Fevzi’s Mediterranean Grill located at the Ellisburg Circle Shopping Center (next door to Rita’s) in Cherry Hill is now in soft opening mode ahead of a grand opening to come.
Fevzi Mediterranean Grill at Ellisburg Shopping Center in Cherry Hill
This is the second location for the Mediterranean fast-casual concept. The original restaurant is located in Camden in the Victor Building owned by Zack Duz, who also runs Market Street Pizzeria & Italian Bistro and Fresh Mex in the same building.
The simple build-your-own concept centers around starting with a base of either grains (rice pilaf, brown rice, bulgar wheat, or couscous), salad greens, pita bread, lovash wrap or a combo of salad and grains. Then, choosing a protein (up to 2) such as lamb or chicken gyro meat, beef kofte (meatballs), spicy chicken kofte, chicken or shrimp kebab, falafel, and a few vegeterian/vegan options. A large selection of popular Greek and Turkish toppings, spreads, and dressings round out the meal. Curly fries are available as a side and a few desserts and pastries such as baklava for a sweet ending.
Build Your Own Mediterranean at Fevzi’s in Cherry Hill
Operating hours are currently 11:00-8:00 pm for dine-in or take-out only.
Fevzi’s Mediterranean Grill Menu
Fevzi is the Turkish form of the Arabic name Fawzi (فوزيّ) meaning “triumph” – here’s to a triumpant opening!
Love pizza? Love Frank Sinatra? You’re in luck! An artisan pizza shop in Haddonfield is kicking off a new brunch which will feature pork roll, pizza, and Ol’ Blue Eyes.
Starting this weekend, Chef Nab Maitra will debut the Sinatra Sundays brunch at Pizza Crime located at 139 Kings Hwy East in Haddonfield.
Every Sunday morning between 10AM – 2PM, the pizzaiolo — a Jersey native who earned his sauce and dough stripes at Philly’s Pizzeria Vetri and Osteria — will queue up Frank Sinatra’s classic tunes to set the mood for a Neapolitan-style brunch pizza party. A selection of wood-fired brunch pizzas will come topped with pork roll, fried scrapple, house-made mozz, and sizzling eggs. A few appetizers and desserts will also be offered.
Since Pizza Crime is across the alley from King’s Road Brewing Co., you should definitely think about BYOB’ing this. Talk about crushing the Sunday scaries!
The battle for the best Crispy Chicken Sandwich heats up as Freebyrd Chicken announces plans to open a second location this Summer at 2 South White Horse Pike in Stratford (Camden County). The made to order, hand battered chicken sandwich concept joins the growing number of new fresh-made quick service concepts offering Drive Thru, Pick Up, and Delivery only.
“We wanted to create an environment that would give our guests quick, easy access to our locally-sourced, crave-able, made to order food.” says co-founder Steven Ryan. Freebyrd Chicken’s other location is nestled in the Bourse Food Hall, in downtown Philadelphia. “Our Bourse location was designed to be a relaxing environment, a place to gather with friends and have a cold beer and great food, while our new Stratford location is designed for accessibility and convenience. We’ve added a great local operator from right here in Stratford and are so excited to bring our amazing chicken sandwiches back home to New Jersey!” added co-founder and New Jersey Native Jason Murphy.
From crispy chicken sandwiches to freshly chopped salads, tenders, and wings the Freebyrd menu is packed with fresh flavors. Featuring locally sourced, never frozen, responsibly raised chicken, and made from scratch sauces, every item is prepared on demand, for a taste experience that is undeniably good.
An official opening date will be announced very soon. Stay tuned!
Erlton Social Craft Bar & Kitchen, the new pub and restaurant inside of The Big Event at 1536 Kings Hwy North in Cherry Hill has announced its opening date this Friday, June 11.
If you recall, South Jersey Food Scene originally reported Erlton Social was under construction in November of 2019. Sadly, the pandemic struck and delayed construction work pushing the opening to this year. But fast forward to today, patience will pay off as they swing open the doors to the public with no restrictions on June 11.
