albinoni's Profile
Paterson Turkish
I've read really good things about Toros, but never been there. When I'm in the area, I always stop off at the AK Market on Crooks Avenue in Paterson (next to the McDonald's), which specializes in Turkish products, and has a Halal butcher shop in the back, as well as an olive bar. I always buy a chunk of the French-made feta cheese, which is creamier and less salty than Greek versions. They own a cafe across the street (in Clifton), always packed, almost everyone who goes there is Turkish, food is quite good. Area is very safe. BTW, you are just around the corner from Corrado's market on Main in Clifton, which is not to be missed.
where to eat when in Baskin Ridge NJ
Been to the Arthur's in MP once, really enjoyed the steak.
Best Pizza around Edison NJ?
If you are in North Edison, Bruno's, on Park Avenue in South Plainfield, is excellent.
Dinner in Westfield or vicinity?
Haven't been to Pairings in several months, but it was excellent the two times I was there. On Wednesday nights, they have a prix fixe menu, BYO, that is a great deal.
Best soft serve I've ever had!
We love the soft serve at Frosty Freeze, on North Avenue @ Lincoln, on the Cranford/Garwood border. It's one of the last indies in the area, still does a brisk business even in the face of competition from the DQ juggernaut. We've been going there for years.
Quito Recommendations
We were in Quito in December, went to Zazu twice. First time, though it was very good, I was not completely blown away (I thought the ceviche was acrid and oversalted). Second time, I was completely blown away--one of our best all-time dining experiences.
On the recommendation of friends who live nearby in Cumbaya, we also went to La Paella Valenciana, a place that does not see too many tourists. One of their specialties is pangora, a/k/a stone crab claws, which in the US is hard to find outside of Florida. Theirs was excellent. Be aware, though, that English is barely spoken there.
Dinner in Westfield or vicinity?
Boulevard Bistro on South Avenue at Boulevard. Popular with locals. BYO Italian, food can be very good, prices are very fair, within your requirements. Outdoor seating.
Point me in the right direction please -- Edison NJ
We've been going to Wonder Seafood on Route 27 for years--excellent Cantonese/Hong Kong style food, also dim sum.
Favorite middle eastern in Patterson?
AK Market on Crooks Avenue is a really great shop which specializes in products from Turkey. They have an olive bar, and a Halal butcher department (no prices are posted, but the meats look wonderful), and huge blocks of cheese, mostly feta-type, in the showcase you can buy by the piece. They carry a French made feta that is the best I've ever tasted--much creamier and less salty than others made elsewhere.
AK opened a bistro across the street (on the Clifton side of the border). It draws a lot of Turksh families. It's a good place to grab a bite, they make a panini with pastrami, Turkish salami and melted cheese that is excellent. Lots of beautiful looking desserts on display in the showcase.
Best diners in NJ
This seems to be one of the longest running threads anywhere on CH. Recent activity reminded me to post about the Fountainbleu Diner on Stelton Road in Piscataway. They make a killer chocolate layer cake, but I am happy to report, after having dinner there about 2 weeks ago, that their bluefish--a main course that used to be ubiquitous in New Jersey diners but seems to be becoming harder to find-- is excellent.
Looking for a Restaurant in Central and Northern NJ for a Baby Shower...Please help
We hosted a birthday party in Garlic Rose in downtown Cranford, which has a very nice private room downstairs from the restaurant. It is big enough to hold the number of people you will be inviting, and also has a bar. They offer good menu options, the price was reasonable and totally within your budget, and the food is excellent.
Harold's New York Deli Restaurant In Edison
We find ourselves in Harold's once or twice a year. It is a go-to place when we have friends or family from out of town who come to visit--they are never less than overwhelmed by the experience, and is definitely something for them to remember.
I know that the food has received some less than favorable comments on this board. As a former New Yorker who has been to most of the landmark delis in the City, but whose favorite was the Second Avenue, I must say that the quality of the cured meats at Harold's is as good or better than what I've had at those places. The fact that Harold's is a 20 minute drive from my house and there is parking right by the door means never having to schlep into Manhattan for a deli fix, and is one of the perks of living in central New Jersey.
O'tools New Britain
About this time last year, we were in the Hartford area on business. We were staying at the La Quinta in New Britain. and enjoyed some really good burgers at Vito's, located nearby at 136 Main Street. Our business took us back to the same locale this year, and we returned to Vito's, only to find that it had changed names to O'tools. We asked the guy who seated us whether it changed hands, and he could not give us an answer (?). Still, menu had 8 ounce burgers, and waitress promised that they would be awesome, so we ordered them. Short list of drafts, most interesting on it was Hooker IPA, which I ordered and which took them over 10 minutes to get to my table, multiple apologies offered during that time, but inexplicable. Menu said burgers came with house chips, we asked if they were fries, we got answer along the lines of, they are like fries. We ordered fries, thinking that was what we were getting, and ended up paying extra for fries--apparently chips were something else. Burgers were in fact very good, and I was too tired to argue about the issues. I'd recommend the place for the burgers, but if service is important, go elsewhere.
boost! where?
