Ocean Cafe At the Boardwalk

Ocean Cafe At the Boardwalk

It’s the start of Labor Day Weekend. We went out Thursday night because it was more convenient for us and the crowds aren’t quite as bad. We went to the boardwalk and decided to check out Ocean Café, a new place that just opened up this year. We’ve been fascinated by it ever since the very beginning of the summer when we saw it. It looks really nice from the outside and looked like a nice classy place. Well, we walked up to be seated and from the start, we were turned off. John recalls hearing the manager flirting with the hostess and being inappropriate. We were seated and given menus and the menus were real (which as you know, is a good thing with us!). There were a ton of screaming children, which is not the restaurant’s fault, it’s the boardwalk so we don’t expect there to not be crying kids. However, a friend of ours who is familiar with the restaurant mentioned that the acoustics and walls make everything louder, so one child crying sounds like ten to begin with. The small booth we were sitting at was fine at first, until we realized that we would have a family of four sitting in the booth next to us with no barrier or anything in between. They booths are like those in Friendly’s (made so you can have a large group over two booths) except this place didn’t have a removable wall in between them so it was like we were having dinner with a family of strangers. We ordered our meals and got some bread and butter, which is a plus! Then the meals came out and were very average, if not below average. To top it off, we paid with cash and were hoping for the waitress to break a 10 dollar bill so we could leave her a tip and she returned with the 10 dollar bill unbroken. Typically when we do that, the waitress will understand that we need ones or a five dollar bill to leave the tip. Overall, not a good experience and we also heard that it may not even be open next year. We’ll just have to try its replacement and hope for better results!

John ate: Chicken parmigiana, C-, “This was your classic Ocean City restaurant, with the exception that it was very nice on the inside. The atmosphere was not very good considering we were sitting in a booth with no barrier between us and the table sitting next to us, so we could listen in on their conversation. In addition, the music was a little irritating considering that they played Lady Gaga, Rihanna, and Justin Bieber (I actually like Lady Gaga, but not while eating dinner). I was also taken aback when the manager abruptly grabbed my shoulder to ask 'you ok?!?' about a minute after our food arrived. It was very awkward. I don’t mind the screaming kids, especially in a vacation town on the boardwalk there’s going to be screaming kids, it doesn’t bother me at all. However, the food wasn’t great either. They had the typical Coca Cola glasses for drinks and the chicken was mostly just bread crumbs, was very thin, and was actually a little burnt. The spaghetti and sauce had little flavor to it as well”

John's Half Eaten Meal

(We forgot about taking pictures. Sorry!)

Lauren ate: Pollo Limone, C-, "The screaming kids, strange booth situation, and creepy boss threw me off from the start.  The bread and butter was good, but the meal was not.  The chicken was decent I guess.  It came with garlic mashed potatoes and some vegetables.  I really am not a big fan of not being able to choose my own sides.  I understand that it's often easier for the restaurant that way, but it's less enjoyable for me.  John even tried my mashed potatoes and said they were not very good.  I asked the waitress what kind of drinks they had and expected an answer such as 'Cokie, Diet Coke, Sprite, Root Beer...' etc. However, the waitress had no idea what I was talking about so I simply ordered water.  It was definitely a family friendly restaurant (as John mentioned the music was trendy), so sure, bring your kids there.  Or go to Clancy's.  You'll be better off."

Lauren's Half-Eaten Meal! Oops!

Smitty's Clam Bar in Somers Point

So it’s been a while since we have updated our blog!  Sorry for the delay, but about 2 weeks ago we went to the Clam Bar in Somers Point.  We had heard good things about the Clam Bar so it was something that we had wanted to try out for a while.  Additionally, any time we drove by it there appeared to be a line waiting to get into it, so we figured it had to be good.

We got there a little bit before noon.  They serve breakfast till about 11:00 and close up for about an hour to change over for lunch.  It was a good thing we got there when we did because a line was already forming even before it opened for lunch.  The menu served mostly seafood dishes but had some interesting sandwich options such as a crab burger and a shrimp burger.  The service was friendly and the atmosphere was nice because its right on the bay, but we were disappointed with our food.  We recommended clam chowder, and that was very good, but we both thought they were lacking a lot of flavor and were expecting a little bit more.  Due to the fact that lines that are always outside of it, we both agreed we’d try it again sometime.

John ate: Clam Chowder, B+, Fried Shrimp with French fries, C, 

“Admittedly, I am not the world’s biggest seafood eater with the exception of shrimp, crab, and the occasional lobster.  The menu served mostly fish, so I was kind of stuck getting fried shrimp.  The shrimp wasn’t that great.  They were big pieces but they seemed to be a little too greasy.  Also, the French fries were nothing special.  They were greasy as well and very soft.  The positive thing was the clam chowder, which was excellent.”

  

Lauren ate: Baked Salmon in Lemon & Wine Sauce:  B-
 "The Clam Bar was so nice sitting right on the bay.  However, I feel like I partially have myself to blame to not liking my meal too much.  You can choose what sort of sauce you want your seafood baked in.  I chose Lemon & Wine which the waitress said tasted good with salmon.  It wasn’t bad, but it wasn’t really good either.  I didn’t want to finish it and was not really satisfied.  I wonder if it would have been better in a different sauce.  The Clam Chowder was pretty good.  Definitely better than the entrée, but I’ve had better. I’d go back again just for the location on the bay and maybe I’d try something for dinner when they seem to have more choices.  Overall though, I’d stay in Ocean City for a seafood on the bay experience!"

