Guest Post: Shea's Cafe & Bakery (NJ)

My latest guest post comes from my friend Mel, a woman who knows Jersey well and writes about her take on life in general at her website, "Kronfusion"-- click here and visit her! Thanks, Mel!

Nestled in the pine barrens of Southern New Jersey, not that far from Stockton State College, sits Shea’s Café & Bakery, a family-owned and operated restaurant whose recipes are a closely guarded secret. And they should be.

During a recent visit with my cousins, they took me to the much raved-about Shea’s. Locals know that you go there for the best brunch in and around the South Jersey Shore.

If you don’t arrive early – the wait can be at least 45 minutes. During my wait, I had chance to carefully examine the daily specials, written down on a chalkboard placed outside. I had my taste buds set on ordering the Crunchy Almond-Amaretto Stuffed French toast, filled with sweet cream cheese, and topped with fresh whipped cream. My morning caffeine craving was easily filled by the large endless mug of coffee.

For a little extra flavor, and to fit in my serving of fruit, I also decided to order a side of bananas foster. When it arrived, it was boiling hot and aromatic.

When the stuffed French toast arrived, it was a huge serving, which could have been split by two people (and ultimately lasted for a few meals). You will understand why the word “doggie bag” or “to go” is part of the lexicon at Shea’s. There is just so much food. I could only eat one sandwich-sized French toast.

With the first bite, my taste buds were transported through a time & space portal to a whole other Universe. It was one of the best brunches I have ever had.

My cousin MM ordered the Apple Harvest Pancakes, which are not listed on the menu, but all of the food is cooked to order, so it wasn’t a problem. And these were no ordinary pancakes (see for yourself).

Don’t be thrown by the restaurant’s sparse and unimpressive décor. The brunch will knock your socks off! Think Sabrina’s in South Philadelphia, or Norma’s at Le Parker Meridien in New York City; Shea’s stuffed French toast was *better.*

So, if you’re making a trip to Atlantic City & and want a top-Chef quality brunch, travelling off of the beaten path to Shea’s is a must!

Shea's Cafe & Bakery

195 New York Road

Galloway, NJ 08205

(609) 748-7000

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Guest Post: Carpe Donut (VA)

Today's guest post comes from my lovely coworker, CJ. She's the one who first told me about Carpe Donut and their NYC cider donuts truck. She graciously volunteered to visit the VA outpost, near where her BF lives. She's a team player, that CJ!

Hi there, LKP's co-worker CJ here. As you read a few posts back, LKP and I had a delicious experience at the Carpe Donut truck in NYC. So when I next went to Charlottesville, VA, where Carpe Donut originated, I had to do a taste comparison.

My BF & I decided to get some cider donuts as our brunch before heading to a day of lunching & polo at King's Family Vineyard. We packed up a nice lunch for ourselves and set off to Carpe Donut. It was a small storefront, but easily fit the half-a-dozen customers looking for a yummy treat for breakfast.

We placed our order for a half-dozen and two iced ciders, then watched as the magic happened. We got to see our donuts roll off the line and fall into the cinnamon sugar deliciousness where the donut maker tossed them a bit more before putting them piping hot into the bag. He grabbed a jug of the homemade iced cider from the mini-fridge and poured what promised to be a delicious glass of cider.

Our plan was to eat them when we first arrived at the vineyard, but we certainly couldn't wait that long! So we shared one in the car (spilling a lot of cinnamon sugar in the process), but it was so worth it! As with the NY truck, the donuts were chewy and not dense like many other cider donuts. The cinnamon sugar is the perfect touch to create that apple cider taste.

Our iced ciders were cool, refreshing and delicious. We drank them down quickly as we made our way to the vineyard. Once at King Family Vineyard, we bought ourselves a bottle of Viognier and set up our table to enjoy more donuts. I found that the Viognier paired well with the cider donuts, it may be my new favorite brunch find!

Even after cooling down, the donuts were just as delicious. They had a well done quality that added to the taste instead of detracting from it and were still just as light & tasty as when freshly pulled from the sugar.

Polo, Anyone?

