I went into Sport Hyundai Dodge for my Elantra's 90,00 mile tune up. I scheduled an appointment about a week ahead of time, brought the car in, left for the day, came back in the late afternoon, and everything was all taken care of.

John, in service, had given me a quote ahead of time and the actual price was exactly what he said it was going to be (plus a small extra charge for patching up a leaky tire).

Egg Harbor is about 35 minutes away from where I live but the experience was worth the trip. My car now runs a lot smoother than it did before and I have total peace of mind that my Hyundai isn't going to blow up while I'm driving it.

FORE! No wait... STRIKE! Sorry, forgot what sport we were talking about here.

As I write this review, the establishment name here on YELP reads "3 J's Wildwood Bowl." Hopefully that will be updated soon. I don't know how long 3 J's was in business but they're out now and Island Bowl is in.

The wife and I went bowling last night. We only played two games but we had fun. Hit a few strikes and spares here and there. Woot.

Having never been to 3Js, I have no frame of reference but here's what we experienced yesterday. At 6:00pm on a Friday the place was a ghost town. We were literally the only bowlers. It was kinda eerie. I know that Island Bowl just recently opened but shouldn't there be at least a few people out having fun?

When we arrived, parking was very confusing. Can you park in front? Where is the entrance? What about around back? On the street? I don't know! We eventually decided to park around the side of the building. Then we walked up to where the big Island Bowl sign is yet still, where the actual bowling alley was was hard to decipher. It really needs to be labeled better. Perhaps that's part of the reason why no one is there. Anyway, the alley is upstairs on the second floor. Walk in and start climbing.

The attendant who set us up was sadly not very knowledgeable of the prices. It took some fumbling before he told us the difference between paying for an hour of unlimited bowling vs. paying by the game. We think that the price per game was $4.25 each and shoes were $3 each. By that math, we should have paid $4.25 x 2 (bowlers) x 2 (games) = $17 + $6 (shoes) = $23. But somehow it came out to $26. Maybe I heard him wrong or maybe my math is off but I think he overcharged us by three bucks. I only realized this about halfway through our second game and by that point, it was too late to bring it up again. Whatever.

The lanes themselves are very clean and new-looking. The pins, when you smash 'em hard, make a very satisfying sound. And the balls are very shiny and fluorescent. The seats however are still outdated as are the scoring machines. Hopefully they will be updating both in the coming months or year. My biggest pet peeve was that there were no big screens hanging from the ceiling. In nicer bowling alleys, you have the screen in front of you that is mirrored up above. Maybe it's a dumb wish, but it's one I would like to see come true for Island Bowl.

There was a snafu during the 7th frame of our second game. I knocked down 6 pins on my first ball and the rack fell and dragged forward to knock the rest down, thereby resetting the frame and robbing me of my second ball. I sought help from the attendant (who had nothing else to do as there were still no other bowlers in the entire place) and he came down and, to his credit, basically told me to just throw two consecutive gutters, manually erase my 7th frame score of 6, and bowl the frame over again. I did, and it worked. But it was annoying. I guess these things happen, even in the best of bowling alleys.

When we were wrapping up our second (and final) game, another couple began to play. Hopefully more people showed up as the night went on but I have no way of knowing.

Island Bowl does have potential but they aren't there yet. I hope they get there and I hope they improve their overall business.

Oh and for the record, I bowled a 154 and a 141. Not bragging. Also not dissatisfied with the scores considering I haven't played in nearly two years.

Ice cream.

I just wanted to say that off the bat. We'll get back to it.

The WIFE* and I went to Duffer's last night after a quick bout of bowling in Wildwood. She had heard of Duffer's from some friends at work who recommended it. Parking is not ideal but not terrible either. If you're lucky, you could get a spot out front but it was pretty busy for us on a Friday night so we drove down a side street and had just a short walk to the restaurant. The reason it's a popular joint is due to the fact that it is not only a restaurant but it doubles as an ice cream parlor and trebles as an arcade! Fun for the whole family!

