bakersma's Profile
Roadtrip up East Coast
Don't forget Red's Eats in Wiscasset, Maine on US1 / ME27 right before the bridge. Classic stop on our way to/from Bar Harbor. 'Nuff said.
Although they don't have a website (that I can find, anyhow), just Google them and you will get lots of info & reviews.
Enjoy your trip !
Kennebunkport - Fun/Casual Dinner
Allison's in "downtown" Kennebunkport on Dock Square sounds like it would be a good choice for you. Just ask for a table in the pub area.
http://www.alissons.com/
We've eaten there many times on trips to Kennebunkport, and always enjoyed it.
Mom's Day Present - Tour of Jersey's Farmers Markets and Ethnic Supermarkets
Highly Recommended ----
European Provisions
301 Old Bridge Turnpike
East Brunswick NJ
(Google for more info)
Baked Farmer's Cheese where to buy???
You might try Best Market which opened a couple of months ago in Holmdel on Rt 35 in the plaza at Laurel Avenue over by Barnes & Noble, Saladworks, Turning Point, etc. Don't know for sure whether they have this particular variety of cheese but I seem to recall they had a very nice cheese selection [including fresh mozzarella] the last time I stopped by to pick up a few items at lunchtime. Hope this helps !
Local Smoke BBQ neptune
Thanks very much for the reminder about Local Smoke BBQ in Neptune. I was over on that side of the county today around lunchtime so I stopped and got my favorite ----a pulled pork sandwich & cole slaw---- "to go" to enjoy back at home.
Delicious ! As usual, the service at the cash register was prompt and friendly too.
Hot Dogs at Goodman's Deli
Have to disagree re: Max's vs. Windmill. I respect your expertise on the merits of the actual hot dogs & fixins but really who really needs hassles given the attitude of the owner woman running the cash register at Max's ? Meh. After one bad experience with her, it's Windmill for me from now on....not to mention that Windmill is generally a better $ value as well.
Looking for good food "souvenir" from Alameda County
Many thanks for all the replies & great suggestions ! I really appreciate it as a visitor.
Ended up bringing home a box of assorted chocolate creams from Knudsen's in Castro Valley which was just a couple of miles from where we were working. Before leaving, I also took a 'side trip' up to Oakland and had an excellent ice cream sundae ----chocolate peanut butter crunch flavor---- at Fenton's (obviously that would've been a little difficult to bring home on the plane with me so I had it all to myself :-() Needless to say, the small sundae was more than enough...I did see comments on Internet about some folks feeling that Fenton's was a bit pricy but I did not think that was the case given the quality (plus I am probably used to big city prices).
Nice area to visit, albeit for business purposes....by way of a trip report, during my stay, I also really enjoyed Sunday dinner buffet at Bombay Garden in Fremont (or was it Newark ?), as well as lunch at Oasis Grill (terrific chicken shwarma, good value for price, nice 'side' salad with it), Taqueria Senaida (very tasty chimichanga platter, ate on the picnic table outside by the walkup window), and El Taquito (huge burrito platter, friendly & quick service).....the latter 3 all in Hayward within a few minutes drive from the office.
Finally, when I was at the SFO airport waiting for my flight home, I did check out the See's candies and loaves of bread at the vendors near the gate. Passed on the See's offerings since I already had the Knudsen's assortment, and almost bought one of the rounds of sourdough but the dates on the bag in which it was packaged seemed a little less than optimal. Next time.....
Thanks again :-)
Looking for good food "souvenir" from Alameda County
I am out here on business trip for one more day, and I would like to take home an interesting & unique food souvenir for my wife which is distinctively local to the area (if not Alameda County around Fremont, then SF area in general would be OK). Can't require refrigeration on the long plane trip back to East Coast or be too bulky. I'm thinking some kind of candy or baked goods perhaps (?). For example, if I was bringing back something from Buffalo NY, it might be sponge candy....from Ohio, maybe 'buckeyes'....from Vermont, maple sugar candy......from Detroit, a can or two of Vernor's pop....that kind of thing. Any suggestions, please help ! Thank you.
Asian Food Market coming soon in Marlboro
Drove by this morning, and the permanent sign lettering was up over the front entrance-to-be. Also I have seen a lot of work going on when going past it from time to time during the 'work week'. Sorry 'eleeper', it looks like DonNut was on target and this market will be open for business before too long. Hope it is soon now.
Greenland cheese
I'd suggest you give "The Cheese Cave" in Red Bank a call. If anyone knows about it and where to get it, I suspect it would be those folks: 732-842-0796
Also there is a good cheese shop in Ocean Grove, "Cheese on Main", where we have shopped a few times and always been pleased. Worth checking with them as well: 732-775-1530
One or both should be able to help, even if you are not in the Monmouth County (Central NJ) area ---- you didn't say.
Hope you find what you are looking for !
Zebu Forno in Freehold closed
Any reviews or experiences at A Little Bit of Cuba 2 in downtown Freehold since it opened ?
The last few times I have driven by there, it has looked to be fairly busy & thriving.
I hope they do well and break the curse on that particular corner location.