If you're in Charlottesville, I definitely recommend trying Carpe Donut and visiting King Family Vineyard for the polo game. And although we really had no idea what was happening in the polo match (all of my knowledge of polo comes from Pretty Woman), it was certainly fun to say we were there while sipping our wine & enjoying our cider donuts.

Carpe Donut

1715 Allied Street

Charlottesville, VA 22903

(434) 806-6202

http://carpedonut.org/ 

http://www.kingfamilyvineyards.com/ 

  Follow @Lkpnyc

Guest Post: Dog-Friendly Dining! (Oregon)

This is a guest post by my dear friend Jen A! She and her BF, Tom, made a cross-country trip this summer with their adorable Shelties, Breezy & Morgen (Breezy's on the left in the below photo). Jen is blogging about a spot that's both human AND dog-friendly!

While New York City was sweltering and boarding up windows for an impending hurricane, Tom, the pooches and I were enjoying a luxurious ride along the Oregon coastline. After a visit to the Sea Lion Caves, we were on the hunt for some West Coast seafood.

Completely by accident (isn’t that the way to discover all of the best restaurants?) we came across the International C-Food Market in Florence, Oregon. We were immediately lured in by samples of their creamy clam chowder and signs assuring us that they were pet friendly. Pet friendly, indeed! Their beautiful patio overlooking the water was filled with dogs and their owners enjoying a late afternoon lunch.

I decided to brave the drink menu and attempt a Bloody Mary. Not very original, but it’s a drink I really want to like and just...can’t. But, the pearl onions and olives just called to me. This was possibly the best Bloody Mary I’ve ever had. Just spicy enough and not too thick. I still could only finish about half of it.

In the end, I think The Mary just might be too much drink for me. But if you are a fan, I highly recommend.


Of course, after our little sample of clam chowder, we had to go for the bowl. Bacony, clammy chowdery goodness! Every bite was packed full of clams and this soup was not drowning in large, under-cooked potatoes as so many are. This chowder was fresh and all of the flavors came through in every bite. Luckily for me, Tom doesn't love to share soup. So after a bite or two, it was all mine!

Next up was the pan fried razor clams. Neither of us have ever tried razor clams, and it was quite a surprise. I was expecting deep fried, which always kills all of the flavor. This dish was carefully and lightly fried in butter and lemon. The flavor of the locally caught clams was rich and delicate all at the same time. I might have given Tom a bite or two and then forgotten to offer him more. Whatever. There were definitely not enough of these on the plate.

Finally, we opted for a seafood medley, which included crab legs, scallops, octopus, muscles and some kind of flaky white fish. Skip the rice and overcooked veggies that come with it. This was probably my least favorite part of the meal, although the scallops were cooked perfectly. Very tender and not rubbery at all, which is often a problem. The sauce was good, but not very memorable.

International C Food Market is a trans-fat free restaurant and you can read all about the evils of hydrogenated oil on their menu. The fish are all caught locally in Florence, Oregon.

The meal would definitely not fall in the “cheap eats” category, but considering Oregon is sales tax free, we were pleasantly surprised. Worth a stop if you are in town. The dogs loved it, too! Tell 'em Breezy & Morgen sent you! http://www.icmrestaurant.com/

ICM Restaurant


1498 Bay St.

"Old Town Florence," 
Oregon 97439

(541) 997 9646

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Guest Post: Polka Dot Cake!

**This is a guest post by my friend Holly P, who has been with me for many of life's moments--good and bad--over the past 8 years or so. She was so happy with the outcome of this dessert that she asked if she could share it on Stuff I Ate! The best part--you don't have to be a Super Baker to pull off this treat!**

Admission: I’m giving this to Lori over 4 months late. But in my defense, this isn’t just an Easter Recipe; it’s fun for ALL SEASONS!

Every year my boyfriend’s family asks me to bring the dessert to Easter dinner. Oh, the pressure! So I spent two weeks scouring blogs and websites for the perfect idea. My challenges:

1. Needed something that would travel well in a car ride for 4 hours.

2. Needed something that I could make two days in advance that wouldn’t dry out or need refrigeration or be difficult in any way.

3. I suck at baking. I love to cook, but baking has never been a strong suit of mine, so I needed something easy.

So, after much searching, I found the delicious answer here!