Located near the Ellisburg Circle Shopping Center, it will feature craft beers, food, and cocktails. They’ve been working hard on the menu, which offers elevated yet approachable American pub grub. If the teaser posts on their Facebook and Instagram are any indication, it looks like there will be something for everybody to enjoy… apps, sharable plates, handhelds, entrees, and kids plates, too.
There will be a total of 32 beers with 24 craft taps which will include many local favorites, cocktails will be classic and seasonal, and a selection of wines by the glass, can, or bottle.
After such a challenging year, it’s very exciting for new restaurants to open. I’m optimistic that we’re nearing the beginning of the end. Go out there and support the new restaurants and your regular favorite restaurants, too.
We were invited to try a few of the new Spring Menu items at the Silver Diner in Cherry Hill. We’ve enjoyed many meals there over the years and is one of our favorite places to eat since it has something for both of us to enjoy.
We started with the Firefly Farms Goat Cheese Bruschetta. It comes disassembled so that you can build it yourself. It contains toasted sourdough, local goat cheese, and a side of basil pesto tomatoes drizzled with balsamic. I love that it comes with sourdough bread which is a bread gentler on my stomach. The tomatoes were so flavorful and goat cheese so fresh. Delicious!
For my main course, I opted for even more tomatoes. What can I say, I love them! I sampled the Hummingbird Farms Roasted Beefsteak Tomatoes over brown rice, organic roasted corn, mushrooms, leeks, zucchini, pistachios, lemon chimichurri, and fresh asparagus. Since I’m reducing my meat and gluten intake, this dish hit the spot for me. It is an incredibly simple, yet flavorful dish that really fills you up. I’m usually scared to order something with brown rice, but it was cooked to perfection and the chimichurri brought it all together. It also comes with a peach salsa which I found a bit too spicy for my liking thanks to chopped jalapeño. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy jalapeño, but I was a bit sensitive to it on this outing. Just saying in case you don’t like anything spicy.
Hubby opted for the Local Tenderloin Steak Frites which comes with three filet medallions, pesto hollandaise sauce, crispy fries, and garlic spinach. The steak was cooked perfectly medium-rare per his request and he loved the spinach and fries, of course! It also comes with a side salad or cup of soup. He had a salad (not pictured). He was very pleased!
Since we were stuffed from the dinner, we took the Peach Pie for 2 home. I forgot to take a picture, but I assure you, it was a wonderful peach pie especially since they give you a generous scoop of vanilla ice cream, too!
If you haven’t already, I highly recommend that you visit The Silver Diner. It’s not your typical Jersey diner; the food is elevated and there truly is something for everyone’s diet and preferences.
Many thanks to the Silver Diner for the hospitality, as always, opinions are our own!
Resorts Casino Hotel is pleased to announce Dougherty’s Steakhouse and Raw Bar is officially open! The new restaurant is owned and operated by Atlantic City restaurateurs, the Dougherty family, a staple in the local restaurant industry for over 120 years. The Dougherty family has become synonymous with fine dining in Atlantic City. In 1987, Harry “Call Me Dock” Dougherty opened Dock’s Oyster House with a vision of a fine neighborhood restaurant and a commitment to quality and service. That vision and commitment have allowed four generations of Doughertys to flourish in the restaurant industry, growing the brand to include the iconic Knife & Fork Inn, Harry’s Oyster Bar, and Linwood Country Club.
“Resorts Casino Hotel is delighted to be in this partnership with the Dougherty family, and to celebrate the opening of Dougherty’s Steakhouse and Raw Bar,” said Mark Giannantonio, President and CEO of Resorts Casino Hotel. “As two historic Atlantic City staples with decades of fine dining experience come together, we are excited to offer our guests a new dining concept that includes an enticing menu and energizing live entertainment. Dougherty’s Steakhouse and Raw Bar is a perfect complement to our other award-winning fine dining offerings.”
