tommy:eats

Fire & Oak: Montvale, NJ

Walking out of Montvale's Fire & Oak after our recent meal, I felt a feeling that I hadn't felt in quite some time.  I had just given someone 100 bucks, and I wasn't pissed off about it.  I felt like I actually got my money's worth.

Granted, this was just one visit, but my experiences at South City Prime, the now defunct restaurant which begat Fire & Oak (the "Prime" concept wasn't going to fly in this economy, so the owners scaled back their existing restaurant in Little Falls and the two they had planned to the more casual "Fire & Oak"), were always pleasurable, and I would like to assume Fire & Oak is on the same track.  

Morton's Steakhouse: and their blog and silly claim

Morton's Steakhouse now has a "blog".  The blog is called "The Best Steak Anywhere", which is their (new?) registered trademark.

Really?  The best steak anywhere?  It kinda makes you wonder if they've ever been to Peter Luger, or Florence.  

I suppose they are guided by the same principle that so many are:  if you say it enough, well then it just has to be true.  They lie.  It's not.  How am I so sure?  

The Orange Squirrel: Bloomfield, NJ: Some initial thoughts

As we fall deeper and deeper into this recession, with little hope of recovering from before I'm almost at retirement age, I'm getting more and more annoyed at handing over 125 dollars to restaurants for mediocre experiences.  In the past, I'd just chalked 'em up to a learning experience.  But not so much these days.  It actually goes a bit beyond annoyance, and slides into bitterness.  "How dare they take my money for that?!??", I stew.

Which brings me to Bloomfield's The Orange Squirrel.

I bought into the online hysteria, which made the place sound like...well, read for yourself:  

"The Orange Squirrel is one of the good ones."
"Run, don't walk, to the Orange Squirrel."
"The Orange Squirrel doesn't disappoint...it surprises."
"Speciality cocktails..."
"BEST EVER...gnudi"
"wood fired pizza"
"they have drinks named after squirrels"
"they serve cute squirrel chocolates at the end of the meal."

And those are just from Baristanet.com

"dinner was truly delicious"
"rivals those [restaurants] of NYC...a must try"
"brick oven pizza"

Don't get me wrong.  When we walked in we weren't expecting The Spotted Pig, so I wouldn't blame the following on unreasonable expectations.  But when we walked out, we were just shaking our heads, annoyed, let down, and that feeling of just losing all hope for the NJ restaurant scene came over us.  Is this the best we can do?

OK, getting to it...

Rosa Mexicano: Hackensack, initial impressions

We took a walk by the chain restaurant trifecta that recently opened at the Riverside Square mall. 

There's a Maggioni's or something like that, whose awning claims "PRIME STEAKS."  Plural, as far as I can tell.  I took a look at their menu, and only one steak is "prime", and it's not even suggesting that it's USDA Prime (it also claims "aged", which I assume means that it was sitting in a Cryovac wrapper for a while.  Yay).  I guess what they meant by "PRIME STEAKS" is that they have several of those steaks. 

There's also PF Chang's.  I couldn't get past those enormous concrete horses.  I'm sure I'm missing some sort of cultural significance, once again illustrating the depth and breadth of my ignorance. Seriously, they're kidding, right?...

...and then there's Rosa Mexicano.

Ridgewood's Blend: gone (yay!), but coming back (awww...)

Update (11/22/08):  More doins at Blend reported on the Bergen Record's blog.

Blend opened up several years ago, taking up what seemed to be an entire block of Ridgewood's somewhat quaint downtown area.  Then it closed a few months ago, bankrupt.  But not before I spent some quality time at this restaurant-cum-dance-club-cum-live-music-venue.

During one of my first meals, on what was a guys-night-out sort of thing, my strip steak came to the table in the form of filet mignon.  I sent it back and waited.  And waited.  The manager, who was very nice, came over and apologized, explaining that they had my new steak ready and were bringing it out but the server dropped it on the stairs, so they were making yet another one.  I appreciated her honesty, we all had a good laugh, and we still chuckle about it today.  The steak?  I don't recall it being notable in the least.  But a good time was had by all.

On another visit, I spent a lazy afternoon at the back bar talking to the bartender (Steve, at the time), about cocktails and tequila.  He set up a little tequila tasting for me, and we had a grand ol' time.  The burger, not all that exceptional.  But the experience?  Wonderful.

But beyond those two visits, Blend just didn't do it for me.  The food was simply not very good.  And if I went at night to soak in that nightclub thing they had going, I'd find myself looking around, wondering who all these people were and from where they came.  They sure didn't look my neighbors and friends.  

That was indicative of my biggest issue with Blend:  it didn't serve the community. And to top off the perceived insult with tangible injury, its valet service seemed to take up about 90% of the only large parking lot in downtown Ridgewood.  Pre-Blend-opening, you could always get a spot there for 2 bucks for the whole night.  In a post-Blend-opening world, that parking lot was practically useless...unless you were going to Blend.  Or should I say, unless you were pretending as though you were going to Blend.  Many a time I would drop off my guests at our restaurant of choice, pull into that valet lot, hand over my keys, walk in the back door of Blend and right out the front.  2 dollar parking just turned free.