What could be more adorable? It seemed easy enough to adapt into a spring themed cake, all I needed to do was modify the colors. You could just as easily make a red white and blue cake, or a red and green Christmas cake.

I don’t actually own a cake pop maker, but I do own a mini muffin tin, so I figured I’d try it out. And it worked like a charm! And the end of the day, you don’t need absolutely perfect circles. I bought 2 boxes of cake mix from the store, and prepared just as directed. I poured some batter into 3 separate containers then added drops of food color. I filled the muffin tins just over ½ full and then baked for about 9 minutes (checking regularly w/ a toothpick).

Once they were done baking, let them sit for a minute or two before running a knife along the edge and popping the “muffins” out onto a cooling rack. I let them cool for about 10 minutes before assembling them into the remaining cake batter. In the original blog the chef had taken pains to cut the dots into halves and stick them to the sides and the like, but I didn’t really think it was going to make much of a difference, so I didn’t waste time.

What I found was, as the cake baked, the balls raised to the top. So in hindsight, I would actually try to “glue” some halved balls to the bottom of the pan prior to putting in the remaining batter. I ended up using all 24 cupcakes, and probably should have baked up about 12 more, as there was room for it and would have made it even more colorful.

I then baked my two 8” cake pans for about 20 minutes more, as per the directions on the box. Again, you have to check it with a toothpick to ensure it’s done. After it comes out of the oven, simply slice the tops off of both pans so your cake is nice and even. Flip it out onto a cooling rack and let it cool completely before attempting to frost.

Use your favorite frosting recipe and decorate for whatever holiday event you are celebrating. I guarantee once you cut into the cake, everyone will be impressed, and nobody will ever know that you aren’t a master baker!

This was simple, easy and actually a lot of fun to construct. Oh, and one last tip, if you aren’t skilled at decorating, you can do what I did and just but something cute like the “peeps” that I got from my local bakery, you don’t need to get all fancy with trying to pipe frosting.

Happy Holidays, whatever colors you use! ~ Holly

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Guest Post: Sonic Hot Dog Tasting!

You may remember my friend Hoosh from her previous post on a Sonic Burger taste test. That post remains one of my most-searched and viewed posts to date(Hoosh also remains one of my favorite people)! She was lucky enough to do a hot dog tasting recently, and sweet enough to do another guest post. Thanks, Hoosh!!!

I like to eat and I like to tell people what I think. Surely there’s a place for me in this world?!

It turns out Sonic Drive-In was looking for people exactly like me this week to take part in a hot dog taste test. They want to add one or two new varieties of hot dogs to their $1.99 hot dog menu. (Have you tried the new menu yet? No? Go! Go now! I highly recommend the New York Dog.)

My first experience being a Sonic taste-tester was about a year ago. It was across town, utilized computers and video equipment and engaged testers in open discussions. My second taste test was in Downtown OKC, used paper tests and Putt-Putt pencils, and we weren’t supposed to speak unless spoken to.

Unfortunately, this week’s taste test was the same low-tech variety. But they still gave me $20 cash and a $20 gift card for my trouble. Plus free lunch, free parking and a free slushy on my way out the door!

There were about 30 there for the testing. We were given water, saltine crackers and a test. Then they handed our four hotdogs, one at a time and asked us to follow the instructions on our paper to rate them. Here they are…

Chipotle BBQ Chili Cheese Coney

Description – Beef frank topped with shredded cheese and a chipotle/BBQ-flavored chili sauce, with several fried onion strips on top.

Looks – If I didn’t know what it was, I would have said it was a mistake. The chili wasn’t very meaty, and it looked like someone spilled their leftover onion rings on top. I kept wanting to pick them off and eat them, but I’m glad I left them on the dog because they wound up adding great texture.

Taste – The first bite was incredible. But I was very hungry and thought it might have affected my first impression. So I took another bite. And another. Can you believe it actually got better with every bite!? The chili sauce was just spicy enough and just sweet enough. It’s rare to find that perfect balance. The texture of the onions made up for the lack of meatiness you’d expect in a chili sauce.

