Tom's Bourbon Street Pizza Company

Hey guys!  Laura here.  Since starting New England Bites, Mom and I have made a lot of friends.  Food friends.  You know the type - they're always looking to try new restaurants, different foods, and aren't afraid to drive for it.  That being said, we've decided to introduce a new feature - the guest reviewer!  Our first guest review came to light because I decided to be an ass and cancel pizza-eating plans that I had with my friend Scott.  He decided to do his own write up, and judging from what he had to say, I'm kinda glad I missed it, lol.  Actually I'd still like to try it, and I'm glad that I won't get as lost as he did.  Thanks for the review, Scott!

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10 Sylvan St.

Peabody, MA  01960

(978) 536-9915

www.tomspizzaco.com

CLICK HERE TO VIEW THE FULL MENU

January 20, 2011

Hello there New England Bites readers! My name is Scott and I am a friend of Laura’s. If you are wondering why I am writing this for New England Bites, you'll understand by the end. Here goes…. I was watching “Phantom Gourmet” on a Saturday morning and a particular item caught my eye: a pizza topped with all my favorite appetizer toppings! I called Laura and said this has to be a job for NEBs and we planned a trip to Peabody, MA (which is not local to us) to try this interesting new pizza that PG recommended. We tried a few times to set a date down, but schedules and weather kept interfering. Finally the day was set and we were going…or so I thought. Laura had to cancel at the last minute. I decided that I was too looking forward to trying this, and that I was just going to go anyway because I was all prepared and had gassed-up the car and updated my iPod for the drive, so I went with my friend Greg. So here’s our experience…apologize for the length in advance:

We left my house around 2 p.m. on a Thursday. Mapquest said it would take an hour and twenty minutes to get there. HA! First Mapquest gave me wrong information. It said Exit 25 off 95/128 (Rte.114/Andover Street). This was not correct as Exit 25 goes to the Mass Pike, so we busted out Greg’s GPS. Back on track, right…nope. I sat in traffic for 45 minutes around Exit 30 to get to Exit 31. When we got moving, I called ahead to order my pizza because the website says specifically that it takes a while to make and you should call ahead. So I’m thinking I’m about 30 minutes away and that should be good. I place the order and the girl informs me that it will be ready in 15 minutes!!! Crap. I decided to just plug along and not think about it getting cold. After all, I’d only be there about 10-15 minutes later….NOPE! The GPS had other plans and about 25 minutes later it took me to the wrong Pizza place on Bourbon Street – though Bourbon Street is in the title of the restaurant, it’s on Sylvan Street – which is nowhere near Bourbon Street - makes no sense to me either, just the way it is. It then takes me back on the highway and off at another exit and down several backroads to 10 Sylvan Street….in Danvers! A cute little purple house with white trim and a pink door, but no pizza in sight! No matter what we tried, the GPS would not acknowledge that address in Peabody. This continued for another two hours!!! I was driving around everywhere! I called the place to let them know and they tried to help navigate me, but they didn’t know where I was. I finally found an exit for Rte 114/Andover Street and I took it (It's Exit 47, thank you Mapquest for not being even close!). The GPS keeps yelling at me and trying to guide me back to 10 Sylvan Street in Danvers. Then my cell phone rings, and it’s the owner of the restaurant calling me from his home! He lives in my area and the employees called him to have him help guide me. With his help, I found the place – over 2 hours after calling in the order, it’s now past 5 p.m.

I had hoped that they might offer to make a fresh pizza since they knew I was coming a long way and knew I was trying to get there for some time…No. The girl behind the counter, Johanna, informed me that the ovens keep them warm and it’ll be fine. So I paid and sat down to eat. I ordered the Juggernaut Pizza for Greg and I to share, which is a standard pizza topped with unique toppings of Chicken Fingers, Mozzarella Sticks and balls of Fried Mac & Cheese along with slices of Pepperoni and extra cheese. PG had highly recommended it, and I’d never heard of such a thing, so I was intrigued. It also comes with a half-serious health warning – that Tom’s is not responsible for any health issues related to eating it – lol. I also ordered two dessert pizzas, another unique thing recommended by PG. They have a few flavors, but Greg decided to try the Apple Crumb and I got the Cherry Crumb. Even though I specified that we were dining in, they had packed it up for take-out, so I had to ask for plates and silverware to bring to our table to eat.

