Americana Diner- Middletown, NY

French Onion Soup

A Rueben at a diner, it doesn't get much simpler than that. Whenever I try a 'new to me' diner I always go with a Rueben, a burger, a gyro, or an omelet. Any of these are simple and so easy to get right, yet so many don't. I use these dishes as a benchmark and I must say that the Rueben I had at the American Diner today was quite possibly one of the best I have sampled. 

Rueben Lunch Special

We went for lunch and one of the specials was the Rueben for under eight bucks which came with fries, soup ($1.50 extra for the French Onion), and desert. The sandwich was what they called a half sandwich sitting on only one slice of bread. It was plenty filling though with copious amounts of fresh, moist, lean corned beef, just the right amount of Swiss cheese, and fresh sauerkraut. 

Dish of sides

The onion soup was good, tasted home-made, and Teresa liked her bean soup. We were stuffed so we took the rice pudding home with us. Service was good and friendly, food very good, prices reasonable. We'll be back again.

Putnam House- Bethel, Connecticut

Sirloin Burger

The Putnam House in Bethel Connecticut is one of those neat colonial American restaurants, the building dates back to 1852 and was once a hotel near the train station. It reminds me of some other places we've been before in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and South Carolina. 

I decided to go with the sirloin burger at $9.25 (add .50 each for the bacon and gorgonzola cheese). I ordered it medium and it came out a perfect medium with plenty of cheese and bacon. It was quite good indeed. Teresa had the cheddar sliders at the $9.75 and they were good, but a tad undercooked for her. She didn't specify a doneness, one usually assumes sliders will be overdone, so it wasn't the restaurant's fault the they were a perfect medium. The fries that came with both were hot, fresh, and tasty. 

Cheddar Sliders

Overall, good food at reasonable prices, warm, nostalgic ambiance and good service.

Twisted Soul- Poughkeepsie, NY

Caribbean Baguette with sausage

A friend who once lived in Poughkeepsie recommended Twisted Soul and since I trust her tastes, I put it on my short list of places to visit. Well, today was the day and I'm glad we stopped. 

Twisted Soul is an interesting, and eclectic, fusion of soul, Caribbean, and Asian foods. They specialize in small plates and it took a few minutes to decide what we wanted. While we were thinking we were greeted by Chef Ira Lee, the owner, and he was very friendly and helpful in making our selections. You order, and pay, at the counter and they bring the food to the table.

Teresa chose the chicken Bahn Mi, a Vietnamese sandwich, and she said it was very good. I took a taste and agreed with her. We shared a beef empanada which was also quite nice. I had the Caribbean Baguette at $9.50. It was pulled pork, cilantro, a Caribbean sausage and cheese (plus more things that I forget). It was quite tasty indeed with a sweet taste and many flavor notes. 

They also have an extensive cupcake menu and while they looked good, we didn't have room to indulge. Next time, and there will be a next time. Stop by and see what I mean. They have another restaurant across the street called Intro which looks interesting. 

The Pour House- Exton, PA

There are two Pour House locations. One is in Jersey and the new one is in Exton, Pa at the former Cheeseburger in Paradise location. That's the one we went to at about five o'clock on a Saturday evening with four adults and two children. It wasn't crowded when we got there, but there was a large group of people waiting for tables when we left.

I ordered the 'Second Coming Burger' at fifteen bucks. It came just a shade overcooked from the medium I'd ordered, but after one bite that was irelevant. That burger was one of the best I've ever had. It was Pat Lafrieda 100% dry aged sirloin beef with gruyere cheese, tomatoes and an amazing garlic aioli on a fresh brioche bun. There were also some nice shoestring fries and a pickle.

Teresa had a salad with asparagus and she said it was very good, and loaded with asparagus. My daughter had a black bean burger, which she liked, the kids shared a huge portion of chicken fingers from the kids menu and my son-in-law had the pour hose deluxe burger which he said was great.

The service was excellent and the beer selection extensive. Atmosphere nice and not too loud when we were there. Well, there was one table singing in harmony like a barbershop quartet, but I don't think that's a regular fixture. 

I would recommend you pay them a visit and try that burger. It may ruin you for others. 