Suggestions – Such a wonderful hotdog deserves a more unique bun. Perhaps a specially-designed Texas Toast bun might be better for this hearty combination of foods.

Bacon Lettuce Tomato Dog

Description -- Hot dog on a poppy seed bun, topped with lettuce, tomato slices, bacon and blue cheese dressing.

Looks -- I noticed my hotdog didn’t look the same as the ones given to the people beside me. Mine had less of everything. Especially the blue cheese dressing. :(

The poppy seed bun felt unusual in my hands. I kept wanting to flick off the seeds before I got the hotdog to my mouth. (Like when you put scotch tape on a cat’s paws just to see him shake them frantically. Does anyone else do that? Just me? Don’t call PETA.)

Taste -- The first bite tasted wrong. Like I didn’t get a good combination of all the elements. But the second the third bites didn’t taste much better. The tomato wasn’t ideal, so that might have thrown everything off. The bacon was boring. The lettuce was tasteless. The blue cheese dressing was watered down. Without any significant flavor, the not-so-good tomatoes really stood out. But even if they were good tomatoes, the hot dog would still be very un-extraordinary.

Suggestions -- I would have added thicker dressing with a heartier blue cheese flavor. The veggies would have to be fresh. The bacon should have been heartier.

Cheeseburger & Fries Dog

Description – Beef frank topped with pickles, French fries and cheese sauce

Looks – All I could see was the cheese, with limp fries poking out awkwardly.

Taste – There was such potential with this one, but it didn’t quite meet my expectations. The fries were soggy, but they did add a nice saltiness. I didn’t get a pickle in every bite, and the bites without pickles were boring. The cheese was mediocre at best, and it just got worse as it cooled. (I hate the word congealed, but that’s exactly what it did.)

Suggestions – Thin pickle spears on each side so that there’s pickle in every bite. Crispier fries, or perhaps fries on top rather than under the cheese. And the cheese needs to either stay warm or stay runny, or perhaps grated cheese would have been better. The dog needed mustard. Perhaps it was there and I couldn’t taste it?

California Dog

Description – Beef frank on a poppy seed bun, top with a generous portion of guacamole, diced onions, tomato slices and Monterey jack cheese.

Looks – All I could see initially was the cheese. I expected very little guacamole, and therefore, flavor.

Taste – Holy guacamole! It had the perfect amount of creamy guac under the cheese. The onions added an awesome crunch and kick to an otherwise smooth and mellow dog.

Suggestions – Dice the tomato and sprinkle it on with the diced onion. Maybe some bean sprouts would make it even more “California-y”.

Final Thoughts:
Overall, I’d definitely choose the Chipotle BBQ Chili Cheese Coney as my favorite. In fact, I’d probably order it on a regular basis instead of my usual New York Dog. My second favorite was the California Dog. I know I’m going to crave that guacamole and frank combo now that I’ve tasted it. Someday, I might consider ordering a Cheeseburger & Fries Dog if I’m feeling particularly gluttonous. And, while the Bacon Lettuce Tomato Dog might sound good idea in theory, some foods just don’t belong on a dog.

Guest Post: Sonic Burger Tasting!!

Today's post is brought to you by my lovely friend Hoosh, a cherished confidante since our days of young, awkward nerdiness in college. We're still nerdy, just a little more seasoned at it these days. Thanks, Hoosh, for blogging with us today!--LKP

You’ve seen it… We’ve all seen it… The video of a person sitting patiently in a white cubicle. A piece of food or drink is slid through a tiny door. The door shuts and she delicately tastes the item. Then she picks up her pencil and answers questions on a piece of paper.

That’s what I pictured when I signed up to be a taste tester for Sonic Drive-In, a fast food burger chain that started in Oklahoma and has quickly spread across the country.

Imagine my surprise when I was brought to a bright classroom with seven other people and we were instructed to sit at a desk with a laptop. There were no two-way mirrors or stern-looking people in lab coats. And there wasn't a clipboard in sight. The only giveaway that we were dealing with food and not an English exam was that there was a bottle of water and napkins at each seat.

