Hitting the Road after a hard winter! "Here I come Atlantic City"

After a pretty hard winter and having passed the milestone 400th visit a few months back it was time to get back on the DDD road. 

One sidebar story, a few weeks before making this trip I was interviewed on a television show called "Potluck" which is produced and shown on the Fairfax Cable Access station Channel 10.  As I write this it has yet to be shown but in the next few days it will be and then it will be posted on You Tube.  The show is hosted by Laura Hartman and she interviewed me about my DDD travels.  It was fun and turned out pretty well.  Their website is www.potluck-online.org .Hope you get the chance to catch it

Guy is opening a restaurant in one of the casinos in Atlantic City (AC) and while he was there overseeing it's construction he visited 6 places.  AC is within driving distance so I figured "why not".  I left Dulles about 9a for the drive up and after having to make a detour through DC due to the Beltway traffic I made pretty good time.  The drive through rural Southern New Jersey is pretty interesting!  You pass the Cow Town Rodeo center, the town of Elmer, and a place called Kountry Kitchen which advertises "Good Vittles"!

I arrived about 1p at my first stop in the town of Somers Point.  "Grilled Cheese & Crab Cake Company" is a small restaurant in a strip mall near the center of town.  It seats about 30 and does a huge carry-out business.  The place is decorated with beach and seaside photos and pictures.  I decided to try one of the sandwiches that Guy tried, the Grilled Crabby Melt.  It's a grilled Monterrey Cheese sandwich with a Crab Cake center, it was very good.  The bread was thick and toasted hard.  It was better to eat it open faced.  The crab cake was tasty and the cheese very gooey.

The Crabby Melt

The Goodies Inside

I really like the food but I found the service to be just adequate and not very friendly.  When I asked to get my book signed they seemed to be taken aback and finally the server took it back to someone to sign it, so all in all the food was very good but not a place I would go back to unless I was in the area.

I headed to my second place which was also in Somers Point but on the other side of town, it took me about 10 minutes to get there.  "The Anchorage Tavern" is a huge seaside building that looks more like a bed and breakfast with a big front porch.  As I entered I was surprised because I thought it would be more of a turn of the 20th Century motif but there was a huge bar in the center of the room and tables around the rest of the room.  I was warmly greeted by the wait staff and my server reminded me of the two dishes that Guy had, the main meal was a dinner only choice and the other was a appetizer, and I told "That's what I want!".

The appetizer was a meat stuffed cannelloni.  It was a perfect size for me and tasted great.  Covered in a tasty tomato sauce, it really hit the spot.  The chef who did all the prep work for their DDD episode came out and signed my book and we chatted for a few minutes about the shoot.  This was such a change from my first stop, I would like to come back and visit this place, the menu was large and varied.

My Cannelloni Appetizer

The Meat Stuffing

I headed out from Somers Point to the town of Northfield.  The drive took about 20 minutes and when I arrived at "Carluccio's Coal Fired Pizza" I was taken aback because it looked like it might have been born as a doughnut shop, but as I entered I knew this was no doughnut shop!  The wonderful smell of tomato sauce and pizzas wafted through the place.  I decided to get a slice to go to try later.  I asked to get my book signed and I was able to meet Mr. and Mrs. Carluccio and the manager.  We had a wonderful conversation and they told me about the shoot and some of the crew.  It was funny because a customer or two heard the conversation and chimed in.  Carluccio's has a very loyal following , it is a Northfield favorite!

Pizza Selections in the window

I chose a Meat Lover's slice and it was loaded with Sausage, Meatballs, and Pepperoni and topped with sun dried tomatoes, smelled great in the car and was tasty both hot and cold!

From Northfield I made the 20 minute drive into Atlantic City to my hotel to settle in a relax for a few hours.  Atlantic City is interesting, on the Boardwalk (which is right on the ocean) and by the Marina there are several big and glitzy hotels and casinos.  My hotel was right next to Resorts and from my room I could see the Trump Taj Mahal and Bally's.  Out on the Marina there is Harrah's and the Borgata.  There are a few more but those were the ones closest to where I stayed.  Just a few blocks away it is very poor, very sad to see.

