They're supposedly opening a bunch in NJ by next year. I'm actually looking forward to trying them, as I loved Wild Noodles, which now appears to be erased from everyone's memory, but they had a virtually identical concept and very similar menu.

Hope this place is decent and fares better.

I used to love PuPu Inn in Elmwood Park. They were likely the granddaddy of all Chinese buffets in this area. They closed in 2007, and existed for about 25 years. Since then, I've been wondering if any of these old school basic Chinese buffets still exist.

They only had about 20 no-frills items on their buffet. The "atmosphere" basically consisted of benches, tables, and walls. But the food was good (including the best fried noodles and cheese toasts EVER), it was easy to get out quick, and the prices were dirt cheap. ($4.95 for lunch, $6.50 for dinner, even in 2007. I don't think they every increased the prices during their existence.)

Do any of these old school Chinese buffets exist anymore? I love the good fancier buffets, but sometimes I want a cheap lunch without any of the frills, and food right out of the 70s or early 1980s. Anyone know of any?

It is a good recipe, and pretty much what I'd do if I was making it from scratch. I'd add another garlic clove, a little bit of extra salt, and a handful of toasted pignoli nuts. The idea on the site to add some chile pepper to spice it up is a nice idea that I never thought of before. And the blog looks real interesting. Thanks for sharing, Tommy!

I love sun-dried tomato pesto. Does anyone know any stores in North Jersey (preferably in Northern or Central Bergen County) that make good fresh sun-dried tomato pesto? Trader Joe's made a great one, but it's been discontinued for about a decade. Market Basket in Franklin Lakes made it too, but they don't anymore either. Getting it at Maywood Market is like winning the lottery.

I know I could make my own, but sometimes after a long day I don't want to futz. Any ideas on where I can buy it ready made? Thanks for a info!

I went to Petak's several days ago to get a pastrami sandwich, and noticed quite a few changes. First, the store area has been switched to the area that used to be a back area of the store. Second, I didn't recognize any of the people working there. And third, not only did they jack the price of the sandwich way up from the last time I was there a few months ago, the pastrami tasted like low-end supermarket pastrami!

This deli has been around since almost the beginning of time, and I've been going there ever since I was a toddler. It was always a great place. But this last visit has me scared. Was it just an off day or are my worst fears coming true?

A brand new Italian pastry shop/cafe called Palazzone 1960 just opened up in Wayne, and they are incredible. Reasonable prices too:

http://www.palazzone1960.com/jm/

O.M.G. I finally took a trip to this place today. This place is a winner. A WINNER.

I have complained on this and other boards about the state of bakeries in North Jersey. Most of the bakeries here either sell junk or have prices that are beyond ridiculous. ($40 for a small cake? My parents bought cars for less!)

This place is unlike any other bakery I've seen in this area. It's light, bright, and roomy inside. They have a long case with all kinds of pastries, cakes, and treats. The family/staff running the place are hardcore, full Italian. (In fact, they were speaking mostly Italian, but their English was certainly fine.) The few customers that were there all seemed to be Italian. And these people know good stuff.

And now for the best part. Not only is the quality of the treats incredible (even the cannolis are dotted on each end with candied orange peel), the prices are reasonable! I picked up a very nice Sacher torte for $16. $16. Not $45, you other greedy North Jersey bakeries, $16. Large, dense, fully filled pastries were $2 - $3 each. When I asked about a lemon custard tart, they actually offered me a full mini pastry version to try without blinking. How's that for service?

For $30, I got six large pastries and the Sacher torte. Lower quality, smaller portioned stuff would have probably cost close to double that in other places around here.

The only minor problem with this place is the location. It's where the old Maria's Ravioli Factory used to be, which is located just before Routes 80, 46, and 23 merge (YIKES). However, the access to the parking lot seems to have been greatly improved, with the entrance far more to the side on Rt. 23 than it used to be.

GO. TO. THIS. PLACE. NOW. Before the word really gets out, when you'll have to wait on Carlo's Bakery like lines and they raise their prices. I will be back very very soon.

