Cheeburger Cheeburger (Newark, DE)

After having the Chuckbox as our go-to-burger-place in Tempe, we were quite spoiled when it came to finding the perfect burger.  Chuckbox is absolutely the perfect place for college students to get a burger, beer and onion rings (or fried zucchini in my case).  This one-of-a-kind (and location) restaurant cooks the burgers to order on their huge fire pit, and lets you dress it yourself at the fixin's bar.  We pretty much took everyone who ever came to visit us there.

(couldn't find a pic of us there, but here's my brother-in-law and sister-in-law there)

There is really no comparison to it here in Delaware.  And the first few years we were here there were really no burger places at all on Main St. (though there is a Jake's just out of town).  But, as luck would have it, when we crossed the line from needing a college joint to a family atmosphere, Cheeburger Cheeburger came to Main St.  This is a chain restaurant, that seems mostly to be in our area and some of the south.  Some random airports across the country also have a location.  With a 50s décor, their shtick is to have you "invent" whatever you would like to eat.  Their menu boasts over 1.285 million milkshake combinations, and there are about 30 different toppings to choose from for your burger (I like the black olives!).  They have regular French fries, sweet potato fries, and really thin delicious onion rings. 

We took Brian's parents there last weekend, and it was probably our third visit to the new restaurant.  We have yet to be disappointed. 

You get your picture on the wall with this burger if you eat their big burger in one sitting.

Theo loves the car that his meal comes in, it keeps him occupied for a while. 

 Even Eli had a good time!

Newark Area Restaurants

In the last few months, we have been cutting back on eating out, but do have a few places to recommend, all of them on the ever changing Main Street of Newark.

Ali Baba- We went here during restaurant week a few months ago. We've always wanted to go here, but their hours have made it hard for us to make it in here. The outside of the restaurant is not very appealing, but inside you forget you are on Main Street with the low tables, couches, and Middle Eastern decor. We had lots of spicy food, and Theodore even joined in eating the rice, pitas, and Moroccan carrot salad (Carrots, garlic, onion, parsley, white vinegar, olive oil, & special spices). I had a delicious kabob, and Brian enjoyed their specialty, the Moroccan chicken.

Catherine Rooney's- I was very excited when we saw signs go up for a new Irish place in town. The food was about average for an Irish place, but the atmosphere was a lot more family friendly than the other Irish place in town, so we had a really nice time. The owner even seated us in a private booth area, and Theodore stayed asleep for a majority of the night, but woke up for dessert.


Peace a Pizza- We finally tried this pizza place in February when Brian's parents were out here for Theodore's birthday. The slices were pretty tasty, and we found the music played to be humorous, so we had a pretty good time. The tiny restaurant is a little cramped, but for a date night sans Theo it was fine!

Cheeburger Cheeburger- This place has been under construction FOREVER, and was supposed to open last summer and just now opened this spring. We tried it, and it was a pretty good burger place. Their onion rings, were much better than their fries, and they had a pretty nice atmosphere. Their menu was full of all their "options" for sandwiches, dips, salads, and shakes. It makes a math teacher like me a little excited to think about all the combinations and permutations.

Finally, Chipotle also opened out of the blue. I didn't even know they were coming, and all the sudden they were open. We loved eating there in Arizona, so now we've got another quick, cheap place to grab a bite in Newark.


ALSO: OFF MAIN STREET
Middletown- I have enjoyed a few lunch time meals from Caruso's in Middletown, and finally dragged Brian down here one night for dinner. I love their Penne with Vodka sauce!

Saturdays

So our weekends look a lot different than what they used to before we had Theodore.

Today we headed to Babies R Us first thing in the morning armed with coupons, and bought 408 diapers. That should last him through next month.

Then we headed to Main Street, so we could try one of the TWO new burger places that Newark is getting (we're also getting a Chipotle, and recently got a Cheesecake Factory, so the restaurant situation here is really looking up). Main Street Sliders was okay, between us we got five sliders, drinks, onion rings, and old bay fries for less than $13. It wasn't the best ever, but a cheap alternative to Jake's Hamburgers, which is about the only other option around here.