Sushi at Yobo

If I remember correctly, the first sushi I ever ate was at Yobo about twenty years ago. I tried them again after having been to many other places and found Yobo to be every bit as good as I remember. Plus, I wanted to post and share this picture.

Fuddruckers- Myrtle Beach

I like Fuddruckers and we've been to a couple in Jersey so when we passed one in Myrtle Beach we decided to pop in. It was similar to the others with an open seating area.

I got the Southwestern burger with guacamole, Swiss and bacon in the one-third pound size and I added fries. I ordered it medium and they cooked it a nice medium. It was fresh tasting meat cooked just right on a fresh roll. The fix in's bar allows for tomato, peppers and pickles, as well as melted cheese for the fries. In Jersey they give free refills on the fries, but not here. 

Overall, a nice burger and consistent with other visits. 

Izumi Fusion- Fishkill, NY

Sushi Regular

Izumi Fusion is in the Westgate Center in Fishkill, right near Sam's Club and we've passed by it for quite some time. We stopped by today for lunch and it was okay. 

I got the Sushi Regular, shown above, which consisted of seven pieces of sushi and a California Roll for seventeen bucks. The fish was good, but nothing special and even with the miso soup and salad it was a tad overpriced. Teresa had the vegetable hibachi at thirteen bucks which was quite good and included a clear soup and a salad. 

The service was good and the ambiance was that neo-asian look with blue lighting. I would go again.

Carbonella's Coal Fired Pizza- Middletown, NY

Calzone

My neighbor Sam went here and his whole family was raving about how good it was, so when we passed by today we decided to stop and see for ourselves. To make a long story short, Sam was right and now I'm raving about it. 

We were trying to decide what to get and debated between two personal pizzas, a main dish, or a pizza and a calzone. The Capricciosa Pizza with prosciutto, artichoke hearts, mozzarella,  plum tomatoes, basil and kalamata olives along with a cheese calzone won out. The calzone was good, the pizza was amazing. The coal fired oven gave a crispy crust and the combination of ingredients gave a nice salty flavor. 

Capricciosa Pizza

Overall, very good food at reasonable prices and good service. Stop by sometime and see for yourself. We'll definitely be going back to try some more pizzas.

Liberty Public House- Rhinebeck, NY

Rhinebeck NY is a cute town that I haven't been to in years so today we decided to take a drive up after furniture shopping in Poughkeepsie. It was interesting to see that the small village has become gentrified, or perhaps yuppified and that there is a plethora of restaurants. Instead of doing prior research we freestyled a bit (okay, I stole that term from American Pickers) by walking up the main drag and looking at the menus posted in some of the restaurants, I love it when restaurants do that. Well, the one that peaked my interest was the Liberty Public House and I was going to either get the burger or the fish and chips. 

Cheese and corn bread with jalapeño butter.

We went in and were asked if we wanted to eat in the pub or the dining room. Looking at both we decided on the pub side as it seemed quainter and more eclectic with all of the artifacts (some real and some replicas) from the turn of a few centuries. It looked like some of the places I've seen in Alexandria, Va. with a warm colonial feel. The main dining room was brighter and decorated in early Americana. I think the building dates back to around 1860.

They brought us some cool cheese bread with a jalapeño butter and a bottle of cold water for the Mason jars on the table. We looked over the menus, listened to the specials, and made our decisions. 

Cornbread oysters

I started with the cornbread oysters at ten bucks. There were four perfectly cooked Blue Point oysters, creamy on the inside with a crispy cornmeal coating and fresh tasting. My only comment is that they were sitting on the remoulade sauce, a good sauce mind you, and as a result the sauce was a bit overpowering. I would have preferred the sauce on the side to dip.

Shrimp and Grits

For my entree I chose the garlic and spicy shrimp with hominy grits at eighteen bucks. Now you who are regular readers will know that I spent some time in Charleston (the best was at Magnolia's) and Wilmington (the best was at The RX) this summer sampling shrimp and grits, and that I've been reasonably successful in creating my own interpretation. As a result, I think I have a pretty good feel for what a good shrimp and grits is. This dish was an interesting, and amazing, interpretation of shrimp and grits, especially this far north of the Mason-Dixon Line.