Despite lack of parking out front, we were seated immediately. Most folks probably come strictly for the ice cream shoppe and leisurely stroll whereas we sat at a booth.

The decor of Duffer's is charming. It has an oldie style feel and a toy train runs along a ledge near the ceiling. It kind of feels like Friendly's except more authentic than the chain.

Our waitress was very nice and she steered me away from the bleu cheese and bacon burger saying that it was basically just crumbles of blue cheese as opposed to a sauce. Instead, I ordered a regular bacon and cheeseburger. The wife and I shared a very large plate of Freedom Fries as well. My burger was pretty lame. Edible and not disgusting but nothing much to write about there. The Freedom Fries, however, were pretty outstanding. I guess you can't go wrong with cheddar cheese, tons of bacon, and a bit of ranch dressing for dipping. I'd be willing to bet that the cheddar cheese was actually cheez whiz but that didn't make it any less savory. When I asked the waitress later on how much bacon they put on the Freedom Fries she said that our serving was actually more bacon than usual. No doubt. The thing was heaping with bacon crumbs. Mmm Mmm Mmm. God Bless America.

My wife ate light as she was saving her room for the ice cream -- something I probably should have done as well. She had the Caesar Salad and though it seemed to glisten, perhaps it glistened too much. She said there was too much dressing on it to properly enjoy.

The Ice Cream - This was the real reason we came to Duffer's and the next time we return, we may just stick to dessert and forget dinner. They make their own ice cream on the premise. That's something we always appreciate. Their helpings, once again, are enormous. The wife ordered one scoop of butter pecan and received (what looked to me) was more like 2.5 decent sized scoops. They definitely don't chinz you on the servings. She enjoyed the butter pecan though it was almost underwhelming in the taste department after she sampled (and sampled) my own dessert, a Reese's Peanut Butter Cup Sundae with chocolate sauce AND peanut butter sauce. That last bit was my addition. I'm such a nut for peanut butter. I can never get enough. And this sundae, at a whopping $8.50 was worth every cent. Overflowing out of a gigantic glass, the ice cream took awhile to mix together but with careful ninja-like precision, I managed to spoon most of it into my mouth with ease. Freaking delicious. I was sadly, unable to finish my dessert (even with a bit of help from the missus), but I left feeling very happy and exhaling a peanut butter scent with every breath.

All in all, Duffer's is a good time. The dinner isn't great but it's more than acceptable for kids. And the ice cream is some of the best and the biggest in the area. Rock on.

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*First review since gettin' hitched on June 1, 2013. Woot!

After attempting to have dinner at no less than four other establishments in downtown Burlington last Saturday night, my sister and I gave up and walked into Lakeview House. This was the one restaurant in the entire area that didn't have a line out the door. It was the night before the Burlington Marathon and runners everywhere were carb loading, myself included.

Walking in through the back entrance (the only entrance that makes sense through the parking lot) is a chore in foul weather. The rain pours down off the roof and drenches you as you walk in. If you're a nimble jumper, you will still get soaked.

Inside, it's pleasant enough. The bar and tables are cozy and the staff are friendly and helpful. Unfortunately, there is nothing good to say about the food. If you're coming just to have a beer with friends, you'll be fine. Just don't order anything to eat because everything is bland and boring.

Specifically the calamari is the worst I've ever had. Not only that but half the plate is actually just breaded garlic. I don't know about you but when I eat calamari, I don't like to be fooled into eating garlic.

My main course, shrimp linguine, served its purpose. It filled me up with carbs for my big race the following morning. However, it had virtually no taste. Pepper helped a smidge, I suppose. But the dish was just incredibly disappointing.

My sister's meal, a simple burger, was also tasteless. It was shocking that nothing we ate was good. The only saving grace here is that our waiter and other servers couldn't have been more friendly. They are the reason for the two stars. Sadly, their cheerful demeanors could do nothing to improve the food.