Red Lion Diner

Diners are getting to be a theme on this blog. The Red Lion Diner is another of my favorites. It is located in Red Lion, New Jersey, USA, on the south west part of the traffic circle where Routes 206 and 70 meet. This is more or less the middle of New Jersey.

I’ve been visiting this place since the early 1990’s. It’s been remodeled a couple of times, expanded, and yet it still serves great food in a hurry. One of my favorites is the club sandwich. When you get one here, this is what they bring to the table:

Mayo is automatically on the side. Check out those Jersey Tomatoes and crispy bacon. Right on. My wife eats more reasonably than I do, ordering a chef salad and this is what arrived:

That is a work of art, my friends. All ingredients are “field fresh” in my opinion. They also have good chili here, french fries that are perfect, and a decent burger. So, maybe you’re passing through on the way to Cape May or elsewhere. Whatever the case, you’ll have a good meal here.

Published in: on August 28, 2008 at 12:59 pm  Leave a Comment  
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Classic Breakfast

Regular readers of The Bent Page know that breakfast is my favorite meal. (Actually, I enjoy every meal but I had to pick one as number one and breakfast took the spot.) Well, one of my favorite places to have breakfast, aside of my kitchen table, is The Classic Diner in Malvern, Pennsylvania, USA. This place is the hands down winner for breakfast foods diner-style in my range of artery-plugging places.

The Classic Diner is located on Route 30. You can’t miss it because there’s always two dozen cars parked in the lot and a line of people out the door. I sneak in here about once every ten days when I’m in the area. Back to the food. When you order a plate of scrambled eggs with bacon and rye toast, this is what they present at your table.

I actually started whaling on that before taking the photo, so I apologize for the mess. Trust me, the presentation is fantastic. This is not your average diner. The Classic has it’s own line of bacon that you can see there, which they cut about 1/8 inch thick and slow fry on the griddle. It is smoky, chewy, and delicious. The potatoes are also excellent, not the usual re-fried been on the side since 4AM kind.

Perhaps the most amazing thing about this place is that the prices are only about one or two dollars more per plate than your run of the mill diner. Given that the service is as good as any elegant supper spot, the quality of the food equally high, and the quantity enough to stuff two people from every plate, the value can not be beat. Did I mention they bake their own breads which are for sale by the loaf? Did I mention they bake their own sticky buns for the table or take away? Did I mention you could eat yourself into oblivion here?

Thus, if you’re in the Philadelphia area, don’t miss The Classic Diner. (In a couple of months I’ll post about their cheeseburgers. Just take your favorite cut of steak and make it into a burger. Yes, that good.)

Published in: on August 27, 2008 at 12:03 pm  Leave a Comment  
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Casa Vieja and the Bandeja Paisa

Lately I’ve been looking for a new place in Aruba to secure the massive Bandeja Paisa platter. I have my old standby joint in San Nicolaas, but I wanted to reach out for another version. After inquiring amongst my local friends they informed me that the place to go was called Casa Vieja, which is located about two minutes from the airport. My wife and I rolled in there yesterday, much to our delight.

As the name implies, the restaurant is in an old house. The covered area in front features tables. Through the double door is a small counter with a few stools, but the temperature inside will chase you out. I was happy to discover that the fellow operating this place used to have La Finca, a restaurant in the middle of Oranjestaad that has since passed to other hands. I remembered him from there but had never sampled his version of the bandeja. So I ordered and waited.

Lo and behold! The platter arrived at my table in all its glory. Here is a photo.

This is one way to fill the bottomless pit. For those of you not familiar with Colombian food, let me list what comes with this dish. A slice of flank steak, one egg fried hard, a piece of salchicha (sausage), chicharron (think a hunk of fried bacon), an arepa, a smashed and fried piece of plantain, small cole slaw-like salad, rice, beans (not shown), a slice each of avocado and tomato, and a wedge of lime. That’s a massive amount of food. I ate nearly everything aside of the avocado because I just don’t like it. The rest pretty much went down the hatch. I was full beyond breakfast the next day. Flavor was outstanding, including the hot sauce (also not shown) served on the side. Here I am with the owner.

Yes, I worked up a sweat eating that plate of food. As you have come to expect, I cooled down with an ICE-COLD Coca-Cola, the perfect thing to settle the gut after such punishment. If you get to Aruba, like Colombian food, and want to have it done right, give Casa Vieja a try.

Published in: on August 20, 2008 at 10:31 am  Leave a Comment  
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The New Pueblito Paisa, Aruba

If you’re looking for stick to your ribs kind of food, there’s a place in San Nicolaas, Aruba called The New Pueblito Paisa. This restaurant is operated by a nice Colombian woman who I’ve gotten to know over the years. The food, as you would expect, is Colombian, including the famous Bandeja Paisa platter, oxtail soup, and homemade fruit drinks. It’s on a corner of Helfrichstraat.

With an exterior painted like that, it’s hard to miss. I sat at the counter for many hours, writing, learning Spanish from the waitresses, and watching the people come and go. Pueblito is very popular with the refinery workers who phone in their orders. The best time for lunch is about 11:15, right before the big rush, or after 1:00 when it is over. Either way, the food will fill you up. For example, the other day I ordered the lomito platter, which is a steak pounded flat, grilled and sauced. It comes with fries, rice and a small salad. I took the photo after the salad was gone.

That was tasty! Filled me up for the rest of the day. The Chuleta Colombiana is a pork chop pounded flat, battered and fried. The batter has enough garlic to last three days. Excellent. Again, this isn’t the place if you’re worried about cholesterol or salt. But, if you’re working hard these meals will give you the energy to keep going. Of course, my desert is the beloved, and ice-cold, Coca Cola.

Notice that plate in the background is about wiped clean. More important, that can of Coca-Cola is frosty cold, exactly as it should be. Never accept less.

Published in: on August 16, 2008 at 10:24 am  Leave a Comment  
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