The Juggernaut

Dessert Pies

THE VERDICT:  I really wanted to love this pizza, but it left me cold. Or maybe that’s because it was lukewarm. Don’t get me wrong, it was good, but it didn’t knock my socks off as I’d hoped. Maybe it would be better fresh, but it was disappointing considering what it took to get there! Greg agreed that it just wasn’t all that special despite the unique toppings. Sorry the picture has two slices missing, but after 3 plus hours of driving, we were starved and couldn’t wait. Also, you can now see how thick, or not as thick as I expected, the pizza was. It seemed more like a deep dish pizza on PG and the website’s description. As for the dessert pizzas, they were delicious! We each tried a slice of each others and though both were good, but we agreed that the Cherry was far superior to the Apple. And these were good even though they weren’t hot!

The total came to:

1 - Large Juggernaut Pizza $15.95

1 - Personal Apple Crumb - 4.95

1 - Personal Cherry Crumb - 4.95

2 - 20 oz. Diet Pepsi - 3.38

Subtotal - $29.23

Tax - 2.05

TOTAL = $31.28

No tip needed, thankfully.

Tom’s Bourbon Street Pizza Company is located at 10 Sylvan Street, Peabody, MA (on a side street off Rte 114 near the North Shore Mall behind Walgreen’s and Petco, in case you try to find it yourself). It’s a small little place with a few tables and chairs, and some stool seating along the windows. They have several unique pizzas and dessert pizzas, along with standard pizzas, salads and sandwiches. They also offer catering. While I would not recommend driving out of your way like I did to try this, if you are in the area already it may be worth a try. The food was good despite the bad experience and the staff was very friendly and helpful. They have only one unisex bathroom in the back, but it was kept very clean and tidy. A little pricey too for pizza, so be prepared with your wallet! And thus is why the review comes from me, because I am not making this drive again anytime soon (and probably neither is Laura after my experience), but I thought NEBs still deserved to get the scoop because Laura was supposed to be there! A fresh pizza may make all the difference in dining here, but it’s a long drive for us who can get better pizza closer to home. Thanks for reading!

Hours of operation are 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday, and 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sunday.  Delivery is available to the Danvers and Peabody areas.

Dickey's Barbecue Pit

www.dickeys.com

January 22, 2011

In our quest to visit three different restaurants per city, this week found us at our third lunch spot - Dickey's Barbecue Pit. If you recall our first place was Tito's Cantina and our second was DiParma Italian Table - all in Seekonk.  I read that Dickey's had been open since November, but this was the first I'd heard of it. I was very excited because a BBQ restaurant in this area is quite rare. So you know Laura and I couldn't wait to give it a try.

We arrived around 2:30 p.m. on a cold but sunny day. Dickey's has a good-sized storefront site located in a small strip mall off of Route 6. Upon entering, you notice that it has a nice open seating area and an ordering counter in the back. Laura and I ambled down to the back of the restaurant to place our orders.

Far view of the ordering station.

Free ice cream and sweet tea stations.

You order cafeteria-style here. First you meet the "meats" guy. The different meats are listed on a large board above his head. They have pulled pork, beef brisket, ham, turkey, chicken, ribs, and sausage. All promise to be slow-cooked and fall-apart tender.

Then you slide down to the "sides" girl and choose from a nice variety of old favorites like waffle fries, coleslaw, potato salad, green beans, beans, and macaroni and cheese. Plus, they have a few new ones like baked potato casserole and fried okra.

Then you slide down further and get your drinks. They have bottled soda and water. They also have a 32 oz. "Big Yellow Cup" that is refillable. Of course, they also carry sweet tea. A bonus is that they have FREE soft-serve vanilla ice cream with little cake cones. I also saw slices of pecan pie.

