tommy:eats

Marco Polo: Glen Rock, closed

I was walking over to Glen Rock's Rocca Market, for a very good sandwich, when I noticed Marco Polo's sign has been covered with another sign which reads "Glen Panda."  

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?  

Zen Den Bar and Grill: serving "prime choice" beef

I've complained about it before:  restaurants butchering language, in general ("grille", "pizza's", etc.), and worse than that, butchering language to the point where they are possibly misrepresenting the quality of their beef.  e.g., using words like "prime" to describe their steaks or burgers, steaks and burgers which are most likely not USDA Prime.  "Aged" is a good one, and near meaningless unless prefixed with "dry-" or "wet-", as well.

But Teaneck's Zen Den Bar and Grill ("Grill", thankfully, without the "e" at the end - EDIT:  although in other parts of the website, it does have an "e") puts a whole new twist on the butchering with their: "Prime choice Rib Eye".  

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...

Dish of the week: tea smoked ribs: Chengdu 23: Wayne, NJ

Every week so often, a dish moves me to the point that I proclaim it "Dish of the Week."  The last Dish of the Week was easily taken by Cedar Grove's Chengdu 1, whose preserved pork dish blew my mind, man.

This week the notable dish came from the unrelated Chengdu 23, in Wayne, NJ.  Unrelated in ownership, but related in name, geography, and approach to Chinese cooking.

Is it odd that the only two times that I've proclaimed a "Dish of the Week" that they happen to be from Sichuan restaurants?  Maybe, but probably not.  The fact of the matter is that these are two exceptional restaurants, serving fantastic Sichuan-style Chinese food.  I'm not surprised when I'm blown away at these places.  Can't say that about 99% of the other restaurants in the area, or anywhere for that matter.

Chengdu 23: Wayne, NJ: dim sum

Chengdu 23 in serves some awesome Sichuan-style food, food which I eat several times a month.  I've mentioned the place here.  In addition to a regular menu, they offer dim sum service on Sundays (maybe Saturday?).  We recently stopped in for dim sum on the way to the new Wayne Corrado's, and were really happy with the meal.

You'll essentially be ordering off a menu, but they do have carts that roam around with tasty looking dishes that you'll have a hard time refusing.   The dishes range from 3 to 5 dollars, give or take.

Warning:  cell phone pictures ahead...

Five Guys Burgers: = round Wendy's?

Five Guys burger:  yucky lettuce

Another joint where the hype outweighs the food.

There's no doubt that this is the type of burger I should like:  fresh ground beef (although, I'm not sure if it's freshly ground), that whole roadside stand style of burger that I love (messy, wet, etc).  Hell my first hopes that were it would be a more accessible Shake Shack burger (although I need to get back to Shake Shack to make sure that I actually like their burger...I'm sure I do, as Danny Meyer is no slouch).  And I do like it, but come on, it's not all that exceptional.

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.

Savini Restaurant: Allendale, NJ

This place still has no website.  For real. 

Do people actually go to restaurants without first consulting with their website?  I sure don't.   And judging by the lack of info on the internet in general about this restaurant a lot of other people don't, either.

I guess they're tring to keep the place a secret-secret.  I hope that works out for 'em. 

Red and green chile sauce: beef and shrimp, a la Rosa Mexicano

I was exchanging emails with iamnotachef yesterday, as we sometimes do, discussing bourbon and absinthe and the state of New Jersey dining -- you know, things that two people who are complete strangers would talk about over email -- when it occurred to me that instead of telling him what I'm making for dinner, I should probably blog about it.  He concurred, but said that I should only blog about it if it's very good, or very bad.  I tend to agree, but the other reason I sometimes blog about the things I cook is so that I can remember what I did. I'm horrible at keeping notes for repeat performances, so this blog sometimes doubles as a dumping ground for those semi-successful meals that were thrown together.  Trust me, this blog thing and those dinner posts aren't about trying to impress people.  Of this you are assured.

The discussion started with a mention of the opening of Rosa Mexicano in Hackensack's Riverside Square mall.  What I said to the fella was this:

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:

Test

Test

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?

Chengdu 23: Wayne, NJ

So I drive past a strip mall which is as utterly bland as its name (West Belt Plaza), next to the Willowbrook mall in Wayne, and I see a sign that says "Chengdu 23".  Having a good feeling that it's not related to the awesome Chengdu 1 in Cedar Grove, and hoping it has nothing to do with the way-too-80's Chengdu 46, I pulled into the lot to have a quick drive-by look-see.  It didn't look promising at all.   "Asian cuisine", the sign proclaims.  Yuck.  Bye-bye.  I put the place out of my mind.  I mean, what are the odds of a random Chinese restaurant opening and serving authentic food of any kind, if the sign says "Asian cuisine".

Until the other day, when I read a bit about the place on northjersey.com.  "We make home-style Sichuan ... the type of food you'd get in central China, where they like things spicier," the owner says in the article.  "Well fuck me," I thought.  So, you know, off I went.

