Fuddruckers- Middletown, NY

We've been to a few Fuddruckers in New Jersey and in South Carolina, so when I heard that the old Cheeseburger in Paradise in Middletown was being converted into a Fuddruckers I got excited. When I caught an article in the paper that they were opening today, well we decided that was what we were doing for dinner. 

We got there at about five and they weren't crowded, but there was some build-up when we left. I could see they did a nice job of converting the old Cheeseburger into a Fudds while retaining some of the old character. The center bar was still there and the manager said it still had the same drink menus as before. Since the two restaurants share the same parent company it seems logical that they combined the best of the two.

The bar area has table service, but we opted for the traditional Fuddruckers experience wherein one orders at the counter, pays, and takes one of those buzzers to a table to await the signal your food is ready. When it buzzes, you go up and get it.

I got the 1/3 pound Southwestern burger which had guacamole, bacon and pepper jack cheese on a fresh roll. I ordered it medium and it was darn close to a perfect medium. I added fries and a soda and headed to the fix in's bar where some peppers, pickles, and tomatoes were added to the plate, and cheese sauce on the fries. 

Teresa got a special 1/4 pound burger and she ordered hers a medium-well and it was a perfect medium-well burger. She added onion rings, excellent onion rings I might add. 

All told we were under twenty bucks for the whole thing. Very good food, nice clean place, friendly people. This is our new go-to place in Middletown.

Jake's Wayback Burgers- Monroe, NY

I like Jake's Wayback Burgers better than Five Guys and Shake Shack, and about the same as Smashburger. The quality of the burger is excellent and the prices are right. I'd been meaning to hit the new one in Monroe for some time now and a trip to the city led me past there on the way back. Sorry, bad pun. 

I had the Burger of the Month at $5.99. It was a double Chorizo burger with chipotle mayo, lettuce and tomatoes. It was quite amazing indeed and I would call it a four napkin burger, not from grease but rather from the juices. I added a side of fries for $1.99 and they were hot and crispy. Good, but nothing extraordinary. I also had the Shake of the month, salted caramel, at $4.29. It was large and delightful.

Overall, a great visit and I would suggest that you stop there sometime and see for yourself. Oh, I forget to add that this location has a few beers on tap as well. 

Citrus- New Windsor, NY

I like Indian cuisine, unfortunately I know very little about it. Recently I asked an Indian fellow I met where he eats and he recommended Citrus in New Windsor. He said that his family eats there regularly. We were out and decided to try something different, so we stopped by. 

We were seated and given menus, along with those nice chips and three dipping sauces shown above. The problem was what to order, but after a few minutes we came to a decision. 

Teresa went with the Lentils Tadka Dal at eleven dollars. She said it was quite good and I tasted it and agreed with her. Nice and hearty, with some interesting flavor notes. 

Our meals came with a bowl of rice to share. Now I am not a rice eater, but this was very good. My only comment is that there should have been a bit more for two people to share. We ordered the Peshwari Naan at four bucks which had cottage cheese and fruit cooked into it. It was good and the flavor held up to the tastes of our food.

I ordered the Shrimp Tiki Masala at seventeen dollars. The sauce was a delightful with just the right amount of heat and there were a half-dozen large, fresh tasting, shrimp swimming in it. Excellent is all I can say.

Overall, it was a very lovely dining experience. The food was excellent, the service equally so. We will definitely be returning.

IKEA- Conshohocken, PA

Gravlax

Ikea is not something you would think of as a fine dining dinner destination, but if you are there on a shopping excursion I would recommend eating there. 

I had the gravlax at five bucks which included a small salad. I added a side of Swedish meatballs (five of them) for another buck. The gravlax was very good, some of the best I've had, and came with a dill sauce. The meatballs also were good. My grandsons had the children's chicken meal with fries and chocolate milk and the chicken and fries were also good. 

Of course there is the snack bar downstairs where one may purchase an all beef hot dog for fifty cents. Not a great dog, but hey, two for a buck? Cinnamon buns, hot ones I might add, for a buck each too? You can't go wrong. Plus Ikea is an amazing place for people watching, a mini United Nations what with all of the diversity.

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.