This is little place (very little) near my work. Seen it several times, but have never been in...this was a huge mistake, which I'm glad I rectified.
I decided to stop down for lunch and eventually found a parking spot (not an easy task- Pro Tip: the U-Haul next door is OK to park in front of, just don't block the garages). The diner itself was small, but clean and not cramped at all. There was some fairly odd discussion (a prostitute of mutual acquaintance of some of the patrons and genetics. Yes, really.) but it was still entertaining.
The special of the day was a Philly cheese steak. Hot and fresh, the standard toppings were cheese (provolone, I think), onions, peppers, and bacon. The roll was pretty good- ordered in from Harrison Bakery, so it was substantial without having the thick God-awful crust that a lot of rolls have. The sandwich itself was more than the roll could take (this is a good thing), which forced part of it to be eaten with a fork. Pretty sweet deal when it comes to a cheese steak. Normally, when you resort to eating one of these with a fork, it's because the roll has given up the ghost and disintegrated.
The fries were fresh out of the fryer, steaming hot and well salted. There was a fair amount of crispiness to them without an overwhelming potato flavor, but without a LACK of potato flavor.
The iced tea was good- fresh-brewed, but in a coffee pot, which gave it an unusual flavor. Not bad per se, but not exactly what I was expecting. Still: fresh brewed, nu?
I was going to get dessert, but as it turns out they only get pies in on Fridays...which is kind of a shame, but I get the reasoning. If you buy in too much that people don't order, you're going to lose money. And when you run a small restaurant, you DON'T want to lose money.
I'd go back again (and have, and have ordered from them- the fish fry is outstanding) and recommend it to pretty much everyone. It's not high end food, but it is delicious.
Sunday, April 21, 2013
Post IX - Hometown Pizza
I was here a few weeks ago, and had the fish fry. It's all take out, as there is just one table, and that appears to be mostly for people waiting. This is both a good thing and a shame. On the one hand, it'd be nice to be able to sit and eat a nice dinner without having to schlep it home to eat. On the other, having seen what happened to Pizza Man when they expanded (quality of food/service dropped quite a bit) I would feel bad if something similar happened here.
Back to the fish though. Hometown uses a batter dip rather than breading, which is always good. There are people who will argue that breading is a better way to go....I disagree. Fish fry is good either way, but better when batter dipped. There's a better crunch and the fish always seems to be moister. The roll which comes with it was store bought, but a fairly high quality- think King Hawaiian and that's about right.
Rolls and fish fry go together, but I'm not really sure why. The roll is never warm, but there is always a pat of butter in the container. This makes spreading the butter an impossibility, and I am left to fashion a sandwich out of the roll...which just makes a mess. Like I say, this roll was good...but other than a McGyvered sandwich, didn't serve much purpose. This is endemic of all fish fries and not really an indictment on Hometown.
The fries, as always, were pretty darn good. Still hot and fairly salty they were steak fry-sized. Normally these are a mistake- too large, and the potatoeyness takes over....too thin and they are all crisp and no potato. These were pretty crispy, without a lot of mush-factor.
Lastly, was the cocktail sauce. I loathe tartar sauce...it is the Devil's own condiment. This was pretty good as cocktail sauce goes...I prefer Heluva Good, but this was a pretty good homemade substitute. Could have used a squeeze of lemon juice, but was a nice spicy yin to the fish's mild yang.
I'd definitely go there again....their pizza is even better than the fish- which is saying a lot. On top of which, they have a fair amount of specialty pizzas, grilled wings, fried wings, tacos and so on.
Back to the fish though. Hometown uses a batter dip rather than breading, which is always good. There are people who will argue that breading is a better way to go....I disagree. Fish fry is good either way, but better when batter dipped. There's a better crunch and the fish always seems to be moister. The roll which comes with it was store bought, but a fairly high quality- think King Hawaiian and that's about right.
Rolls and fish fry go together, but I'm not really sure why. The roll is never warm, but there is always a pat of butter in the container. This makes spreading the butter an impossibility, and I am left to fashion a sandwich out of the roll...which just makes a mess. Like I say, this roll was good...but other than a McGyvered sandwich, didn't serve much purpose. This is endemic of all fish fries and not really an indictment on Hometown.
The fries, as always, were pretty darn good. Still hot and fairly salty they were steak fry-sized. Normally these are a mistake- too large, and the potatoeyness takes over....too thin and they are all crisp and no potato. These were pretty crispy, without a lot of mush-factor.
Lastly, was the cocktail sauce. I loathe tartar sauce...it is the Devil's own condiment. This was pretty good as cocktail sauce goes...I prefer Heluva Good, but this was a pretty good homemade substitute. Could have used a squeeze of lemon juice, but was a nice spicy yin to the fish's mild yang.
I'd definitely go there again....their pizza is even better than the fish- which is saying a lot. On top of which, they have a fair amount of specialty pizzas, grilled wings, fried wings, tacos and so on.
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