Gaetano's (King of Steaks)

437 New Jersey 73
Berlin Township, NJ 08009
(856) 753-1919
Website

Gaetano’s is a South Jersey cheesesteak chain that calls themselves the “king of steaks." There happened to be one near one of my site visits the other day, so I decided to see if they were deserving of the throne, or if they were just another Joffrey.

The menu seems kind of expensive, with a mini (8”) steak running close to $9. They do offer some varieties, but rather than seeming adventurous or innovative, their options appear to be stuck in the late 90’s.

Note how their "specialties" are more like "basics."

The pizza didn’t look too hot, and the 10-15 minute wait for my order made me increasingly wary.

When I was back and safely nestled within the confines of the conference room, I unwrapped my lunch as though it was a stolen crown jewel.

I kept it traditional: cheesesteak with American and fried onions, but I added hot peppers. I love hot peppers, and like to see how places implement them into a steak. I love when they are thrown on the meat while still on the grill, integrating the tart vinegar into the steak, and adding some zip to the rich, fatty, carb-heavy main event. Gaetano’s just haphazardly threw some banana peppers on top of the finished steak. Another so-so choice on their part.

However as much as I wanted to pick this place apart, I simply could not. The meat, although under-seasoned, was tender, flavorful, and perfectly shaved. The seeded roll, which I generally shy away from when applying to cheesesteaks, was soft enough to allow for tender bites, yet,unlike our local sports teams, held together well under the pressure of grease and cheese.

The onions were sweet, nicely chopped and cooked to near-carmelization, and the banana peppers, though merely an afterthought, did brighten up the flavors of the sandwich. I didn’t even order extra cheese, and it was well interspersed throughout. They did not pull the old "cheese only on the bread" move that can break a cheesesteak for me, which was great.

Although not life changing (unless you count it as life shortening), this is a really solid cheesesteak. The price may be a bit high, but the 8” was plenty of tasty filling to make me to feel bad about myself, and the components worked well together.

Nova Grill

817 West Lancaster Ave.
Bryn Mawr, PA 19010
(610) 525-4745
Website

Nova Grill is the Chipotle of Mediterranean food. Which I think is something that would be a welcome addition to the current landscape of walk-up counter service for fresh, reasonably priced meals.

The setup is basically the same, pick a salad, sandwich, or platter and customize it however you like.

They offer gyro meat from the spit (shawarma) as well as skewered and grilled chicken, though I couldn’t shake the feeling that the they were lying when they told me that the chicken they were tonging out of a chafing tray was actually from the rotating spit in the background. Something about not seeing them actually do it is questionable.

The five free toppings stack up quickly, but there is a pretty decent variety of fresh ingredients and colorful salads/reslishes from which to choose.

I tried the chicken sandwich first. The meat was well seasoned, and placed on top of the ingredients, a departure from the standard meat-on-the-bottom.

I went for the cabbage slaw, seasoned feta, kalamata olives, pickled onions, and harissa. It was a solid sandwich, and definitely one I would likely eat on the regular if I were to find myself in or around Villanova for an extended period of time. The pita is served warm, and wrapped up right, tucking in all of the generous components.

As you can see, there was quite a bit going on with this sandwich, and it was more like eating a big Mediteranean-style salad with chicken than a standard chicken gyro, which I was okay with.

The vegetarian platter came with an abundance of sides, including chickpea salad, baba ghanoush, hummus, cucumber salad, rice, and cylindrical, torpedo-like falafel. Everything was pretty tasty, with nothing being mind-blowing, but a solid rendition of a veggie platter.

The falafel was also good, though not as crispy and hot as I would have wished, but not too bad either.

There was a healthy smattering of parsley in there to keep the flavor fresh.

The spreads and the salads were all about par for the course - hummus on the left and baba on the right. Even with all of the combined ingredients, there wasn't any bold stand-out flavor in any of the components, they all sort of ran together. Save for the hot sauces on the side (see below).

Speaking of hot sauce, their green harissa was insanely hot. I couldn’t get enough.