Radburn has taken a triple food hit over the past few weeks. Picnic, which got rave reviews, and made people think Fair Lawn might start becoming a foodie destination, is now closed. I was never there, but once I got takeout from Christine's old Emerson location, and it was great. Trackside Grill, which has been around for about 20 years, is apparently now closed too. They used to be an excellent mid-priced joint, but quality seemed to be slipping in recent years. And, Radburn Deli, which has been around in one form or another since the 60s, I think, is now closed too. (I remember going there as a kid in the 70s, when Johnny owned the place and my crazy aunt would ask him to cut two slices of salami, out of which she would make six sandwiches).

I don't know anything about Mezza Notte, but if you're looking for some good recs in Fair Lawn for some more casual places, Giovanni's Deli on Morlot is awesome. They do get very busy, however. And I just discovered A Family Affair deli on Broadway. They're like Giovanni's baby brother, but their sandwiches and salads are fantastic. Rose's Place on Rt. 4 has great Mediterranean food. I also went to Creme de la Crepes for the first time a few weeks ago, and found them to be very good (although the coffee wouldn't win any prizes). Their home fries were about the best I've had in any restaurant. Another great breakfast place is Lincoln Grill on Lincoln Ave. And while the Land and Sea Diner can be hit or miss for some things, their burgers are great.

If you're willing to travel a few feet over the border, you have the best pizza in the area (Turvino's), the best gyros in the area (Chicken Kebab), and the best (but a bit expensive) kosher deli (The Kosher Nosh) all on Prospect Street in Glen Rock. Have fun exploring!

Lincoln Grill is Fair Lawn's (and Hawthorne's) best kept secret. The family/staff that runs the place is incredibly friendly, the food is indeed great, and the prices are very reasonable. During Hurricane Sandy, they were one of the few places in the area that had power. They let people come in and hang out to charge phones, watch TV, etc., all with smiles. This place gets SEVEN stars out of five from me!

Speaking of Rispoli, aren't they opening a location in Emerson? I've made it a goal to get to the Ridgefield location in the near future (I've never been there) but Emerson would be a way more convenient location for me. If it's true, I just hope they don't yuppie the location up and sell goods that aren't as good as the original stuff for double the price because of the location.

I'm really surprised at all the positive reviews I'm seeing of this place. When I went there a little over a year ago, the entrees I got were really lousy. I don't know if it was because of new opening jitters or because they tamed some stuff down based on my non-Asian ethnicity, but I really had no intention of coming back to this place.

Now, I might have to give them another chance. I see their prices have increased (a lot!) since they first opened, but maybe that is translating into better food. Maybe I'll check them out again for some lunch specials to see if things have indeed changed.

I have no idea, all the more reason we need to get some Waffle Houses here in NJ. Best hashbrowns eva!

Yes, Tommy, Tammy was the woman there most recently. She was the original Siam Ruby owner and the one who ran the place most recently. Chances are she knows the new operators, as she has a long-term lease on the property which probably hasn't ended yet.

I got food for dinner, but looking at the menu (which is a touch confusing in places) this place does $7 lunch specials (which I'm sure are not as large as Tammy's mountains of food). I got my usual pad thai and pad see ew for dinner (with some spring rolls and tom yum soup) and it was about $26 for everything. The portions were good, but not Wondee's massive.

The woman running the place was friendly and spoke English very well. She also honored my finicky requests (no scallions and medium spice in the pad thai) with no problem.

Next time I go I'll see if I can chat with her a bit more.

Well, it looks like the next chapter (5, 6, 2X3G, I can't keep track any more) of this ill-fated restaurant has begun.

Siam Ruby is now DD Thai Restaurant. I got some food from them today, and thank goodness it was still good.

Prices are reasonable, but a bit more than before. The menu is limited compared to some other places, but since Tammy basically offered only 15 dishes or so since she reopened Siam Ruby, there's obviously more available than before.

I'm still puzzled as to why this place has struggled so much in so many different incarnations, but maybe this will be the incarnation that makes it.

OK, having returned to the WP Fairway about five times now, I've been able to make a better comparison between the two stores:

- WP is much less busy than Paramus.

