Pic-A-Lilli Inn

866 US-206
Shamong, NJ 08088
(609) 268-2066
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South Jersey has some of the best food around. They make great cheesesteaks and hoagies, and their wings are only rivaled by the Philly 'burbs. The Pic-A-Lilli Inn is sister restaurant to the Pic-A-Lilli Pub in Atlantic City. Cheap beer and great wings can be had at both. The Inn is located smack dab in the middle of the Pine Barrens. So you can go ride bikes/motorcycles or kayaks, and then grab some cold ones and some wings after.

The cheesesteak at the Pic-A-Lilli is no slouch either. Served on a Liscio's roll, the meat is finely chopped, well seasoned, and came with a hearty ratio of American. The onions were fried well, sweet and caramelized without becoming mush.

Curly fries with a side of wiz rounded out this low calorie, low carb lunch. It was basically diet food.

The wings are actually counted in half wing. So an order of ten works out to be about fifteen to twenty wings. An order of six is shown below. The sauce can get hot quick, so if you skip "spicy" and go to "hot" be warned, they have the burn.

The meat is tender, and the skin well rendered. These are not the crispiest wings you will eat, but they just work. A combination of the deep flavor of the sauce, and the little morsels of deliciousness is enough to satisfy anyone from a biker (you will see lots here) to a chubby food writer (likely to find me here as well).

Square Bar

250 E Chestnut Street
West Chester, PA 19380
(610) 696-9825
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West Chester is a college town, which generally doesn't equate to to great food. But West Chester is also an exception, with some genuinely delicious cheap eats. Square Bar is a hidden gem of a drinkery, but they also offer a surprisingly good cheesesteak.

The bar itself is a huge wrap around, which leads to many conversations with strangers, a sure sign of good times.

I decided to skip the wings this time, because I saw someone eating a cheesesteak. Believe me, it had nothing to do with the "sweat" teriyaki flavored "souce." I'll be back sooner than later to give you a full report there...

Boy, was I glad that I went this route. The meat was very finely chopped (big fan), and the serving was hearty. Extra cheese and fried onions were all this needed, and I preemptively knew that. I usually always order that way.

The gooey cheese punctuated the well seasoned meat, with the soft roll soaking up all of the grease. It was close to perfection. Yes, I did just say that. Nearing cheesesteak perfection. Nowhere near downtown Philadelphia.

Not even an inkling of chewy gristle stuff in there.

And just look at that perfect ratio of meat to cheese to onion to roll.

They use Amoroso's rolls, which do the job just right. You may know that I have a soft spot for Liscio's above all others, but I will give the former a pass here because whoever's in the kitchen here knows what they're doing.

Cheap drinks, good people, and an amazing interior might just make the Square Bar my new spot.

Kinzer's Station Tavern

3572 Lincoln Hwy East
(Route 30)
Kinzers, PA 17535
(717) 442-8799

Kinzer's Station is located off of Route 30 on the way to Lancaster. I have wanted to stop in here for years, and had planned on it in the spring, but they were closed for a stretch due to a fire. They are back up and running, and I made a Sunday pit stop on the way home from a weekend road trip.

The joint is owned by a really nice fellow named Mike, a South Philly born-and-raised transplant, who bought the place almost sight unseen to get himself out of the city and into a slower-paced lifestyle out in the country. That's my kind of country living: owning a bar/restaurant with Philly originals all over the menu.

They allow smoking, which would have been annoying, but there was barely anyone there, so it wasn't too bad. Bud heavy was the drink of choice.

The food is nothing fancy, Philly area bar food done well. I had a cheesesteak and wings, two of my usual go-to choices.

The cheesesteak was quite good. The meat was well seasoned, and had plenty of cheese spread throughout. The roll was fine but not great. Being there on a Sunday right when they opened, I didn't expect it to be from the same day. Let's face it, I wasn't firing on all cylinders either. For being a day or three old, the roll was still okay.

Pretty well chopped, the meat didn't have any annoying gristly or fatty bites.

One thing you will notice, is they certainly do not skimp on the meat. I was a big fan of the both the quantity and quality.

The wings were also solid. I asked for the cooked extra crispy, and they sure were. The fat was nicely rendered out, and the skin retained it's crunch while I worked my way though them. It did not take long. This is a solid pit stop on your way to/through/from Amish country. A great roadside dive with Philly food done right. I hope to make a stop on a Friday night to get a real feel for the crowd. If I ever get to, I'll report back.

Larry's Bar and Restaurant

1115 South 2nd St
Millville, NJ
(856) 327-1144
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I was looking for a quick bite on the way to the shore this summer, and wanted a cold beer to go with it. Larry's seemed to fit the bill. A word of caution, Millville is not the best town, so I advise caution if you actually end up at Larry's depending on the time of day.

