Citizen Rich's Profile
Unique Cocktails in NJ
Thanks. We actually ate dinner at the Peacock Inn last month and I didn't even notice that they had a bar. We loved our dinner, so I'll definitely check it out. Rocky Hill is a little out of the way for a drink, but after googling the place, I've added it to the "places to eat" list.
Unique Cocktails in NJ
Any advice on a nice cocktail lounge in the Mercer County area? We go to Rat's because it's very close to home, and have been to Pure on Route 1, but I'm really not familiar with any other places in the area. I'm hoping for a place where we can go strictly for a quality drink from a bartender who knows his/her art.
Ploy Siam in Robbinsville
Friday we went to the Ploy Siam restaurant that recently opened in Robbinsville, at the Foxmoor Shopping Center off of Rt. 33. I was glad to see it open since the last time we went to Penang on Rt. 1, we walked out halfway thru ordering because of the lousy service and never went back.
I'm very far from an expert in Thai food, but in a nutshell here's what we saw and ate:
Decor: Very nice. Muted lighting, but not dark. Candlelight-ish. A fountain running down a bas-relief was an indication of the time, effort and money that has gone into the place.
Service: Excellent. From the chef-manager, who came out to see how we were doing, to the host and waitress, they were all very pleasant and interested in seeing us happy. There were a couple of awkward moments where we had to ask twice about something due to their strong accents, but that's not an issue in my book.
Menu/prices: Menu wasn't small and not huge. Lots of duck dishes, which I'll be sure to try the next time I'm there. Prices seemed a little high, but that interior decorating has to be paid for somehow.
Meal: The appetizer was something called Golden Bags--we both loved them, and we could have made a meal out of two orders. They had crab meat, shrimp, waterchestnuts and mushrooms in a tofu package.
For the main meal, we ordered seafood Pad Thai and whole steamed Ginger Fish. Like I said, I'm not a Thai food expert, but the Pad Thai wasn't the best I ever had. It was okay, but seemed a little heavy. Maybe it's supposed to be that way, but I don't know. I should have asked for another lemon wedge to squeeze on to it. That would have brightened things up. Next time I get the duck.
The steamed fish was great. Perfectly done with a nice sauce. We didn't leave a shred of meat on the bones. The jasmine rice that was served with the meal was also better than the usual restaurant rice we get in Asian restaurants--especially when we poured the sauce from the fish over it.
Dessert was green tea creme brulee. We didn't realize it was made with green tea when we ordered it, but it tasted good and was an interesting change of pace.
All in all, an enjoyable meal, and a happy (and much needed) addition to the local restaurant scene. We'll definitely be going back.
Best Pizza in N.J.
The only place I've been around there is Columbus International. It's a good pizza and sandwich shop on Warren street.
Elements, Princeton
If you're interested, there's been lots of previous discussion about this place to be found here: http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/567617
Jersey to DC Breakfast Suggestion
Been there. It's only 15-minutes from home. I'm not in love with it as much as many others are (I'm not a cinnamon roll and cheese bread fan), but it's not bad.
Jersey to DC Breakfast Suggestion
I've thought about going there sometime, but the next trip is going to be an express and I won't have time to wait around. It's definitely on the list for the next time we overnight in Baltimore.
Jersey to DC Breakfast Suggestion
That's the WB we hit as well. I'm really just there for there for the hash browns --doubled and scattered. I'm a western guy and I grew up eating Hashbrowns instead of home fries, and I still think that Easterners are completely nuts for preferring home fries. It's hard to find good hash browns, but the WB does a decent enough job with them. I like to order chili and pour it on top too. That's good food.
I've never been a fan of the Cracker Barrel chain. I ordered a chicken fried steak (another near to impossible find out here) there once and it came with some sort of white glue on it that they called gravy and a side of greasy cheesed hash browns. No thanks.
Jersey to DC Breakfast Suggestion
I head down to DC from Trenton semi-regularly and would like a suggestion for a breakfast stop along the way. We usually hit a Waffle House down in Deleware, but I'm always passing truck stops on 295 in Jersey and was wondering if anyone can point me at a good one. I've eaten at the Iron Skillet a few times, but I'd like to try someplace new.
Thanks for the help!
Real Mexican Food In New Jersey
On S. Olden in Trenton is a little hole-in-the-wall dive called Restaurante El Mariachi. It's a taqueria that is just a couple of blocks off of Greenwood. Don't be put off by appearances: I've been there twice now and will continue to go back again--especially for the tacos. The tacos de lengua are my preferred choice, but to be fair, they're my preferred choice everywhere. An order is three tacos, and they're pretty much a meal in themselves. The pupusas de chicharron were also very good. Surprisingly, the real big winner so far was a tripe soup that my wife ordered. I'm not big on tripe, but this was just great. Nice, with just the right amount of kick. Perfect for a late breakfast after a night of drinking. I think they called it Sopa de Panza y Pata. I'll definitely get it for myself in the future. The help was really friendly, but I don't think they see many gringos in the joint and there was no English spoken. My wife is a native Spanish speaker and my Spanish is passable (meaning they found it amusing), but don't worry if you don't speak it because the menu has English translations. Give it a shot if you're in the area.