But my craftiness isn't what I came here to share.

Bonefish Grill: Paramus, NJ

File under:  I should have known better.

Essentially on a dare, we headed to Bonefish Grill in Paramus.  "How bad could it be?", was the rationale.   Well let me tell ya...

The Brick House: Wyckoff, NJ: Slammed by the Record

The Brick House (the "fine dining" restaurant in Wyckoff, NJ) was ripped a new one by the Bergen Record yesterday.  And just like clockwork, critics of the critic came out of the woodwork, defending the restaurant, and questioning the reviewer's food knowledge (you can read the comments at the bottom of that link and here as all of them here).   One commenter suggests that a reviewer should "educate me and enrich the dining experience".  That's good stuff.  I can't even make that stuff up.  And, of course, some made it known to the world that one little review was not going to change their opinion of the place (ummm, is that the goal of a review?  ever?)

You might recall that something similar happened when the Record slammed Biagio's.  The immediate outpouring of support for the mediocre Biagio's was mind-blowing.  These people were incensed!

I guess this phenomenon has something to do with these places being "local institutions."  My take on "local institutions"?:  generally not very good.

While I've had several meals at Biagio's to support that hypothesis, I've had none at The Brick House.  But not for lack of trying.

Our visit a few weeks ago went like this:

Recent: Jersey Burgers

For the love of Pete where the hell have I been?  Weeks since the last post.  Months before that.  You're all worried sick I know.  Well I've been eating burgers.  Mostly mediocre, some downright horrible, but a couple of excellent burgers as well.  And here ya go:

First, one from home.  Good.  Loose patty.  Freshly ground beef. Exceptional bacon.  Good burger to bun ratio.  Exceptional cheese.  So what's so hard about that?

Duck confit, mushrooms: penne

What do you do when Chef Anthony LoPinto, from Fairfield's Crave Restaurant, gives you a handful of house-made duck confit to take home?

I found myself facing that question a few days ago.  After an outstanding meal at Crave the night before,  Chef gave me a 'care package.'  There are few ways to be taken care of more than you are when given a handful of duck confit.  Of this you are assured.

To answer my own question, since no one has raised their hand:  you say 'thank you' and you take it home.  And then you don't waste it.  You cook it.  The next night.  Because it's really good.

Blogging from the bar on an iPhone: at Crave: Fairfield, NJ

Update (July 2007):  Chef LoPinto has left Crave.  Expect dumbing down of the menu.

Beets and duck confit. Excellent dish. A study in balance. Housemade confit.

Update:  Monkfish and white beans. Classic LoPinto. Herbal. Just salty enough. Luscious. Near perfect.

2004 Benziger Merlot at 32 bucks. Sign me up and keep me signed up.

Dessert coming up.

Update:  the bathroom door signs are maddening.  Like taking a tinkle IQ test to pick the correct door.  Particularly confusing if you're a boy who likes to sit when he pees...or so I'm told.

Update:  The bar at Crave is the kind of place where an inordinate amount of people think vodka is interesting.

Update:  What happened, did the Internet go down?  Not one person has read this since I started.  Do you know how difficult it is to type all of this nonsense on an iPhone?  You ungrateful bastards. 

Update:  Chef LoPinto sent out too many desserts (and I paid for them in the interest of disclosure). I've acknowledged before that we know each other, for the record. He has a way with sweets as much as savory.

All done.

Crave Restaurant and Lounge : 168 Passaic Ave : Fairfield, NJ : 973.882.8700

Crave in Fairfield, NJ, is open

Update:  Crave is officially open for business.  Their website is at http://www.cravelounge.net

Update:  I had a quick and excellent meal at the bar, mentioned here.

Update (July 2008):  Chef LoPinto has left Crave.  Expect to see some changes in the menu and direction, for the worse I would think.

I know a lot of you are searching for information on Crave Restaurant and Lounge in Fairfield, NJ, Chef Anthony LoPinto's (late of Totowa's Earth, and a bunch of other restaurants over the last 15 or so years) latest venture, and I know that a lot of you already know that they're opening "soon."  But in case you don't, I'm here to say that Crave is opening in about a week or so.  Two maybe max?  Do I have any insider info?  Liddlebit. Nothing I can share, and posting this might be a betrayal of confidence, though I doubt it because the word is on the street.  And heck, I'm pretty excited and want others to be as well.  I can almost taste the Benziger now.

Today is Tuesday, 2/12/2008, and I'm guessing I'll see some of you there by next Saturday.  If it's not open by then I'll go down personally and pound on the door, incognito of course, demanding more insider info, and I'll apologize for getting your hopes up.  Otherwise, I will be  sitting at the bar, enjoying Chef LoPinto's cooking, because bar dining is almost always preferable. 

Don't say "hi' if you see me, however, because I don't like people.

Crave Restaurant and Lounge : 168 Passaic Ave : Fairfield, NJ : 973.882.8700

Red Robin: Why?

Here's a question for you:

What's the worse thing you can say on your way to lunch at Montclair's Little Saigon, where you're planning on having a big ol' hot bowl of pho and some of their wacky "egg rolls," wrapped in lettuce and dipped in nuoc cham.  The answer is, of course, "Hey, let's try Red Robin for the hell of it."