Luckily there was almost no one there when I stopped.

The buffalo chicken cheesesteak came on a soft roll that was grilled prior to loading. It was nothing out of the ordinary, but certainly not a bad sandwich.

The meat was finely chopped, and the buffalo sauce mixed in. I did like how the onions were finely chopped and caramelized to the extent that they blended into the meat.

The crab bisque was surprisingly good. It had a sprinkle of Old Bay to zest it up, and though it wasn't earth shattering, it was solid.

Not overly heavy (though loaded with cream), it had some herbs and claw meat to add flavor and texture.

Finally, I had to give the fried pickles a go. These we unique in that they were very thin slices, and it made for an interesting textural experience. I liked the slightly sweet taste, and the crunchy shell. Overall - food was fine, beers were cheap and cold, and I didn't get shot (though the bartender told us there was a shooting there a couple days earlier). So it was a win-win.

Cisco's Bar & Grille

1538 Bethlehem Pike
Flourtown, PA 19031
(215) 233-9981

Every once in a while you stumble upon something special, and given the amount of weird/sketchy places I venture for the sake of good food, it means the world when I find a place like Cisco's.

The interior is everything you could possibly want in an old school bar, with moose heads to boot.

The grill is located behind the bar, so you get to see the prep of anything you order while you drink your insanely cheap beer. Small glasses of domestics are $1.25.

The main claim to fame at Cisco's is the cheesesteak hoagie. It is a variation unlike most places, however, because instead of just adding some lettuce and tomato, they add salami!

The meat is quality, finely chopped and well seasoned. The cheese is melted throughout, and the fried onions are finely chopped, cooked to a deep golden color and sweet as can be. The other aspect that sets them apart is the hot hoagie spread available for your cheesesteak consumption. Briny, spicy, and colorful, it's one of my approved cheesesteak add-ons.

If you were wondering why there is only half a sandwich here, it's because I only ordered a small. The large is Philly Phoodie sized, but I was LITERALLY on my way to a vegan dinner party, so I decided I needed to eat something real before I got there.

Thick sliced provolone, thick sliced Genoa, fried and raw onions, tomato slices, and some dried oregano sprinkled on top to even it out. This place is incredible.

Flourtown is a bit out of the way of my usual routines, but my god this place is worth the trip.

Anna's Sandwich Shop

303 Sutton Avenue
Folsom, PA 19033
(610) 534-9289

The DelCo hoagie hunt continues, with the venerable old timer known as Anna's (est. 1935) on deck this time.

It's a great little corner spot on MacDade just down the road from a couple of well known local burger joints that I visited back in '09 and '10. Which reminds me, I need to get back to Charlie's very soon... The other one, not so much.

I went on a Saturday for a late breakfast/early lunch, it's definitely not brunch here. And although they're known for their cheesesteaks that come with forks, I was in the mood for the old Delco meat drape.

There was a steady flow of eggs and bacon coming off the grill and the phone was ringing off the hook with take out orders. Popular spot and it's obvious that part of the allure is in their bottom dollar prices.

I couldn't wait to get down on some 10am Italian hoagie.

The breakfast special AKA "morning delight" includes a 6" roll with eggs, cheese and choice of breakfast meat for $4. I chose bacon, knowing that my main-course sandwich was going to be full of other deli hams.

This is the perfect size sandwich to start your day. Well, my day requires more, but you get my point. Right off the bat, Anna's has my heart – they use only the very best rolls around and I am a sucker for falling in love every time I see or hear the name "Liscio's." The perfect roll for all things hoagie, their bread has never failed. My mouth is watering just thinking about the chew on that dough.

The eggs, cheese and bacon were cooked just right and the sandwich was delicious. There wasn't much inside but there's nothing fancy here and I'm glad I asked for a bit of mayo, ketchup and hot sauce to round it out. Without said condiments, it would have been too dry. For $4 though, it's unbeatable.

Now for the main event. The Italian hoagie here is served like all other DelCo hoagies - with veggies on the bottom and the meat on top. My, what a beautiful ham curtain you have.

These Italian hoagies can't be compared to some others of the same name, they're not served on crusty seeded rolls or made with high quality cured meats and crumbled chunks of spicy-sharp prov. They're the working man's version and they're delicious.

Look at this plank of meat and cheese. It had a straighter edge than any ruler I've ever seen. You have to get all up in it - press, fold in and enjoy. This version was tangy, the vinegary hot peppers bursting with flavor in every bite. The meats and cheese played second fiddle to the crunchy veggies, but they held their own in the background.

All in all, Anna's puts love into everything they make and I'll certainly be back to roll up my sleeves and dig in to their cheesesteaks.