Greek/Middle Eastern Places in Trenton Vicinity?
MercerChow, I just did a quick google on your suggestion about Bristol and it looks like there are a couple of places in the vicinity. There's a place called Sila just to the south of Burlington and another called Marmara in Englishtown. Neither are exactly right next door, but I'd rather drive to either location and avoid the Turnpike or Route 1 ordeal to get to New Brunswick. The place on your link looks like it might be interesting. The menu looks good, but there's a lot of Pita action going on there. It looks like a good place for lunch if I'm nearby, but not a place I might want to drive to for dinner with Mrs. Citizen Rich. Then again, I once took her on an hour-and-a-half drive once just to get hot dogs at Rutt's Hut, so who's to say what is and isn't worth the drive.
Greek/Middle Eastern Places in Trenton Vicinity?
We went to Erini last Spring, and while I enjoyed my meal, and it did have a little bit of the Greek in the menu, I'm looking for the real deal. The kind of places I see when I go to visit my sister-in-law in Astoria. I might give Sahara a try. I was hoping to find someplace closer than New Brunswick (it's really not that far when you get right down to it), but it looks like I've little choice.
Greek/Middle Eastern Places in Trenton Vicinity?
I'm wondering if anyone knows of a place where I can get some half-decent Greek food anywhere around Trenton. As far as I can tell, the only Greeks running restaurants down here are running diners, and that's not what I'm looking for, and neither is a sandwich place like Zorba's in Princeton for that matter. I'd happily accept a Middle-eastern substitute (I never got a chance to try Moustache before it closed), but it looks like I need to drive to the New Brunswick area for that. Trenton Kebab House is nice for lunches and a cheap-eats dinner, but I'm looking for a little more of a wait service and tablecloths sort of place. Someone told me that Basil's Legends in Hightstown was Greek, but after visiting the place I decided that just having souvlaki and greek salad on the menu doesn't qualify. I know...I'm picky. Thanks for any help!
Rotisserie Chicken Central NJ
I haven't been up there in a while, but didn't a Peruvian chicken place open up on Route 1 in Edison? I remember seeing it a couple years back, but never got the chance to visit. There also used to be a place in Elizabeth called Al Carbon that had excellent roasted chicken.
New elements restaurant- princeton, nj
The cocktail menu did look interesting, but since I was driving I didn't dip my toes in those waters.
I'm not an authority on wine by any stretch of the imagination, and since Mrs. Citizen usually only drinks one glass, and because I'm usually behind the wheel of the car when we go out, we're strictly a by-the-glass wine ordering couple. I do know that I liked the Peninsula Cellars gewurztraminer we ordered with the dinner. I was pretty surprised when I found out it was from Michigan. Who'd of thunk it. Chalk it up to global warming.
New elements restaurant- princeton, nj
Mrs. Citizen Rich and I went to Elements this past Friday for her birthday. We ordered the tasting menu of Scallop Cerviche, Turbot w/crab, roast chicken, 48-hour ribs, a cheese course and dessert. All the meals had some sort of mustard element tying them together, whether it was mustard or the greens, and everything was great. Really, really, really good. I've got nothing negative that I can say about the food. At $75, it seemed about right for what we had compared to other tasting menus I've had elsewhere. Although I'm not a huge fan of the chef's table concept (the whole idea is a little hoidy-toidy to me), I wish I had made the reservation to get the 9-course meal. Next time. We had a great time and a great meal, and we will be back.
That being said, there were a couple downers during our visit. First, as mentioned in other posts, it's pretty loud. We had a very difficult time hearing what our servers were saying to us, or what we were saying to each other. Loud. I think there are two reasons for this: Reason 1 is that the tables are pretty long. If you're sitting back in your seat, you're quite a distance from your dinner partner and need to speak a little louder. Reason 2 might be that the booze was flowing pretty free in the place, and the Friday evening crowd sounded pretty buzzed.
The other downer bit was that the service was less than stellar. Our table server really was kind of aloof and distant. My wife remarked that she came across as impersonal as too. She was smokin' hot, and I am usually a bit more forgiving (you know you are too) in a case like that, so it really was noticiable. Howerver, the runners and other servers were all nice and helpful when we needed it. Like I said, the service was less than stellar, but I think it was just our table captain who was at fault. The other servers and the food made up for her.
I do want to point out that the party of four at the table next to us were only served three of their four meals on time. The fourth one arrived after the first three were done eating, and they had to ask the girl who was setting up the table for the next course for help to even get that to happen. They were rightfully unhappy. I don't know if they got comped or not, but they should have been, even if they were the annoyingly loudest people in the place, so I didn't feel as sorry for them as I might have.
