Manoa Shopping Center in Havertown has always been a destination for the finest in mediocre dining including Manoa Diner & Deli (it’s neither), Applebee’s, Shogun 3 (sushi rolls are half price at lunch), some Chinese place called Szechuan Lei Lei in the back (guess it wasn’t good enough to be in the front), Manhattan Bagel and Bravo Pizza. But wait! Saigon Harbor opened about 6 months ago where the Verlo Mattress store was (next to Citizens Bank). You wouldn’t even know there a murder took place there a few years (it was a domestic incident… Havertown is safe!).

The only killings taking place these days are your diets. This place has delicious food and while it lacks the spice of the Vietnamese restaurants in South Philly, it sure beats driving down to 11th and Washington. The bubble tea comes in various flavors and the wide straws really make shooting the tapioca balls at your dining partners quite tempting (haven’t done it… place is too nice, plus Candace kept ducking).

Appetizers are all delicious… I love the summer rolls with the peanut dipping sauce. The stuffed grape leaves appetizer and the meatball appetizer definitely aren’t what you’ll get in a diner, so you may want to pass on those. They have a funky taste (I like it, but I eat anything). The soup (pho) portions (between $7 and $9) are a nice size, and you’ll have enough leftover for the next day. I tried the seafood soup (great) and the beef soup (think I’ll pass on the tendons next time… too fatty) and loved it. The selection of entrees is extensive and all quite flavorful!

Every time we’ve been here, the waiters have been friendly and the service perfect. They also seem to be doing a nice take-out business, but they seem to guard their website like it was a matter of national security. Give Saigon Harbor a shot! If you don’t like it, McDonalds is also up the road.

1501 West Chester Pike
Havertown, PA 19083
(484) 454-5105
Website: who knows?

Today’s adventure brought my buddy Mark Zacckey from Sunoco to this wonderful diner in Malvern on Lancaster Avenue (Route 30). (Don’t confuse this with the Frazer Diner down the road… eat there at your own risk!)

Calling this a diner is like calling a steakhouse a hamburger joint. The food here is excellent, the portions are big and the prices a hair on the high side. The prices on their website are outdated and you can expect to pay about 10% more than what’s shown. The menu offers a selection for any palette. Breakfast is served all day, and the omelets at the neighboring table looked appetizing, but they didn’t offer us a taste. Mark went Mexican on me with quesadillas for $13. He couldn’t finish them off. I, on the other hand, managed to down a delicious Angus burger with mushrooms, provolone and avocado for about $13. Don’t order this if you’re with someone you want to impress… it gets messy quickly! Service is adequate – hey, it’s still a diner.

The seating areas are chopped up and you will be sitting in close quarters, so this isn’t the place for privacy or claustrophobics. While neither one of us experienced any parking issues, the lot is small. After talking to some of the folks there, they say that the Classic Diner does get packed, so either call ahead or be prepared to wait.

Today’s lunch brought the gang to the New Orleans Café, now located on Chichester Road in Boothwyn, just minutes off of I-95. I’ve followed them from Eddystone (where the food was fantastic) to Media (where the food and service was awful) to their current location. I’m happy to say that they’ve comeback to their original high standards, and then some! The menu still has the Cajun favorites like jambalaya, blackened chicken, crawfish tails, po boys and more.

I dined with the gang from Sunoco Race Fuels. I strongly recommend fasting for a day before tackling this restaurant. A few of us started off with the Chicken and Andouille Gumbo… thick and rich. Go with the cup as the bowl will fill you up before the entrée. I had the Breakfast Burger (big burger, carmelized onions, cheddar cheese, bacon and an over-easy egg) while the others ordered the Jambalaya Salad… a huge bowl filled with onions, peppers, sausage, chicken and shrimp on a bed of lettuce and rice with a honey mustard. I was rooting for Deanna Fletcher to keep up with the others, but she couldn’t make it. We’ll have to practice with her so she can finish it next time! On the menu, there’s a peanut butter burger. None of us had the willingness to give it a shot, so if someone is feeling adventurous, let us know!

The only warning is that the place looks closed when you drive by. It’s in a relatively nondescript strip center with poor signage. If you do go in, you’ll be pleasantly surprised. Excellent food, plentiful portions, and great prices!

UPDATE: THE PLACE CLOSED LIKE IT ALWAYS SEEMS TO EVERY FEW YEARS. STAY TUNED… YOU NEVER KNOW WHERE THIS PLACE WILL POP UP!