Kohr Bro's

What's summer on the OC boardwalk without some of Kohr Brother's original frozen custard?  It's a staple of the OC boardwalk 5 locations.  Unbeknownest to John, there are actually locations all across the east coast, even in Texas.  Lauren knew this and decided to play an evil cruel joke on John and tell him that this would be a good entry for the blog so she could get ice cream.  Either way, Kohr Brother's has some classic frozen custard that is perfect for a night on the boardwalk or as a treat if you're sitting on the beach.

John ate, Chocolate dipper vanilla custard cone, B+ 

"I didn't know this was a chain! We don't like to review chains!  Oh well, Kohr Brothers is pretty sweet.  I got a chocolate dipped cone where the chocolate hardens.  It was pretty awesome.  The custard was creamy and very good."


Lauren ate Orange and Vanilla Swirl on a Cone, B

"I've had Kohr Bros. before.  I tried to tell John that it was a chain, but he never listens to me.  Typical man.  Anyway, I got the Orange and Vanilla swirl on a cone.  It's so popular that it's on the sign!  It's also healthy and tasty! I really enjoyed it.  I love creamsicles and the orange and vanilla together is always a great combination.  I tried a bite of John's ice cream cone and sort of regretted my healthy one.  However, I ended up really enjoying it will most likely get it again and again in the future!"

McGlade's Ocean City

For a special night out, we decided to try to do something romantic in Ocean City.  Lauren suggested McGlade's.  There is a location in Cape May on the beach as well as the one we visited in Ocean City on 2nd street and Bay Avenue.  It's a restaurant right on the bay, so we figured watching the sunset while enjoying a meal would be a nice way to kick off the evening.  We knew we'd be in for a beautiful view, but we weren't sure what to expect as far as the food goes.  We were pleasantly surprised.

McGlade's Ocean City, NJ

We arrived at McGlade's and walked onto the outdoor seating deck.  The diners in front of us in line all had reservations, so we became nervous that we would not be seated. We were lucky and had a choice of where we wanted to sit, even without a reservation.  However, if we were to go again we would have reservations to be safe.  The specials were written on a white board at the entrance.  Once we sat down we were given real menus (not on placemats), and bread from a real basket.  Of course, this is important to us!  We order drinks and found it strange that McGlade's does not serve soda.  We figure that this may be because it is newly serving dinner and the owners have not yet invested in a fountain soda machine.  The server was friendly and knowlegable, naming the specials.  We were pretty sure that if the food was good, this could be the place we've been looking for.

Unfortunately, McGlade's lost a few points when we were waiting about a half hour or more for our entrees.  The server came to our table and apologized stating that the chef had overcooked John's meal and it would only be a little longer until we could eat.  Once the food came out, we were quite impressed.  Then the bill came out and we were not.  Overall, we agree that it was good food, but rather pricey especially for Ocean City.  The sunset over the bay combined with the delicious food made McGlade's an excellent date night restaurant for us.  We enjoyed it!

The View from McGlade's

John ate: Filet Mignon with Crab Meat, B+

"We often talk about how a lot of OC restaurants lack some important features like real glasses and real bread baskets. Well, McGlade’s was guilty at lacking some of the important features that we like. Their menu’s were kind of flimsy paper and they had plastic glasses, but they also did a lot of things right as well. They had real bread baskets and they had tablecloths with a seashell design. The thing that really gets you is the view though. It’s right on the bay. I literally watched the tide come up as I sat and ate my meal. I can’t imagine a more tranquil place to eat a meal (at least in OC). Now, I can imagine that if it’s 100 degrees out or raining that McGlade’s wouldn’t be a good choice, but all you need is a pair of sunglasses any other time. Also, the meal itself was very good. My filet mignon was perfectly cooked. The crab bisque had too much rosemary in it, but it was still good. My only real complaint was that it was a little pricey, but we finally found a good restaurant with a romantic atmosphere that we can go to for a special location on the island. It’s not really the best meal ever, but if you’re staying in Ocean City it is an absolute MUST so that you can dine and see a beautiful view."

John's Steak

Lauren ate: Grilled Salmon A-

"I really was impressed with McGlade's.  I'm glad it was my idea to come here! The view was breathtaking and relaxing.  The Shrimp and Crab Bisque was surprisingly very good.  I love Crab Bisque and I like Shrimp so I was curious as to what this would taste like and I really enjoyed it.  The salmon was perfect! It had crabmeat on top which was great because I wasn't tasting all salmon, the difference in taste was really good.  I even liked the mashed potatoes.  I didn't like that they serve mixed vegetables with the mashed potatoes instead of one of my choice, since I don't really like the mixed vegetables.  They brought out bread which was very good as well.  Yes, it was pricey, but it may have been worth it.  Besides the wait, which probably doesn't happen often, I'd say that this place was perfect!  Overall, I would recommend McGlade's to everyone in Ocean City!  It seemed kid-friendly as well as romantic.  So everyone can enjoy what McGlade's has to offer!"

Lauren's Salmon

Uncle Bill's Pancake House

Uncle Bill's Pancake House 40th and West

Alas, we disagree. After all the restaurants and eateries we've been to, we have usually agreed and had similar opinions. That finally comes to an end with Uncle Bill's Pancake House.

