Milford which is situated just above the Delaware Water Gap. Our plan for the weekend was to explore the Gap and so this provided us with the perfect turn around point.

The drive began under an overcast sky with the clouds occasionally breaking.

We arrived in Milford in the early afternoon with music and tourists flooding the streets. For us, a music festival does not make for an ideal situation for a relaxing weekend but it was still a very nice town. After stopping at the Louis Bar in the Hotel Fauchère for a quick lunch where I had an amazing cured salmon reuben sandwich, we slowly walked around the town and stretched our legs as I took some pictures of the old buildings surrounding us.

After about 90 minutes we were back in the car on our slow journey back home. There were a couple of places we both took note of on our way up and we soon found ourselves entering the Delaware Water Gap where, a few miles in, we made our first stop at Raymondskill Falls. We parked the car in a small lot and followed our ears toward the sound of falling water.

Being the only ones on the edge of the water, we got right up to the railing and we took turns taking pictures of water beginning its freefall.

While my wife focused on the group of kayakers that floated a little too far down river, I was busy leaning over the edge to capture as much as I could of the natural beauty.

Seeing the top of the falls is one thing but we both knew that the truly astounding view is from the bottom so we made our way down the minimally maintained path to the bottom. Fortunately I am part spider monkey so it wasn’t too challenging despite my lack of physical fitness.

 As you can see in the following pictures, the view did not disappoint.

The hike back to the car was easier than expected and soon we were back in the car and on our way through the park down Route 209. We were both glad that we stopped at the unassuming falls especially when we pulled into the cluster that was waiting for us at Bushkill Falls at the southern end of the Gap (we felt like we were back in Edison, New Jersey). As it was now mid afternoon and the purpose of our day trips is to be an inexpensive weekend getaway, we were not going to spend $25 to walk down paths that resembled cattle shoots more than nature trails so, no Bushkill for us.

  

Rather than backtrack along the same route we came up (iPhone GPS sometimes has a very interesting way of getting you from point A to point B) we decided to just stay on 209S which we knew from our experience going to Jim Thorpe a couple of weeks ago that it would take us directly to the Northeast Extension. After seeing a few tantalizing billboards along the way, the road took us directly to our final stop of the afternoon in Lehighton. 

As you can see in the picture, Country Junction touts itself as “The World’s Largest General Store” so, naturally, we had to look around. We walked through the front doors and were immediately greeted by what, for my wife, was a very good sign…

Being the Wizard of Oz fanatic that she is we had no choice but to follow the yellow brick road. This store has everything and once we saw the prices we couldn’t help shopping for a few items that we have been meaning to pick up (as well as a few treats for later). We could have spent hours walking around and exploring the different departments but we knew our time was limited so we paid for our items, put them in the car, and concluded our visit by walking through the petting zoo.

I don’t know if it’s the world’s largest general store but I can say that we agreed on the final verdict. Greatest. Store. Ever.

By the time we got back on the highway we were a little tired from driving around most of the day but also reinvigorated by our little voyage which was reflected by the change in the sky as we relaxed in the car and started planning our next trip.