Hunan Villa, Ridgewood: Closed - and other Ridgewood restaurant doins'

We noticed a sign outside of Hunan Villa which states that it has closed its doors.

Another doin' in Ridgewood, NJ: Broad Street Smokehouse closes

According to its owners, Broad Street Smokehouse has been sold, siting the tough economy.  The new owners will not be serving BBQ.

I only tried their 'cue once, and had made plans to return, but it just never happened.  Looking forward to seeing what springs up, though.  It's a decent location, with parking in the 'hood and Super Cellars right next door (and excellent wine shop).

Gen Hibachi and Asian Cuisine: Ridgewood, NJ

When I first noticed a new placed called Gen Sushi and Hibachi opening up in downtown Ridgewood, I thought "great, another Pan-Asian place."  And, as usual, I was pretty much right.

What Gen has going for it, however, is tasty rolls and above-average sushi...

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

Verizon: at the Tick Tock: Clifton, NJ

I noticed my beloved Tick Tock diner on the TV the other day, in a Verizon commercial...

Tom Sawyer Diner: Paramus, NJ: Lights were on

Update (03/05/2008):  t:e reader JohnS reports that the Tom Sawyer is now open.  So get over there and get that happy waitress special, 2 eggs over easy, turkey club, or whatever the hell it is that you eat at a diner.

I drove past the Tom Sawyer Diner, in Paramus, NJ, the other morning (by "other morning", I mean the week of 2/11/08) and noticed that the lights are on.  Not quite open for business at that point or today (2/20/2008), but they've got power, which is a good start.  It seems like just yesterday it was a hole in the ground in the middle of a small, cramped parking lot.

Warning:  Objects in picture are closeder than they appear

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.

Grand Sichuan in Jersey City? Can it be?

EDIT:  It's true alright.  Grand Sichuan is open at 342 Grove street in Jersey City.

I just read on chowhound that NYC's Grand Sichuan has opened a branch in Jersey City.   The post comes from a first-time poster, it references their website (which expired the other day), and sounds suspicious to me.  But hey, who cares!

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.

Best dish of the week: Preserved pork: Chengdu 1: Cedar Grove, NJ

You don't eat enough leeks.  I know that about you.  You know what else I know about you?

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:

The Fine Grind: Little Falls, NJ

There was an article in the NY Times a while back about a local coffee shop in Little Falls, NJ, that took out a big billboard ad right across from a Starbucks. “We may not be BIG…but we’re not BITTER,” the billboard proclaims. It goes on in a separate font, "We ARE your neighborhood coffee spot!". I dunno, I guess Starbucks serves bitter coffee? Isn’t coffee generally a bitter drink by nature?  Maybe that's why people put sugar and flavored syrups and "mocha" in it?

A bunch of blogs and other publications picked up on the David and Goliath angle (is that the right usage?), and ran with it. I'm a bit late to the party.

The place is called The Fine Grind.

A couple of points, a bullet pointed rant, if you will, not about The Fine Grind:

t:e pulls out the yellow sign with the guy shoveling a pile of, um, stuff?

So I'm sitting there at Esty Street (in  Park Ridge, not on Esty Street) tonight with the missus, enjoying a nice meal, and I pull t:e up on the ol' iPhone, just for your basic shits and giggles, and to get into myself a bit more than I already am, when suddenly what I had already realized became very very clear:  I haven't posted about anything very much recently.  At all.

So in her own, special, ball-busting way, the missus suggested that I put up one of those "under construction" signs.  And here it is.

Overlooked doin: Ridgewood, NJ: Septemberish, 2007

A day or two after cherished t:e reader menton1 lamented that Alan Lee, famous in Westchester, needs to open one of his pan Asian places in NJ, lo and behold, Wild Ginger, opening in Ridgewood where nothing notable (Wild Noodles?) used to live on Chestnut, is, actually, in fact, an Alan Lee restaurant, complete, no doubt, with a "pan Asian" menu...and did I spy a communal table in there?  Oh dear, no, not a communal table.  (EDIT:  some thoughts on Wild Ginger here (clicky).

Well, I guess there's only one thing to do:  try it, with sticky sweet fried sea bass pan-Asian expectations that I might have had in the early 90's.  EDIT:  and try it I did.  Expectations:  met.

Seriously though, it has to be better than Wild Noodles.

(And no, it's not related to Englewood's Wild Ginger.)

Some more doins: Ridgewood, NJ: Septemberish, 2007

A recent newsletter from the nice people at Ridgewood's Broad Street Smokehouse (Update:  now closed)mentions that Super Cellars will be moving from its current local across from Whole Foods to a new location at 33 Godwin, in what I would think is the old Palmero plumbing building.  That's a big spot, and I think it has parking.  Super Cellars is a decent wine store with some interesting beers as well.   It's a shame its moving from the "other" side of the tracks, though.  That side just gets no damned respek.

