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Petulant (adj., PECH-you-lent)
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Carmen's Deli and Classic Asia
There are many fine restaurants in South Jersey to write about. There are many fine restaurants in Haddonfield and Collingswood, as well as Cherry Hill and beyond. But these are places noted for their food scene. There were still good eateries in Haddon Heights and the nearby, more middle-class towns. Today, we highlight two: Carmen's Deli of Bellmawr and Classic Asia of Haddon Heights.
Carmen's Deli is a local landmark. It recently celebrated its 50th anniversary selling delicious, gigantic sandwiches and cheesesteaks out of a small store in Bellmawr, NJ. Bellmawr's blue-collar roots show clearly in Carmen's sandwiches. They're reasonably priced, hearty, and delicious, the kind of thing a laborer could wander in and scarf down before going back to their work.
If you're going, get their Italian hoagie, their hot roast beef, or their cheesesteak.
Classic Asia, on the other hand, is newer. They took over a storefront on the main street of Haddon Heights and quietly started turning out excellent Chinese food. Unlike other Chinese restaurants nearby, Classic Asia put effort into making a quality sitdown area as well as being a good takeout kitchen. But the food is what you notice. It's tasty without being greasy. The soups, the rolls, the rice, the entrees—all are excellent. It is easy to miss the store, sandwiched on the main street of a whitebread town, but its quality is high.
If you're going, get their Dragon and Phoenix, with the Won Ton Soup and veggies.
(Also, for a good dessert, the long-running ice cream shop is thirty feet away.)
These towns will never be known for their food scene, but they have a number of great local gems.
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