I headed off for dinner at a place that is about 20 minutes drive north in n the town of Leeds Point.  "The Oyster Creek Inn Restaurant" is on the Oyster Creek and in a very marshy area.  It is not too far from the ocean and you can smell the salt air as you walk to the entrance.  The place looks like a typical seaside lodge.  They also have a pier for those that want to boat in!

If you want to boat in, here is your parking!

I entered into a big place and was seated at a table in the middle of the room.  I had chosen this place for dinner because it's only open for dinner and on Thursday (the day I was going to visit) they have a Customer Appreciation Menu for $24 and the choices are vast, a full 4 course meal.  I arrived about 5:15p and as I looked over the menu I noticed that they have a daily early bird menu that was good until 5:30p, which wasn't as vast as the Customer Appreciation Menu but was full of great choices at $17, so I chose that.  The menu includes an appetizer or soup, salad, main entrée with two sides and dessert. On the table were fresh rolls, butter and a bowl of huge Oyster Crackers.  After making my dinner choices I noticed on the wall the original menu signs from when the place opened in 1938.  Can you imagine Fish Platter for under a buck or a case of beer for 2 bucks!

The original menu signs

I had a choice of Salmon Croquettes or soup as my appetizer and it came out with a balsamic sauce.  Very good, like a crab cake but with salmon. The salad came out next and those Oyster cracker made really good croutons for the salad!

Salmon Croquettes Appetizer

Salad service with a big bowl of Oyster crackers

I had asked the server which main meal she recommended and she immediately said the crab cake, which is perfect as that's my favorite seafood dish!  I chose the wild rice and glazed carrots as the sides.  The cake was small but had little to no filling, it was all crab and delicious!  I guess I have never had real glazed carrots, the glaze was orange based and a bit on the sweet side but delicious. 

Crab Cake Dinner with Rice and Glazed Carrots

I was getting pretty full and almost passed on the dessert and then was told that the dessert were mini sized choices.  Now I figure that many of you figure that mini size is cheating but in reality mini size is the perfect ending to a great meal and I chose the mini cheesecake.  Not too big but perfectly sized tasty!

My dessert

I headed back to the hotel after a great first day of this DDD trip.  Just two more places to try in the morning and then back home. 

I headed out about 8am to a place in Atlantic City about 10 minutes from the hotel.  On Melrose Avenue you'll find "Kelsey and Kim's Southern Café".  I entered the place which is in a strip mall that like some of the places that are in Ocean City, Maryland.  I was warmly greeted by Juan who was both greeter and server.  This is very southern cuisine and I chose the Chicken and Waffles.  Juan told me that it would take about 20 minutes because they cook to order, not a problem for me!  He was very warm with both me and the family that was also there.  He signed my book during the wait and told me about their filming.  He said to me "You're a Foodie" and I said that I wasn't too sure about that but I was a Guy-ie!  The entire staff will be Guy's guests then they open the local AC restaurant in the near future which will be called "Guy's Chophouse"

Juan brought my meal and warned me that the chicken was hot and it was, just out of the fryer.  I waited for a few minutes before enjoying the meal.  The chicken's batter was really good and I could taste a hint of horseradish in the batter, so maybe I am a foodie, after all.  The waffle was really delicious and served with warm syrup.  This is one place that if you are in AC make a side trip to Kelsey and Kim's!

I left and headed to my last place which wasn't a restaurant at all.  About 10 minutes north in the town of Brigantine is the "Ernest and Son Butcher Shop".  This is a real butcher and sandwich shop.  When I made my sandwich choice the butcher told me to pick my roll.  In a covered bin in front of the display  case were4 or 5 different styles of rolls.  I chose a Kaiser style roll and the butcher made my "The Pete" sandwich with Turkey, onion, sweet peppers, oil, oregano, and the item that really made this a great sandwich, sharp provolone cheese!  This was one of the best sandwiches I have ever had. 

The "Guy Ate Here" on a cooking sheet pan

My "The Pete" sandwich

I didn't eat it immediately but had it a few hours later and this is the way to do because all the ingredients sort of mix and marinate to make a great sandwich even better.

I headed home and it took almost 5 hours!  Isn't 95 a great road, someone please tell me why all the slow cars drive in the left lane, just wondering!?

Getting back on the road was great and now my count is at 406!