Well hello there! Oh and Buffalo Wild Wings

I've had like 3 blog posts in my mind for the past couple weeks, but just haven't been able to sit down and write them - so hopefully after I get tonight's blog out, Ill get better about writing more consistently again.   Of course if that happens, I can pretty much guarantee it will all go downhill in about another 4 months when two little ones come into the picture.  But I'll at least try and give this a shot again because I feel good when I write :)

So anyways - now I'm back and tonight I'm writing about Adam and my interesting dinner experience.  This morning, I told Adam I would email him a recipe for a crock-pot chili to make for dinner, except with the craziness that was today, I didn't remember to email him until 5pm when I should have already left the office.   So that was off the table, but I was thinking making dinner MIGHT still be a possibility.   That was until I didn't leave the office until 5:30, heard on the radio that I was gonna be stuck sitting in "traffic" because of a bridge opening, so decided to take a detour to Buy Buy Baby and didn't get home until 7pm and in a bad mood.

I really needed to go for a nice LONG walk - like a good 8-10 miler.   But seeing as though it was 7pm, I knew I had no chance of that.   And Im still trying to teach Kalas the "fine art" of walking on a leash without pulling, which means I can't last more than a mile with all that pulling and attempting to train.  But none the less, the first thing I did when I got home was take the puppies out for a walk, because I NEEDED to relieve the stress of the day - even if Kalas's lack of training was not gonna make for a complete stress-free walk.   

By the time I sat down at home it was 7:30pm and nothing was started on dinner, and I already decided I needed to go to one of the great ice cream places in the area, Dairy Delite, since it was such a beautiful day and my day was so hellish.  In thinking of a place somewhat near, we decided to go out to Buffalo Wild Wings because we heard a bunch of great things about it.

Our experience was not  a good first impression.  The service was great, the atmosphere was fine, but the food was no better than "eh".   We had wings to start with and I decided I was in the mood for boneless wings, but the sauce we decided on was a dry rub, so our "wings" were really seasoned chicken nuggets.   And for chicken nuggets, they were still just moderate.   I had to use lots of the ranch dipping sauce - and I'm usually not much of one for ranch.   For dinner, I ordered a Buffalo Ranch Wrap and Adam ordered cheeseburger sliders.

My wrap just wasn't good, but nothing specific to talk about.   All buffalo sauce was at the bottom of the wrap.   The ranch dressing tasted more like mayo - which I hate, and the filling was just eh.   I only hate half of it before I gave up and ate all the fries for my dinner.   Adam's sliders were interesting.   Instead of making small little burgers, they created one large, long, overcooked slab of meat and then slapped it across three mini burgers rolls and called it sliders.   They didn't even bother to cut the sliders apart- they left that to Adam to do.

But what made the night the most interesting and worthy of a blog post was the older couple at the table next to us.   They weren't older, just older - I would guess 60's.   Definitely baby boomers.   The woman seemed to have a bit of OCD to her, but then at other times, it totally wasn't there.   I also thought maybe she had certain dietary restrictions, but this was over the top for that.   And for both of them, if those were the case, Buffalo Wild Wings isn't where those folks would typically go.   

I first noticed something when I looked over and saw that she had a half-filled nalgene bottle that she just put back in her gallon-sized ziploc bag and carefully closed up the bag.   I didn't think the Nalgene bottle was all that interesting, because I carry that or bottled water around with me a lot, although I don't take it out at restaurants, and I don't keep it in a ziploc bag.   Then I realized that she poured her own water....

As I was continued to watch the tv, I also kept an eye on them to watch the interesting situatin unfold.   At one point, she called the waiter over, and I'm not sure what she asked of him, but he walked away with her plate of food that was just delivered and he mumbled something like "you can't move it yourself?" as he was walking past my table.   He came back out with the plate, so I'm thinking she wanted like the tomatoes or something moved off her burger.  

When he came back, I watched her take her own napkins out of her bag and wrap them around the burger (just the meat) - seemingly to blot off all the extra fat.   I understand trying to watch your calories, but thats going a little too far - especially using your own napkins.   While she is doing that, I notice two more plastic baggies sitting on the table filled with various items that I couldn't quite figure out at that point.  

After "cleaning" her burger she puts it back on the bun, and takes out her own tin foil to wrap something up (never quite saw what she wrapped up) and put in her bag.   Next, she took out her own salt shaker from one of her baggies and salted her burger.   At that point she started to eat and our bill came, so we left - but I was really curious to stay and continue to watch them/her - because it was really weird and interesting.

I definitely understand dietary restrictions and sometimes bringing your own items.   But half the things she did had nothing to do with health, so I don't think it was a health thing.   Although everything she did could have fit into an OCD category, there is so much she didn't do that would have made more sense - such as bringing her own silverware over blotting the burger.   Or just not going out to that restaurant altogether.

Whatever the case - it made for an interesting night...

Food, Food, Food

In the coming weeks, you will be seeing a lot of posts about food - mostly sweets, but a few restaurant "reviews".   