Speaking of the other side of the tracks, Starbucks has opened right there on Godwin, a coupla doors down from Silver Oak Bistro.  I don't care what you say, Starbucks has some good coffee.  I stop there just about every morning.  It's nice and convenient now that it's on the NYC-bound side of the tracks in the morning.  Even if you don't like their coffee, you have to admit they practically created the industry for that Starbucks-style pendant light that you find over kitchen islands all over America.  Not mine, however.

Looks like Gen Sushi and Hibachi has opened where that horrible upscale Chinese place used to live on East Ridgewood Ave.  I think there's one in Montvale as well.  It sure do look purdy, but I can't say I'm all that excited about it.  I bet the kids will love it, though.  Update:  More thoughts on Gen Sushi here (click).

What else is going on around Ridgewood.  Oh, well not really Ridgewood, but Biagio's on Paramus Rd seems to be almost done with that facelift of theirs.  I stopped in expecting to see a new and improved Biagio's (that wouldn't be hard -- OK, so I've never eaten there.  But I just kinda know these things, ya know?), and found the same sticky bar with the same i'll-get-to-you-when i'm done talking-to-the-regulars service that they used to have.  I waited 3 minutes and walked out.  I ended up at El Cid, which happens to have some decent sangria.  Nice and brandy-y.  Not too sweet either.

Updated: Troubling news from the field on China 46

Update:  Bill Pitcher, who, unlike me, actually reports and fact checks and stuff, apparently spoke with the owner of China 46, Cecil, as I suspected he might.  The restaurant has indeed closed for good.  Info here (click me, silly).  The good news is that everyone is apparently OK.  The bad news is that there's no more China 46.  I speak for plenty when I say I'm looking forward to Cecil's next venture, and I sure hope it's in NJ.

Original post, now, of course, out of date:

t:e correspondent and field reporter Jimmy:rocks went to China 46 last night (9/6/07) only to find the place closed, with no sign of a sign.  China 46, mind you, is generally open 365 days a year.  A few calls to the restaurant this morning went unanswered.

Let's selfishly hope for the best.

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.

Chengdu 1: Cedar Grove, NJ

Northern Jersey is lucky enough to have several Chinese restaurants specializing in Shanghainese cooking.  Most notably for me are China 46 in Ridgefield, and Petite Soo Chow in Cliffside Park.  Hunan Cottage, in Fairfield, does a good job as well.  That's all fine and dandy, but when you want the spicy kick of authentic Sichuan cooking, where do you go?  Until recently, you went to Wu Liang Ye, in New York City, and you were treated to world-class Sichuan cooking.  But these days, with the recent arrival of Chengdu 1 in Cedar Grove, you've got a fantastic option on this side of the river. 

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!

Ridgewood, NJ: more rain in '07

I was quite bummed to come home today (7/11/2007) to find water on my basement floor after the monsoon this afternoon.  But when I drove past Ridgewood's Village Green and Asian Grill and saw the Fire Department pumping gallons and gallons and gallons of water from their basements, I realized that I got off pretty easy.

If you're planning on visiting Village Green or Asian Grill any time soon, I'd certainly call ahead.

Here's hoping their business aren't impacted much by this mess.

Is it me or does it rain really hard quite often these days.

Bourbon BBQ: Wyckoff, NJ

This sign might as well say:  "BBQ.  No nonsense, no B.S.  Come eat".   When you see a sign like this pop up in your area, you've gotta be happy.

Happy is what I've been for about 6 months waiting for Bourbon BBQ to open in the old Clixes (RIP) space on Goffle Road in Wyckoff.  The addition of a BBQ restaurant to the area is good news enough, but when you know it's Chef Gary Needham manning the smoker, well, people, it's your lucky day. 

I've been touting Chef Gary's BBQ since my first bite at his other restaurant, Ridgewood's Silver Oak Bistro.  I'm relatively confident that Chef Gary knew he made great BBQ well before I came along and announced it, but I can't help but think that I had at least just a little to do with the emergence of this latest venture.  If you'll allow me to indulge:  toot, toot.  You're welcome.

Bourbon BBQ had a grand opening party on Saturday June 30th (2007, for the benefit of those of you from the future), which I didn't make.  However, me and about 400 other people made their way over on its first official day of operation.

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).

Ridgewood, NJ: more doins, April 2007

Ridgewood, NJ, continues its tradition of turning over restaurants.

Here are my mostly uninformed and casual observations:

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?

Cliff's Steakhouse: Englewood Cliffs, NJ

There are three types of steakhouses that aren't Peter Luger:
1) steakhouses that don't try to emulate Peter Luger
2) steakhouses that subtly try to emulate Peter Luger
3) steakhouse that attempt to exactly duplicate the menu and food of Peter Luger

My preference is for the latter two.  But for now I'm going to focus on the third.