I clearly have to remind myself more often that the people on roadfood.com and chowhound.com and citysearch.com, and any other open forum where anyone can post anything, for the most part, don't know what they're talking about.  "Red Robin has a really good burger" I read somewhere.  Why did I believe that for even one second?  I suppose I really didn't.  But I was curious.  Once a seed gets planted in my head there's really no getting it out until it germinates.  I'm obsessive and compulsive.  Two wonderful traits.  So yeah, I had no choice but to stop at Clifton's Red Robin.

South City Prime: Little Falls, NJ and South City Grill: Rochelle Park, NJ

Updated: 01/09/2009:  South City Prime is closing retooling, and will reopen as Fire & Oak.  Hopefully the good steaks and burgers will remain.

A tale of two South Cities?

Oh that was hacky.  Please accept my apology.

We rolled into South City Prime, on its first night (stupid, I know, but what the hell), with reasonably low expectations.  After all, we had no love for its sister restaurant, South City Grill, a restaurant at which we had a forgettable (regrettable?) meal 10 years ago.  More on that place later.  That, coupled with how unimpressed I was with the other new Little Falls steakhouse, Rare, and hell, I was figuring this was another gaudy big-money more-flash-than-flesh pick-up joint, posing as a steakhouse.

And I was wrong.  At least about the steak.

Tomo: Ramsey, NJ (Closed)

Ramsey's Tomo Japanese Restaurant has closed.   I noticed it was dark the other night, and no one has been answering the phones.

Biagio's: Paramus, NJ

I’m guessing the Bergen Record recently changed their business model and decided to ramp up their online ad revenue.  And how do you get advertisers to pay you for online ads?  Traffic.  And how do you get traffic to your website?  By having your editors share their opinions on cooking and lifestyle and restaurants and stuff?  Yeah, maybe a little.  How do you *really* get traffic to your website?  Answer:  allow anyone to use it as a soapbox.  And that’s just what the Bergen Record did when it opened up its main site and its Second Helpings food blog to reader comments a few weeks ago.  Now, idiots like you and me can post practically anything (although I’m sure they have guidelines as far as what stays up) in response to the editors (and each other). 

Did I read Second Helpings to see what Bill Pitcher was reporting on before the comments opened up?  Sure, every now and again.   But you can bet that I’m checking more often these days, hanging on every word that TruffleWhippedCreamGal says about A Mano or what SherlockGnomes says about the Allendale Bar and Grill.  Oh the Record is getting multiple hits from me every day, that’s for sure.

And what brilliant timing for the shift to open comments:  they had just published a most unflattering and somewhat brutal review of a well-loved family-run Bergen County restaurant:  Biagio’s in Paramus. 

I sat here on the morning after the review was published, reading the various comments left by fans of Biagio’s (and more here).  I was extremely entertained.  People were clearly taking this very personally.  “Attack my favorite restaurant!?!?!  How DARE you!?!?!?!  You, ma’am, have no idea what you are talking about and should be stoned, publicly.  I am officially canceling my subscription to the Bergen Record.  You need to apologize for being so mean!!! Fire her!!!!!”

The collective reaction was interesting.  I mean, you trash someone’s favorite restaurant, and you are, in essence, attacking them.  And then people hate you.  And I get that.  People have no doubt grown up with Biagio’s (the family has owned the restaurant for quite a few years).  They’ve had birthday parties there.  Graduation parties.  Weddings.   Hell on each of my two recent visits (a weekend day and a weekday night), there was a party going on in one of the private rooms (they have several for your partying pleasure).   The regulars know the owners by name and they’re known by name.  That makes people feel good.  About themselves.  About the restaurant (or, the “establishment”, as its fans like to refer to it in those comments).  Biagio’s is woven into their memories, into the fabric of their very being.  This, I think, partly explains why they don’t realize that Biagio’s simply does not serve very notable food.   Perhaps Biagio’s fans weigh those aspects more than the actual food.  Perhaps they really don’t give food much thought to begin with.  The former is no doubt true, but I’m not about to discount the latter. 

And hey, there’s nothing wrong with not giving food much thought.  I don’t give much thought to a lot of things that others are fanatic about:  clothing, electronics, cars, and pretty much everything but food (and music).  The difference, though, is that my feelings aren't hurt when a magazine reviews my crappy Onkyo receiver and gives it a bad rating:  I’m comfortable with the fact that my Onkyo receiver isn’t all that good.  It serves my needs, and that’s just fine by me. 

But it’s really not important why people like Biagio’s.  I’m sure they’re very nice people, some of whom clearly do not spell very well or write very often, but I’m not going to put much more thought into it.  All I know for sure is what I think about Biagio’s.  You want to know too.  Admit it.  That’s why you’re here, right now, reading this nonsense.  So here you go, complete with crappy cell phone pictures.

Bergen Record: opens up its website to thousands of...

...thoughtful and articulate people.