We also stopped in Bing's and got some desserts. Always a fun place to go.

Then we came home and took a ton of pictures for Theodore's three-month birthday tomorrow. See the next posting for those...

Day Trip: Getting out and Around

I wanted to get out of the area for a little bit, so we drove up north and went on a few shopping excursions. As always, I want to chronicle the places we visited.

Before we even got out of town, Brian wanted to stop for coffee, so we stopped in at Newark (Deli and) Bagels. For a Saturday morning in a college town, it was packed! I assumed it would be deserted, but it was quite crowded. I had a very salty "salt bagel" and they slathered on plenty of cream cheese. I would definitely make a return trip.

Next we stopped at that favorite cheese shop of ours in Gap, PA. We got some Spanish cheese, New Amsterdam Gouda, and the mango dessert cheese.

]Next, we went to an antique mall. It was our first time at such a place. Brian found a lot of cool old books, but didn't get any. I brought home a couple old mason jars, buttons, and quilting squares. It was very interesting, almost like a museum-without all the reading. :)

Then, we stopped at a farmer's market in Bird-in-Hand. It was a little more market than farm-and Brian just grabbed some pie and dismissed the rest of the place. He was getting hungry for lunch.

After getting back to Newark, we grabbed lunch at Jake's Hamburgers. This popular place is order-at-the-counter fast food that is pretty good. We haven't tried their milkshakes yet. We will definitely be back to try them.

And that completed our Saturday.

Charcoal Pit

After passing this restaurant a few times, we finally felt adventurous and decided to stop at the Charcoal Pit for supper. Apparently, "the pit" is a Delaware tradition... and we could see why. We had pretty good burgers, and ice cream for desert. The ice cream was a big of a melting mess, but it was still fun.

They have sundaes for all of the different high schools around the area. Very 1950s.



What I ordered:

What Brian wants to try for dessert:




Update:
The Bear location is closed!! (We found out the hard way.)
The Price's Corner location is a lot bigger-not quite as cute-I'd recommend putting in the extra couple miles to get to the Concord Pike location.

Day Trip: New York City

When I was younger, I developed a real fascination with NYC. I have no idea where it came from (Felicity-maybe?), but it was so serious that I actually applied to (and was accepted to) NYU. I would have gone there had I not decided between following the man who was to be my husband to ASU, or my friends to Purdue. However, up to this day, I have never set foot in the city. We finally remedied that situation.

We took a shopping trip today.

New York City is about 135 miles from our house. It is actually a quick jump away; about two hours (and $8) on a swiftly moving Jersey turnpike put us within sight of the city. Brian was very disappointed that I didn't scream when I saw the Empire State Building (as I did when we saw the Hollywood sign), but that has never been such an icon for me.  But seeing the city for the first time was memorable.

We then exited before the London Tunnel (the only bad traffic we got into) and parked in Hoboken, New Jersey (a very-very cute little neighborhood). We paid $7.50 each way to take an 8 min ferry ride across the Hudson River, and we were finally on Manhattan soil (well, concrete).  A bus/train would have been cheaper, but not as scenic.

For once in my life I wore comfortable shoes, and it was for very good reason. We walked many miles across the town, mostly window shopping throughout the borough. We saw so much in such a short time-Times Square, Broadway, all the high-end stores on 5th Ave, the tree in Rockefeller Center, and the horse-and-buggy carriage rides in Central Park. It was so crowded, but it didn't really bother me that much.

Interesting sights and sounds included: the smell of roasting nuts on every other street corner, the guy in Central Park who offered us a map and illegal substances, and the very tall "woman" with a surprisingly deep voice working at Macy's.

One of the interesting parts of the holiday season is all of the elaborate store window displays that all the stores put up.

*I was very proud of my husband, when he visited all 10 floors of Macy's (both buildings). Without complaining!*

Walking back toward the dock, we spotted this little place in the Garment District. Of course it intrigued Brian, so we ate their for dinner. It was pretty good.

We took this picture back across the river in New Jersey, with the Empire State Building right behind us. We will definitely be back to take in more sights... the Guggenheim, MET, Statue of Liberty, and seeing a play on Broadway are on my list for next time.