Garden Cafe

23 South Jackson Street
Media PA 19063
(484) 444 2424
Website

Media has a great bar scene, but the restaurant selection leaves something to be desired. The higher end places can't compete with the city for the most part, and the medium to lower budget options just don't have any soul. Now, when I read the Garden cafe was offering panini's and salads, I thought, typical. Luckily they have an ace up their sleeve.

They were rated as the best chicken pot pie by some publication in some geographic area. So that was certainly something that piqued my interest.

The pie crust is just about perfect. Crispy without being overly browned, a nice X ventilation system, and served in it's own foil pan.

But the interior was even better. Creamy, with perfectly executed veggies, moist chicken, and plenty of black pepper. This was a delicious standout within the potted pie community. I have to say, it's been a while since I have had a chicken pot pie out, and even longer that I have had one as good as this. Buttery,crispy crust, paired with the creamy succulent filling helped keep this one a winner.

I also tried some sandwiches, including the Cuban, pictured below. It was perfectly fine, and quite acceptable for a Cuban. Though like most Cubans (the SANDWICH) nothing to write home about.

A very well executed sandwich below.

The buffalo chicken panini was lacking in nothing but napkins, and potentially something other than meat and cheese. Again, totally a fine sandwich, and even good for a panini. But it is not my typical cup of tea.

The salad was refreshing and had fresh vegetables and grilled chicken. It is perfect for someone the opposite of me, but expected for a place called Garden Cafe. This is a good, healthy spot for a quick lunch, unless you get the chicken pot pie, in which case you can wait a bit longer for something much less healthy and much more delicious.

Wayside Market

469 S Old Middletown Rd.
Media, PA 19063
(610) 566-9989
Website

Every once in a while, a gem escapes my radar. It makes me so happy to stumble upon a place that I never heard of. And love it.

When I walked in and saw the Lisco's bin, I knew I was in the right place.

To really gauge a place, I look to the big two: cheesesteaks and hoagies. In this case, I also ordered some BBQ ranch fries to go alongside as I was feeling particularly chubby.

The "Old World Italian" took the DelCo meat wrap to the extreme. This thing was literally draped with thinly sliced Italian meats.

Sharp Provolone, Genoa, Cappicola, Ham, Coteghino, Pepper Ham, Prosciutto, olive oil, lettuce and tomato are the standard fillings. Works for me. The Liscio's roll held everything together perfectly (as usual) and the ultra thin, fresh sliced cold cuts melted in your (my) mouth.

They didn't over-stuff the sandwich, but rather let the quality of the ingredients (and construction) speak for itself.

The cheesesteak was another no-frills winner. There was no gimmick, just extremely quality meat, a nice ratio of melted cheese throughout, and some sweet caramelized onions. This is how it should be done. My only concern was that it was dangerously close to having too little meat. The quality and seasoning of the chopped beef inside was so good, I let it slide. But I could see that being a complaint.

It was really true of both sandwiches, but they were so good I didn't care. I don't need a mound of meat to chew through, when I can have a great ratio of carbs-to-protein like we have here.

The BBQ Ranch fries were a surprising sleeper hit. The fries were very crispy, fluffy inside, and the salty dry rub was quashed by creamy ranch dressing. Another big winner.

This is the kind of out-of-the way market I LOVE to find. And it truly is out of the way. I don't know how anyone would ever drive past it unless they were lost. Or they heard about the hoagies.

Cake Cafe & Bakery

2440 Chartres Street
New Orleans, LA 70117
(504) 943-0010
Website

New Orleans is known for many different foods, but one of the best known pastries among locals and tourists alike is King cake. Synonymous with Mardi Gras, this cinnamon-spiked Danish is one of many stars at the Cake Cafe.

Although it was not Mardi Gras (I would not be eating King cake), I still wanted to get the NOLA bakery experience, and I was not disappointed. They also crush the casual breakfast realm.

The doughnut you see below may seem like an ordinary glazed breakfast treat, but the layers of pastry were so light, flaky, and delectable, that it was almost unbelievable. Even heavenly.

The biscuits and gravy shown below were no slough, with a spicy Andouille side. The biscuits ruled the roost, light and flaky, like I am unable to make them...

Boudin and eggs were also delicious, with a fresh sausage patty fried crispy over grits, and another biscuit PLUS some yolk. Yes please.

The croissant breakfast sandwich below is another of my go-to's and this did not disappoint. Note: if you go here, order ANYTHING that has a baked good with it.

The central American breakfast subbed the grits above with beans and rice, and added some pico and guac. An interesting take, but nothing too special.

