Farewell Cool Dog Cafe

I woke up this morning, some 1200 miles from home, but still with the connection to Facebook, to some very sad news.

The Cool Dog Café in Cherry Hill NJ has closed their doors.

Here was the message on their Facebook page:

"COOL DOG IS CLOSED

"We are sad to inform all of you that today, Oct. 31, was the last day for Cool dog Café. As with many things, time can change people’s outlooks and desires. So it is with Cool Dog. Partners Shawn and Ira will be moving on to pursue their individual dreams. Shawn is now working with the Stephen Starr restaurants in Philly and enjoying his new culinary experience very much. Ira is working on a new venture in the area and will let you know when something is definite.

"We want to thank you for your loyalty, friendship and support over the past 5 years. A restaurant couldn’t ask for a better group of people as their customers and we’ll miss you. But we’ll be in touch. Meanwhile, have a wonderful holiday season and again, from all of us at Cool Dog Café… THANK YOU."

This came as a shock to me as it did to many folks. Not only was Cool Dog an awesome place for hot dogs, French fries, burgers, and fun - it was a place for family. And truth is that Ira and his wife in the front, Shawn in the back, and the entire staff - they were friends, and family too. Coming to Cool Dog was like coming home, like being welcomed by family.

They certainly treated us like family, through good times and bad, this was a restaurant that made everyone welcome. Every time we had friends from out of town, they always wanted to go to the Cool Dog Cafe. And I know many folks upset they won't be able to have one last dog at their favorite place.

That said, best of luck to Ira and Shawn in the future, looking forward to the next big thing from each of you. We will miss you, Cool Dog!

French Fry Diary 606: Farewell to Little Shanty

There's nothing more heartbreaking for a foodie like me than when a favorite restaurant closes. It's even worse when it's someplace that you can't get to on a regular basis to support them if they're not doing well, because hell, you would be in there every day if you could. Such is the case with Little Shanty in Warren NJ.

I love this place. I've only been there three times, and I love this place. You want the best onion rings and some awesome fries? Here they are. Great burgers, shakes, desserts, and terrific service? It's all here. And sadly they will be closing this weekend.

We played hide and seek missing each other the first two times I had been to Little Shanty, but the third time was a charm and I finally met the owner, Jonathan Lidz. He's a great friendly guy, full of enthusiasm and has his heart in the right place - and knows his fries (a big plus as far as this blog is concerned), but he just couldn't make it work at that location. Jonathan has hopes to re-open at a new location. Let's hope it's closer than an hour and a half away.

If you want to stop by in the next few days and experience great food and service, please do while you can. Little Shanty cannot be beat. Please check out the website, the Facebook page, and the Twitter for re-opening news, and look back on my reviews of Little Shanty here, here and here. Thank you, Jonathan, and hoping for the best for you.

A Battered Tartan - Temporarily Closed

Shame, but looking forward to going back when they're back in business. You can check out my review from 2012 here, and their website here.

French Fry Diary 425: Wildfire BBQ Co. Breakfast

On our previous two visits to the Wildfire BBQ Co. in Stratford NJ, one of which I've written about here, we had heard lots of good things about their breakfast, both from folks who worked there, and were eating there. So the next time friends came in to visit, we went to breakfast.

We were really the only folks there the Saturday morning we visited, a party ahead of us were picking up. There was quite a wait, and in their favor, there was only a waitress and a cook in attendance. The Bride and our two friends were impatient and not happy with their meal if I'm being honest, but it should be noted in the defense of the folks at Wildfire, everyone at the table cleaned their plates completely. Of the four of us, and yes, I'm in the minority, I liked it. It wasn't perfect, far from it, but I liked it. Any problems with the food could have been remedied by just asking for the food differently (i.e. more well done, less well done, over easy, etc.).

I went simple. Hash browns and bacon. The hash browns were standard shredded potatoes, possibly from the freezer, but also possibly fresh - I didn't ask. They could have been a bit crisper, but then again, I could have ordered them that way. Same thing with the overdone bacon. It wasn't burnt, just cooked more than I usually would have liked. The potatoes also could have used some more seasoning - but there again, I could add that at the table. I enjoyed my meal. The rest of my party expressed disappointment. I would go back, I will go back. I liked it, and recommend the Wildfire breakfast. Check it out.

Postscript: Since writing this blog entry a couple months ago, the Wildfire BBQ Co. has sadly closed. The rumor is that they will still be doing catering. You can check out the website here.

French Fry Diary 396: The Friar's Nook, Magic Kingdom

This place has haunted me since our last visit to Walt Disney World. I had gotten a few recommendations for the homemade potato chips at this window in the wall counter service place in the Magic Kingdom called The Friar's Nook. When I looked it up I saw they also had Teriyaki chicken nuggets and that sounded great to me so I figured I had to try it. Sadly the night we finally made it to the Magic Kingdom, it rained very hard and many places, The Friar's Nook included, had closed down for the night. I determined to get there next time.

Here's next time (this was in March). As you can see from the photo, they are closed. I asked a Cast Member who told me that The Friar's Nook is only open during the summer (and apparently when it's not raining as well). As I stood there in disbelief with sweat pouring off of me, it took a serious reality check for me to realize that in Florida, just because it's ninety-six degrees out, that doesn't mean it's summer. I raised my fists to sky and shouted "Friar's Nook!" William Shatner style. I will have you and your homemade potato chips someday, this I swear...