They also offer a bowl version of most items on the menu, which I (well, someone in the group) also ordered. Alas, as anticipated, I was not thrilled. It was all of the same ingredients, in a lackluster bowl format. You know what it was missing? Pita. I guess if you're still on Atkins, then this is the choice for you. Definitely not for me.

Props for doing their part in considering the environment.

The NOVA Grill is a pretty good place to great a healthy(ish) quick meal for a reasonable price. The variety of options they offer are greatly appreciated and I feel it is a quality meal for what it is. It was basically exactly what I was expecting, and there is comfort to be had in that.

Taco Bell: Cantina Bell Burrito

Website

Every so often, a dream-team comes together. Taco Bell and Long John Silvers is no Wade/James, but we have to ask will the new Cantina burrito be able to stand up to its intended target, the Chipotle or Qdoba monster burrito?

Something so weird about this combo of American(ish) and Mexican(ish) food is the interjection of the fried fish-type products.

Never the less, I was on a mission to see what Lorena Garcia and TB's new "Cantina Menu" had to offer, so I went for just a chicken Cantina burrito (also available in steak or veggie). I was even able to get an autographed version.

The burrito itself is quite big. Not Chipotle-big, but much more substantial than your average TB item. They also grill the exterior, which was a nice way to incorporate a texture besides “soft” on a Taco Bell menu item.

The ingredients tasted surprisingly like actual food. The corn was sweet, the chicken was seasoned, the guac was better than what usually comes out of their lunch guns. According to the site it actually contains “citrus-herb marinated chicken, cilantro rice, flavorful black beans, guacamole made from real Hass avocados, roasted corn & pepper salsa, a creamy cilantro dressing, and freshly prepared pico de gallo, all wrapped in a warm flour tortilla.” However, I mostly got the corn, beans, and chicken. It was not bad at all, and for $5, quite a steal.

It may not be the most photogenic, but it got the job done, under budget. It was definitely better than I had expected for the Bell. I have to say, I would probably get it again if there were not a Qdoba or Chipotle nearby or I was looking to save $3.

Cafe Soho

468 West Cheltenham Avenue
Philadelphia, PA 19126
(215) 224-6800

Café Soho is located in Philadelphia’s own Korean neighborhood, a neighborhood that I wish was A LOT closer to the city proper. With places like Jong Ka Jib for the best soup around, and various other BBQ and traditional Korean restaurants interspersed throughout the area, the neighborhood is full of spicy authenticity.

Soho, however, is like the hot (good-looking and hip) Korean professionals' nightclub. Oh, and they serve the gold standard for the infamous Korean Fried Chicken (KFC) that became the hot new food item in the past couple of years.

I never wrote about Soho before because the omnipresent lighting in there made all of my (iPhone) pictures turn out terribly. So, armed with a nicer camera, we embarked on a journey and KFC was had.

I can’t imagine what this place is like on a weekend night. Because even when somewhat empty on a weeknight, they still have the atmosphere and brilliant lighting of a sleek Asian-inspired club.

All glitz and glamour aside, I was here for some fried chicken. They have a limited menu, but everyone in-the-know gets the wings. See below for the steps to a shatteringly crispy crust on these things.

When they arrive, they are glistening like ultra crispy, puffy footballs of poultry. They offer four flavor varieties, soy garlic, hot chili, seasoned (a mix), and plain. I usually go with one half chili and the other soy garlic.

The texture on the wings is pretty incredible. They encompass everything you wish traditional buffalo wings had, namely a ridiculously crispy exterior, but also a tender, juicy and well seasoned interior and sauce that is hot enough to make you sweat but won’t drown out your palate.

Check out the sultry, tender poultry meat underneath that beautiful crust. Delicious.

Now this place isn’t cheap, at $20 for about 18-20 wings - they measure by weight - but they are a pretty good size, and the experience alone is well worth it. You can ask them to split up the sauces, which is a good idea, in my opinion. That way you can get a taste of their range in flavor profiles. So make a mission of it, head to Olney, and get your KFC on. Also, if you are fat like me, you can stop at Jong Ka Jib a block South on 5th street, and get some of the best soup ever - to go, for second dinner.