Jad's Caddy Shack

I lived within walking distance of Jad's for a good year and a half before Deana and I decided we ought to finally try them out. Since then, we've probably been back ten to fifteen times. I think it's safe to say we eat there more than any other restaurant. Not only is the location great (for us), but it reminds me of the restaurants I grew up eating at in Uniontown, PA. The decor isn't fancy but the food is great, the portions are huge, and the prices are more than fair.

The main reason we return to Jad's so often is my addiction to their Beef Stroganoff. It's such a simple dish, but it's not something you find on menus very often. I can't get enough of it. The Stroganoff has tons of beef and mushrooms served on top of egg noodles and all of it is smothered in a savory beef gravy. Just as surprising is the delicious garden salad that comes on the side. I'm not the biggest fan of creamy salad dressings, but I've always loved Creamy Italian. The only problem with liking Creamy Italian is the fact that it seems like only 1 out of every 500 restaurants seem to have it as an option. It's simple items like this found throughout Jad's menu that makes me love it so much.

Deana has been a little more adventurous with the menu and has tried the Hot Turkey Sandwich, Cream of Crab Soup, and Country Fried Chicken. She loves them all, but the Soup and Chicken seem to stand out. I can't speak to the soup, but the chicken is great. You get two big pieces of chicken breast with a crispy crust that are smothered in gravy. If I weren't a certified Stroganoff addict I could definitely see getting my Jad's fix via Country Fried Chicken.

This isn't going to be one of those restaurants you see reviewed by most people. To be honest, some people might turn their nose up at a place like this because Jad's doesn't go out of their way to be fancy or put items on their menu that are trendy. But what they do, they do well and they deserve you're patronage. Jad's serves delicious food for prices that are beyond fair and sure to make you happy. And for all of you craft beer fans out there, they do a surprisingly good job with their local offerings. I've seen Raven and Flying Dog Raging Bitch on tap, and I've seen quite a few different Dogfish Head offerings in bottle. So, the clock is ticking. Get to Jad's and get there quick. There are no excuses.

Price: Cheap
Recommendation: Try something and new and visit them ASAP.
What to Order: Beef Stroganoff, Cream of Crab, or Country Fried Chicken

 

Portside Pub

I have to admit that writing a food blog can get a bit redundant. There are times when you are going through the motions because you're talking about a restaurant that wasn't anything special. It wasn't bad. It wasn't great. It just was and it's those middle of the road visits that are harder than others to write about. But then there are visits to restaurants like the Portside Pub in Essex that remind me why I started a blog to begin with.

Recently, a reader of my blog and daughter of a local restaurant/pub owner asked me if I'd like to visit her dad's establishment. Always happy to try something new, I said yes, which turned out to be the best decision I've made in recent memory.

Upon entering we were greeted by owner Joe Bressi and his wife. They were some of the friendliest folks I've ever come across and were happy to make suggestions about which menu items we should try. I decided to go with Joe's Italian Hoagie and Deana ordered a cup of cream of crab soup and a cheeseburger.

Deana really enjoyed the cream of crab. Creamy and topped with a ton of crab Deana was very impressed with freshness of the crab. She commented a few times that the crab tasted fresh "like someone was in the back breaking down the crab" minutes before they served it. Visually, the soup had me wishing my taste buds got along better with crab because it REALLY  looked good. But you, native Marylander, with the taste of crab ingrained in your blood will be one happy customer when you sit down with this delicious soup. 

The burger was every bit as tasty. We learned that every burger is made to order with meat purchased from a local butcher. That attention to detail makes all the difference as you can really taste the freshness in this 1/2 lb meat monster. The burger was juicy and had really good char flavor. Topped with fresh condiments and housed on a really tasty roll this burger can hold its own.

And then there was Joe's Italian Hoagie. Look at that thing. Seriously, look at it. Actually, gawk at it, because that's what I did for a solid minute before I built up the confidence to attack this thing. Have you ever seen anything like that before? I sure as hell haven't. I'm always complaining to Deana that there aren't enough good Italian Hoagies around here so you can imagine how happy I was when I finally sunk my teeth into this behemoth. Everything about this hoagie is good. Not only do you get 45 lbs of meat, but the quality of meat is top notch. It's dressed with a little lettuce, a simple vinaigrette, and sweet red peppers which help cut through all the salty meat.  Oh, and the roll it resides in is quality as well.

I implore you to visit the Portside Pub. It's not the easiest place to find as it's off on a little side street. And you're not going to be blown away by some ultra trendy nouveau chique decor. But what you are going to get is awesome food at a price that is beyond reasonable and served to you by some of the nicest people around and who truly care if you leave satisfied and happy.

Price: Cheap
Recommendation: If you pass this place up consider yourself an L7 wienie
What to Order: Cream of Crab soup and Joe's Italian Hoagie

 

The Great Baltimore Pizza Pursuit 2013: Pizza Johns

The rules of The Great Baltimore Pizza Pursuit are simple.  Each category is worth 2 points (allowing for half points). The only pizza I'm considering is the basic slice of cheese. At the end of the year, the highest score wins the coveted Baltimore Bistros and Beer's Great Baltimore Pizza Pursuit title. The first slice up is Pizza Johns located in Essex.

Droop Factor - This might not be the most important factor in a great piece of pizza, but it is the first thing I notice when grabbing a slice of pie. When you fold the slice does it stand at attention? Or, does it hang there like Peter North on his day off? I like one that stands there so that you aren't sitting there holding the slice above your head trying to get the first bite in your mouth. In this category, the entry from Pizza John's falls a bit short. The pizza is super droopy, even while folded.

Score = .5

Greaseifcation - Another basic category, but one that can make or break the experience. There is a very fine line between greasy lusciousness and greasy slopfest. Pizza Johns walks the line, but happily they end up on the greasy lusciousness side of things.

Score = 1.5

Aroma - I wasn't going to use this as a category, and while I agree that it's kind of a whatever type thing, after smelling this pie up close yesterday it smelled so good that I decided that smell need not be forgotten. This pizza smells delicious. If you go to eat hungry, you'll leave starving. Even after you annihilate the entire pie, the smell that hovers around you long after it's gone is intoxicating.

Score = 2

Cheese - Now we're getting into the, uh, meat and potatoes of pizza. If you're evaluating a slice of cheese pizza, cheese is probably pretty important. Pizza Johns tops their pie with plenty of creamy milky mozzarella that tastes great. However, no matter how long you wait to eat you end up running into some sort of annoying problem. If you try to eat it when it's at it's hottest you'll burn the ever living shit out of your mouth. So, why don't I just wait a little while? Because if you wait for it to cool down the cheese tends to all come off in one bite leaving you with nothing but sauce and crust.

Score = 1

Sauce - To put it simply, the sauce at Pizza John's is the highlight of the pizza. It's bright. It's acidic. And it has good tomato flavor. Best of all, they aren't shy about the portion they use. The only thing I would like to see is a bit more herb flavor present and maybe a few specks of red pepper flakes here and there to liven things up.

Score = 1.5

Crust - Pizza John's has a great tasting crust. With that said, I think it suffers a bit from the large of amount of cheese/sauce they use which leads to the drooping issues I mentioned earlier.

Score = 1

Overall Score -7.5 out of 12

And there you have my evaluation of Pizza Johns' cheese pizza. Flavor wise, this pizza tastes GREAT. Yes, taste is super important but there are a lot of things one must look for while on The Great Baltimore Pizza Pursuit. If you ever find yourself in Essex, don't be afraid to stop in for some damn good pizza.