The grits were perfectly cooked with just the right balance of creaminess and grittiness, al dente as Joe Pesci would say in My Cousin Vinnie. The shrimp were fresh, large, and plentiful with no fishy taste at all. I just wish they, and all other restaurants for that matter, would remove the tails before cooking as it makes them messy to eat. The sauce was amazing with sliced garlic, some heat and some sweet to it. I could taste some onions and it seemed to have a pimento base. Overall it was great and I wish I had some now as I write this.

Teresa ordered one of the specials, a ravioli dish. When it came she commented that it was very oily and that it had no taste. Now what happened next is what separates a good restaurant from the great. Our waitress, and I am sorry that I forget her name as she was awesome, noticed that something was wrong and she immediately offered to replace the dish with anything Teresa wanted. She said she wanted her to be happy. After looking over the menu again Teresa ordered a stir-fried vegetable dish over brown rice which was very quickly brought out. It was very good and piping hot and she was pleased with it. 

So overall, the bill was forty-five bucks for two entrees and an appetizer, tax included. The food was excellent, the ambiance charming and the service impeccable. Go there sometime and see for yourself.

Smashburger- Ramsey, NJ

New Jersey Burger

This has been on the short list for some time now and today was the day to try Smashburger. Now at first glance one might think "Five Guys rip-off," but after trying them I found that they are different, and perhaps better. They are definitely competing against Five Guys, as well as Jake's Wayback, In-and-out, Steak and Shake, and more and doing a good job of it.  The Smashburger chain has over five hundred locations, was started in Denver Colorado by Tom Ryan. 

The Ramsey staff was friendly and helpful, and the restaurant was clean and bright. I ordered the New Jersey Burger, they have a regional burger in every market, which had bacon, blue cheese, grilled onions and onion straws on an onion roll. I got the regular which weighed in at 1/3 of a pound instead of the 1/2 pound large. The regular was a perfect size for an amazing burger. The meat was very good and the combination of ingredients went well together. Teresa ordered a regular cheeseburger which came with onions and she was quite pleased. 

We shared an order of sweet potato fries, some of the best I've tasted, and we also shared a shake. Actually we didn't have to share as they split the shake into two glasses for us which was a nice touch. 

Overall, we spent twenty bucks for two burgers, some sweet potato fires and a milk shake and we left full. The service was excellent and the restaurant clean. We'll be back a few times and so should you. 

Sushi Village- Poughkeepsie, NY

Sushi with a fish-eye lens

My brother-in-law has been raving about Sushi Village for some time now so we decided to stop by and try them.  It's a small, unassuming restaurant that serves all-you-can-eat sushi for twenty-one bucks. I wasn't all that hungry so I ordered the sushi and sashimi lunch at thirteen dollars. It came with four sushi, four sashimi and a spicy tuna roll with a small salad and miso soup. It was very good indeed, some of the best I've had anywhere. 

Teresa doesn't like sushi so she went with noodles and chicken. It was okay, but nothing special and she said she should have had the hibachi. Next time.

Overall, excellent sushi at good prices. The service is a bit odd, the sushi came out to me a good ten minutes before the cooked food arrived, but they were friendly enough. We'll be headed back sometime soon, but this time I'm going with a few people who like sushi and getting the all-you-can-eat special. 

Camaje Bistro and Lounge- Greenwich Village

I like French cuisine and I'm a sucker for restaurants with the name bistro or brasserie in them, especially ones with atmosphere. That said, Teresa, our friend Lisa, and I were headed down to Greenwich Village to attend a play written by a friend and of course I got to decide where to eat. Now that is a rather daunting task given the number of restaurants on MacDougal Street alone so I narrowed it down to three and looked at the menus online, finally deciding on The Camaje Bistro. We made reservations at noon, their opening time, and arrived about twenty minutes early as traffic was light.

We were greeted by a woman who was getting the restaurant ready, she turned out to be Abigail Hitchcock, the chef-owner, who allowed us to wait on the couch in the front of the restaurant until she was ready to open. The restaurant is small, seating maybe fifty or so, and rustic, with a tile floor. Plenty of simple European charm and atmosphere. The tables are close in the style of a French bistro.   

