Spring Break Northern Excursion

Spring Break Northern Excursion

My “Spring” Break rarely comes in spring, but I’ll take time off when I can get it. As I had not set foot in my home state in several years, my wife and I ventured north to New Jersey for a few days in early March, stopping along the way in Delaware to visit some friends. Here are but a few places we took in along the way.

Marchese Italian Market

Located at 1700 Pleasure House Road in Virginia Beach, Marchese Italian Market serves appetizers, salads, coffee drinks, panini, and pasta dishes from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. every day except Sunday. Sliced meats, cheeses, and baked goods are also available for purchase.

The last time we passed through Virginia Beach, we got a good laugh from the dueling Baptist churches on Pleasure House Road. This time, we decided to actually explore said thoroughfare. Marchese Italian Market made us glad that we did.

Though not a large space, Marchese feels cozy rather than cramped. Signed soccer jerseys and other memorabilia cover the walls, and wines, meats, and cakes are prominently displayed. The owner made us feel welcome and told us she had made some fresh minestrone soup, making a tough decision (everything on the menu sounded good) even tougher.

In the end, my wife and I split an order of rice balls and went with the minestrone with meatballs and the Parma (prosciutto, sweet red peppers, parmesan, and pesto) panini respectively. The food was neither cheap (panini are $8.20 and soup with meatballs ran north of $5) nor quick to arrive, but it was worth it. The rice balls were very cheesy, the generously sized panini balanced salty (the prosciutto) and sweet (the pepper) well, and the soup was the best minestrone I’ve ever had, rich and hearty with perfectly fluffy meatballs. An order of cannoli drizzled with chocolate sauce did not disappoint either.

Giacomo’s in Greensboro remains my gold standard for Italian markets, but for a lunch stop in northern Virginia, Marchese exceeded expectations. If you don’t mind paying and waiting a bit, you’ll walk away full and satisfied.

8/10

Yukon Korean BBQ and Sushi Bar

Located at 865 North Dupont Highway in Dover, Yukon Korean BBQ and Sushi Bar offers sushi, Japanese, and Korean fare. There is a full bar, and food and drink specials are available.

It would be unfair to categorize the whole of Delaware as a culinary wasteland, but on a Saturday night in Dover, dine-in options for a group of four were few and far between. After being quoted wait times of forty minutes to an hour at a few destinations, we decided to give Yukon a try. Though the name (an Americanization, perhaps?) suggests the Alaskan wilderness far more than pan-Asian cuisine, it made for a solid choice.

First, a few caveats. Yukon is not a traditional Korean BBQ restaurant. Though banchan (small side dishes like kim chee) are served and several Korean entrees (such as bulgogi and bimimbap) are available, they are not sizzled tableside, and a good chunk of the menu is dedicated to sushi and Japanese offerings. Next, Yukon is not cheap for what it offers. While the teriyaki and tempura offerings provided an acceptable value ($15-$16 with miso and salad included), the BBQ entrees went for $16-$20 with no such accompaniments.

Beyond that, however, Yukon offers a varied menu with plenty of options: meat or vegetarian, Japanese or Korean, hot or cold. The beef teriyaki featured thinly sliced steak with a nice char while the galbi (marinated boneless ribs) were tender, sweet, and smoky. The tempura offerings held their batter well, and the flavored martinis were a hit with those who tried them. Though things got a bit hectic as Yukon filled up, our server made a good effort to be attentive.

Were there more restaurants of its type in the vicinity, Yukon would rate as strictly an average eatery, a hit-or-miss, take-it-or-leave-it affair. However, the dearth of similar options in the area and the variety the menu affords elevates it to a must-try for Dover-area denizens on the hunt for something different.

7.5/10

Lindt Chocolate Shop

Located at 68 Palmer Square West in Princeton, Lindt sells chocolates by the bar or by the bag as well as chocolate beverages. Free samples are usually available.

If you have even the slightest appreciation for chocolate, this place is hard to pass up. The selection includes truffle flavors not usually found in stores (or not year-round, anyway), and you can cobble together your own custom bag. Yes, it can be pricy, but taking advantage of sales can take some of the sting away. Moreover, the staff at this location were welcoming and free of snobbery.

Obviously, becoming a regular here would be detrimental to wallet and health alike, but for those who visit Princeton every once in a while, this should be a regular stop.

8.25/10

D’Angelo Italian Market

Located at 35 Spring Street in Princeton, D’Angelo Italian Market offers sandwiches, salads, pizzas, pasta dishes, desserts, and more. Catering is available, and there is a full-service butcher.

D’Angelo is an indecisive person’s nightmare, which is to say that it offers many, many delicious-sounding options. I’ve enjoyed their sandwiches in the past, but during a recent visit, my wife and I decided to try pizza. The Parmense (red sauce, prosciutto, arugula, mozzarella, and parmesan) was savory and salty while the Parmigiana (red sauce, eggplant, basil, mozzarella, and parmesan) was refreshing and not the least bit soggy. This isn’t cheap pizza ($3-plus a slice for the Parmense), but you get what you pay for.

For as good as the food and the selection are here, D’Angelo has some definite drawbacks. Seating is limited and inadequate given the volume of dine-in customers. The pizzamaker on duty also seemed surly, and I’ve gotten a brusque vibe from sandwich staff in the past.

If you know what you want and take-out is an option, D’Angelo is a blessing. But if you have to eat in, be prepared for some trade-offs along with your likely-to-be very tasty food.

7.75/10

Chen’s 22

Located at 901 Mountain Avenue in Springfield, NJ, Chen’s 22 offers pan-Asian cuisine for lunch and dinner seven days per week. Sushi is offered (including an all you can eat option on select nights), and lunch specials are available.

Years ago, one of the first jobs I ever held was located a few doors down from this longstanding Springfield institution, and I would sometimes head over on lunch breaks. Since then, Chen’s has added Japanese and Thai offerings to its repertoire, but its Chinese dishes remain satisfying if unspectacular.

Chen’s is not a big restaurant, but it is more spacious than its narrow storefront suggests. Go when it isn’t busy, and service is generally on-point. Our group of five hadn’t long to wait for hot tea or any of our food.

Speaking of the food, they execute competently here (nothing over or undercooked, no missing components, no excesses of grease or salt), but the flavors tend to be a bit muted. Our group went with sweet and sour pork, General Tsao’s chicken, a Szechuan beef dish, a Cantonese seafood dish, and New Year’s coins (coin-shaped pasta). Everything was several notches better than the run-of-the-mill takeout that is so ubiquitous down south, and the coins were something I haven’t encountered elsewhere. Just the same, several of the dishes that were supposed to be spicy definitely could have used more heat.

Since Hunan Spring’s unfortunate decline, Chen’s 22 has emerged by default as a go-to Chinese destination for return visits to New Jersey. The prompt service, balanced menu, and tasty (if toned-down) offerings make that far from a bad thing.

7.75/10