Finally the lowly bagel with cream cheese, a barometer of breakfast in my book. This was a very decent bagel for the South. Believe me, I have had some AWFUL bagels all over the Southeastern US. Was it NY worthy? Or even good Philadelphia bagel worthy? No, it wasn't. Was it a great way to pack in the calories before drinking began again? Absolutely.

California Tortilla

200 Town Centre Dr #3
Glen Mills, PA 19342
(610) 358-5880
Website

Here we are again, traveling the Philadelphia suburbs, searching for delicious and reasonably priced food. I prefer the kind I can eat with my hands, as you already know, so in addition to sandwiches and hoagies, I'm always on the look out for a great burrito.

Can't have suburbs without strip malls. Or kids. I mean, I felt like I had just walked into a Chuck E Cheese's.

But I didn't let that get me. Too much. I had to look beyond the little people that were running into my legs so that I could start to enjoy what was coming next.

It's your usual build-a-burrito bar, but you don't get to walk down the strip and tell them item-by-item what to add. You have to tell them your fixin's order at the register, before you even get to see the fixin's, which isn't my favorite way to order a burrito. I need to really see what's offered before I tell them to just add everything. So I choked a little and got two of their "chef-inspired creations" that already has the insides chosen for you.

On the way to my seat, I spotted their 'wall of flame.' They've got seventy five (75!) different kinds of hot sauce up there at your disposal. It looks like more than that, but I'm not splitting hairs. I had to try at least a few while I waited for my number to be called.

I ordered their signature California Screamin' Burrito, with blackened chicken, rice, queso, fajita veggies, their house-made California Screamin’ hot sauce and salsa. When asked if I wanted to make it a combo, I couldn't say no to a side of chips and queso.

I'm pretty sure they use Velveeta here, which is a sign of true quality in any liquid cheese application. It wasn't bursting with salsa flavor, but it was better than your usual nacho cheese pump-action distributor. But I wasn't here for the sides.

Now, I realize that burritos do not photograph very well - they never do - but that doesn't mean I won't keep trying to capture their inner beauty. The chicken was tender, juicy and packed with blackened flavor and the screamin' hot sauce had a really nice chipotle heat to it. The burrito was very well made with a perfect distribution of ingredients throughout, every bite was made of equal parts. Better than Chipotle? Hell yes. Way better. And I love me some Chipotle.

Second up was the Korean BBQ Burrito and I chose to get the pork/carnitas on this one. Served with rice, fajita veggies, sweet and spicy Korean BBQ sauce, crisp slaw, Sriracha chili sauce and cilantro, this one was the sure-fire winner. I couldn't believe a place like this managed to get their Korean flavors so accurate. It was spot on with the hot and sweet, with the gochujang flavor mingling with the gingery garlic of the traditional BBQ sauce. Simply delicious. The fresh crunch of the cabbage slaw was a pleasing surprise in every bite.

All in all, California Tortilla does a really great job with the food. Not so much on the atmosphere, but who am I to judge? (minus one cheesesteak for Chuck E Cheese likeness.)

Tony's

17 S 21st St.
Philadelphia 19103
(215) 972-8203

With a minor hangover on Thursday, I felt the need for the comfort of a cheesesteak.

I took my lunch break and headed to Tony's.

I've always heard pretty good things about their cheesesteaks and breakfast sandwiches, but I'm not often in this section of the city, and when I am, you can either find me at Shake Shack, Dolce Carini or Primo for lunch.

The advertised special sounded perfect – at under $7 for a mini cheesesteak, fries and a can of soda, there wasn't really any other option. Unless, of course, you want the Italian + chips for $4.99!

The inside is narrow and a bit dingy. It just looks like they care so much about the food that the other parts don't really matter, which is fine with me. I wasn't eating in, and never will, so it's just a minor observation.

The "mini" cheesesteak is about 6 inches of greatness. He asked if I wanted salt & pepper on it or on the side, so I said on. I also ordered a side of Whiz for fry dipping ($.95 well spent).

The meat was finely chopped, of great quality and peppery - this addition of the S&P was definitely notable and a good decision. The roll was perfectly chewy. American and fried onions added just the right amount of moisture, no ketchup needed here.

The fries could have used some of that S&P too, but the Whiz made up for that lack of seasoning.

This is probably the best cheesesteak in Center City. I'd actually send people here. I wonder if the cheesesteak hoagie has finely shredded lettuce pieces. If anyone knows, let me know - I want that to be my next order at Tony's.