Adam and I went on a Philadelphia Chocolate Tour using groupons I had purchased last October for half price.   More to come in a much more thorough posting, but a quick review: for the price I paid, its definitely worth it, for the price they charge normally - Im not 100% sure.    Keep in mind, I'm VERY cheap (or frugal as many people like to call it), and thats really what it comes down to.    If I were single and only had to buy one ticket, I wouldn't mind buying it at full price, but since I have to buy 2 tickets for Adam and I, its more pricey than I like to pay for a date day/night for us.   I might look to do it in Boston and/or Chicago where I have personal and business trips planned to and they have sister companies (and I now get $5 off since Im a loyalty card holder just for doing one tour...)

Additionally, tomorrow starts the first of two weeks (weeknights only) of restaurant week in Philly.   Since Adam and I have date night on Monday nights, I figured this would be a good chance to check out restaurants we wouldn't necessarily be willing to check out.   I picked two restaurants that I actually had never heard of, but I based it on what they were offering on their restaurant week menu and the fact that they had to be an expensive restaurant to begin with (because its not a deal unless they are normally pricey).  And of course who had availability as I didn't realize it was going on until the other day.

So look for these reviews over the next few weeks, as soon as I get the chance to write everything out and upload the pics.    Hope you enjoy it, and I promise to try and intersperse it with other life events so my blog isn't so focused on food.

Lucky Bones Restaurant in Cape May, NJ

On Adam and my recent day trip to Cape May, NJ we were looking for a place for lunch in between our winery visits, so we searched for a place through the Google Places app on my phone, and decided upon the one that didn't take us into "downtown" (as the wineries weren't in that location).   The closest place I saw that sounded good was Lucky Bones Backwater Grille - so we went.

When we got there, I noticed that they had a sign for a grill night at Cape May Winery & Vineyards - our next stop - and on the way out I noticed a wine barrel with Cape May Winery & Vineyards logo on the barrel end, and finally on the way to the car, there was a Cape May Winery & Vineyards truck.   I figured they had some partnership going - I later learned at the winery that they are actually owned by the same person, along with a well known, fancy restaurant in town - the Washington Inn and a cute store in town that Adam had shopped at last time we were in - Love the Cook.

Anyways, back to lunch.  We got there around 1:15/1:30 and the parking lot was packed, and when we got in, there was a little bit of a line.   Nothing major, but in the end it just ended up being a back-up in getting people seated, not a wait.

When I looked them up on google, it said that they were known for the sandwiches and brick-fired oven pizzas - so at that point I was originally thinking a sandwich, but if Adam and I could agree on a pizza, I could easily go for that.  Once I looked at the list, there were like 4 or 5 that I could easily choose from, and same for Adam.   Our thoughts crossed on 2 of them and finally settled on the Shrooms and Cheese Pizza.

After we ordered and were chatting, I noticed on the wall their soup of the day, and it sounded really delicious, so Adam and I decided to ask the waitress if we could order 2 cups of that in addition to the pizza.   It was a Jersey BLT Soup.   I really wanted the soup without the B, but I knew that wasn't possible, so I just hoped that it wasn't too crazy with the bacon.   I love tomato soup, so I hoped the tomato might be able to overpower the bacon.    Im glad I took that chance, because it was perfect for me.   There were small pieces of bacon bits (real ones) throughout the soup - and provided good texture, but the flavor wasn't overpowering.   The tomato soup portion was DELISH - we both scarfed it down.   The lettuce part was cute - provided as garnish on top.   If that were on the menu when we go down there again, I would definitely order it!

Just as we finished our soup, our pizza came out.   The size was perfect for Adam and I to share and I loved the thin crust that they had.   It turned out to be really good, but not something that I would order over and over again.   As I said, the crust was perfect for me, there were a lot of mushrooms of a few different types - unfortunately I couldn't identify which types.   It wasn't cheesy at all - just the right amount - it was just missing an extra flavor of something.   Not sure what additional flavor would have done the trick for me, but maybe a little bit of truffle oil (but that would have caused the price to jump).   Although I said I wouldn't order it over and over again, I would order it again - but there were lots of other things on the menu that Id like to try.

Oh - and the prices were very affordable - if you go to Cape May and are looking to drive around and not stay in the historic area - I would definitely recommend this for a lunch spot.

Ocean City, NJ Restaurant Review

My mom rented a house down in OCNJ this week, and Adam and I were down there for a few days, and everyone who was there on Monday night went out to dinner just off the boardwalk at a place called Bloom N' Tulip.   My mom selected the restaurant based on the fact that she was able to get a good deal for the restaurant on restaurant.com.  I don't think we could have all had a WORSE restaurant experience.

There were 16 of us - 13 adults and 3 kids (2, 3 and 3 1/2).  I had called that morning to make a reservation for all of us, so they were well prepared for the large group.   By the time everyone showed up, we were about 15 minutes late to the reservation, which I initially felt kinda bad about - but no longer do after our experience.  