Uncle Bill's has two locations in OC and many across the South Jersey shore. We went to the OC location on 40th Street, which is much newer than the location on 21st street. We both agreed that the atmosphere was great. It was a very nice summer and beached themed restaurant with old pictures of the Ocean City beach and boardwalk. One of the things that we liked was how they had cute plates and mugs with their logo on it.

Uncle Bill's also has a rather large menu, with 33 options to choose from with a variety of flavored pancakes from potato pancakes to chocolate chip panckes. We were in awe when somebody sitting near us got strawberry pancakes which had a huge mountain of whipped cream on it. They looked ridiculously good.

However, we disagreed on how good we thought the food was. John loves it. He thinks they have some of the best pancakes ever, whereas Lauren thinks there's better pancakes on the island. Some may complain that it's a little bit pricey, but if you love Uncle Bill's as much as John does, you're willing to fork over a few extra dollars. Oh well, we can't agree on everything.

MMMM Panckes

John ate: Special Plate consisting of 3 Buttermilk Pancakes, Ham, and Scrambled Eggs, A- "Now, I can sympathize with Mack & Manco's fans when they say 'Mack's is where we ALWAYS go for pizza it just symbolizes summer. However, a lot of Mack's fans don't try any other pizza other than Mack's. Well, I can compare to a Mack's fan by saying that my family always went to Uncle Bill's and to me it symbolizes breakfast while down the shore. I differ from other Mack's fans because I have tried other breakfast places and I still think Uncle Bill's is the best! I have yet to find another breakfast place that serves buttermilk pancakes. They melt in your mouth and are the sweetest and best pancakes around. But hey, that's just my opinion. Try them and let us know what you think."

Lauren's Order

Lauren ate: Special Plate consisting of 3 Buttermilk Pancakes, Bacon, Egg over easy with wheat toast, B- "Uncle Bill’s Pancake House was really cute! The atmosphere is very summery and friendly and the whole place just seemed so well put together. As far as the breakfast goes, it was a typical breakfast, I think. I ate the special plate with pancakes, bacon and an egg over-easy with whole wheat toast. I think I was so excited to have Uncle Bill’s pancakes that I may have had expectations which were too high. I think the meal was just an average breakfast. I thought the bacon was the best part, even though I only received 2 pieces of delicious bacon. I feel as if I have had pancakes from quite a few Ocean City restaurants now, so I have a lot to compare Uncle Bill’s to. It wasn’t the best I’ve had. However, I can see how this establishment could easily be a must-go breakfast place while on vacation each year. It’s almost as if this is the “Mack and Manco’s” of pancakes! It’s good, but it’s also possible that there is a better breakfast somewhere else in town with less name recognition. I’m not knocking on Uncle Bill’s, I’d definitely go there again since the organized atmosphere and specially designed plates were so cute and fun. Since it’s so popular in more than one South Jersey Shore town, I’d love to go back and try another type of pancake or platter so I can have the full experience."

John says in response to Lauren: "Are you kidding?!?!? B-!?!?!? what the heck were you eating? They were amazing?"

Lauren says: "I think you should take me back for breakfast and let me get some strawberry pancakes or potoato pancakes or chocolate chip pancakes then :-) "

Mack & Manco's vs. Primo Pizza, PIZZA WARS!!!!

Pat’s vs. Geno’s. Mack & Manco’s vs. Primo Pizza. One of the biggest controversies on the boardwalk: who has the better pizza? People will swear to it that Mack & Manco’s has the best pizza in the world. It’s hard to dispute the success that they have had with 3 locations on the boardwalk each with endless lines. However, nestled on 8th and the boardwalk about 30 yards away from the Music Pier is an Ocean City secret: Primo Pizza. Primo’s is often regarded as being better than Mack & Manco’s by locals and those who spend a majority of their summer in OC. So which is really better? Is Mack & Manco’s just a shoobie destination or is it really that great? Does everyone just say Primo’s is better because they are sick of Mack & Manco’s long lines?

It’s our goal at the Ocean City, NJ Restaurant and Boardwalk Blog to solve this controversy once and for all. We have tried Primo’s and Mack N Manco’s back to back and are rating each on some of pizza’s essentials: wait time, service, price, sauce, cheese, crust/dough, and grease factor. Whoever has the best of these 7 traits will be crowned best pizza on the boardwalk!



Wait Time
Right off the back, Primo’s has the advantage. We got on the boardwalk at 6th street at about 7:30 and walked all the way down to the end of the boardwalk. We get to the first Mack & Manco’s location and there’s a pretty big line outside of it. Ok, so it’s still kind of early we’ll head to the other two locations on the boardwalk….no such luck there was still a 7 minute line to just grab a slice at 9:00 at night! Personally, if I’m waiting at 9:00 at night for pizza for more than a couple minutes, this truly better be the best pizza ever. If it’s not, then I’m wasting my time.

Primo’s had no wait time. We got right in and found two seats at the counter for us. That’s not saying there was plenty of space available; we really got lucky finding the only two seats available at the counter.

Least amount of wait-time: Primo Pizza

Service
The service at both locations is very comparable. At Primo’s, they are extremely friendly to you and always smile when you come in. You’ll get your pizza right away. The same goes for Mack & Manco’s. I was surprised at how friendly the server was despite the fact that he had to work so hard with such long lines, even at 9:00 at night.

Best service: Draw

Price
Mack & Manco’s has an advantage with the best price. Their slices are only $2.25 a piece compared to Primo’s which are $2.50 a piece. Both are comparable in size. Both establishments have the same price for a pie at $17.