As a last remark, there were a couple of chumps in there wearing jeans. Sure, they were Princeton posh types wearing 10-billion dollar watches, but they can't see their way to thowing on a pair of slacks? I'm thinking that a place like this ought to have a dress code. That's just my two-bits.
Chicago style dogs..Linden NJ
If you're really that into the "authentic" Chicago dog, then you can get what you need at the Vienna website. I like Chicago style dogs too. They aren't chili dogs, but they're still good eating.
https://www.viennabeefstore.com/shoppingV2.php?menu_level_idnum=18026
Mastoris Diner, Bordentown, NJ
I'm with you. I like the Iron Skillet, and I'd go there before Mastoris (I don't like the cheese bread or the cinnamon bread). Yes, it's a chain, a truck stop and they have a buffet, but what's wrong with truck stops? Out West, truck stops are what diners are to Easterners. Anyway, the Iron Skillet is pretty much the only place I've ever been to in the state where I can get my beloved hash-browned potatoes instead of home fries. The crap at Cracker Barrell just doesn't count. It's also one of the very few places that serve up a chicken-fried steak. Even though we have to double back to get there, it's a regular stop when we make our montly trip to the Mt. Laurel Costco from Hamilton.
Pete's Steakhouse Tavern, Hamilton, NJ
I've not eaten at the Tavern itself, although every time I drive by I think about it, but I get their roast pork sandwiches each year at the Italian Festival at Mercer County Park. They're really terrific. They use a nice, thick sesame roll that makes a big difference. The cheese steaks are good too, although I prefer Gaetano's on 33.
Best Pizza in N.J.
I've never really put alot of thought into what might be in their sauces, or if they use the same sauce for the pizza as the pasta dishes. Now I'm going to really think about it next time I go. I don't really get the pasta dishes too often, other than the occasional lasagna, seafood pasta or whatever specials they might have going on. Most often I'm ordering a pie and my wife works the pasta side.
Best Pizza in N.J.
I picked one up and took it home a couple years back, but it didn't do very well in the box. The crust is very thin and went completely soggy before it made it to the table. Now that the place isn't completely filled with cigarette smoke like it used to be, you can actually eat it in there without getting the big C from second hand smoke. It's a pretty good bar pie.
However, I prefer a tomato pie and like to get mine from Mama Rosa's on Klockner in Hamilton. I went to DeLorenzo's once, but they gave me a bit of attitude when I was ordering (It was my first time there and I guess they felt I was taking too long to make up my mind) so I never went back after my one visit. However, (and I'm sure I'll be crucified for saying so) the Mama Rosa pie is a fine tomato pie and I don't know that there's much of a difference between their's and DeLorenzo's. Plus, the people are nice and they've got plenty of parking.
Mamara Turkish Cuisine, Manalapan NJ
Thanks for the review on this place. I'm dying for Turkish or Greek food, and there seems to be not a single place near Hamilton to get those types of foods.
Lawrenceville-to-Edison Indian Buffet Review
The food is fine at Vasanta Bhavan, but the service has got to be the worst on the planet. I keep going back for the food, but always walk out thinking I'll never go again because of the service. If I could find an equal or even close to equal option in the nearby area, I probably wouldn't go back.
Lumpia Place- 731 highway 33, trenton nj
I drove by this place a couple of weeks back and it was closed, so I decided to try it again around lunchtime this past Saturday. It was closed, and by the looks of it I don't think it's going to be reopening. The windows weren't covered up or anything, but being closed at 1PM on a Saturday isn't a good sign. Does anyone know what happened? Closing in two months seems pretty quick.
Best Jersey Diners (Lots good eats, little $)
I'm not too familiar with that part of town, but is this different from Pat's Diner on Broad?
Revisiting The Rahway Situation - Chinese?
If you're willing to try Malaysian Chinese, you might go to Meemah on the corner of Parsonage Road and the Lincoln Highway. The sesame dumplings are worth the trip.
Princeton/Kendall Park NJ - Good BYOB restaurants
The Blue Bottle Cafe is only a short drive outside of the Princeton in Hopewell. It's my favorite in the area, but I admit that there are a great many places I've yet to try. Za in Pennington is another good BYOB choice.
Lawrenceville-to-Edison Indian Buffet Review
I'll give it a try. We've gone to Vasanta Bhavan on Quakerbridge Road a few times, and while we haven't yet been really disappointed with the food, the service has always been beyond bad to the point that it's become painful to be there.
Lawrenceville-to-Edison Indian Buffet Review
We went to a place called Malgudi once up on Oak Tree Road and had a pretty decent lunch buffet there. I wish we had a place like that here in Hamilton.
Newark Area for Pre-concert Dinner
We ended up going to a place called "Maize" which was located right across the street from the NJPAC in the William Treat Hotel. My wife liked her meal much more than I liked mine (she had crab-stuffed crepes and I had veal chops), but it wasn't like my meal was bad--I just didn't think it was worth what they charged for it. The wine selection was limited too, but I suppose that I should be glad they had wine at all. However, it was very convenient and the desserts were fantastic and our server was there when we needed him.