A young, casually-dressed man greeted us and explained that we were participating in the "Burger Session" of the taste test. He told us they were going to bring us burgers (yes, full-size burgers!) and we were to answer a survey the computer. He said we could talk freely and share our opinions out loud. This really surprised me. I thought we'd have to be quiet so we didn't sway anyone else's vote. He did make a point to warn us about a video camera in the corner of the room. No biggie. We all soon forgot about the camera.

Here is how the testing was done… There were three burgers. The leader read a description, and then servers in Sonic aprons brought us the burgers. We'd eat several bites and then answer questions on the survey. The questions were typical: "What do you like?" "What do you dislike?" "What would you add/take off?" My favorite question was “What would you name this item?”


Here's what we had...

Burger #1 -- Two meat patties, topped with parmesan cheese slices (Yes, slices. Not sprinkles), pepperoni, marinara, fried mozzarella cheese sticks and banana pepper rings.


Okay, I know it sounds huge and ridiculous, but OH MAH GAH! It was so, so good. There was something magical about the banana pepper rings. You could smell them as you were biting into the burger. Your taste buds hit on the savory part first but your nose was still processing the sharp, sweet and vinegary scent of the peppers. Then the spices from the marinara and smooth/nutty/fatty flavors from the cheeses starting competing for attention. You’d think it would be chaos in the close confines of your mouth, but it turns out that all of the flavors waited their turns and played nicely with one another.

I called this one “My Big Fat Italian Burger.” I really hope they move forward with putting it on the menu because I don't think I can live the rest of my life without having another one.



Burger #2 -- Two meat patties, topped with Pickle-O's, ranch sauce, cheddar cheese, lettuce and tomato.


For those of you unfamiliar with the legendary Pickle-O, it used to be a Sonic staple. Fried pickle slices that could be eaten sans sauce or dipped into ranch dressing. Suddenly, they disappeared from almost all Sonic menus. Imagine the outrage! Everyone in the taste testing group was quick to tell our leader that Pickle-O's needed to be brought back! However, none of us were too impressed with the idea of putting them on a burger.

Our opinions didn’t change after taking a bite. The Pickle-O’s were almost immediately soggy and slid out of their protective fried shells. The burgers were decent but they were essentially a regular ol’ burger whose pickles just happened to be fried. We all said we’d rather just pop some Pickle-O's as a side dish. (In fact, I ate all of the Pickle-O's off this burger before I managed to take a picture of it.)


Burger #3 -- Two meat patties, lettuce, tomato, mustard, and topped with... get this... Frito Chili Pie.


I don't think anyone in the room was overly excited about this one. When our leader explained what was coming, we all sat there in silence. Someone (maybe it was me) eventually broke the silence with, “Really?”

The sight of the burger was comical. It was too big to eat. We all tried smooshing it down to a bite-able thickness, but that just squished the ingredients out of the sides. After tasting it, we all agreed that teenage boys with big appetites might appreciate having two comfort foods in one dish, but none of us would order one of these if it was on the menu.

The Fritos became soggy rather quickly. The salt from the chips plus the inherent saltiness of all of the meat made my tongue tired. The small bits of lettuce and tomato that I was able to taste among the rest of the big, manly flavors provided some relief but it just wasn’t enough. Plus, it was just too messy. Not something you'd want to balance on your lap in the car.



After we'd received all of the food and filled out our surveys, an official-type person who is involved in developing new products for Sonic came in and asked more questions. By this time, we were all giddy from the high-fat foods that we were overly chatty and laughing about everything. It was like a party and we didn’t want it to end. But we were informed that the next panel was waiting to come into the room for their session and we needed to clear out.

We all packaged up our leftovers and headed out the door, which made the people in the lobby chuckle. (Apparently no one from earlier panels had done this?) Before we left, the leader gave us all $20 gift cards and $10 in cash. He said Sonic might be contacting us again to participate in future taste tests. I hope they do! Don’t tell them, but they didn’t have to pay me. Knowing what I know now, I probably would have paid them to be a part of it.

So, if you see a big, fat, Italian burger on the menu at Sonic Drive-In anytime soon, I hope you’ll order one. I’m pretty sure you’ll thank me. And I’ll enjoy knowing that I can take some credit for it.