Local Smoke BBQ neptune
Hadn't seen many mentions of Local Smoke on this board since flurry of postings back when they opened up.
I was 'in the neighborhood' this evening (actually, I was originally thinking of going to eat some soul food at At the Table in A.P. but decided that I wasn't really dressed for the occasion in my T-shirt & sweatpants & sneakers) so I headed over to Local Smoke for carryout.
Got the beef brisket platter (chopped, not sliced) to go with cole slaw & potato salad. Service was prompt & friendly, and prices seemed reasonable. Noted that they had a counter and a few tables too if I would've chosen to eat there.
The most difficult part of the whole project was driving home in the car undistracted while smelling the BBQ ! LOL.
I thought the meal was very good. There was a more than ample-sized serving of the brisket which to my taste was prepared well & quite delicious. A small container of extra sauce was also in the bag although I didn't use any of it. The sides and the corn bread were fine, each maybe a bit smaller portion-wise than I had hoped, but all of them fresh and tasty nonetheless as a good accompaniment for the entree. The meal left me comfortably full without overindulging.
I'm definitely not as expert a BBQ consumer/connoisseur as others on this board so I won't pretend to be, but based on tonight's initial experience I'm glad I stopped and I will likely be a repeat customer of Local Smoke.
Help please! [near Freehold]
One more vote for Ibby's. Definitely great affordable Middle Eastern menu, and friendly people working there. I always get hot sauce on my lamb schwarma although that is of course optional --- especially since you mentioned that you wanted to avoid overly spicy items. Just let them know of your preferences one way or another when you order.
Also thumbs-up for Federici's & Frankie Feds....both popular and with good reason. Personally, I'm a bit more inclined towards downtown Freehold Federici's for sit-down dining in the bar/restaurant although we do get takeout from Frankie Fed's as well when the mood strikes. I guess it's like Ford vs Chevy. LOL. Federici's in the borough always seemed more laid-back hometown to us than Frankie's out on NJ33 but 'seal' knows of what he speaks when he mentioned the Frankie Fed's house salad dressing (which may be a family recipe, not sure). Finally within a 30 minute travel radius of Freehold, we also enjoy going to Vic's in Bradley Beach for their whole wheat thin-crust pizza.....Pete & Elda's in Neptune City has their loyal customer following as well but we have always liked Vic's. Only downside to both places is that they can get busy, particularly in-season on Friday & Saturday evenings etc.
Last of all, for a fun more casual summer experience, you could always stop at the Windmill in the West End of Long Branch on Ocean Avenue at Brighton Avenue ..... get one or two of their hot dogs, and climb up the stairs to eat on the deck under the windmill blades while you watch the world go by. Stay clear of Max's north of there on Ocean Avenue, another hot dog purveyor some might suggest but high prices, poor service, and surly attitudes spoil the deal.
Enjoy !
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Federici's
14 E Main St, Freehold, NJ 07728
Asian Food Market coming soon in Marlboro
Have to agree with DonNut on this one. Whenever I go by during the week in the daytime working hours, the "front door(s)" are open and there is definitely some sort of construction-related activity going on inside the store. I suspect the pace of the renovation is largely driven by the new owner's cash flow but that in no way necessarily means that the project will not be completed.
Also I think DonNut's 50% estimate is pretty close, give or take maybe 10-15% either way, based on what I've seen through the doors driving by slowly when they've been open for view. Whole lotta work to do in a job of this type.
Restaurant Websites (moved from New Jersey board)
Very interesting article about restaurant websites ----
http://www.slate.com/id/2301228/
---- a topic we have discussed here from time to time.
Heirloom Tomatoes?
What about Dearborn Farms in Holmdel on Rt 35 at Union Avenue ? I don't know if they have any heirloom tomatoes or the asking price if they do, but might be worth a phone call if you are still looking for them. Just a thought.....
Real New Jersey experience
Interesting....I always heard it called "Taylor Pork Roll" by Monmouth & Middlesex county folks. Makes sense, I guess....LOL
Sunday Baby Shower in South Jersey?
Yes indeed, Pop Shop could be a fun choice and definitely not "stuffy" compared to more staid establishments, yet the food is good including some interesting items on the menu. We had a nice lunch there on our way down to Philadelphia. My only concern might be parking downtown for all those guests. I don't remember now exactly where we parked except that we walked to the car past a public library and stopped in to check it out; is there a parking lot nearby the Pop Shop (maybe in back ?) or spaces on the side streets ?
Juanito's - Red Bank
Just a quick note....haven't seen much here about Juanito's in Red Bank lately, which is fine of course, but I thought I'd jot down our report.....
My wife & I had dinner there tonight to mark a birthday (mine!). All the other times I have eaten there has been for lunch with others from work so this was a first for the two of us. On the other hand, she's heard about Juanito's from me & other coworkers of hers but never eaten there previously.
Luck was with us as we readily found a good corner parking space not far away :-)
There was a fairly large party going on in the patio area behind the restaurant. Looked and sounded like they were having a good time as we walked past....