Amazing, I grew up in a different part of South Jersey (Camden County, just one county over from Burlington) and never heard of Boost. I just looked at their website via the link, and their contact info shows that they are a Nestle product and can be contacted in Michigan. Maybe there are pockets of Boost consumers elsewhere?
St Patrick's Day/Looking for best Irish Bar/Resaurant
Just bear in mind that any place even remotely identifiable as Irish will be a madhouse on St. Patrick's Day--even if the place is good, the food on March 17 may not be.
Traditional Irish Breakfast??
St. James Gate is an Irish pub/restaurant in Maplewood--they definitely have Irish breakfast on St. Patrick's Day, and I think year round.
Looking for a great restaurant for a small party
Back in October, we had a 90th birthday party for my mother at Garlic Rose in Cranford (they have a branch in Madison also). We had about 25 people, the room was downstairs and very nicely appointed, and had its own bar. Menu options were extensive, food was excellent, and the price per person was less than any of the other restaurants in the area that we looked at. They were really great to deal with--they even let us bring in our own birthday cake. Highly recommended.
Piscataway or thereabouts restaurant recommendation
You probably saw several posts, including mine, recommending Four Seasons Thai Restaurant on Stelton Road. We've been going there for years. It is the proverbial hole in the wall that serves incredible food. It may be a bit too casual for you, but if you are looking for the best Thai food in the area, this is it. BTW, they are BYO and there is a liquor store two doors down.
First Birthday Party in Union County (or nearby)
We just had my mother's 90th birday party at Garlic Rose in Cranford this past weekend. They have a very spacious room downstairs that could easily hold the number of guests you are planning on. The food was sensational--a five course meal served family style. Everyone loved it.
80th Birthday dinner in Central NJ?
Wonder Seafood in Edison--excellent Cantonese, big tables with lazy susans that could easily hold 10 or more.
NJ Turnpike-near the PA Turnpike exit
You are not far from Mastoris Diner/Restaurant in Bordentown.
ice cream/dairy stands and good italian ice
Frostee Freeze on North Ave. corner of Lincoln, on the Cranford-Garwood border, for soft serve. One of the last non DQ's left, and its really good (unfortunately, they close for the season on 10/15).
Vinhus (Roselle Park)
This is a relatively new Portuguese restaurant on Westfield Avenue in RP. We were there for the first time this week. The menu has the usual dishes found in Spanish/Portuguese places, but the quality of what's served is several cuts above the mediocre paella mills that can be found throughout northern and central NJ. As soon as you are seated, they start you off with a plate of hot breads served with a delicious semi-soft cheese that I'm totally unfamilar with, on the side. We split an app of oysters on the half shell, they were extremely fresh and sweet. I ordered a skirt steak, got a huge portion that came out rare as ordered, and quality was excellent. My mother, who is totally uncompromising when it comes to food, ordered the grilled twin lobsters, which was on the specials menu. She was very impressed by the fact that it was not overdone and dried out, and ate every morsel. Only disappointment was the flan, which was just so-so. Prices are very fair, generally a few dollars less per dinner than Solar do Minho just up the street. We will definitely be returning.
New Jersey Chefs who bicycle, or bicycle-friendly NJ restaurants
Scott Snyder, Executive Chef/Partner of Boulevard Five72 in Kenilworth, is a racer, and was recently featured in an article in the Star-Ledger.
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Boulevard Five72
572 Boulevard, Kenilworth, NJ 07033
Sahara - New Brunswick
I can't agree with any of the positive reviews of this place--we had dinner at Sahara earlier this year, the special was lamb shanks, one of my faves. It had no discernable character at all--bland and boiled tasting. We don't intend to return.
Wonder Seafood DIM SUM Edison any menu suggestions?
By that time they will be serving from the dinner menu, and the dim sum will proabably be gone.
Where can I buy really nice loose leaf tea?
I'm pretty sure AK Market--a wonderful Turkish supermarket/Halal butcher on Crooks Avenue in Paterson sells bulk teas.
Wonder Seafood DIM SUM Edison any menu suggestions?
Best go on a Sunday (be there at 11:00 or be prepared to wait) when they come around with carts and you can pick out what you like (the servers usually know enough English to identify the main ingredient). Hang out for awhile and wait for new stuff to come out of the kitchen--it's possible to be stuffed in less than10 minutes if you eat what they bring out in the first round. Alhough I've been eating dim sum my whole life, I don't know the names of too many things. We love shrimp dumplings (har gow) and the broad flat noodles that look like crepes and are filled with shrimp. Wonder's spring rolls are almost always good. Pot stickers go fast, for good reason. The last time we were there, we were ready to leave when they came out with our absolute favorites--lightly sauteed dumplings stuffed with minced greens. We made room and stuffed ourselves more.