When I first read that the Bergen Record's website remodel included the ability for anyone to post a comment on their stories, I thought, "oh jeez, now the Bergen Record is going to look like a blog, with countless idiotic comments on every subject."  And I'll tell you that from what I've read so far, I was right.

2007: let downs

Right now, 10's of people all over New Jersey are wondering, "When is t:e coming out with his lists!?!!?  I can hardly wait!" they say.  But damn if I wasn't so busy putting together my 2007 lists that it's already 2008.

Some background first.

2007 was a funny year for t:e.  Not "ha-ha" funny, but strange funny.  Not strange "weird", but strange unusual.  I visited very few restaurants, although for about 6 months I ate out every single night.  I guess I stuck to the old standards, which are for another post.

But for this post, I'm going to focus on the negative, the places that sort of let me down for one reason or several.  Oftentimes it was because expectations were set too high.  Other times the food was just plain not good.

<quick aside>Anyone who reads this blog (you two know who you are) knows that I don't focus on the negative:  I try to find the interesting stuff, and I like to share it.   If you want to hear people complain about some server who made them feel less of a person, or some other restaurant-goers who were acting so horribly as to ruin their meal, or about the chef who was clearly out to get them, go to egullet or nj.com or one of the hundreds of websites seemingly devoted to the lowest common denominator, negative, nasty discussion that is just so darned easy to generate.  Go now, don't let me stop you.  Please.  I'm simply not going to be able to give you what you want.

For my part, I'll say I didn't like something, and I'll explain why.  And usually it's not because someone hurt my feelings.  </quick aside>

So here they are, the let-downs of 2007:

Cheeseburger in Paradise: Wayne, NJ (and elsewhere)

I’ve been curious about this chain ever since I noticed a branch out in Wayne, NJ, on in Route 46. On at least two occasions over the summer I tried going for lunch and found them closed (they’re not open for lunch M-Th). Luckily, Wendy’s up the street was serving paradise all day long on those days.

I finally got over there on a Friday and checked out this restaurant, named after the very famous Jimmy Buffet song. As you might imagine, expectations were not set very high, and as such were essentially met, leaving me confused that I’m not disgusted by the place, yet I don’t think it’s all that good and would never go back.

Esty Street: Park Ridge, NJ

Update (2/2009):  Esty is under new ownership since this report.  It has been remodeled and somewhat tweaked.  Adam Weiss remains in the kitchen, and the restaurant is open for business.

Esty Street is one of those places that has been around for a reeeally long time, and seems to fly under the radar.  If you've just mumbled "Huh?  Where?", well I'm not surprised:  it's not new, it's not hip, it's not flashy, it doesn't have a big bar scene, it's not young, it's not a lot of things.  What it is, however, is a solid restaurant serving some of the more interesting food that Bergen County has to offer.

Chef Anthony LoPinto lands again! CRAVE: Fairfield, NJ

Edit (02/12/2008):  Update here (click)

We all cheered when Chef LoPinto landed at Earth in Totowa.  And then we cried when the whole thing fell through.

The good news is that we Chef LoPinto has found a new home, this time at a brand new place called CRAVE in Fairfield.

CRAVE will exist where the old Tuscany Grill used to live, across from the airport over dere on Passaic Ave.  Chef tells me they'll have a liquor license, a lounge, plenty of parking, and outdoor dining.  I'm hoping to see Chef LoPinto's fingerprints all over this place.

They're not open as of this post (7/27/07), but are shooting for September.

He's back!

Shipwreck Grill: Brielle, NJ

Every year we hop on the Parkway and get ourselves to Point Pleasant Beach, NJ, the place from which I was spawned.  It's a weekend trip that we really look forward to, primarily because it gives us a chance to eat at places we normally wouldn't, even more primarily because our friends have a nice boat (everyone needs a friend with a boat...and those with pools come in handy as well...having either is expensive and a hassle).  And those frozen drinks midday at the Tiki Bar aren't too bad, either.

A year or two ago on one of those boat/frozen drink trips, we found ourselves at the Shipwreck Grill in Brielle (just over the bridge from PPB).  Twice in that weekend in fact.  The first meal was so good that we immediately booked the next night.  And just as these things normally go, the second night didn't live up to the first.  But given our mostly good experiences there, we thought we'd give it another shot a few weeks ago, and boy oh boy was it good.

Smith Brothers in Ridgewood, NJ: Fire

UPDATE (Summer of 2008):  Smith Brothers is reborn as Smith Brothers Chophouse, or something like that.  I visited for a quick burger and mention it here (click).

Smith Brothers in Ridgewood, NJ, burned this morning, June 18.  I'm not sure of the extent of the damage or if anyone was hurt, but I'd imagine an actual news organization will report on that.

Suffice it to say it will be closed for some time.  It looked gutted. 

Smith Brothers is definitely not a place I go to eat, but I do enjoy a beer there every now and again.  It's a real Ridgewood classic, and the spot of many a post-funeral drink-up.  I hope to see it back in operation real soon.

Jalapeno's: Glen Rock, NJ, and several rants

Update (20080718):  Jalapeno's has closed. 

