pizza
Review: Gia Nina’s Pizza – Woodbury NJ
Gia Nina’s is one of many pizza place/Italian restaurants in South Jersey. What sets them apart is the fact that the Italian restaurant side of the house far from the typical pizza place restaurant. As a matter of fact, I’ve never tried their pizza, stromboli or sandwiches. I have, however, sat in their warmly decorated dining room and enjoyed delicious meals with family and friends on many occasions. They have all the standards… lasagna, stuffed shells, ravioli, etc. All that I’ve tried have been fantastic, especially the lasagna. They also have a nice selection of steaks and seafood.
Speaking of seafood, I need to mention the “crab spiders.” This appetizer, with its rather unique name, is one of the highlights of their menu. It’s a combination of crab meat and angel hair pasta fried up and served with sweet lemon curd. I know, it sounds like a strange combination and it is, but it works! It was recommended by the friend I was with the first time I went to Gia Nina’s and I’ve ordered it every time since. Once the crab spiders are gone, be sure to grab your spoon and eat the leftover lemon curd. It’s so good!
One day, maybe I’ll try their pizza, but in the meantime, it’ll remain my go-to Italian spot when I have out of town company or just need a place to take family or friends. The only complaint I have is that they’re closed on Sundays, but everyone needs a day to rest. I’d just rather they did it on Mondays.
Review: Ashburner Inn – Philadelphia PA
We were looking for a place to grab some dinner in Northeast Philly and stumbled across the Ashburner Inn. We figured we’d get a sandwich or some appetizers, typical bar stuff. When we arrived, we were greeted by a really nice dining room. It was bright, cheery and very clean. As we walked to our table, we noticed nearly everyone was eating pizza. When our waitress told us that it was half price pizza night, we understood why. The brick-oven baked pizzas on the surrounding tables looked good and the price was certainly right! So, we ordered 2 pies.
The pizzas were delicious. They were some of the best I’ve had in a long time. The crust was light and crispy and the variety of topping choice was great. Besides some of the basics like pepperoni, sausage, etc., they also have pizzas with prosciutto and roasted peppers, chicken and blue cheese, buffalo chicken, spinach and roast pork and others. We particularly like the Ashburner which had spinach, roasted red peppers, shredded mozzarella, buffalo mozzarella and prosciutto.
I’m sure the Ashburner Inn has other good food, but I will be back again for the pizza!