We were greeted and seated promptly in a pleasantly & comfortably cool (but not frigid) dining room [very welcome on such a hot day]. There were probably about 4 or 5 other tables already having their meals: mix of older adults, a family, and younger 20-something folks. Service was great ---- very friendly & competent without being pushy, etc. Our soft drinks arrived quickly and we enjoyed the basket of chips and tasty salsa while our food was being prepared. For entrees, she had the tacos (mildest sauce), and I had the combination plate with taco & burrito (hottest red sauce). While the prices were just a bit higher than on the lunch menu or so it seemed, I thought the portion sizes were very ample and the meal was definitely a good value IMHO. Our waiter checked back with us a couple of times to make sure everything was to our liking. We both thoroughly & genuinely enjoyed the occasion and even ended up with lunch-size leftovers to take home for a meal tomorrow.
So certainly no horror stories or bad experiences or letdowns to recount, just a nice relaxing & delicious dinner in a comfortable setting. We left as satisfied customers.
Asian Food Market coming soon in Marlboro
Possible progress observed. Monday around noontime when I drove by, the front door was open and the lights were on inside which immediately caught my attention. Also there were some work trucks parked out in front. Curious, I swung through the parking lot past the entrance area to see what I could see. The interior of the store looked totally empty although some of the Acme decor was still on the walls. There was an Asian gentleman standing by the doorway who seemed like he might be the new proprietor overseeing the activity. I was in a bit of a hurry so I didn't stop to chat with him.
riving past the plaza on Rt 79 this morning, a large construction type of dumpster was now sitting in the parking lot in front of the store.
So the timeframe DonNut reported previously may prove to be accurate......
Jersey Shore Homemade Ice Cream?
Just curious, there are two CreeMee Freeze stands on the same side of NJ33 (eastbound) within a mile or two of each other. Are they both owned by the same person [e.g., 'Jake'] ? Always wondered about this whenever we drive by. Why does he have 2 shops so close together ? One looks like it is all-weather year round while the other is summer only --- but I'm not sure.
Zebu Forno in Freehold closed
Just drove by on my way home, and the place was dark & forlorn with FOR RENT signs in the window. Hadn't seen anyone else mention it so must've just happened, and their website still lists a Freehold store. There was a sign taped to the entrance door which I couldn't read fully while going past it but it sure looked like a "This Location is Closed" sort of message. Also I could've sworn it had an "Under New Management" sign up not all that long ago..... Gotta wonder if anyone can make a go of that particular spot ? Thank goodness Ibby's is still down the street. :-)
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Zebu Forno
2 E Main St, Freehold, NJ 07728
Good Eats In Princeton Area? (Within 30 Miles)
Hoagie Haven, 242 Nassau Street, Princeton, NJ 08542 - PHONE: (609) 921-7723
http://www.hoagiehaven.com
Of course, you will need dessert afterwards so my personal favorite establishment for ice cream is Halo Pub at 9 Hulfish St in Princeton: (609) 921-1710 (I know you only asked about hoagies but couldn't resist & it's not far away)
IMHO both first-rate and good values too ! Have a safe trip.
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Halo Pub
9 Hulfish St, Princeton, NJ 08542
Asian Food Market coming soon in Marlboro
Further update to the update :-(
Since I posted last about a month ago, I have driven by that store location numerous times on weekdays when you would expect to see at least some evidence of ongoing work activity. Not once have I seen anyone in or near the old Acme; it remains totally boarded up with only the same old temporary "Coming Soon" cloth signs mentioning an Asian Food Market.
So at this point, I'm beginning to wonder if we'll ever see it open......
Great brunch At The Table Asbury Park
I give the owner a lot of credit for sticking to her principles. Sometimes that trumps "business decisions". What is right for one establishment might not be a good fit for another. Kind of like choosing to not allow patrons to smoke in an eating establishment before such a policy became NJ law, I guess. Plus everything is a tradeoff, and maybe it attracts a more tee-totalling clientele among churchgoers, etc.
I do not totally abstain from beer & liquor, but on the other hand I do not regularly serve it at home or enjoy it with meals except a single drink very occasionally on a major birthday or anniversary type of occasion.....so I'm sure I am not unbiased in this regard. I know there are plenty of people who really do feel that alcoholic beverages with their restaurant fare adds to the dining experience and respect their sentiments on this. For example, when we've traveled to Canada, it seemed to be a big deal if a restaurant was "licensed" or not as highlighted in many guidebooks, advertisements, etc. as compared to the USA.
Long Branch, NJ
Stick with the Windmill. Best to steer clear of Max's unless you want the agita of dealing with the elderly owner woman.....I speak from experience on that one. Also Max's is pricier than Windmill, poorer value IMHO.
Top Tomato Superstore
Not to mention the owners of Dearborn Farms just north of there on Rt 35 !
Asian Food Market coming soon in Marlboro
Further update: happened to drive by there today around lunchtime, and the "boarded up" front door was open with some trucks parked nearby & signs of life. That is the first time I have seen anything like that. So perhaps they are making progress ? Hope so, anyhow.....
Fiddleheads Restaurant Jamesburg, NJ
Some previous discussion in
http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/598284
from a year or two ago.