I've been known to moan and whine about the lack of authentic Mexican restaurants in New Jersey...and the rest of the country for that matter.  Aside from taquerias in some areas with a big Mexican population, you're not going to find much in the way of Mexican or even Southwestern flavors in New Jersey.   Jose Tejas and any place with the same menu do not count.  That includes you, Chili's, that "Fresh Mex" place, Don Pablo's, any rustic looking place with "Roadhouse" in the name, and, of course, all of you local places that serve cheddar cheese-laden crap...you know who you are.

Here's my rant, which has gone through my head more than I can remember and out of my mouth more times than those within earshot cared to hear.  The menus at these restaurants contain basically the same deal:  tacos, burritos, nachos, sizzling platters of fajitas, shredded lettuce, unripe tomatoes, guacamole that comes out of a bag, sour cream, some version of chimichanga, white meat chicken everywhere, a token salmon dish, refried beans, rice.  It's the all-too-typical case of you and me being able to make anything these restaurants offer with food from cans (yes, I know Chevy's has "no cans" in the kitchen, but they might as well), bags, and with the ingredients from even the most uninteresting white bread supermarket, although you'd very rarely want to. 

And don't get me started on the margaritas these places make, which despite your not getting me started, I will right now.  I'm sure that margaritas are one of the most popular cocktails served in the US, and there's nothing wrong with people sucking down cheap sweetened tequila and high fructose corn syrup mixers.  It's just that I have a preference for non-gloppy-sweet margaritas, made with nothing but Tequila (100% Blue Agave), a non-crap orange liqueur, and fresh lime juice (and maybe a bit of simple syrup or OJ.  Maybe).  Let me stress again:  FRESH LIME JUICE.  And no, fresh lime juice can't be substituted with Rose's neon green high fructose corn syrup water stuff. That's not lime juice.  So restaurants, please don't list  "lime juice" on your drink menu if you actually mean "Rose's neon green high fructose corn syrup water stuff." That just throws me all the hell off.  Or, God forbid, that sour mix stuff that comes out of the gun.  Oh Jesus no.

And try to ask a bartender to make a margarita "without sweet and sour mix or Rose's"!??!  You'll likely get a look of confusion and horror, a look of horror matched only by the look of horror on my face when I get a mouth full of synthetic sugar product when I'm actually expecting the magical combination of a Reposado, Cointreau, and lime juice.

Show me a place in New Jersey that makes a margarita like God intended it and I'll be on the road in minutes.  Englewood's Mama Mexico?  Nein.  Bloomfield's Senoritas?  Nicht.  Norwood's Jose O'Reilly's?  Nuh-uh.  In fact the best margarita that I've had in New Jersey was at Ridgewood's multi-level meat market Blend, of all places.  And this was due probably entirely to the excellent bartender Steve, with whom I had an educational discussion on and tasting of tequilas a while back.  I'm not even sure if Steve still works there, but if you're there, and he does, have him make you a margarita with fresh lime juice.  Accept no less.

But that's not why I called you to this meeting today. 

Earth in Totowa closes suddenly

Totowa's greatest-ever restaurant, Restaurant Earth, has closed after only three exciting months.

The issue as I understand it from a conversation with Spiro Hadjiyerou, Chef Lo Pinto's partner, stems from complications with the terms of the liquor license sale and the landlord of the building.  Suffice it to say, a mutually equitable agreement between Spiro/Lo Pinto and the landlord could not be reached.  This closure is not a reflection on the owners' ability to run a restaurant, but rather the usual ugliness that goes along with business deals.

Chef Lo Pinto is crushed, and so are the loyal fans of Restaurant Earth, which was poised to become one of the most exciting restaurants in north Jersey.  We'll no doubt see Chef Lo Pinto again, but we're just going to have to wait.  Any kitchen that gets him should consider itself lucky.

UPDATE:  Chef LoPinto can be found at CRAVE in Fairfield.  Some additional info here (click).

The 101 Pub: Bogota, NJ

This year's Easter dinner brought about the revelation that my oftentimes-ball-busting sister-in-law reads this blog, and didn't know it was me behind the magic.  When I asked what she thought about it, she said "Well, there are too many posts on burgers."

So how 'bouts another post on burgers.  Whaddaya say, hmmm?

Chef Anthony Lo Pinto returns, landing at Earth: Totowa, NJ, US, Earth (CLOSED)

Update (20070509):  Earth has closed.  An update can be found here (CLICK).

Update (20070731):  Chef Lo Pinto can now be found at CRAVE in Fairfield.  More info here (click).

Chef Lo Pinto earned my admiration and got my attention several years ago during my first visit to Fortunato, the Italian restaurant in Lyndhurst where he manned the stoves for a while.  A friend and I sat at the bar for an impromptu dinner.  Chef Lo Pinto was very pleased that we were interested in the restaurant and his menu, and graciously offered to prepare a multi-course tasting menu.  We accepted.

Chef Lo Pinto is no dummy, and has the good sense to focus on customer service.  This business isn't just about putting food in front of people, and he knows it.  Too few owners realize this somewhat basic fact.

After seeing the Lo Pinto news on NJ Monthly magazine's Table Hopping with Rosie, I spoke* with the clearly excited and energetic Chef today at his new restaurant in Totowa, where he gave me a tour of the kitchen, and shared some insight into his new baby.