Eggs Benedict

Since it was a Sunday they were serving brunch so I had to miss on the Kobe burger, but after a few minutes I decided on the eggs benedict with Atlantic Char, as did Lisa. Teresa ordered the crepe with wild mushrooms and gruyere. We also ordered two sides, the pommes frites and the smoked mac and cheese. Teresa said the crepe was good and Lisa and I both enjoyed the eggs. The mac and cheese was indeed smokey, perhaps some smoked gouda in it, and the pommes frites were quite nice as well.

Banofee Pie

When it came time for desert we decided to splurge a bit and ordered two to share between the three of us. The one shown above is a banofee pie and the one below a pear dish. Both were quite excellent. 

Our server, Ernest I believe was his name, was amazing. He was attentive, yet gave us space and he had a good sense of humor. All told, three entrees, two sides and two deserts were seventy bucks with tax. Not bad considering we were in NYC. The portions were French sized, read that as a bit small for American tastes, but we did leave full and happy. I would definitely go back again for a visit.

Mediterranean Deli & Grill- Middletown, NY

Regular readers of this blog will notice the conspicuous absence of a photo on this post, and for that I apologize. We sere coming home from a wake when we stopped and I simply did not bring my camera as we weren't planning to eat out. I will certainly return and get a picture as this is a really nice place to eat. 

The restaurant is small, they do a lot of take-out and deliveries, but there are a few tables to eat. The place is decorated with greek pictures, flags and items and Greek music is playing on the stereo. The people are friendly and the prices are cheap. 

They have 20 different Gyro options. I chose the Cretan which had plenty of good gyro meat, lettuce, cabbage, bacon, cucumbers and an interesting onion sauce. With fries it came to $7.25 and it was very good. Teresa got the Achilles sandwich which had eggplant, roasted peppers, fresh mozzarella and mixed greens on a foot-long sub for $6.75. She said it was quite good and fresh tasting.

Stop by sometime and see what I mean. I'm going back to try a few more gyros and maybe a burger, they have about 8 different combos of burgers. 

Home Town Diner- Breinigsville, PA

Rueben

I like diners and when we travel we do try to hit new ones, but a diner can be a crap shoot. There are good ones and there are bad ones. Before we go further, Home Town Diner is a good one.

Our server, a lovely young lady whose name I think I remember as Jordan, was excellent with a very friendly attitude. Teresa decided on one of the specials, a chicken and cilantro on a ciabatta roll with fries which she said was quite good. I went with the rueben, shown above, and it was a good choice. Well executed with plenty of flavor.

As we ate I noticed that the hostess was sitting at the counter when she wasn't seating people and she was cleaning the menus with a disinfectant. Kudos to her and the diner for that as menus can be a nasty breading ground for germs and if they are that fastidious with menus, the rest of the place must be clean too (the bathrooms were clean).

Overall, nice clean atmosphere, excellent service, good food and good prices. I'd stop by again if we head that way.  

The Barnside- Conklin Catering Grill- Walden, NY

Basic Burger

The Barnside Restaurant, owned by the Conklin family (Eddie's Deli in Montgomery), sits next to The New York School of Music in Walden, a space previously occupied by a bagel shop and later the Quarter Note Cafe. The new owners have redecorated and the restaurant has a nice atmosphere. They also added a hood over the grill, something that was lacking by the previous incarnation, and the air was nice and clear. 

Currently they are only open for breakfast and lunch, Monday to Friday, but they will be expanding the hours, as well as the menu, after Labor Day.

I ordered a cheeseburger with bacon and blue cheese at six bucks. It was quite good and well seasoned. This restaurant has potential to become an excellent addition to Walden, and a nice place to eat. I'll be stopping by again and update the post. In the meantime, stop by and see for yourself.

Hobo Sandwich

Update- I've had food from there twice since I wrote this, once was takeout (the chicken caprese) and the other dine-in (the Hobo shown above). Both times were very good. It's nice that Walden has a good restaurant that isn't a bar, Chinese, or a pizza joint and they are now open on the weekends. This could easily become a favorite.

California Burger