Years ago I ate Manny’s pizza when I lived alone at the apartment. Once I found New York Style, I abandoned Manny’s. I had had some disappointments with Manny’s so it was easy to give up on it.

Gert has suggested Manny’s over the years and I have always nixed the idea as I had unfavorable memories (poorly constructed ’zas, poor delivery services, etc.).

Well, it was Memorial Day weekend Sunday and we were seeking something to eat late. Manny’s was opened so we ordered a pizza from there.

I went and picked it up a few minutes before they closed. The pizza was fine and hot. Still nothing special, but certainly adequate and I would eat this before Pizza Hut.

Many years ago I was introduced to Marciano’s (then Luighi’s) via a student of mine; he gave me a gift certificate and a menu. Wanting to use the gift all at once, I looked for a gourmet pizza and settled on the chicken barbecue, which is a style I had never had previously.

When I called, they questioned me noting I was calling from Millville, which would not be local. I informed them I would drive over. It was a drive I would begin making frequently. All the way home the smell of the pizza filled the car. I was in heaven. I was most impressed with the flavor of the pizza. And with all the toppings, the crust held up well with my dough test.

After meeting my wife, we began dining at the converted Wawa convenience store, often on the chicken barbecue. She liked the Tiramisu, so was agreeable to dining here.

We eventually began branching out trying other dishes. Most filled out bellies well.

Eventually the restaurant was re-designed. o longer was the dingy restaurant a reminder of a sub shop; about three years ago the renovations were completed. Now Marciano’s, there are two dining rooms, a banquet room, and a separate pizzeria and take-out joint. The decor was stepped up and the experience of dining there has generally improved.

Our latest dining experience was not quite as wonderful as other times. We were seated near the kitchen, despite the few diners. Our waitress was friendly and accomodating. Admittedly, our children were not at the level of behavior I expect when out. Nothing too bad, but a little loud and Fritz tossed everything on the floor. :( We usually are better than this.

Anyhow, our food began coming out. I noted there was no bread basket. That was disappointing. The house salad was a disappointment. Most of the lettuce was the hard crunchy white part of the lettuce. Yuck! The Italian dressing had no taste.

We’ll return to Marciano’s, but with a not as great experience as we usually have, I will not be itching to return. Perhaps it is time to order another pizza.

Service is so bad, I’ll never visit again.

I decided to give this place another chance. I went in and there were two folks in front of me who had ordered. I ordered. Fifteen minutes later I demanded my money back.

My order of two Egg McMuffins was too challenging for these folks.

Anyone who dines here is warned.

We don’t have Hardee’s in southern Jersey so whenever I drive south and see one, I dine there.

There’s nothing exceptional about the chain, but it’s nice to have a little variety. Their burgers are flame-broiled, so that helps.

I am cynical by nature. Even when I like something, I seem to qualify it.

Venuto’s is the exception for me. One opened locally. I knew nothing about it. Then my FIL began speaking of it. We still didn’t go. Finally, the family and I went in. I was in heaven.

This is my kind of pizza. Hand-tossed thin crust (including whole wheat) with a healthy selection of toppings that add to the experience.

The first time in we ordered a whole pie with meatballs, sausage, and extra cheese. It was delicious! This is exactly what Millville needed!

Of course, my lovely wife announced, “I’m never coming here again!” No, this is not pre-packaged airy pizza like the Hut is.

I now re-visit only for myself. Good varieties of pizza are available by the slice. Two slices and an all-you-can-drink beverage costs $5.00.

We have a Starbucks right at the mall that I pass pretty much every day. I decided to head down Delsea on the way home to take this photograph.

I pulled in, got out, snapped a couple photographs and got back in the truck. This took about 30 seconds. While I did this, one of the silly mall security vehicles drove by.

I could see he was pulling around. I made certain I started the truck. He pulled right up and I put the window down. This Richard asked, “Were you taking pictures of . . . ” I finished the question for him: Starbucks.

Richard: “Do you work there?”

Me: “No.”

Richard: “You are not permitted to take photographs of the stores. This is private property.”