Felice: Oradell, NJ

It's been open for a few years now, but I've never had much of an interest in going to Felice in Oradell (same owners as Regina's Steakhouse in Teaneck, which serves wet-aged steak, contrary to their website's claim of dry-aged steak, and Le Jardin in Edgewater).  Reports on the internet and my sixth sense for this type of thing suggested to me that this was yet another red sauce Italian-American place, and one with a liquor license ta boot (I'd rather bring my own most of the time, especially at basic mom-and-pop places).

But curiosity got the best of me the other night after spending some time on their website and looking over the menu more carefully.  I figured that there's a chance they're actually serving good pasta, even though they might not be aiming for the stars.  I'm happy to report that this seems to be the case.

Barnacle Bill's: Rumson, NJ

Barnacle Bill's has been getting play all over the internet for years for what is supposed to be the "best burger."  It's been on my list for that long. 

I finally found myself driving down the Garden State Parkway a few weeks ago and decided to try to find it (quite a feat in a car without GPS or maps).

Pub 199: Mt. Arlington, NJ

Welcome to Pub 199.

Fleming's Steakhouse: lots of wine, but no clue

Fleming's Steakhouse is a chain that serves USDA Prime wet-aged beef.  They offer over 100 wines-by-the-glass, and that's a good thing.

My second visit left a bad taste in my mouth.  Specifically the taste of TCA and poor customer service.

Houston's has a burger: that doesn't suck

The Houston's burger can be seen here not sucking.

So I found myself poking around the internet, looking for places that serve a good burger (go figure), and an oddity kept popping up here and there (most significantly on A Hamburger Today):  people have been claiming that Houston's, a chain restaurant, has a good burger.   

Let me make something clear:  I don't think people have very good taste, generally speaking.  So normally, I'd just ignore these claims.  But for some reason I thought they might be onto something.  And A Hamburger Today people seem to put a lot of thought into this stuff.  So, off we went to Houston's in Riverside Square mall, in Hackensack, NJ.  After my experience with Applebee's "Triple Prime Burger", I wasn't expecting much.  Of this you are assured.

Restaurant L: Allendale, NJ: First taste

The sexiest picture of a sign at night taken on a cell phone ever you've seen

Restaurant L opened less than two weeks ago (it's 11/1/06, as I type this) in the old "Turnpike" space on Franklin Turnpike in Allendale.

Driving by the long-abandoned Turnpike building for the past 5 or so years, I've had visions of buying it and opening a BBQ restaurant.  It was a real shack.  It looked like a shack.  It looked old.  It looked like it should have BBQ.

Well some other people had different ideas, and weren't as gun-shy:  they moved in, and totally redid the whole building.  Probably down to the foundation, where none even existed apparently, according to a brief conversation with one of the principals.  Suffice it to say, they did a lot of work on the place.  The result is a sharp-looking "New American" restaurant.  Our recent visit suggested that we were not the first ones to notice that the sharp-looking place opened.

Notable recent bites: Oceanos, Babbo, Maywood Inn, The Restaurant

I know what you're thinking:  I haven't been posting blog entries so I must not be eating.  Well just because I don't post blog entries doesn't mean I'm not eating.  That's plain silly.  Of this you are assured.  It's just that I don't always feel like writing a whole bunch, or, more accurately, don't think I have anything interesting to say (usually the case).  So, every now and again, I write these superficial little recaps, describing what I recently ate and where I ate it, if it think it's important enough.  It's less pressure on me.  This comes out of laziness, lack of motivation, lack of confidence, and a complete and utter lack of interest in whether people return to my blog for fresh posts.  The occasionally declining tommy:eats blog stats are a testament to that, if not a reminder to post something.  Anything.

So here you go:  superficial and shallow notes on a few notable bites from the past week or two, that I think you should know about, from Oceanos (NJ), Babbo (NYC), Victor's Maywood Inn (NJ), and The Restaurant (NJ):

Roots Steakhouse: Summit, NJ

The plan was to meet the blackeyedpig for dinner at the bar at Roots Steakhouse on a rainy Tuesday at 8:30.  Surely we'd have no problem getting a romantic spot for two at the bar at 8:30 on a rainy Tuesday.  In August.  In the 'burbs.  Surely.   Maybe at The Office, but not at Roots.  Of this you are assured. 

The place was jammin'.  People were lined up waiting for tables.  People were hovering around the bar area waiting to pounce on the first open seat (bar dining is almost always preferable).  There were a lot of suits and moneyed looking people enjoying themselves at the bar and all throughout the three dining rooms.  What a scene I tell ya.  And what were they there for?  Steak and really expensive wine, from what I could tell.

Panevino: Livingston, NJ

When I heard on Mano a Vino that the people who own Naples 45 in NYC (well, the restaurant group who owns Naples 45) had a pizza place in Livingston NJ, I got all kindza excited.  Naples 45 makes some of my favorite pizza in NYC. Neapolitan style.  Neapolitan pizza, to me, suggests that the crust is just about the most important part of the product:  if the crust falls short, nothing can save the pizza.  It's really all about the bread, though I'm sure most don't agree with me.  Hoping that Panevino shared my philosophy, I high-tailed it out to Livingston that very night.

