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Cravings: Modern Twists

by Editorial Staff--South Jersey Magazine
5 Spot
It used to be that when someone brought over a cheesecake, you were lucky if you got some chocolate chips or a graham cracker crust. But these days, the popular dessert has been made over with more unique options like sweet potato, German chocolate or orange creamsicle. If you are looking for something a little more adventurous than your everyday New York variety, check out one of these five crowd pleasers that run the gamut in flavors.

IndeBlue Indian Cuisine, Mango Cheesecake
Indian food is all about lots of flavor, which is why we head to this Collingswood eatery any chance we can to fork up this signature dessert. 619 Collings Ave., Collingswood, (856) 854-4633

Andreotti’s Viennese Cafe , Crème Brûlée Cheesecake
How do you make an outstanding dessert even better? Combine it with the flavors and technique of another outstanding dessert, that’s how. 1442 Route 70 E., Cherry Hill, (856) 795-0192

Melange @ Haddonfield , Crabmeat Cheesecake
This savory delight features warm crabmeat nestled in a pecan crust and is one of the richer appetizers you’ll find. 18 Tanner St., Haddonfield, (856) 354-1333

Gallo’s Bakery , Cherry Swirl
Fruit is good for you, right? That’s why we don’t feel a bit guilty about indulging in this timeless classic. 3701 Church Road, Mount Laurel, (856) 866-2333, other locations in Cherry Hill, Marlton and Medford

Luna Rossa Biagio Lamberti , Ricotta Cappuccino Cheesecake
The Lamberti family is known for turning out some great cheesecakes, and none more divine than this offering, with coffee-inspired flair. 3210 Route 42, Turnersville, (856) 728-4505

Fast food

* Just a few short months after its debut, Chef Ed Battaglia is out at Ralic’s Steakhouse in Haddonfield. The former Hell’s Kitchen contestant has left the grind of the restaurant business to return to teaching culinary arts at Garfield Park Academy in Willingboro. The kitchen now belongs to former sous chef Keith Laskowski, previously of Cork in Westmont.

* After 15 years, Cherry Hill’s Flying Fish has plans to relocate from their Olney Avenue brewery to a larger location in nearby Somerdale in the early part of next year. The bigger facility will allow the craft brewers to triple their yearly production.

* Cheese lovers have said their final goodbyes to the Carriage Trade Cheese Shoppe in Medford. The Main Street business shuttered its doors after two years due to economic concerns.

* Anyone who’s ever eaten a pie from Philadelphia’s famed Slice will be glad to know the thin-crust specialists are opening a South Jersey location. Sometime near early February of next year, look for the pizzeria to debut in Washington Township in the Tower Square Shopping Center at the corner of Egg Harbor and County House roads.

Mixology Monthly
There’s a time and a place for serious and sophisticated, but even Lord Byron would have appreciated a shot like this. Ori Geshury, of Cherry Hill’s Mixology Wine Institute, clues us into this sweet variant on the classic tequila shot with salt—one of the trendiest drinks being ordered right now. Here, he’s added a little Nutella garnish and a splash of Godiva to dress things up a bit.

The Nutella Chocolate-Covered Pretzel
½ oz. Frangelico Hazelnut Liquor
½ oz. Pinnacle Whipped Cream Vodka
Nutella
Godiva liqueur
Fill a shot glass with Frangelico and vodka. Garnish with Nutella and a splash of the Godiva liqueur. Put salt on your hand, lick, then down the shot.

Happy Hour
Cherry Hill’s Kaminski’s knows just how to get you through the middle of the work week with a Wednesday happy hour special that caters to wing lovers. From 7 p.m. to 1 a.m., for every dozen of wings ordered, you get 12 free. Top that with $2 domestic bottles and draft specials and you have plenty of reason to stop by on your way home from the office. 1424 Brace Road, Cherry Hill, (856) 428-2555, KaminskisBarandGrill.com

Published (and copyrighted) in South Jersey Magazine, Volume 8, Issue 9 (December, 2011).
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