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Stark Food Critic, 19 North Egg Harbor Road, Hammonton, NJ (2026)

05/24/2026

Pulled into this spot after a race in New Egypt and first impressions were solid, the outside looks awesome and there’s plenty of parking which is always a plus when you’ve got a bigger group. We rolled in with 9 people and got seated immediately, so definitely a good start there.

Now for the service… ordered drinks and it took about 15 minutes to get them. Thought maybe it was just busy, but tested it again on the second round and same thing. Must just be their normal pace there.

Started with the wings, cooked really well, crispy just how they should be. The Jack Daniel’s sauce was decent, but the Thai Asian sauce was definitely the better choice in my opinion. One thing that threw me off though was the table being sticky like it wasn’t wiped down properly. Little details matter.

For my meal I went with the Plumsted Burger and honestly it was pretty good. Overall, this place is fine if you’re already in the area and want to grab a quick bite after an event or race night. Not really somewhere I’d go far out of my way for, but not terrible either.

Final rating: 3.7/5 ⭐️

Drop a comment below if you’ve been here before — curious to hear what everyone else thinks!

05/05/2026

🔥 LOCAL SPOT CHECK – BACK AFTER 10+ YEARS! 🔥

It’s been over a decade since I last stepped into Elements Restaurant & Bar… so it was time to see if this place still holds up. Brought the family out for lunch and put it to the test.

Started things off with apps: mozzarella sticks, bruschetta, wings (came out late—definitely forgot about them), spinach & artichoke dip, and guacamole.

Let’s get straight to it…

❌ Guacamole – Elements, do everyone a favor… take it off the menu. Needed salt, needed lime, just wasn’t it. Not what I’m coming here for anyway.

✅ Mozzarella Sticks – Crispy, golden, and that cheese pull was 🔥
✅ Bruschetta – I’d toast the bread a little more, but flavors were solid and the fresh mozz carried it
✅ Boneless Wings – Once they showed up, they delivered
✅ Spinach & Artichoke Dip – Exactly what you want, rich and flavorful

For the main course, I went ALL IN on sushi 🍣
About 40 pieces deep… and every single one disappeared. Fresh, clean, and plated nicely. For the price? Hard to beat around here.

Bottom line — after 10+ years, this place still holds its own. Not perfect, but definitely still a go-to spot to hang with friends or family.

⭐ 4.2 / 5

👇 Drop a comment if you’ve been here recently—did it hit or miss for you?

⸻

#08087

04/19/2026

Walked into Buffalo Wild Wings and right off the bat… no hostess, no direction, just kind of standing there wondering if I seat myself or what. Ended up grabbing a spot at the bar—and that’s where things went downhill fast.

The smell coming off the bar was rough. Not just your typical bar vibe either—I’m talking straight-up stale, dirty, alleyway dumpster energy. Flies buzzing around, and the odor never let up the entire time I sat there. I get it, it’s a bar… but there’s a difference between “bar smell” and “this place needs a deep clean immediately.”

Credit where it’s due—the bartender was great. Friendly, quick with the drink, took my order right away. Honestly, the service was the only bright spot of the visit.

Ordered 6 Asian Zing and 6 of the limited-time Sweet Chile Crisp wings. When the food came out, yeah, they looked crispy—but the meat? Tough. The bone did NOT want to separate at all. For $2 PER WING… that’s just criminal. Yeah, I said it—CRIMINAL. For that price, you’d expect bigger, better quality wings, not something you have to fight to eat.

And no celery on the side? Come on… that’s wing basics.

Final bill: $45 for 2 drinks and 12 wings. For that price, plus the smell, plus the quality? Absolutely not worth it.

Food: 👎
Atmosphere: 👎👎
Service: 👍 (the only thing holding this place up)

Overall: 2.2/5

Do better—for your customers AND your staff. If anyone knows a solid Buffalo Wild Wings that is good, drop it in the comments 👇

Buffalo Wild Wings

04/06/2026

🔥 La Jarochita — Hidden Gem Alert 🔥

If you haven’t hit La Jarochita yet, you’re missing out on one of the best low-key spots around. We locked in a 5:30 reservation, but they were running a bit behind and got seated around 6… and honestly? Worth every minute of the wait.