You slide along again until you hit the register - then you pay. Easy peasy, right? Well, it should have been. It should have taken all of about five minutes to get your food. But Laura and I were in line about 15 minutes and there was only one other customer. Why? I'll explain.

We went to get our meat and we both wanted the pulled pork:  Laura's in a sandwich plate and mine as a one-meat plate. As the young man pulled our pork (pulled our pork?), we told him our sides. Nope. We had to order those further down. But there was no one at the sides spot. We waited and waited, nothing. So we slid down further and chose our drinks. Then the sides girl got back to her station and wanted to know what we wanted. We hurried back up to her now. Laura got potato salad and the baked potato casserole. I wanted the casserole also plus the waffle fries. I guess it was a potato kind of day. Now we had to watch while the sides girl emptied more potato casserole into the empty container and heat it up in boiling water. I wish I didn't have to watch this.  It should have been done before hand. Then she had to fry up my fries, which came in pre-measured packs of around a dozen fries. I didn't mind but the fries had to be brought to our table later. While the girl was struggling with our sides, the meat guy (remember him?) was yelling down to where we now were and asking if we wanted onions or coleslaw on our meats. Laura yelled back, "Yes on my sandwich, but no on the meat plate."  This was getting really uncomfortable. They finally assembled our plates and we got to the register with bottles of soda in hand. The same girl now rang us up, asked if we had drinks (Laura said, "Yes, in our hands!") and almost charged us for the next customer's sandwich.  Whew!

We finally got seated and dug in while both agreeing that this was a "trying" experience. My whole plate was absolutely delicious - thank God. The pulled pork was melt-in-your-mouth tender. I loved the baked potato casserole with the bits of bacon mixed right in. The waffle fries were crisp and hot. Plus, I got a sweet bun (very surprised there was no corn bread) that was tender and buttery.

Laura loved her sandwich, which was piled high with the pulled pork and crisp cole slaw. She loved the baked potato casserole as much as I did. After she got over the bright yellow color of her potato salad, she loved that too.  We both got a nice amount of meat and the sides were like a half pint each. We certainly didn't leave hungry.

THE VERDICT:  We'd definitely go back. The food was just delicious, plentiful, and a reasonable price. But that service ... they have to fix that service. Maybe they're still working out the kinks, but cafeteria style is supposed to be quick, with a person at each station. They need to get this right so this place can become a big hit.

Dickey's also does parties and catering so click here for their complete menu and many locations.

P.S.:  To the parents of the boy that kept getting up, getting ice cream cones, licking the top. and then throwing them away ... please don't allow that. Just because it's free, that's no reason to allow such waste. He did this at least five times.  Teach your kid to be respectful, please.

P.S. again:  The restroom was a little messy but overall nice and clean. Keep it up!

Our total came to:

1 Sandwich plate/bottle of soda - $9

1 Meat plate/bottle of soda - 11

Subtotal - $20

Tax - 1.40

TOTAL = $21.40

YEAH ... no tip!  :)

The Dickey's in Seekonk is located at 20 Commerce Way in Seekonk Square. For more information, call (508) 336.6200 or visit the Web site at Dickeys.com. This location is open daily from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.

Don't forget to check out MenuJoy.com for great area restaurant menus!

Bite of the Week - Westminster All Natural Old Fashioned Oyster Crackers

The wonderful folks over at Westminster Crackers have been in the cracker business since 1828. That's a long time to be making crackers. You know they wouldn't still be making them after all these years if they didn't have a huge following. Well, they do. That's because these fine crackers not only have a long rich history but are also a high-quality product. So we were delighted when they very generously sent us a box filled with 50 individual sized packages. You know I had to make some soup that night.

Now I love these little crackers and am always thrilled to get them along side my soup in many restaurants. They are just crisp and airy enough to bob on top of your soup like little buoys floating in the water. They contain only seven simple ingredients - unbleached wheat flour, water, canola oil, all natural evaporated cane juice, salt, yeast, and baking soda. That's it. I love when you can actually list and pronounce the ingredients without having to use two sheets of paper - or a dictionary.