Best Price: Mack & Manco’s

Sauce
Now we’re getting into the real important traits of pizza: the traits of taste. We start off with sauce and we find that Mack & Manco’s has the better sauce, but it comes at a cost… Mack’s sauce is must spicier than Primo’s and seems to just have more of a kick to it. There’s much more flavor to it and compared to Primo’s. Primo’s sauce tastes like it’s missing some spices and tastes kind of bland.
However, Mack & Manco’s is too concerned with making their pizzas as quickly as possible so they can make as much money as possible. So you typically will just get a pizza that has blotches of sauces unevenly proportioned. It doesn’t make for an appetizing slice.
Still, the spice and flavor to Mack & Manco’s sauce is some of the best we’ve ever had. We’ll say it has the better of the two sauces.

Best Sauce: Mack & Manco’s

Cheese
Both cheeses are equally as good. Mack & Manco’s may be a tad bit sharper, but they’re very comparable. Primo’s cheese always stays on the slice and is very good.

Best Cheese: Draw

Crust/Dough
This is where the two pizzas go their separate ways. Primo’s by FAR has the better crust and dough. Primo’s defines thin crust pizza. The crust and dough is thin and so crunchy, yet you can still fold and shape it in whichever way you want to be able to fit it into your mouth. It is perfect and the best part of Primo’s slice.
Comparably, Mack & Manco’s has a little bit of a thicker slice. They’re dough is much softer and the crust actually seems a little bit undercooked. We’re assuming that, again, they’re just trying to get these pizzas out as quickly as possible and they’ll sacrifice the pizza being completely cooked.

Best Crust/Dough: Primo Pizza

Grease Factor
Nobody likes a slice of pizza that’s overly greasy. Nobody wants to take a napkin and blot the pizza to get all the grease off. Once again, the two pizzas are further apart in this category. Primo Pizza had only a little bit of grease, while Mack & Manco’s had a lot of grease on it.
If you look to the picture of Mack’s slice to the right, you’ll see that the plate is covered in grease and the grease went through the crust to make it so soft and damp that you couldn’t hold the slice together. Mack’s had such great sauce and cheese that we were pretty bummed about how much grease it had.
However, greasy food and the boardwalk is like America and apple pie. It goes together. Maybe that’s why so many people like Mack N Manco’s, but that’s why we made this blog. We don’t like the stereotype that the boardwalk and Ocean City only has greasy food.

Least amount of Grease: Primo Pizza

When we add up the results, Primo Pizza goes 3-2-2 compared to Mack & Manco’s 2-3-2. Therefore, we crown Primo Pizza as the best pizza on the boardwalk!

We know this post won’t come without controversy. Everyone has their favorite place and we realize that a lot of this is just our own opinion. However, it kills us to see huge long lines at Mack & Manco’s when their pizza isn’t as good as Primo’s. Don’t get us wrong, Mack’s pizza is awesome, it’s some of the best we’ve ever had, but it’s not worth it to wait in line for it. So we implore you to please try them both and decide for yourself!


To be fair: we asked for a guest opinion. We asked our friend Jon to give his opinion on what he thinks is best and we think he gives a good review of why some people may like Mack & Manco’s so much.
“For pure nostalgia, you have to love Mack and Manco's. But this is a food grading blog, so M/M's doesn't score too favorably. Their slices have become slimmer throughout the years and the sauce hasn't been used as much as I'd like. But who can blame them; I would try to make as much money as possible too. Primo's is ok; for the money it is a decent slice of pizza yet there just is something missing. There's never a long line because...well it's Primo's and that may be saying something. If the slices were thicker I'd personally enjoy it a lot more. BTW - make sure you get a birch beer with either slice.

Mack and Manco's and childhood memories: B

Primo's and no waiting for food: B-“

Once again, make the decision for yourself! Try them both and let us know what you think!


UPDATE:
Just from some of the comments we have received from people and the more we think about it, we think we kind of forget the fact that most people don't spend the entire summer in OC like we do, so we forget that this is a vacation destination that people rarely get to go to. With that said, we realize that people may like Mack & Manco's based on the tradition of coming down every summer and eating it along with the fact that people will get "cravings" for it in the winter. Well, this mindset and tradition is exactly what we are trying to break. Is it actually Mack's pizza that you're missing or is it just summer and the shore that you're missing? That is why we BEG you to try Primo's pizza! It is excellent. Sure, the tradition isn't there, but try something new for a change and save yourself some time by avoiding long lines for a pizza that a lot of people say isn't as good. So don't say that Mack's is the best without trying Primo's first!

Dot's Pastry Shop

So we want to find the "hidden gems" that OC has to offer. Well, Dot's Pastry Shop on 31st and Asbury isn't exactly hidden (Lauren and John have gone to it for years), but it really is a gem.

When John was little, his Dad would wake up every Sunday morning and get him and his sister donuts from Dot's. Lauren's grandparents would do the same for her and her sister. It made staying in Ocean City all the more special.


Now we finally had the chance to rate it and compare it to other donut places we've reviewed on this site and we have to say that Dot's is still really, really awesome. We picked some up on our way to the beach and ate them on the beach. They're famous for their glazed pretzel donuts and their cream donuts, which we both sampled. They're probably the best donuts we have ever had. They're not cake donuts, but delicious and perfectly crafted pastry that oozes with flavor and melts in your mouth. At 85 cents a piece, it's the cheapest breakfast you'll find on the island. Get there early, because their will probably be a line because Dot's rules.