From my buddy, Joe Fruhman, now in NYC at Sloan-Kettering working his marketing magic after years at the Rothman Institute in Philly. Joe is one of the few guys I know who would venture anywhere for a good lunch…

When a place has a sandwich called The Monster that claims to be NYC’s largest sandwich, you know you found a place worth reviewing for Lunch With Larry. So it is with great excitement I present the first in a series of reviews from the Big Apple.

Sarge’s Deli is a mid-town institution.  Popular with local businesses’ for their catering, Sarge’s has an extensive menu  and delivers 24/7.  Opened in the 60’s, the deli itself is a humble spot with a takeaway counter and a few comfortable booths.  Service is always excellent and quick.

Every lunch comes with your choice of a salad or soup.  Can’t go wrong with the Matzo ball. A large bowl of pickles and coleslaw is given to your table as well…but pace yourself.  A full sandwich will easily feed two; ½ sandwich options are a good bet for lunch, accompanied by your choice of a huge serving of fries or potato salad.  Go with the potato salad.

The quality and portions are top notch.  The corned beef and pastrami are tender and flavorful; not too fatty, not too lean. Reminiscent of Katz’s; better than Harold’s (sorry Larry, although Harold’s still reigns supreme when it comes to portion size). The turkey breast is also worth a try – never dry, great with the house spicy mustard.

“Healthier” options are just as filling and flavorful.  The salads consist of a heaping of meat over a bowl of greens; I didn’t even touch the lettuce when I ordered the Chef Salad.  If you go the salad route, split it and ask for an extra bowl or two to mix it up right.

Joe’s Bottom Line: Sarge’s Satisfies… if you find yourself in mid-town east and are looking for an authentic deli at a reasonable price, Sarge’s is as good as they get.

548 3rd Avenue (between 36th and 37th Streets)

New York, NY 10016

(212) 679-0442 or (877) SARGES-1

Barb and I were coming back from a press check at Anro, when we decided to have lunch. Never one to pass on an opportunity to try new places, we heard about some new Vietnamese place in the Marketplace Shopping Center on West Chester Pike and Route 352 in Westtown (West Chester for anyone using MapQuest), right near Burger King.

This area isn’t exactly Washington Avenue in South Philly, but the sign says “Authentic Vietnamese Cuisine” – so who are we to argue? The shopping center is semi-empty, but nothing stands in the way of a good lunch. Bamboo has been open here for about a year. Their original location in Malvern is still going strong after 10 years.

The place was empty except for the two of us, but the nice waitress assured us that they get busy at night. We shared grilled chicken rolls to start with, which were quite tasty and not greasy at all. For the main course, we went for the noodle soups. The last time Barb had this type of soup, she said it resembled water that was used to wash the dishes. Fortunately, that wasn’t the case!

I had the old favorite #25 (Seafood Noodle Soup) and Barb had the #30 (Wonton and Roasted Pork Noodle Soup). Noticing the lost look on our faces, the waitress explained the type of sauces that came with the meal. Lunch was rather tasty and we shall return! For those who are hungrier, there’s a Dairy Queen a few doors down.

If you’re looking for a healthy dose of Southern home cooking, and don’t mind a drive to Atlantic City, loosen your belt and head down the shore to Kelsie and Kim’s. We did our annual trek (it takes a year to work off the calories) and started off with the fried catfish appetizer and an order of corn bread. Every dinner also comes with a salad, so it’s important to pace yourself! WIth eight of us, we couldn’t get a reservation until 8:30, so the crab cakes and salmon were sold out, but there were plenty of other great choices. The pulled BBQ pork sandwich rivaled anything I’ve had… ask them to leave the bread roll off. The macaroni and cheese is to die for (and if you eat enough of it, you increase your odds). The candied yams, the collard greens, and mashed potatoes were all excellent and tasty.

Service was attentive and our waitress had a great sense of humor. Also, the place was sparkling clean.

They brew their own sweet tea. I couldn’t get enough of it and ended up drinking almost 2 pitchers full single-handedly. The only other option was having it in an IV tube, but I think you’d lose the taste. Walking back to the car, you could almost hear the ocean waves, but I think it was the tea in my stomach splashing around. For dessert, they have the Red Velvet Cake and fancy cheesecakes, of which most are brought in from Junior’s in Brooklyn. You can’t go wrong at this place!