Westminster also makes All Natural Old Fashioned Round Crackers and All Natural Hearty Square Crackers.  The headquarters are located in Rutland, VT.

THE VERDICT: Great! These little crackers are so fresh and tasty that hubby wanted to put them in a big bowl and just snack away, lol!  They are that good. Buttery, lightly salted, and just crisp enough, these small gems make a great snack. But I love them in my soup and I know you will, too. Why don't you give them a try? 

For more information, visit WestminsterCrackers.com.

Don't forget to check out our friends at MenuJoy.com for great area restaurant menus.

DiParma Italian Table

940 Fall River Ave.

Seekonk, MA  02771
(508) 336-9222

175 Route 28

West Yarmouth, MA  02673

(508) 771-7776

www.diparmaitaliantable.com

January 15, 2011

Laura and I decided that to get a good idea of what a city has to offer, we should try at least three different types of restaurant in each area. We decided to start with Seekonk, so last week we went Mexican (Laura's favorite cuisine) and ate at Tito's Cantina (see review here). This week, I got my chance with my favorite cuisine (Italian) and we visited DiParma Italian Table. It's located in the old Darling's building at the Ramada and brought back a lot of pleasant memories of that now gone favorite.

We arrived on a chilly afternoon at around 3:10 p.m. A few tables were occupied but it was mostly quiet. We were seated immediately and approached by our server, Michael. He asked if we were there for lunch and we said yes. Now here's where Laura and I disagreed. I assumed we could only order from the lunch menu because it was before 4 p.m. But Laura figured because the menu also included the dinner choices, we could have ordered those selections. I probably would have gone dinner if I'd thought it was an option, but I chose from lunch. SIGH.

Anyway, Michael took our drink order - two Diet Pepsis - and returned with a basket of rolls. We were still deciding on our lunches and Michael explained how the lunch portions were smaller and came with different options than the dinner selections. This also convinced me I had to choose from the lunch menu (I later found out I was wrong when Laura actually called to find out). SIGH again. We were all hyped up to order their homemade potato chips as an appetizer. We saw them listed on their online menu. We were very disappointed to see them no where on the house menu, so we just stuck with the rolls.

There was more than one, but we'd already eaten them.

Laura finally decided to get the individual Hawaiian Spice pizza. It contained applewood smoked bacon, roasted pineapple, and jalapenos. When it was placed in front of us, you could smell it before Michael put it down. Laura declared it spicy and delicious. She even loved the crust, which she usually doesn't finish.

I decided to start with a bowl of soup, which was offered with lunch entrees for only $1.99. I got my favorite minestrone and the bowl was substantial and the soup was fantastic. It came with little oyster crackers which I happily floated on top. What a great start to my meal.

For my entree I ordered cheese tortelloni with marinara sauce. I originally was going to order the bolognaise sauce but Michael said a mistake on the menu didn't show that the meat sauce was $3 extra. I didn't think it worth it so I stuck with the marinara. I was glad I did.  It was so light, fresh, and delicious. The tortelloni pasta was amazing. Freshly-made sure makes a difference from the boxed or frozen we're used to. They were filled with ricotta cheese and not at all watery when cut. This is when I wished I'd ordered the dinner portion. I wanted more, lol. As it were, I had about six large tortelloni, a small salad, and a slice of garlic toast. The whole meal was terrific. Everything was so well prepared.

DiParma has everything you'd want from a fine Italian restaurant. Pizzas, pastas, beef, seafood, and poultry dishes. They also carry soups, sandwiches, and salads and offer a dessert menu. The whole Seekonk menu is online here.

You might want to be careful though. We found a few differences between their house menu and online menu (remember, no chips). But don't worry, their menu is extensive and I know you'll have no trouble finding something tasty. Actually, the problem will be narrowing down what you want.