First off — it’s BYOB, which is always a win. In the summer, this place is going to be 🔥 with outdoor seating opening things up, because inside it’s cozy (aka small). Don’t let that scare you off though — this spot punches WAY above its size. Parking can be a little tight, so be ready to hunt a spot nearby.

We kicked things off with chips & guac and fried plantains. Guac was fresh and tasty, but for the price I wish they gave you a little more. Still solid though.

Now let’s talk mains… I went with the “Happy Little Pig” ( #85) and WOW. This thing is a full-on experience. Corn tortillas in hand, I built my own bites loaded with chicken, pork, sausage, and ribeye, plus all the veggies packed inside. Chicken? Cooked perfectly. Pork? 🔥. Sausage? Even better. Ribeye was a touch over for my liking, but still brought the flavor. The presentation alone gets points — this dish comes out ready to impress.

Everyone at the table was happy with their meals, no complaints across the board.

Overall: 4.2/5 ⭐️
Great flavors, unique dishes, and a spot that’s only getting better. We’ll definitely be back 😎

03/29/2026

Nan Xiang Xiao Long Bao

If you’re a dumpling fan, this spot is usually a slam dunk. Fresh dumplings made right in-house—fried, steamed, soup—you name it. You can literally watch them being made in the back, which is always a cool touch. Prices are solid too, so you don’t feel like you got robbed walking out.

Now… full honesty.

We’ve been here multiple times, and I’d normally rate this place higher—but tonight just wasn’t it.

Service was off. People seated after us got their food first, and our server was basically invisible when we needed to order and again when we were ready to pay. That kind of thing kills the flow of the whole experience.

Food-wise, it was a mixed bag. Dumplings? Still top-tier—no complaints there. But the udon noodles came out barely warm and were cold within minutes.

Atmosphere still delivers. Clean, lively, and the robot food runners are actually pretty cool to see in action. Parking though? Brutal. Be ready to hunt.

End of the day—this place is still worth the trip, just not their best showing tonight.

3.8/5 ⭐

https://nanxiangxiaolongbao.com/menu/

03/15/2026

Hollow Pines

🚨 NEW SPOT ALERT 🚨
And yeah… the hype is real.

We stopped by Hollow Pines to see what all the buzz was about and let me tell you — this place has been PACKED since day one.

First tip:
Parking up front looks impossible, but there’s more parking in the back, so don’t panic and leave.

No reservations yet and we were quoted 1 hour 30 minutes, but we actually got seated earlier.

The atmosphere though… 🔥
Massive main floor bar (has to be close to 50 feet long) and the renovation from the old place is seriously impressive. Two floors, bars on each level, and staff running nonstop trying to keep up with the crowd.

Food highlights:

🥨 Pigs in a Blanket with jalapeño dijonnaise
I could’ve drank the sauce. Not exaggerating.

🍸 Drinks: Woodsman & Harpoon Louie
Both perfectly balanced.

🥩 Steak Frites
Fries tossed in Parmesan (Cacio e Pepe style) with steak topped in chimichurri butter. Great combo.

🍝 Venison Lasagna
Really flavorful, though it tasted more like sausage to me. Only complaint… I wish the portion was bigger.

🍊 Blood Orange Crème Brûlée
Great sugar crust with a nice citrus twist.

⭐ Final rating: 4.4 / 5

Only reason it’s not higher right now is the crowds and long wait, but that’s the price of being the new hot spot.

I’ll definitely be back… probably when the fall/winter slowdown hits.

👉 Question for everyone:
Have you been to Hollow Pines yet?
Worth the hype or overrated?

03/11/2026

Randomly decided to stop into Smithville Inn for dinner and it turned out to be Restaurant Week, so of course we had to give it a shot.

First tip: make a reservation. We walked in and ended up waiting about an hour for a table, but the staff was extremely polite and the cozy lakefront setting in Smithville makes the wait a little easier.