John ate: Glazed Pretzel Donut, White Cream Donut, A

"I know I want to give a place an A rating when after I eat it I think about how awesome it was. A lot of times, I'll think it over and realize that place is probably more or less worth an A- or a B+ because I want to save the A's and A+'s for the best ever. Well, Dot's are the best donuts I've ever had. They're perfect size packed with amazing flavor. The cream donut has the sweetest and most delicious cream that I can imagine. The pretzel donut is awesome in it's own right just because it's a donut shaped like a pretzel. I highly recommend going to Dot's, it's just not a summer in Ocean City without them."


Lauren ate: Glazed Pretzel Donut, Chocolate Donut, A

"I always remembered Dot's being really good when my grandparents would have them for me hot and fresh first thing in the morning when I was younger. Even though John and I didn't exactly go first thing in the morning, I was still impressed with Dot's. The glazed pretzel donut was just as good as I rememeber it being for reasons that I can't describe. Just trust me, it's worth the 85 cents to get one of these. I also ate a chocolate frosted donut which was one of the best chocolate frosted donuts I've ever had. The frosting was really really chocolatey and sweet, which I don't usually get when I eat a chocolate frosted donut, sometimes the chocolate is just mediocre. Not this time! I would highly recommend Dot's to anyone looking for some really tasty dounts. I even told my boss that he must try it! There must be a reason it was so crowded in there! Everyone agrees, Dot's is great."

PS: Thanks to our families for turning us on to it throughout all these years!!

PSS: Happy Night in Venice!

Gregory's Restaurant & Bar, Somers Point

One of things on top of our "to do" list was Gregory's Restaurant & Bar in Somers Point. We can only guess that some people are thinking, "I thought this was an Ocean City blog, why are they reviewing places that are in Somers Point?" From the start of this blog, we had the idea that it would be all places in Ocean City and a few places directly over the 34th Street and 9th Street bridge or not too far from them. No matter what, you're going to have to pass some of these places to get onto the Garden State Parkway, so we figured that if you're going to drive right by them, we might as well review them. Also, for those of you who don't know, Ocean City is a dry town and there are a number of bars nearby in Somers Point that a lot of OC people go to, so we figured Somers Point places deserve to be reviewed.

But we digress, Gregory's was at the top of our list because we love going to the bar there. It's one of our go-to destinations when we go out with friends. It's great times with great people, plus they make the world's best Malibu Bay Breeze (Lauren's favorite cocktail). For all the times we went there, we had never eaten in the restaurant.

We both thought it was very nice inside and had a great ambiance. It had a very old school seashore feel to it. Also, they had real menu's, glasses that weren't plastic Coke glasses, real waiters, and a real bread basket, not some plastic basket. If you have read our previous posts, we will know that these things are a big deal. It is a rarity at Ocean City restaurants to have real glasses, real menus, etc. and it actually made our dining experience much better.

They have a menu consisting of bar food to nice seafood dinners. We both started off with a soup called the Fisherman's Stew which was a form of Manhattan Clam Chowder only with different types of fish in it. We both enjoyed it. It had a number vegetables and the different fish gave it a variety of different flavors. If you're looking for a solid meal or a bar to get a couple of drinks, Gregory's is a great place for you to go.

John ate: Crab Imperial, B "I enjoyed Gregory's and thought it was a pretty good meal. The crab imperial was very good. It had a nice creamy and warm taste and had large chunks of crab meat, which I like. I got it with mashed potatoes, which were too buttery, and french fries. Gregory's has GREAT french fries. It's one of my favorite things to munch on at the bar. One of the complaints I had was that the prices were a tad bit steep. The fried shrimp was about $17 which was reasonable but my meal was $24.99, and I know you can get the same meal down the street from a higher rated restaurant for a little bit cheaper. To be fair, a lot of their entrees such as Filet Mignon and Dungeness crab were also $24.99, which is cheaper than the restaurant down the road."



Lauren ate: Golden Fried Shrimp, B "Gregory's was such a nice atmosphere and has a nice menu to choose from. The soup of the day was different but surprisingly, not too bad! It was a mix of a bunch of seafood with some spices. I was worried, but it was quite tasty. I got the Golden Fried Shrimp and was not disappointed. It was very good and came out smoking hot! The sides could have used some work. The mashed potatoes were kind of bad, but the applesauce was good. Overall, I was pleased with Gregory's food just as I am with their Malibu Bay Breezes at the bar!"

The Scoop Box

So we decided to make this blog for 3 reasons: 1. it would be an excuse to go on dates and try new things, 2. most restaurants and food in Ocean City on the island really do suck, so we do want to find the best places to eat, whether its just salt water taffy or a full 3 course meal, and 3. it's fun. In regards to number 2, Ocean City seems to have a lot of places that serve good breakfasts, but not a lot of places that serve good dinners. It probably has something to do with it being a dry town (not many people like to have a cocktail while at breakfast), but we still want to try and rate EVERYTHING that OC has to offer, so some of you may be sick of us getting pancakes and breakfast, but hey cool out we're amateurs just having some fun. We barely go enough money as it is and breakfast is cheaper and we have limited time because of work, so we're doing what we can. We're trying to get new things and try new places that people haven't heard of before, so we're just trying to make this the best blog we can.