THE VERDICT: Wonderful. Attractive inside, great menu, good service and delicious, freshly-made food. I can't wait to go back. This time for dinner.  The total came to:

2 Diet Pepsi - $5

1 Lunch minestrone - 1.99

1 Lunch cheese tortelloni w/marinara - 8.98

1 Individual Hawaiian Spice pizza - 9.99

Subtotal - $25.96

Tax - 1.82

TOTAL = $27.78

With 20% tip, we left $33 for Michael.  Although he was very attentive throughout the whole meal, he seemed to have forgotten about us at the end.  However, we were able to catch his eye when we stood up and started putting on our coats.

DiParma has been in business for over three decades and has its original location down the Cape. Besides serving the public for lunch and dinner, DiParma is also available for weddings, functions and events.  The DiParma in Seekonk is open daily from 11:30 a.m. to midnight (lunch is served until 4 p.m., dinner is served until 10 p.m., and pizza and appetizers are served until midnight).

Don't forget to check out MenuJoy.com for great area restaurant menus!

Bite of the Week - Biscotti Babies

Master baker Mat Hauck of Great Barrington, MA, created this neat little spin on traditional Italian biscotti cookies and generously shared some with your favorite food bloggers (us). They arrived neatly packaged and we couldn't wait to try them. I love to have biscotti with something warm to drink.

These little healthy treats, all natural, whole wheat based, zero trans fat, and only 100 calories per pack come in four exciting flavors (cinnamon hazelnut, cranberry walnut, double chocolate, and orange almond). We received a package of the first two listed flavors which had six pieces per pack.  Baker Hauck has also come out with a line of natural gluten-free cookies also containing zero trans fat. These can be obtained at select grocery stores or online at the address below.

First, we opened the cinnamon hazelnut and were delighted with the great cinnamon aroma wafting from the little pack. Laura and I split them so that we each were able to taste three bites. They tasted just like you'd want a good biscotti to taste - nice and crunchy and ready to be dunked into something warm. These particular bites had a great cinnamon taste that actually overwhelmed the hazelnut flavor that was supposed to complement it. But since we love cinnamon, this wasn't a problem for us. What was a little problem was that the second package we opened (the cranberry walnut) tasted neither cranberry nor walnut. They tasted more like a butter or sugar cookie - sweet with a vanilla aftertaste. They were really good but were not what you'd expect from their description.

THE VERDICT:  I'd definitely buy these tasty little snacks if I ran across them in the market. They're low in calories, natural, and make a really tasty treat. If you can't find them, don't forget, you can order them online. I suggest you do so.  Mmm ... biscotti and a nice cup of tea. Yum!

For more information, visit BiscottiBabies.com.

Don't forget to check out our friends at MenuJoy.com for great area restaurant menus.

Tito's Cantina Mexican Grill

1379 Fall River Ave.

Route 6

Seekonk, MA  02771 

(508) 336-2400

651 West Main Road

Route 114

Middletown, RI  02842

(401) 849-4222

www.titos.com

January 8, 2011

Here at New England Bites we've made a New Year's resolution - visit more new restaurants. So for our first review of the year, we broke our resolution ... sort of. We recently visited Tito's Cantina, a restaurant we've been to before but have never "officially" reviewed. So when Laura had to satisfy her constant craving for Mexican cuisine, off we went to review the Seekonk Tito's.

We arrived, under threat of a snowy sky, at around 12:45 p.m. We were told to seat ourselves and chose a window booth with a nice view. This place is so cute. Bright with red, yellow, and orange colors surrounding the wooden booths and tables, the walls were loaded with Mexican symbols.

As we read the busy menu our waitress Ali came over to bring us some tortilla chips and salsa and take our drink order. We got two Diet Cokes.

Laura and I had looked over their menu online and knew just what we wanted. Tito's has a great menu with all your spicy favorites. They have the usual appetizers like poppers, fingers, and wings, plus Mexican apps. like hot tamales, chili rellenos, and chili con queso. Plus they have all manner of soups (black bean, chili, gazpacho), salads, quesadillas, chimichangas, burritos, fajitas, enchiladas, and tacos. They also have nachos, burgers, and every kind of combination plate. They even have desserts like fried ice cream, flan, and key lime pie.

