If you ever happen to be in Rahway to visit a friend in prison, or just got lost off of Exit 13 of the Turnpike, have I got a place for you! Cubano is definitely more of an upscale restaurant (not to be confused with El Cuscatleco) with easy parking and a delicious menu. Last time we were here, we had a delicious dinner with mango mojitos (wow, were they good!). For lunch, my buddy Leslie and I indulged on sandwiches. Leslie had their Cubano sandwich (pork with ham and Swiss cheese, topped with pickles and mustard) and I ordered a wrap with flank steak. Both come with fries, but not the real crispy ones you get at the Penrose Diner. Needless to say, we both waddled our way to the car and drove back to Linden, New Jersey.

For dinner, they have a wide range of entrees, all in the $20 range. Yes, we’ve had dinner here as well!  Food is great, serving sizes are on the large size… what more could you ask for? They have late night hours too!

It was a hot day in beautiful Upper Darby and I’m heading down Garrett Road in my blue minivan toward the subway terminal. Two fortuitous things happened at once: (1) a new restaurant –  and even better (2) a parking spot with money on the meter.

I parked in front of this little place that opened about 2 months ago called “El Cuscatleco” which means something in Spanish… I just have no idea what and didn’t ask. The restaurant is rather sparse and specializes in Salvadorian and Mexican food. The woman who owns it sure didn’t spend money on the décor, but the food is definitely not from your local Taco Bell!

The wait was minimal, especially since I was the only one in the place. We had a little problem with the language as they didn’t speak English and I don’t speak Spanish, but nothing stands between me and my lunch.

I ended up with two Pupasas. It’s a Salvadorean appetizer which is a thick pancaked- size tortilla filled with cheese plus a side of cabbage salad. The sauce on the salad would put hair on a bald guy.  All in all, it wasn’t bad. Will this place survive? I have no idea, but I’m willing to give it another shot. They have Honduran specials at night, but I need to take someone who speaks Spanish with me. Definitely won’t be my wife.

Well, what can I say? Whenever there’s an opportunity to squeeze in lunch, count me in! This time I was in Bala Cynwyd with Candace, and was craving corned beef from some place new. We were heading to B101 to record some radio spots for TOTAL Lubricants. Katz’s Deli Kitchen happened to be on the first floor. All I can say is that if you want corned beef while driving in the Clty Line Avenue area, along, cut over to Montgomery Avenue until you hit Murray’s or Hymie’s.

Meanwhile, back at Katz’s, we thought this was the perfect opportunity to give their Reubens a try. Bad move. The bread was loaded with butter, the corned beef was chopped, not sliced and heated, not fresh – and believe it or not, they charge an extra dollar for lean meat! C’mon folks… for $10, you can put a thicker slice of Swiss cheese on top.The pizza fries were disappointing and limp… if they ever made Viagra for food, this is the place to test it.

Another group that needed some perking up was the waitresses. They looked pretty unhappy to be there. Let’s face it, wouldn’t you be? The next time I want crispy fries, I’ll head over to the Sonic off 611 in Willow Grove (try their hot dogs!). Poor Candace – she had a stomach ache for the rest of the afternoon! All I can say is bring a bottle of TUMS if you’re eating at Katz.

Carnegie Deli? Stage deli? Famous 4th? All good, but nothing compares to one of my all-time favorites, Harold’s.  Located right off exit 10 of the NJ turnpike, this is the place to go for the ultimate corned beef and pastrami combo sandwich. Portions are enormous, so be prepared to share or bring it home. It’s only 1 hour, 15 minutes from downtown Broomall and is well worth the drive (especially if you go 80 mph, but stay behind the tractor trailers). Potato pancakes are the size of a pizza, matzoh balls resemble softballs on steroids, but the highlights are definitely the meats.

Don’t miss the pickle bar with tons of rye bread, assorted pickles and their health salad. go 80 mph, but stay behind the tractor trailers). Potato pancakes are the size of a pizza, matzoh balls resemble softballs on steroids, but the highlights are definitely the meats.