Okay, folks let me give it to you straight. When it comes to American, Southern home cooking, Aunt B's is the undisputed champ. Having said that, if you divide the choices in Camden into Aunt B's and "all others," my current belief is that Mangos may very well be at the very pinnacle of "all others." You definitely want to try this place at your very earliest opportunity. Your only regret will be that you can't try some of everything on the menu during your first visit. But be patient: you will be back many times. I arrived today at 1300 HRS for my first visit. The dining area is cozy, but the owner was very helpful in moving a table or two to accommodate me in my wheelchair. He had no clue who I was, by the way. As you can see from the menu, the place has a heavy Cuban and a slight Mexican influence. What may not jump out at you is that the owner(s?) are from Venezuela. Picking up on the Cuban influence from some of the menu items and knowing the epic and legendary Cuban love affair with puerca,
I opted for the Pernil (see "Pork"). Oh, man! Those generous, slow -roasted chunks of pork had obviously been thoroughly marinated in an exceedingly tasty, tangy, marinade, then roasted to tender, juicy perfection with just a hint of crispiness on the outside. It was served with generous helpings of fluffy white rice, black beans, and fried plantains.
In the middle of the plate was a dollop of delicious pico de gallo from very fresh ingredients. There was also a fist-sized chunk of great Cuban bread basted in seasoned butter then toasted. The beans and rice were neither cooked together nor served one atop the other, but side-by-side. The black beans had been so thoroughly drained before plating that there was not a spec of black bean liquor on the plate. Moreover, the beans were cooked to just barely on the done side of al dente. They were delicious. This was all washed down with good, strong, iced tea. No doubt, many of the dishes on the menu would be great with an ice-cold cerveza. Whatever you do and whatever you order, be very sure that your waitperson brings you a bottle of their proprietary "green sauce" (they're working on a name for it). This should in no way be confused with the salsa verde you may have dipped your chips in at a Mexican restaurant. This sauce has ZERO Scoville units.
The recipe is a secret, but I think that it may be a combination of buttermilk, mayo, sour cream, pureed cucumbers, and very finely chopped cilantro in moderation. It is so good and you will be amazed to learn that it is good with virtually everything on your plate! Oh, and those sweet, fried, plantains are delicious with that tangy pork. Oh, yeah, the ambiance: the food is so delicious and the service and prices so good that you would hardly care, but the good news is that it is nice. You would definitely score major points taking a date there - even an "Obama date." Small; cozy; most tables have white linen; tastefully decorated - not a sombrero, pinata, or plaster toreador and bull anywhere in sight. Just tasteful artwork and a huge defunct clock on the wall. A small bar with a sizable wine rack in the corner. They don't push the booze on you either. I entered the place at 1300 and was eating by 1312. Don't miss this one: it is definitely a winner and a keeper. They will do quite well. Oops! I forgot to tell y'all where it is. Take Hwy 40 to Gross Rd. Turn north onto Gross Road. Turn left at the first driveway beyond the Coastal Bank. It's in that long brick building back off of the road a ways. They have limited, but well marked and well sized disabled parking.
16 comments:
Jay
You driving me crazy with your military time. You say that you were Navy. The Navy does not put "HRS" with the time. It is 1300 not 1300 hrs., that's Hollywood time.
Yeah, but once a Navy Corpsman picks up the NE#C, 8404, Field Medical Service Technician, as I did straight out of "A" School, you spent a helluva lot of time with the Marines, who do. Moreover, when I was LCPO of my unit in Macon, we were co-located with and did a lot of joint training with an Army Reserve unit.
I was never stationed aboard ship -I was ALWAYS with the Marines.
Additionally, I inspected ships for U.S. Quarantine for 20 years. We used "HRS" as did all civilian ship's captains and shipping agents.
To this very day, my watch is set to read out military time.
It's the same time as "Navy time" you know.
So, you were a shore duty Sailor, Hmm.
Yep, except for a few short floats on gator freighters for amphibious landing exercises in amtraks.
Kind of hard for a sufferer of Jay Derangement Syndrome to figure out a way of subtly attacking me in the context of a well written restaurant review, HMMM?
Nice try, but you'll have to get up way earlier.
Sorry Jay, it wasn't an attack, your skin must be thin. No JDS here, just a retired Sailor who knows his IC communications.
We can get through the disparities in the various applications of military time, but who in Camden County going to know what Scoville units are? (Yes, I do!)
If you will notice, much like Sesame Street or The Muppets, I always try to leave even my most simple-midned readers a little more educated than when they came to my blog. Perhaps they will be moved to Google "Scoville Units," but I would guess that given that I had just said it was not salsa verde, which is mildly hot, they would probably infer that I was saying that by contrast, green sauce was not. Ergo, they might further infer that "Scoville units" were a measure of hotness of the seasoning variety (as opposed to the true thermal variety).
Besides, you might be surprised by how many people know what Scoville units are, thanksd to The Food Network and even "Myth Busters."
But enough of that. What did you think of the review? Have you been to Mangos? Do you plan to go now?
"Simple minded," rather! :-)
I thought you were a Vietnam veteran that is what you claim on your blog. So are you a Vietnam veteran, or a Vietnam “ERA” veteran. Big difference don’t you think? From your resume on this very thread, you said “I was never stationed aboard ship -I was ALWAYS with the Marines.
Additionally, I inspected ships for U.S. Quarantine for 20 years. We used "HRS" as did all civilian ship's captains and shipping agents.” Then you went on to say “ Yep, except for a few short floats on gator freighters for amphibious landing exercises in amtraks.” So do we have some truth telling to do? The voting public wants to know!!
How in the world did a great post about Mangos turn into this type of chatter? On the original topic of Mangos - I couldn't agree with you more. The food is wonderful. It is not covered in sauce but allows you to actually taste the food you have chosen. The Taste of Mangos is more than enough for 2people and gives you an opportunity to sample a few of their dishes. The only thing I have found that I'm not fond of is their salsa - but their green sauce is wonderful! This has become my favorite Camden County restaurant.
Thnaks, Ain't it great!? My apologies to my sane and decemnt readers and tot he owner of Mangos. You see, this had the potential of making me look like not such a crazy ogre after all - a threat to all of the hard work of the cabal of crazies suffering from Jay Derangement Syndrome. They could not have that, so they had to think of some way to use it as yet another opportunity to impugn my veracity and integrity. Apparently, I seriously threaten these loons.
Not telling you how to "run" your blog. But for the people who are'nt interested in distasteful language, but are very interested in your proficient, captivating restaurant reviews, next time can you please exercise you right not to publish statements, especially during food reviews.
The other stuff destroyed the original intent of "Mangos! Que magnifico!"
Thanks
Sorry. That was, of course,the intent of the vile, lying vermin.
In retrospect, I should have just handled it fromthe git-go the way I eventually did by refuting the scum in a separate post. And please, before you say just ignore the scum, note that theiur latest tacticv is to publish that kind of thing on TOPIX, as well. I have learned that you can not ignore this kind of scurrilous attack by that sort of human garbage upon your integrity.
I'll tell yuo what I'll do retroactively, though: I'll delete the language you find offensive.
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