Barbecue pork quesadilla 

Chicken mole chimichanga

We decided to share a BBQ pork quesadilla and a chicken mole chimichanga. The pork dish came with sour cream and salsa and the chimmy dish came with Mexican rice and salad. Not being rice fans, we traded it for fries. We couldn't wait to try the chicken mole. We've never had mole sauce before and were dying to try it.  While we waited for our meals to arrive, Laura went to view the ladies' room and reported back that it was clean and cutely decorated.

Ali returned with our dishes and they were beautifully presented. We each placed a wedge of quesadilla and piece of chimmy on our plates. The BBQ pork was tender, sweet, and tangy in its folded tortilla packet. We both found it delicious. Laura was the first to try the chicken mole. Hmm ... "Try this", she said. The first thing I noticed was that they had used chicken thigh. This was a problem for us because we don't care for dark meat. Then there was the mole sauce. It kind of tasted like smashed refried beans which is also not a favorite of ours. Oh, what to do? We really disliked it enough to not being able to eat it. It wasn't Tito's fault. It was strictly personal taste. So we called Ali over to explain to her our problem. She informed us that of every chicken dish on the menu, ours was the only one with dark meat chicken. So she took it back to the kitchen and returned to tell us that we could pick something else. We decided to but also wanted to pay for it as this wasn't their fault. But she said we would only be charged for the fries (which we had exchanged) and our new choice. Isn't that wonderful customer service? So we chose an order of Spicy Tortilla Jumpin' Jacks which are like Mexican cheese sticks coated with tortilla chips. They were hot and spicy and fantastic.

We will definitely be coming back to Tito's again. Cute decor, delicious food, and exemplary service. This place is a little gem!  The total came to:

2 Diet Cokes - $4

1 BBQ pork quesadilla - 8.99

1 Jumpin' Jacks - 6.79

1 Small fry - 1.59

Subtotal - $21.37

Tax - 1.50

TOTAL = $22.85

We left $ 28 (with a 20% tip for Ali who was great) and made our way out into the cold and dreary weather.  Bye Tito's!  See you soon!

The Tito's Cantina in Seekonk is open from 11:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday through Saturday, and 12-9 p.m. Sunday.  The cantina/bar is open until 12 a.m.  For the Middletown hours, please visit Titos.com.

Don't forget to check out MenuJoy.com for great area restaurant menus!

Bite of the Week - Smucker's Snack'n Waffles

Smucker's has a reputation for putting out some very fine products. Their jams and jellies are top quality and have a legion of fans. So it was only natural that they ventured out with some new selections.  First came their "Uncrustables". These are pre-made peanut butter and jelly sandwiches (with the crusts cut off, as the name implies) that kids absolutely love.  Now they have come out with "Snack'n Waffles", individually wrapped Belgian-type whole grain waffles that have syrup baked right in. They heat in the microwave for 15 seconds ( which wasn't enough ) or you can pop them in your toaster. Because they are already sweetened and wrapped, after heating, off you go. They were on sale at Stop & Shop at two for $4 (four waffles per pack). They come in four flavors: blueberry, maple, cinnamon, and chocolate chip (I bought the latter).

My first reaction, I admit, was, "Why do we need this product?" Frozen waffles are easy enough to eat and go. My niece puts cream cheese on one and heads out the door. My youngest daughter puts peanut butter between two waffles and takes it to work for her breakfast. But the more I thought about it the more I realized just how convenient this little waffle could be. No looking for sandwich bags. No buttering and syruping (syruping?). Just heat and go. But most important was the taste. How did they taste?

THE VERDICT:  Hmm .... They are thick like a Belgian waffle with a nice irregular edge, but they don't "taste" like a waffle. They have more of a bread dough-like texture and a sweet but bland flavor. I definitely prefer a regular thinner waffle. Plus, at 220 calories each with 15 grams of sugar and 70 calories from fat, one waffle would have to suffice for your breakfast and may have too many calories for your snack. A little disappointing, I don't think I'll be buying them again. But as I always say, try them yourself.

Don't forget to check out MenuJoy.com for area restaurant menus!