“We are excited to announce the opening of Dougherty’s Steakhouse and Raw Bar in the historic Resorts Casino Hotel,” said Frank Dougherty. “The space has been beautifully renovated in classic steakhouse style with modern touches and the new menu allows steaks and chops to share the spotlight with an expansive raw bar and carefully curated wine list. We are happy to be included in the amenities Resorts offers to its guests and the dining public, especially as COVID restrictions begin to ease, and we look forward to an amazing summer.”
In addition to the variety of delicious seafood options, the Doughertys’ restaurants are known for, the menu at Dougherty’s Steakhouse and Raw Bar includes filet mignon, NY strip, porterhouse, and other select cuts of steak. The menu will also include veal Milanese, lamb chops, and prime rib. Guests can top off their favorite steaks and chops with options like a delicious crab Oscar, foie gras butter and black truffle butter. While guests can currently access all of Dougherty’s Steakhouse and Raw Bar’s mouthwatering menu items in one space, a separate raw bar will officially open right across from the steakhouse in June 2021. The raw bar will exclusively offer seafood items, along with a casual lunch menu that includes sandwiches, burgers, and salads.
Dougherty’s Steakhouse and Raw Bar is located on the dining level of Resorts Casino Hotel. Hours of operation are 4:00 pm to 9:00 pm on Sunday through Thursday and 4:00 pm to 9:30 pm on Friday and Saturday. Guests can book reservations via Resy.com, via doughertyssteak.com, or by calling 609-340-6555.
Thomas Murphy’s Pub, the newly renovated Irish pub located at 157 S. Burlington Street in Gloucester City, NJ, just minutes over the bridge from Philadelphia, has just unveiled a three-pound cheesesteak to its new menu, with a charitable component attached to all sales.
The sandwich, which is called a “3 lb. Cheesesteak for Charity,” features sliced top round steak, Tommy’s cheese sauce, and Jameson Irish Whiskey-spiked fried onions on a two-foot seeded roll. The $22 sandwich (which is also available as a half-sandwich for $12) delivers a boatload of flavor and a $2 donation to the St. Mary’s Catholic Church of Gloucester City Emergency Food Program for every whole sandwich sold.
“We wanted to determine a way to introduce a new sandwich that our customers would love, while also benefitting folks in our community in need,” said Thomas Murphy’s partner Bob Nicodemo. “We think we make an excellent cheesesteak, and now we’re offering something that no one else in the area serves while helping a local emergency food program during a time when many people are food insecure.”
Thomas Murphy’s new menu includes a number of new summer items in addition to the cheesesteak, including three new flatbreads — Avocado Crisp; New England Clam Chowder; and Margarita — as well as shrimp tacos, buffalo chicken tacos, and more.
American comfort food restaurant blueplate, located at 47 South Main Street in Mullica Hill, plans to expand its outdoor dining with a large structure built to accommodate more safe and comfortable dining outdoors.
“It’s a structure that will fit in with the look of the town. It will have a rustic barn feeling. Covid restrictions were taken into consideration when designing it, but hopefully, we’ll never have to go back to those again,” Jim Malaby, chef and owner, told South Jersey Food Scene. “It will seat between 50-68 people, depending on configurations, and will be heated for the spring chill and fall seasons.”
A franchise of Nothing Bundt Cakes will be located in the Barclay Farms Shopping Center in Cherry Hill at 1409 Marlton Pike 70E. Owners Jessica and Steve Boese are overseeing the construction now and shooting to open in June. This will be the first South Jersey location for the bundt cake-based bakery.
Originally from Philadelphia, Jessica, 42, met her husband Steve, 54, while they had been living in Texas where they both worked at a major restaurant corporation. After they started a family, she stayed home with their two sons, until the boys were in school. She returned to the workforce focusing on non-profit work, including a group that supports a government food program for children and adults, and then five years in communications for a k-12 public charter school district in Texas.
They had always wanted to move back to be closer to her family and the shore, where she had happy memories as a child in a house her grandfather built on Long Beach Island. In 2020, she talked her husband Steve into heading back east, moving to Haddonfield, and opening the bakery in Cherry Hill. Their sons are now 15 and 12, so it seemed like a good time to leave Texas and pursue something new.