Restaurant Week deal was $45 per person for an appetizer, entrée, and dessert.

Appetizers:
The mini crab cake with remoulade had great flavor, but the sauce being poured over the top made it a little soggy. Still tasty though.
My wife ordered the grilled chicken egg roll. On its own it was a little under-seasoned, but once you dipped it in the sauce it completely changed the bite.

Entrées:
I went with the Sumatra coffee flat iron steak with chimichurri, yuca fries, and chorizo elote. The steak had good flavor, but it was sitting on top of remoulade which completely overpowered the steak and chimichurri. Honestly it didn’t belong on the plate. Also came out lukewarm, while my wife’s dish was steaming hot.

My wife ordered the short rib stroganoff and that dish absolutely delivered. Perfectly cooked pasta, super tender meat that fell apart, and a rich mushroom sauce. Definitely the winner of the night.

Dessert:
The limoncello mascarpone cake was fantastic. Great flavor and perfectly moist.
The macaron flight was good too, though they didn’t seem freshly made.

Final thoughts:
Great atmosphere, very friendly staff, and some really good dishes with a few plating/execution hiccups.

⭐ 4.2 / 5 — Worth checking out if you’re in Smithville.

Anyone else been to Smithville Inn recently? What did you order?

02/02/2026

Cheesesteak Louie’s – Tuckerton, NJ (2.8/5)

Off Route 9, tucked back in Tuckerton, is a spot people have been raving about—Cheesesteak Louie’s. After several attempts (they were always sold out), we finally got to try it.

We ordered the Louie Original, a King Louie, and a small fry. Wait time was about 25 minutes, which wasn’t bad. But dress warm if you’re waiting inside—somehow it was colder inside the building than outside, which was wild. First look inside, you could see some messiness under the prep tables, but honestly, that’s kind of expected in a busy sandwich spot.

The staff at the counter was friendly, but they couldn’t retain the order—I had to repeat it three times.

By the time we got home and unwrapped everything, the cheesesteaks were lukewarm at best (probably thanks to the freezing temps inside). They used the thinnest layer of foil possible—if you want to keep food warm, wrap it in paper and double foil.

My wife found a piece of bone in her sandwich, which was odd, but things happen. Her cheesesteak was nothing special. The King Louie was okay—nothing great. I wish the hot peppers were evenly distributed instead of randomly concentrated in one bite.

Overall, I’m not impressed and don’t see the hype—especially for $40 for two cheesesteaks and a small fry.

2.8/5 for us.
Comment below with your thoughts and experiences—and let us know if we should give them another shot.

01/09/2026

When we pulled into the parking lot, we were a bit skeptical since it seemed empty and we weren’t sure if they were even open. We got out to check, and thankfully the doors were open. Seating is self-serve, which was fine, and our server was super nice and patient. Honestly, it was refreshing to finally experience great customer service in Maryland!

We started with the fried pickles, which were breaded perfectly—not too heavy—and paired really well with the dipping sauce. The kids split a boneless chicken wing meal and loved it. The cornbread-style breading was nicely fried, and they cleaned their plates. The fries were fresh and clearly made to order.

My wife ordered the steak sammie, and the steak was cooked perfectly—tender and full of flavor. I usually get offered a bite, but not this time, so that tells you how good it was. I went with the crab cake sammie because, when in Maryland, you have to get crab. It did not disappoint at all. It came with a great tartar sauce, and the crab cake had zero filler—definitely one of the better ones I’ve had.

The beers here are a must-try. The imperial stout was excellent, and the ciders were incredibly flavorful. This place truly has it all: great food, solid drinks, and even slot machines if you’re into that.

Highly recommended. ⭐️ 4.5/5

01/08/2026

Trying this out for dinner. Review to drop tonight!!!! Stay tuned!

Stark Food Critic

05/24/2026

05/05/2026

04/19/2026

04/06/2026

03/29/2026

03/15/2026

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02/02/2026

01/09/2026

01/08/2026

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