With that said, we took some time out of our busy schedules to get some quick ice cream last week. We went to the Scoop Box on 34th Street next to the 34th Street Market. It's part of the "new wave" of ice cream places on the middle of the island after the Dairy Queen and another-sellout-ice-cream-place-to-be-reviewed-later closed up. It wasn't bad, we both enjoyed it. They have a lot of different flavors I've never heard of before such as Caramel Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough and M&M's Vanilla Fudge. They served a lot of stuff from soft-serve to smoothies to an imitation Dairy Queen blizzard called the Razzle. They had a lot of seating outside which was nice and the prices were pretty cheap.

Still, it was just average and nothing to write home about. When you're looking for the best, you're sometimes going to find the average, so we're sorry if we think it was bland.

John ate: Sundae with M&M's Vanilla Fudge size small, C+

"So Lauren and I are trying to take the advice of others and try to get some signature items (even though we have done that in the past, see donuts, crab cakes, soup, and pizza, I mean we're not gonna go to a pizza place and try a hoagie for crying out loud), so instead of just getting a small ice cream I got an ice cream. It wasn't bad, but nothing outstanding. It was a good size for a small, but the whipped cream was a little bland. The M&M's Vanilla Fudge wasn't as good as I hoped, but it was still sweeter and a little different than your typical vanilla. Very good prices though."


Lauren ate: Razzle with Peaut Butter Cups, B-

"I tried to figure out what the signature item from an ice cream parlor would be. So, I decided to get something with ice cream in it. It seemed like the Razzle was a big deal. It’s basically like a Dairy Queen Blizzard. I chose vanilla ice cream and Reese’s peanut butter cups (crushed, obviously) after the young man working suggested I get the Resse’s cups. I ordered the smaller of the two sizes which was still huge!! It was pretty tasty, though. I do love Resse’s cups and it tasted pretty good with vanilla ice cream. However, it was just too big. Even though I tried to get something off the menu that wasn’t boring, it still ended up being pretty average.


BTW, EVERYONE BECOME A FAN OF US ON FACEBOOK
http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/The-Ocean-City-NJ-Restaurant-and-Boardwalk-Blog/122999537745505?ref=ts

Pure Tacos

Preface: As mentioned in the previous post, John went to Villanova University, the finest academic institution in the entire world. While at Villanova, John was introduced to the awe-inspiring burritos of Chipotle Mexican Grill. Chipotle: God's gift of the burrito to the world, also the second religion next to Catholicism at Villanova. If only they had something quite like it on the Ocean City boardwalk......


Review: As mentioned in the above preface, John has an obsession with Chipotle. So, when he saw Pure Tacos next to the Surf Mall on the OC boardwalk he knew he had to get there sooner than later. Well, we went this past week for lunch after we went to the waterpark.

Pure Tacos sort of has the same look as Chipotle, it has a red facade and the sign kind of even looks like Chipotle to where if you glanced real quickly, you'd think it was Chipotle. It just opened this past summer, and sadly, it is not Chipotle, but it's not all bad. We know one of the workers there and while we were talking to her we managed to talk to the owners. They only serve tacos and nachos (but they have breakfast tacos which we need to try). Apparently the only reason why they serve tacos is that everything they serve is gluten free and since burritos require large tortillas, they'd have to get tortillas with gluten in them because for whatever reason, you can't make large tortillas without gluten.

Anyway, since there are no burritos, it sort of is more like Baja Fresh, the tacos are similar. It's also kind of expensive as well. Two tacos are about $5-6. We also agreed that the tacos weren't bad, but something was missing.


John ate: Classic Chicken Taco, C+ "I was hoping for a new awakening for a Chipotle styled establishment on the boardwalk, but I should have known better. It wasn't bad, but something was lacking. There was like no kick to the chicken and there was no spice or flavor. It seemed like it tasted like nothing but salsa too. I didn't hate it and I can imagine it's the best taco place in Ocean City, but the lack of taste and the high price can't allow me to give this place a higher rating than a C+"

Lauren Ate: Classic Chicken Taco, B- "I never had a taco before IN MY LIFE. So, this was the first taco experience and I actually thought it was pretty decent. It seemed a little bland, like something was missing. However, I don't have much to compare to. It's on the boardwalk and it's not pizza or fries, which can be a good thing!"

Ready's Coffee Shop

Prior to kicking off our Fourth of July Festivities, we decided to have a fun-filled Ocean City day that consisted of breakfast, lunch, the beach, and Gillian's Water Wonderland water park. Neither of us had gone to the water park for a couple of years, so we figured we'd try to have some fun and go. The water park is still pretty awesome.

So the for breakfast we went to a little place called Ready's Coffee Shop. Neither of us had heard of it before, but our friend Christine was raving about it, so we decided to check it out. It is located on 6th street right off of Asbury and has a cool red neon sign which is kind of hidden by a tree, so its sort of hard to find if you're not looking for it

While we both agreed it wasn't the best breakfast place we've been to on the island, it was pretty good. It has the feeling of an old school diner from like 50 years ago which was kind of cool. Also, it was extremely cheap. Lauren got the short stack aka 2 huge pancakes for only $3.75. The entire bill including tip was about $11. Even though the prices are cheap, the service was a little slow. Maybe that was just because as they say "fresh food takes longer to cook", but the service could have been a little better. Another thing we both agreed on was they gave us like the smallest glasses for our drinks. They looked like toy glasses for a 3 year old, but even a 3 year old would get thirsty after drinking from such a small glass.