The atmosphere wasn't anything spectacular to write home about, but nothing awful either.  Once everyone finally arrived, it took about 20 minutes to get our drink orders, another 20 minutes to get the drinks, another 5 minutes to get bread (of which my mom had to specifically request and the waitress had a lot of attitude), another 20 minutes to get our food orders taken - so we were there for well over an hour before our orders got taken.    Once they finally took our orders, things finally got moving - but by this time, the kids just wanted to run around the restaurant, and the only reason we hadn't just left was because of the certificate we had.  

When the food FINALLY came around, it took forever for everyone to get their meals, and my cousin who got a salad was one of the last ones to get her meal, even though that was the simplest of the meals - and my brother-in-law almost didn't get served because she forgot to bring his out.

Unfortunately for my family, the bad review doesn't stop with the poor service.   I had ordered stuffed shrimp with sides of mashed potatoes and apple sauce.  

I knew the apple sauce wasn't chunky because my uncle asked before orderering, so I was a little disappointed to begin with, but Im pretty sure the extent of the kitchen prep for the applesauce involved opening up a jar of motts applesauce and pouring it into the bowl.   It tasted fine, it just wasn't anything special, and nothing stood out about it that made it seem "homemade". 

The mashed potatoes aren't a very different story.   When I got my meal, I saw someone else ordered theirs without the gravy, and I originally wished I would have thought to do the same.  Im glad I hadn't done that because the potatoes were so dry and bland the gravy added some flavor and moistness.   This time I think that the kitchen preparation involved in making the mashed potatoes was mixing a box of potato flakes and water (with too much flakes) and then taking an ice cream scoop and scooping it into a bowl.

The stuffed shrimp weren't too bad in flavor, but the filling felt like it was a whole lot more filler than crab.   After eating one and a half of the three stuffed shrimp, I was done.

That was just what I ate, but Adam and my uncle both ordered rice pilaf, mu uncle specifically didn't see any other sides he wanted so he got a double order (cause we got 2 sides with out meals).   The rice "pilaf" consisted of white rice and lots of butter, so my uncle finally said something (rightfully so) after staying good for not compaining about anything else earlier.   Here is the basic jist of the conversation:

Uncle: I ordered rice pilaf, this is just white rice with butter
Waitress: Thats what our rice pilaf is - white rice
U: Rice Pilaf is not white rice
W: Well thats what our rice pilaf is
U: Rice pilaf isn't white rice, it has the other stuff in it
W: You got what you ordered, white rice
U: I ordered rice pilaf
W: This is our rice pilaf - its white rice.

This conversation pretty much sums up all the talking we had with the waitress - she was COMPLETELY unorganized - the type of person who you would think wouldn't remember her head if it wasn't attached.

By the time our restaurant experience was done - we had been there for TWO HOURS!!   My mom complained to someone, and they pretty much just brushed us off.

To top off the bad service and "meh" food - the food didn't sit well with me at all.   I had to literally run to the bathroom two times in the next hour because it didn't agree with me.

But we got back at them!  Well not really - but there is a funny story to share.   My 3 and a half year old cousin, who is potty trained and hadn't had an accident in a while told her mom she had to go to the bathroom and then got off her chair and pee'd right on the floor.   Of course my little cousin felt really bad and my "big" cousin (her mom) felt even worse for her daughter.   But we never bothered to tell them they had a pee spot in the middle of their carpeted dining area.    And we ended up letting the kids run around the table.

Eventually, we finally got some boardwalk time with the kids.

So all in all - don't ever eat at Bloom N' Tulip in Ocean City, NJ - its at 10th and Ocean (but really on 10th), right off the boardwalk where Kohrs Bros and Steele Fudge.

Monday Night Date Nights

Adam's job has him working Tuesday - Friday from noon to 9pm and then Saturday from 7am-5pm, so we have minimal time that we get to spend with each other.   This isn't a complaint though, because his schedule actually has a lot of benefits.   With his schedule being the way it is, we decided to bring back date night.   When we were dating, we had a set weeknight that was date night that we would always go out and do something together, just the two of us - not with our friends or our family.   That stopped once we moved in together, because we had plenty of time for us, and we were focusing on paying bills and saving whatever money we could.

We of course are still making sure our bills are paid, and are trying to save money :) But we are trying to do all that while re-instituting our date night.   So far we haven't put much money out.   Our first night we used a gift certificate we received for our anniversary for dinner (which we used for take out) and got a movie from Red Box and had date night at home.   

Anyways, on to last nights date night.   Originally, we planned to use one of our restaurant.com certificates, but then when I went to make a reservation, I noticed they weren't open on Mondays.   So then, we decided to go somewhere else that I knew didn't take reservations.   I got home from work, and before we headed out, we checked out their website for the address, I looked at the menu and found what I wanted, and then I was just glancing around their website - and guess what?   They are closed on Mondays!!    

We ended up thinking of a place that we hadn't been to that was open and went there, and then went to Rita's for Misto Monday (50% off of Misto's), but now Im bummed about our Monday night date night.   There are plenty of restaurants and businesses that are open on Monday - but it really does suck that a lot of restaurants are closed on Monday.   I understand the thought process - Monday is probably the slowest night because everyone eats out during the weekend, that they don't do so on Monday - but it just sucks.