Restaurant Review: Ron Do's Kitchen

Today I stumbled across a new eatery in Camden, Ron Do's Kitchen (319 Friends St.), right across the street from the parking lot by the Business and Science Building on the Rutgers Campus. The menu features seafood, chicken and turkey, and ribs, as well as side dishes and individual servings of what looked to me like homemade cakes and pies. They have lunch and dinner specials of the day. There is outdoor seating. Hours extend to 10 p.m. Monday - Thursday and later on Friday and Saturday nights.

I had a lunch special, 3 chicken wings and 2 sides, plus a soda, for a little over $5.00. The wings were fabulous, a light seasoned breading so you have some crispy crunch but not too much, and enough taste to be interesting but not overpowering. The chicken itself was good. They cook it to order, though, so be prepared to wait a few minutes or call ahead and order.

For the sides I had macaroni and cheese and potato salad. The mac'n'cheese was not my preferred style. It was baked and the chef uses the small elbow noodles. The potato salad, though, was very good. Most restaurants will serve up tiny pieces of potato smothered in mayo. Here, you have potato pieces big enough to taste, seasonings, and assorted other finely chopped vegetables to round things out. Not a midwestern potato salad, not a cajun potato salad, but an excellent potato salad in its own right.

The roll that came with the meal was not perhaps the best but including it is a sign of class. They remembered the fork, too, which some places don't with carryout.

A co-worker has been there twice and recommends the turkey wings. She agreed with me on the mac'n'cheese but highly recommends the collard greens.

The indoor seating area is nicely decorated, with some interesting architectural features. One part of the main wall has been pulled back to the brick and is framed by molding. There are magazines neatly arranged if anyone wants to read and a tv if you care to watch. (Trivia: John Cleese is a lemur supporter and has had a kind of lemur named after him -- "Who Wants to be a Millionaire" or whatever it is called now, was on while I waited for my chicken.)

I will be going to Ron Do's again.