(tl;dr version: Food was OK-to-solid, atmosphere was good-not-great, service was great.)
Confession: I love cheap bar food. Burgers, fries, club sandwiches, wings (especially wings), mozzarella sticks, hot dogs... I love them all. That said, however, I do think there are "5 star" bar foods I love and "3 star" bar foods I love. My Place happens to fall in that latter category. Allow me to explain why.
My wife and I moved to Delmar about 5 months ago and we were told we should try My Place, as it is one of the local watering holes (Swifty's being the other). We finally got around to trying it and, while I love cheap bar food, I wasn't wowed with the results.
When we walked in, I was glad to see a layout I've always liked - the island bar. Island bars allow for more seating around the entire periphery of the bar and it's a great setup for watching TV or interacting with the bartenders. In short, My Place is a neighborhood bar with what appeared to be lots of regulars. That's a good sign and an atmosphere I like.
The rest of the restaurant is seat-yourself, so we took a table next to some bench seats. We were greeted nearly instantly by a waitress. That's one thing I'll never complain about with My Place - their service was impeccable both times we've been.
We ordered drinks. Now, I'm a beer drinker. I would even say I'm a beer snob. That said, there aren't a lot of options at My Place. Rather than go with the BMCs (Bud-Miller-Coors), I went for a Yuengling, though they also have Sam Adams. Beer and waters were brought out quickly, despite a fairly densely populated bar area. The beer was cold (too cold for really good beer, but this was Yuengling, so that's no problem). All in all, no complaints with beer.
The menu at My Place is a bit jarring - like a lot of similar neighborhood bars, they do just about everything. Burgers? Seafood? Pasta? Fries? Sandwiches? Check. Check. Check. Check. Check. Being in a burger mood, I ordered the 1/2 lb. Bacon Cheeseburger as a platter with fries.
The cheeseburger arrived quickly. The fries were hot and were of the shoestring variety - no complaints there. The burger, though, was clearly a lower-grade cut without nearly enough fat content. The ideal burger (in my own opinion) needs about 20% fat. If grinding your own, chuck works, but you can also use other, better cuts with bits of fat thrown in. The difference is clear - lower-fat cuts lead to tasteless burgers.
Some places compensate by over-seasoning the inside or outside of their patties, but My Place didn't do that (which I actually appreciate). Rather, the burger itself was rendered mostly flavorless. It was also cooked medium-well, when I asked for medium. I don't get too upset when my $6 burger is slightly overcooked, though. The bacon was just OK (again, a lower quality, but for that price it's understandable). I added some more mustard to get some flavor and enjoyed the rest of my meal.
The wife had chicken tenders that appeared to be pre-formed and frozen. Whatever. They were cheap and chicken tenders are chicken tenders - hard to screw up, nearly impossible to impress.
In all, that experience was pretty solid - a three-star kind of neighborhood restaurant. Since then we've gotten some of their wings delivered. If you like crispy wings, theirs are quite crispy (when ordered so). The heat on the "hot" variety was minimal (compared to Swifty's, whose "hot" is downright nuclear). The "mild" (which the wife got) weren't very flavorful at all, but that's OK. Delivery was prompt, but I wouldn't stray too far from wings or chicken tenders for delivery - everything else will probably steam in the package and get a bit too soggy).
On our last visit, I tried the burger again - this time a 1/3 lb. cheeseburger with Russian dressing - and had much the same issue. The sauce helped a bit. My wife got the club and seemed to enjoy it quite a bit, so that's definitely an option in the future.
In summary, I like My Place for what it is - a good, cheap, neighborhood bar with decent bar food. I won't go in and expect to be blown away and I also won't leave upset with the service. Most nights I'd rather eat somewhere with great service and decent food than somewhere with mind-blowing food and terrible service (though I realize others will certainly disagree). I also love the blue-collar, homey atmosphere - I can certainly envision myself parking at the bar and watching a ball game or two in the future.
Some will quibble and say, "Three stars for a good experience? Sounds like four stars!" That's not how I operate, though. Three stars is a place I'll visit again but won't rave about. Four stars is rave-worthy with minor issues. Five stars is a rare combination of terrific service, atmosphere, and food.
Would I recommend My Place? Sure, if you don't mind decent food and a good atmosphere. If you're looking for a culinary experience, you can safely direct your attention elsewhere. read more