The Porter House: Montvale, NJ

My quest for exceptional burgers in New Jersey brought me to the Porter House in Montvale, NJ.  I had reviewed their website for months before actually making the trek.  I'm not sure why I didn't go sooner, but I guess it was the whole "Irish pub" vibe that I saw on the website.  That's not to say I don't like Irish pubs.  But I just didn't know if it or its burger would pull through.  Both did.

It's muh birf-day! Where we goin!?!?!?!

For our birthdays, the missus and I generally ask each other the question:  what restaurant would you like to go to that we normally wouldn't go to 'cause it's too far, or too 'spensive, or too whatever.  Today was my birfday, and the question was no different.  The answer, however, sounded a lot like this:  "Ruby effing Tuesday's." 

That's right:  "Ruby effing Tuesday's" (The only place that I put an inappropriate and silly-sounding possessive "s" at the end of...he said, ending a sentence in a preposition.  Not sure why I do that.  Either of those.).  What can I say: that commercial that I saw on Saturday afternoon, all talkin' about that "Triple Prime Burger" (scroll down...atta boy), really got me going.  I realized that I needed to try it.  It was really that simple.  And why not waste a Monday night meal on it, especially since I had a great lunch at Otto with Dbroc from blackeyedpig, and, given that fact, could have basically had my own ear wax and a diet Pepsi for dinner and still gone to bed pretty satisfied.

Copeland in Morristown, NJ: the burger

Looking at my blog here, it wouldn't be unreasonable to assume that all I do is think about hamburgers and, on top of that, eat a whole lot of them.  The truth is, I don't eat all that many hamburgers, but I do try to eat a lot of good hamburgers.  Point being, I don't like wasting a burger meal on a crappy hamburger.  Rest assured there are more crappy burgers than good burgers, so this isn't a very simple task.  It's a challenge.  A pursuit.  So yeah, I spend a lot of time thinking about hamburgers.  But not as much time eating burgers as you might think.

Which brings me to the burger at Copeland in Mo-town (which I've had 3 times in the last 2 months). 

Sabor in Hawthorne, NJ: initial thoughts

Pork, corn, mojitos, martinis?  Sign me up.

We were very excited to see that Edgewater's Sabor Latin Bistro was opening another restaurant in Hawthorne, an area in desperate need of some new and interesting options.  And we weren't the only ones:  the place was doing quite a bar business on our first visit opening week, and the crowd at an early week follow-up trip suggested that the place is going to do well right out of the gate.  Apparently people like mojitos.

They did a fair amount of renovations to transform the old Oakville into the new Sabor.  Lots of bright colors and a vibe reminiscent of their Edgewater restaurant.  There's wide-open space and sunlight floods the room through the large window.

Sabor bills itself as a Latino restaurant, drawing on many cultures.  The food, while not strictly authentic or true to any one cuisine, is vibrant, flavorful, and down right fun.  A few recent nibbles included the following:

Nellie's Place: Waldwick, NJ

So, as the story goes, one of the people who worked at Kinchley's in Mahwah left and took with him the "recipe" for their thin-crust pizza.  And then he landed at Nellie's Place in Waldwick.

I don't care if the legend is true or not.  All I care about is the pizza at Nellie's.  Because it's really really tasty.  And yeah it's pretty much just like Kinchley's (which, for your reference, is very similar to the Town Pub in Bloomfield, which, as legend has it, started making pizza based on the recipe brought over by an ex-employee of the Star Tavern in Orange.  ahhh, the incestuous north Jersey pizza scene...someone should write a book). 

Other than the pizza Nellie's is largely unremarkable food-wise.  I think:  I've never had anything but the pizza and maybe some wings at some point.  I'm sure they have decent versions of whatever it is that you might order or have ordered, but the real draw here is the cracker-thin crust pizza.  And tonight, I was drawn.

The story of how I ended up at Nellie's tonight is long and boring, and it goes like this:

Oceanos in Fair Lawn, NJ: hitting its stride

Intro:

From our first to our most recent visit to Oceanos, we've noticed a continuous refinement in the cooking, and the overall approach.  It might be our imagination, but it seems that Oceanos is blossoming into what it wants to, and should, be:  a Mediterranean seafood restaurant with overtones of a classic Greek estiatorio.  At first I thought the combination could lead to, or was an indication of, a lack of focus.  Judging by what has evolved here, I clearly had no reason to worry.

Varka: Ramsey, NJ

Varka is one of those restaurants that just begs you to eat at the bar.  That's not to say the dining room is uncomfortable or overly-formal or stuffy, but the bar just seems so right.  Maybe that's because you can do very well at Varka with a couple of appetizers and a couple of glasses of Greek wine.  Or a martini if that's your thing.  Or maybe it's because you get these jammin olives at that bar:

We've eaten at Varka probably 5 or 8 times since it opened about a year ago.  We were certainly early adopters of the place, and never thought it was unreasonably pricey or anything less than very good all-around.  We still think that way, and we're happy a  bunch of others do as well. 