Me: no comment as I continued to type in the name of the waypoint on the GPS.

Richard: “If you have any further thoughts, you can contact the mall office inside.”

Me: “Okay”

At first I was livid. Then I realized I was dealing with nothing more than a rent-a-cop. While it may be technically true that this is private property, what is going to happen? I had a more serious run-in in the mall a few years ago with the Easter Bunny. It’s no wonder I do little shopping here.

Anyhow, I wonder how Starbucks actually feels about this.

We have a new addition to the extended family! We went to visit our new niece/cousin in Somers Point and were in need of some food before we arrived home. We decided to pass on anything along the way and wee resigned to fast food when we remembered the Olive Garden at the mall. That was agreeable to all.

It was after 7:00 and the wait wasn’t too bad for a Friday. Our waiter was Javier. He was pleasant.

The only issue we had was that the children’s meals were served first. We like to have them eat when we eat.

We ordered a sampler appetizer that included stuffed mushrooms and fried meat ravioli. Both were fine. I found the marinara for the ravioli to be a bit thin.

The salad was as good as always; plenty of garlic! Gert took all the tomatoes before I protested.

Gert had the Stuffed Chicken Marsala.

As for me, I ordered the Shrimp and Asparagus Risotto.

I very much enjoyed my risotto but will probably keep to making my own in the future and ordering something different when we go to the Olive Garden.

When I first moved to this area I used to dine at Pegasus II, which was in Vineland. I always liked that restaurant, but sadly, it went out of business several years ago.

Later when I met my wife, she introduced me to the original Pegasus. It was every bit as good as II.

Greek-owned, there are plenty of Greek specialties on the menu. The list of daily specials is two pages. There is a lot of seafood. A few years ago I discovered their stromboli. It is hard for me to pass them up when I dine there.

There are three dining areas: the diner part, the dining room, and the greenhouse. The greenhouse is typically used for larger parties and families.

Service is usually nothing spectacular. Prices are reasonable. The restaurant is clean. One will experience a wait at peek times (Friday and Saturday evenings).

Once upon a time I was a fan of Bennigan’s and Houllihan’s and other places like this. The atmosphere was fun and there was a lot of merriment. That seems to have changed over the years.

This location opened a couple years ago as part of the area’s growth. We dined here with my in-laws. We had a decent meal, but nothing special. We have re-visited a couple times since. Each time the experience seems to slip.

We gave it Bennigan’s another attempt last evening. It may be our last.

My son and I were seated at a table that was not clean. It took a few minutes, but eventually someone came and pushed the crumbs onto the floor. The table was seated right by the kitchen, so we had plenty of foot traffic throughout the meal. That included a dishwasher who mopped the floor with smelly water. And the mopping continued most of the meal. What we didn’t understand is that the guy kept mopping near us. He would mop down away and then come back. He did this multiple times. Lovely.

Our waitress, Ikeirra, was very pleasant and upbeat. She served us our drinks right away. Then there was a wait for food. Gert had ordered fried mushrooms as an appetizer. They didn’t come. After a bit our dinner was served, but no mushrooms. I suspect Ikeirra forgot to order them. She rushed the order and when they were served, a lot of grease was added to the basket. Splendid!

Gert and I both ordered the French Dip. Eh . . . There was certainly nothing memorable about the sandwich. The au jus, otoh, was incredibly salty. I am sure they use a package and this thing was nearly inedible. It is not recommended.

The children had mac-and-cheese and a grilled cheese. Both were adequate.

The mushrooms, in addition to be greasy, were not particularly tasty. Stems were left on the ’shrooms, the batter greasy, and other than looking good, did nothing for us.

So, two out of the four items ordered were not good and the cleanliness of the restaurant was less than appealing. It will take a while, a long while, for me to want to return.

If you have been to one Wendy’s, you have been to them all, unless something is seriously amiss. Happily, this Wendy’s is clean, service is speedy, and the food is fine. That’s what I expect.

This location is one I sometimes stop at on my way back from a day of geocaching in Cape May.