John ate: Egg White Omelet with Rye Toast, B- "Omelets were recommended to me by our friend Christine, so I figured I'd try one out. Back in my college days (a whole 2 months ago) at Villanova they used to have the best ham and cheese egg white omelets. Ready's was good, just not as good as what I got at Nova. The omelet had a nice proportion of ham and cheese, but it was cooked all right, but it just seemed a little mediocre. I felt like it could have been more fresh somehow. I was also pretty turned off by the service and the really really small glasses for drinks, but you can't beat the price. I'd definitely go again if I was looking for a cheap breakfast, maybe in the winter when more things are closed."


Lauren ate: Short Stack (2 large pancakes) and bacon, B "I was expecting a lot after it was recommended to us, but I was slightly let down. The pancakes were very tasty, the bacon was average restaurant bacon. The apple juice was so tiny! I was not impressed with the service either. I'd rather go somewhere else for breakfast, but if you're around Ready's and on a budget, it's definitely worth stopping in."

Happy Fourth of July!!!!

Happy Fourth of July from John and Lauren! We hope you spent your Fourth of July watching the fireworks in Ocean City, NJ, or least somewhere at the Jersey shore!

Aunt Betty's Ice Cream Shack

After our visit to Wildwood we scrambled to find a place open for ice cream. Ice cream in OC is kind of sad topic for John at least. 2 of the best places to go were closed down about 3-4 years ago: the Dairy Queen on 34th street, and another classic ice cream place that sold out and moved to a smaller location in Sea Isle which will be featured on this blog and will get a scathing review for moving.

But change isn't necessarily a bad thing. When one thing goes away, another thing comes in to take it's place. Well the fine people from Uncle Bill's Pancake House might have found the replacement by creating it's sister (wife?) establishment Aunt Betty's Ice Cream Shack. Aunt Betty's is featured in two locations like Uncle Bill's, one at 21st and Asbury and another at 40th and West. It's beach themed with lots of flowers in front that will make you feel like you're in Hawaii or on some tropical island. Inside, they have a big chalkboard that lists all these different beach themed ice cream sundaes. We went to the one on 21st street, where they have a wooden outdoor deck for you to sit.

we both agreed, it was pretty awesome.

John ate: Bear Foot Brownie with Hot Fudge, A- "I had been to Aunt Betty's numerous times before but I always compared it to other places and I was never that impressed. Well tonight I loved it. The Bear Foot Brownie is a brownie and chocolate swirl mixed in vanilla ice cream. It was excellent. I can't wait to go back and try some more stuff.

Lauren ate: "The Sandman"-vanilla soft serve with crushed vanilla wafers and Swedish Fish, B+, "Upon finding out it was a kid's dish, I decided to get it anyway and was glad I did! The vanilla wafers crushed up gave it an interesting texture and taste. The swedish fish were a little excessive, but it's a kid's sundae, so i understand why there were so many of them. However the fish make the ice cream a little fruity tasting which was very good. It was perfect size for me too. I also LOVED the umbrella! The cutest little sundae ever!"

SHOUT OUT: Great White Roller Coaster in Wildwood

So Lauren and I took in a nice evening shedding our Ocean City roots while dodging tram cars in Wildwood. The Doo-Wop capital of the world with the widest beach ever where it takes you close to 6 hours to actually reach the ocean.

We didn't get any food there, but we did walk on the boardwalk. We're more OC people obviously, but Wildwood has some cool stuff; 3 amusements parks as opposed to two, boardwalk games where you can win prizes, and alcohol/bars, so we're making our first shout out to something awesome on Jersey shore that we think needs recognition.



(As told by John) On the southern most amusement park there's a wooden roller coaster called Great White. Lauren recommended it because she used to ride it when she was younger. Well, it was really awesome. I was shocked that it was so good. First off, one ride is about 8 bucks but it's a long ride in duration, so you get your money's worth. Secondly, it launched you right from the start from the starting point. It's a pretty fast ride from the beginning of the ride all the way to end. I am shocked you kind a roller coaster like this on any boardwalk, I'd expect it to be at some place like Great Adventure. So if you find yourself in Wildwood, check it out.

EXTRA: Down to the Wire Sports Blog

Hey everyone,

John's friend Dave is giving them some extra promotion about our blog on his sports blog "Down to the Wire".

Check it out sometime it's pretty good.

http://dttwsports.blogspot.com/

Brown's

Last week for breakfast we went to Brown's on the boardwalk. It's located alllll the way at the beginning of the boardwalk near 2nd street. So if you wanted to wake up early and go straight from breakfast to the beach, you could do it at Brown's. The inside is pretty cool because it has high wooden ceilings. There definitely is there is a feeling that you're right on the beach, so we loved the atmosphere. The service was great too.

One of the things that Brown's is known for is their homemade doughnuts. There actually was a pretty long line outside for people just there to get doughnuts. We both shared one and would like try it again. Overall, Brown's is a good place and we recommend anyone to check it out. You won't find the atmosphere anywhere else on the island, considering that the beach is 10 feet away.
















John ate: Belgian Waffle: B, Sausage: B-, Doughnut: B+, "The waffle was good and the sausage was just average, but the doughnut was really good. It was warm and fresh and wasn't your typical cake doughnut. It had a soft center while the outside was crispy and covered with sugar and was covered in a vanilla icing. There is no place on the island with the atmosphere like Brown's, but I think I've had a better and a better doughnut elsewhere".

