Food Country Restaurant Reviews serving the Delaware Valley

Stepping in to the original Charcoal Pit location on Concord Pike in Wilmington brings a sense of 50s nostalgia. You can probably tell from the picture—it’s the kind of place that has jukeboxes at every table. Known for its burgers, milkshakes, and ice cream, Charcoal Pit originally opened in 1956, and has since expanded to three additional locations in North Delaware . The burgers come in 4 oz. or 8 oz. sizes, chargrilled, with the standard optional fixings and served on a sesame-seeded bun. Like any good burger joint should, Charcoal Pit uses only fresh ground beef. The burger’s artery-clogging partner in crime is the milkshake, which Esquire magazine named on their “67 Things Worth a Detour” list a few years back. Charcoal Pit’s milkshakes are made fresh with hand-scooped ice cream and served in frosted metal cups. If you don’t like to drink your ice cream, the menu also includes a large selection of huge sundaes named after area high schools. And if you’re feeling really adventuro...

Sonny’s, a small shop in Old City Philadelphia, isn’t one of the better-known cheesesteak places. The wall isn’t lined with press photos of celebrities who have eaten there. But they do serve excellent steaks. Unlike most of other steak shops in the area, which purchase their steak pre-sliced, Sonny’s uses freshly sliced ribeye for their cheesesteaks (check it out, the slicer is right on the counter). Sonny’s also slices their steak a little thicker than other places, and serves their steaks on a soft, chewy roll. Jeff’s Take: There are several reasons why Sonny’s is my current pick for best cheesesteak in the Delaware Valley . First off, their quality is more consistent than most other places. With a lot of the better-known cheesesteak places, it’s either hit or miss, and this gets frustrating. Second, I like that Sonny’s has thicker sliced meat—a lot of other places finely chop their meat, which occasionally results in a dry steak. Also, I prefer cheese whiz on my steak, and Sonny’s...

Mike's Take: Taqueria Morleon is a little hole in the wall Mexican Restaurant on the outskirts of Kennett Square. It is in a shopping strip next to a Capriotti's. My work colleague and I were debating on eating at the Capriotti's or trying this "quaint" Mexican restaurant. Let's just say we made the wrong decision. Taqueria Moroleon's atmosphere was adequate, having all the typically bright painted walls and Mexican flair. The lighting is a bit dim, but the atmosphere and facility is not where Taqueria Morleon stumbles. Let me start off with the highlight of the meal - The tortilla chips and salsa. Chips were good and there were 2 salsas to choose from: a mildly fresh salsa and a waterier spicy salsa. That's pretty much where the positives end, so let's move onto how this was one of my worst restaurant experiences of recent memory. The chips were ok, but the iced teas we ordered were pretty awful. My colleague described them, as "Dirty Waters....

Jeff's Take: When ordering a gyro, it’s always a good sign if there’s seasoned lamb roasting on the counter. There’s a clear difference between lamb cooked on a gyro roaster and frozen lamb strips that have been warmed up on a griddle. The former wins by a mile in the taste and texture categories—with a crispy crust and a tender interior. The latter is what you’ll get at most places that offer gyros on their menus, and it just can’t compare. Greek Lady is known for its gyros and souvlaki, and it’s a place where you can always expect to see gyro roasters in constant use. This popular eatery started out in one of the many food carts around University City , and became so successful that it moved into a much more spacious storefront on 40 th Street , between Walnut and Locust. At this point, the eatery could even expand next door—it’s usually buzzing during lunch and dinner, and it’s a madhouse late on weekend nights, when it’s open until 2 a.m. An interesting twist that Greek Lady a...

Jeff's Take: A good sandwich all starts with good meat. And when you want good meat, it’s not a bad idea to go to the source—a dependable butcher who knows his stuff. Main Line Prime, a new shop in Ardmore , PA , offers exactly that. First and foremost, it’s a high-end butcher shop. It carries an impressive mix of fresh, local, organic meats and aged cuts from across the globe. As the owner told me, “we’re not really a sandwich shop.” But Main Line Prime does sandwiches well. Really well. The shop’s menu has a selection of about a dozen sandwiches and wraps, most of which are in the $6-7 price range. The one exception is The Gladwyne, a sandwich that includes seared Kobe steak, and is priced at $99. The price tag is high because Main Line Prime uses authentic Kobe steak. Real Kobe steak is imported from Japan and comes from cattle that are fed beer and sake, and receive daily muscle massages. The result is a tender, well-marbled, and very expensive steak. While many American m...

If one were to give an out-of-towner a tour of the best food Delaware has to offer, a stop at Capriotti’s is a must. This place serves some of the best hoagies in the area—and that includes Philadelphia, which is known for having the best hoagies anywhere. The original shop, located on Union Street in Wilmington, started serving up delicious hoagies over 30 years ago. Since then, Capriotti’s has expanded to more locations around the area, as well as across the country—as far as Arizona, Nevada, and Utah. Without a doubt, the star at Capriotti’s is the turkey. While most other delis continue to use processed turkey, Capriotti’s always uses freshly roasted, pulled turkey on its hoagies. You’ll never want regular deli turkey again. In addition to the standard turkey hoagie, Capriotti’s offers The Bobbie, a highly recommended mainstay at the shop, which includes turkey, cranberry sauce, stuffing, and mayo. While Capriotti’s is most famous for its turkey hoagies, there are some other great ...