“After 30+ years in restaurants, including being a multi-unit director and consultant, Steve was ready for something new,” Jessica told South Jersey Food Scene. “Moving back East had always been the goal, so here we are and we couldn’t be more excited to bring Nothing Bundt Cakes to Cherry Hill.”
Nothing Bundt Cakes was founded in 1997 in Las Vegas by Dena Tripp and Debbie Shwetz specializing in festive bundt cakes, bundtlets (miniature bundt cakes), and bundtinis (bite-sized bundt cakes). There are now over 250 bakeries throughout the USA with many in the Greater Philadelphia area. This will be the first in South Jersey.
The grand opening will involve a ribbon-cutting ceremony with the Camden County Regional Chamber of Commerce, a community give-back day where a percentage of sales will go to a local charity, chances to win prizes, and free bundlets for all. A grand opening date will be announced soon.
It’s been an interesting 12 months for Joel and Jen Singer, the husband-and-wife owners of Barry’s Buns. After being forced to close their location at the Bourse Food Hall in Philadelphia because of the pandemic, and with tourism non-existent and festivals and live events canceled for all of 2020, they started taking bulk orders for deliveries. They began participating at the Horsham and Upper Merion Farmers Markets throughout the spring, summer, and fall. They put more focus on their Chestnut Hill location. And now, they’re trying to make 2021 a better year for the business, opening a brand new Barry’s Buns location down the shore at 6107 New Jersey Avenue in Wildwood Crest.
The newest outpost, which will be located just a few blocks from the beach, will open to the public on Friday, May 7th, the start of Mother’s Day Weekend.
The new 900 square-foot space will feature the same menu of that at the Chestnut Hill location, which is tucked into a 160 square-foot space inside the Market at The Fareway. The Wildwood Crest location will include all of the delicious bites found at the original location, along with some new menu items such as coffee, Nitro Coffee, and made-to-order breakfast sandwiches. Joel, whose middle name is Barry, handles everything in the kitchen and back of house, while Jen handles the business side and other day-to-day work.
“A great opportunity arose for a commercial space, and we knew it was an opportunity that we couldn’t ignore,” said Joel, who opened his original Barry’s Buns in 2016. “The location found us. Wildwood has been our vacation spot since both of our childhoods, and Jen’s parents even own there. It’s been a dream of mine to own a bakery at the beach.”
Joel was born a baker. He started his own cheesecake business when he was 14 years-old. During high school, he took first place in a culinary competition, winning a scholarship from Careers Through Culinary Arts Program (C-CAP) to attend Johnson & Wales University in Rhode Island. He graduated with a degree in Pastry Arts, and was most recently the Regional Bakery Associate Coordinator of Whole Foods Market for the Mid-Atlantic Region. His formal career in pastry began at the Pennsylvania Convention Center before moving to Assistant Pastry Chef at The Rittenhouse Hotel at Lacroix. Joel and Jen, who have been together for 21 years and married for 15 this July, have three daughters.
Barry’s Buns’ menu features a number of sticky buns, sticky bun bread pudding, cinnamon roll bites, babka loaves, Jewish apple cake, chocolate-chip pound cake, crumb cake, butter cake, 10 different waffle options, a wide variety of cookies, brownies and more.
“It was always a lifelong dream for Joel to have his own bakery, and sticky buns were a childhood favorite of his,” said Jen. “He always talks about the times he and his dad would bring home sticky buns for the family. This business is family for him. It’s a family thing for all of us. And that’s what you see at the shore. Families coming together to enjoy their time together, and we can’t wait to be able to insert our delicious treats into their memories.”
Additionally, to try and have a little added fun with the opening, Joel and Jen are painting rocks with the Barry’s Buns logo to leave around the Wildwood Crest neighborhood for others to discover as a type of scavenger hunt. Customers who find and return a rock to Barry’s Buns can trade it in for a complimentary half-dozen box of freshly baked sticky buns. They plan on doing the same thing in Chestnut Hill to celebrate the business’s five-year anniversary. They will “plant” about 20 rocks near each location later this spring.