Lauren ate: Panckes: A-, Bacon: B, Toast and Eggs: A-, Doughnut A-, : "I'm typically not a breakfast person, but I really enjoyed Brown's. Everything was really good. One of my pieces of bacon was too crispy, but the other piece was perfect. Overall, I give it an A-"

Sindia Restaurant

It's restaurant week in Ocean City!!! Obviously since we are bloggers, we had to take part in one of the deals, so we decided to go to the Sindia Restaurant.
Sindia restaurant is a restaurant on Atlantic Ave around 7th street. It is named after the old shipwreck off of Ocean City.

We were looking for "fine dining", and unfortunately, we did not get it. It's not that the place was bad, we both left very satisfied with our meal. The inside of the restaurant was very nice as well. It was still your typical Ocean City restaurant: mediocre service, mediocre meal, plastic bread basket, etc. The service wasn't that great. To be fair, our waiter was a young kid and it took him a little long to wait on us and take our order, but it wasn't nearly good enough service to be considered "fine dining".

John ate: Italian Wedding Soup B+, 6 oz. Strip Steak with corn and mashed potatoes B-, Chocolate Cream Pie B: "Starting off, the Italian Wedding Soup was actually pretty excellent. It was distinctly flavored with a nice spice and the meatballs in it were very flavorful. The strip steak was also pretty good, it was nicely seasoned. However, I found as if it was just an ordinary steak that you could cook on the grill at home and I'd rather do that then spend the money in a restaurant. The corn and mashed potatoes were nothing great either, I could have made them at home. The chocolate Cream Pie was good as well, but again, I could have found something just as good at home.


















Lauren Ate: Manhattan Clam Chowder B, Fried Flounder with corn and mashed potatoes B, Brownie C: "The clam chowder was actually pretty good, I had never had clam chowder before and I liked it. The fried flounder wasn't bad as well. However, the brownie wasn't very good. They didn't have a dessert menu and the waiter just read off the desserts. He never mentioned that the brownie had nuts in it. Had I known that, I never would have gotten the brownie. As John said, it wasn't bad, I left satisfied, but it was mediocre and I could have just gotten something equally good at home"


















We started this blog to find a restaurant on the island (or like right across the bridges) that we could consider "fine dining", some place we could get dressed up and go to or celebrate a birthday or anniversary at and get a great meal. Sindia Restaurant was not that. I guess we're blind to the fact that people go there that just spend the day in OC or are possibly renting or staying at a hotel. We are starting to realize that Sindia Restaurant/OC restaurants are just places for families and young kids that want a quick meal that's adequate. Sindia Restaurant would be perfect for that. You'd leave very satisfied. However, we want more. We want a great restaurant with great service, great atmosphere, and great food. We still haven't found it yet, and we are still looking.

Shriver's Gelato

The other night we went on the boardwalk and tried some Shriver's Gelato. It's an ice cream place next to Shriver's on 9th streets (the place that makes salt water taffy). It's a nice place inside and they have a variety of gourme flavors. For instance, we tried a sample of Chocolate Ginger (which wasn't that great). The gelato was pretty good. They allow you to get 2 different flavors in one cup or 3 different flavors in a cup depending on how much you want to get. We both opted for 2 scoops. We both thought it was very good.

John ate: 1 scoop Peanut Butter Cup and 1 scoop Cookie Crunch, B, "The cookie crunch was good but it seemed a little too plain and the vanilla ice cream in it was a little weird tasting. The peanut butter cup was very good. However, I wouldn't have wanted to get just 2 scoops of it because the peanut butter was a little strong in it. I also kind of wish they gave me a bigger portion. Any other ice cream place gives you 2 big scoops, not just 2 small scoops".

Lauren ate: 2 Scoops Fruiti Di Bosco, B, "It was pink and pretty and really good! It was nice to have something different than just normal ice cream. It almost seemed like a combination of water ice and ice cream."

Overall, we both liked it. If you're looking for a little something different than normal ice cream, you'll like Shriver's Gelato.

Tacos at the Promenade

Aaaaaahhhhhh it's been a long time since we've updated this thing so sorry.

The last place we went to was last Friday at the Promenade next to the Water Park on the Boardwalk.



The promenade isn't exactly one specific restaurant,it's more like a food court. I've never even been there and I've been spending my summers in OC for like 22 years. I imagine though it is Shoobie central.

Anyway, we stopped at the taco stand. Lauren didn't get anything because she doesn't like taco's, but I did.
I ordered one soft taco and one hard shell taco. You had the option of ordering different flavored tortillas for the tacos, but I just stayed with regular. It was a really big soft taco, they used like a large sized tortilla and it was very filling. The hardshell taco was red, but I don't exactly know the flavor. They were average taco's. No different than any taco you would make at home. The meat was nothign special, the cheese was nothing special. The only good thing about it was the fact that it was a big soft taco. But if you're on the beach and desperate for a taco, go for it.


John's ate: Hard shell and soft shell taco, C, "I'll leave the Promenade to the shoobies."

Airport Diner

So in order to kick off this Memorial Day Weekend/start of summer, we decided breakfast was in order. We decided to go to the Airport Diner located next to the airport and golf course around 26th and Bay. Once again, another dive looking place with a not too appetizing name, but it's pretty good. I've been there before and have ordered out breakfast sandwiches there before. It's little dinner that serves just breakfast and lunch and if you're in the mood, check it out.

John ate:
Western Omellette: B, "it came with homefries and toast, but had to add american cheese to it for like an extra dollar. It was pretty good though"



Lauren ate:
Pancake with bacon: B, "It was very satisfying, but not spectacular"




BTW....GO FLYERS