During the stretch of years when I was road-tripping around the interior of the country fairly regularly, one of the restaurant genres I always sought out when drawing up my pre-trip dining itinerary was small-town cafes and luncheonettes. There is a place called The Coffee Station that is not far from where I’ve lived forContinue reading “A Classic Small-Town Cafe Closer to Home”
Author Archives: BZ Maestro
Kibitzing in South Jersey
When New York-style Jewish deli first came to Philadelphia – around the turn of the century – one of the first delicatessens in town to feature it was a place called Kibitz in the City, which sat on the 700 block of Chestnut Street in Center City. I ate there at least a couple times,Continue reading “Kibitzing in South Jersey”
Return To The Rook
Although the Manayunk section of Philadelphia has long been known for good restaurants, I’ve spent very little time there over the years. But I made a rare venture to its narrow and steeply hilled streets to check out the cheesesteak at The Rook in early August. Some of you may recall that the steak wasContinue reading “Return To The Rook”
Memories of the 1980 NBA Finals
I’m convinced that nobody has ever loved a team more than I loved the Philadelphia 76ers of the early 1980s. I never missed a game; be it on TV, the radio, which is how one had to keep up with home games in the pre-cable era, or in person. The Sixers and Lakers faced offContinue reading “Memories of the 1980 NBA Finals”
After Weeks Without One, I Needed a Cheesesteak!
After eating at least one cheesesteak per week for a year, I felt the need to take a break from Philly’s trademark sandwich. But after a few weeks, the craving for one started to build within me until I couldn’t hold out any longer. The question was where to go to satisfy it. While IContinue reading “After Weeks Without One, I Needed a Cheesesteak!”
The Reading Terminal’s Most Overlooked Sandwich
Near the end of the post I wrote about my last visit to Philadelphia’s Reading Terminal Market, the possibility of my next stop there including a roast pork or meatball sandwich from DiNic’s was raised. I returned to the Terminal for lunch Thursday and it turned out to be the latter. I’ve enjoyed meatball sandwichesContinue reading “The Reading Terminal’s Most Overlooked Sandwich”
The Return of Dine-In at An Old-School Favorite
Relative to how it was during my youth, there aren’t that many old-school Cantonese Chinese restaurants remaining in the Philadelphia region; a fact that I’ve bemoaned here several times. So when an alarming number of those that were still around remained closed to dine-in service – only offering takeout – well after most other restaurants inContinue reading “The Return of Dine-In at An Old-School Favorite”
Going Wrapless: A Barbecue Experiment
I learned to barbecue initially by watching videos on YouTube. After viewing enough of them, I had a good idea of what the consensus methods were for smoking various cuts of meat, be it on the charcoal kettle grill I initially used or the Weber Smokey Mountain I’ve had for the past half-dozen or soContinue reading “Going Wrapless: A Barbecue Experiment”
Jollibee: Filipino Fast Food Sensation Comes to Philly
I somehow missed the local media and online buzz when Jollibee opened its first Philadelphia outlet. Fortunately for me, my friend Paul didn’t and texted photos of his food to me as he was making his way through much of their menu. One item in particular, which I’ll address below, stuck out and was theContinue reading “Jollibee: Filipino Fast Food Sensation Comes to Philly”
Bringing Variety Back To My Diet
I started a new list of restaurants to try and blog about a few nights ago, and it actually felt liberating. For the past year, I’ve been almost constantly on the lookout for my next cheesesteak, which led me to bypass lots of other foods that I like. While I enjoyed the process very muchContinue reading “Bringing Variety Back To My Diet”
BZ Maestro Eats 