Here's what you need to know:

Brady's at the Station: Ramsey

Brady's used to be called something else.  The Trackside maybe?  I'm not sure if the place changed hands (confirmed:  new owners) or just changed names, but, sadly, the menu remains the same.  And when I say the same, I mean that my menu had stains on it that were clearly older than this incarnation of the restaurant.

It's the type of place that really should be good.  It should be great.  It's large, and it has a bar.  There just aren't many bars in Bergen county.   To my mind, it could compete on several levels:  family-friendly, bar scene, pub grub, entertainment.  But, alas, it really falls short.  A recent meal went something like this:

Legal Sea Foods is a chain, it's in a mall: and it does not suck

Say all you want about chain restaurants, but you can have a pretty damned good meal at Legal Sea Foods (aka, Legal Seafood, LS).

Let’s face it, the term “chain” is really meaningless.  Of course there are the McDonald’s and Wendy’s of the world, and those are certainly “chains,” but there also chains like Smith & Wollensky’s, Palm Steakhouse, and Legal Sea foods.  And, considering that menus at Legal Sea Foods’ various outposts vary, just as the menus at  Per Se and The French Laundry can be similar, but different, perhaps it’s reasonable to say that there are chains from Thomas Keller or even Ducasse? 

OK, so I might be stretching the definition of “chain.”  But, it’s a pointless pejorative that people use when they probably really want to say “fast food.”  Actually, what they really want to say is “restaurants I don’t like (and that i've never tried).”  And quite frankly, most people don’t have very good taste so I don’t listen to what they say anyway.

Back to Legal Sea foods for a moment though.

Elysian Cafe's lobster roll: Hoboken

I rolled into Hoboken in about 1986, young, wide-eyed, and sober (when I left I was, of course, old, jaded, and drunk).  That was a long time ago as far as Hoboken's recent history goes.  A lot has changed since 1986.  At first, for the better, then, I suppose, a bit for the worse.   Hoboken went from a somewhat run-down former shipping port, to a vibrant city, filled with artists and musicians and funky bars and restaurants (and more recently into more of a generic mall for young professionals).  A lot of those bars and restaurants were hold-overs from Hoboken's old days.  The Elysian was one of those bars.

The Elysian was presumably named after the Elysian Fields, which used to include the several blocks between the restaurant and the Hudson River.  That field was where the first organized game of baseball was played.  Don't let those people in Cooperstown tell you otherwise.  And for years, it was one of the few old-time bars left in uptown Hoboken.  It was a place where musicians and artists often hung out, along with some old-timers as well.  The crowd was always a bit older than the average post-college crowds at other bars.  Blues bands would often play in the back room.   The drinks were cheap.  The atmosphere was dark and hadn't changed in years.  My kind of place, and a usual stop before and/or after a show at Maxwells.

Much to my surprise, the Elysian went bye-bye.  Even more to my surprise, and somewhat to my dismay, the people who own Amanda's were opening a restaurant in the space.  "Great," I thought, "another upscale restaurant taking the place of a beautiful room that has a lot of history."  Good thing I was wrong.

What the owners of Amanda's did do was keep the room true to its roots.  It's obvious they did a lot of work to the place.  From what I understand, it was utterly and totally ripped apart.  Down to the studs.  But, somehow, the beautiful ceiling and mural paint on the interior wall remain intact.  They've brightened up the place with windows, yet it didn't lose its homey feel.  They totally removed the old bar, refinished it, and put it back in place. The back room still hosts live music and is bright and elegant.  A lot of the detail was left as is (although the nicotine was scrapped off the walls and ceiling).  The patrons are still a bit older than 22.  There are even some musicians and artsy-types spending time there.  And it turns out that it's still my pre/post Maxwells show stop.  And, they have what I think is the only french bistro in Hoboken.  This is all a lot better than what could have been.  Of this you are assured.

Oceanos: Fair Lawn, NJ: first impressions

For months now, I've been going out of my way to drive past what was soon to be a new restaurant in Fairlawn:  Oceanos.  Peter's Whale, which closed on that site last year, was never one of my favorites, although it was certainly a favorite with a lot of people.  So i wasn't that upset to see it dark.  In a few months the sign for Oceanos showed up, and I started getting excited.  The sign, you see, is very sexy.  I have gone as far as to proclaim that this will be my new favorite restaurant, even before trying it.  Very wishful thinking.  The doors opened for the first time this week on wednesday.  It was my duty to check out my new favorite restaurant by thursday, which I did. 

The Mason Jar: Mahwah, NJ

I've been lamenting the fact that northern NJ is sorely lacking for decent bars with decent "pub grub".  I mean, is it too much to ask for a restaurant with a clean bar where I can order a good burger and a decent glass of red wine?  And maybe, just maybe, the bartender can make a decent martini?

Sooooooo, I've been on a mission for the past 6 months to find such a place.  And the results have been dismal.  I've been to chain restaurants, Irish pubs, old restaurants, new restaurants, a restaurant that looked like it should serve a burger and didn't.  I've been everywhere.  And they are all pretty bad.

However, one place stands out above all others.   The Mason Jar in Mahwah is that place.