- WP is a nicer, better laid out store.

- Call me crazy, but I'm finding a lot of items from the departments to be slightly tastier from the WP store. The cookies from the bakery are more consistently cooked properly, and even the prepackaged cookies have a slightly better, more intense butter/cream flavor than the ones from Paramus. I'm finding the mozzarella at WP is a bit softer and creamier too. Maybe newer equipment is making a difference?

- While the selections in the specialty departments of the two stores seem to be pretty much the same, WP seems to have a bigger selection of high-end, wacky gourmet groceries. For example, they had a display of some kind of fancy anchovies that I've never seen in Paramus. In addition, I was able to pick up a certain brand of sun-dried tomato pesto at WP a few days ago that Paramus stopped carrying about two years ago.

-The hot/cold bar is way better in WP, but I'm noticing that they're starting to limit the selections a bit more. One whole section was empty/unfilled when I went this evening.

- It doesn't seem like the WP store has the Paramus store's "short cuts" to get from one area to another quickly.

- Many sale prices are still cheaper in WP, but I imagine this will fade as the store gets older.

Overall, I'm enjoying the WP store, although I'm a little nervous that if the crowds don't pick up soon, Fairway may start to worry and reconsider keeping a store open in this location. Hey, it can always be turned back into the Pathmark, right? )))Shudder(((

I went back to the WP Fairway a second time, and for sure, it's more attractive and laid out better than Paramus. But the parking lot there is even crazier! And, as I stated in my first post about the WP Fairway, there really isn't a whole lot available that isn't available in Paramus, with two exceptions: the alcohol and the expanded hot and cold bars.

BTW, has anyone else noticed that since the WP Fairway opened, Corrado's has put out a flyer every week? They've been putting out the flyers biweekly for about a year now, but now I've been seeing them every week. They must be nervous. Fairway definitely has more oddball upscale offerings than Corrado's, but on run of the mill "gourmet" items, Corrado's simply can't be beat. For example, they have parmigiano reggiano on sale for $9.99 per pound next week, pecorino romano for $3.99 per pound, and drunken goat cheese on sale for $8.99 per pound. I've bought the drunken goat before a few times at Fairway, and, even on sale, it was probably double that price. Tomatoes are $.69 per pound next week. I've gotten fresh chicken breast tenders there for $1.59 per pound, and most of the prepared foods are in the $4.99 per lb. range. Their cut fruit is also probably 40% of the typical prices at Fairway.

I love both places. But Fairway has raised their prices a lot over the past three years, and now that the grand opening specials at the WP are starting to wane, people in the area are going to have a much harder decision to make about where to shop.

Another good rec. They are excellent. They are kosher style, not officially kosher. The good news is that they're quite a bit cheaper (on most items, anyway) than the kosher places, like the Kosher Nosh. Not only are the sandwiches good, their matzo ball soup is also the best I've had from any of the Jewish delis, hands down, and also the cheapest. (I think they charge $6.50 for a quart of matzo ball soup, the same at the Kosher Nosh will probably run $10.00 or $11.00 these days.)

I discovered Giovanni's in Fair Lawn about a year ago, and they are great. They make almost everything fresh (even their own mozzarella), and prices are reasonable. My current favorite is something called a Mia Salad, which has balsamic breaded chicken, tomatoes, fresh mozzarella, and basil in a balsamic dressing, but their sandwiches are good too. They are VERY popular, so call in or be prepared to wait a while if you go during prime lunch time. Italian Riviera in Waldwick also makes good sandwiches, especially a good Italian sub. La Strada in Midland Park is another popular place worth checking out.

http://www.giovannis-deli.com/

http://www.italianriv.com/homepage.htm

www.lastradagourmet.net

Never heard of the beer or the restaurant, but after visiting the website, it looks a lot like a highbrow version of the Ale House. This could be a good area for them to open one.

I'm really looking forward to the Miller's Ale House. I went to them several times in Florida and it's a great place. They basically invented the boneless buffalo wing, which they call Zingers. The original, and the best. Good food, good prices, and a cool place to hang out.

I finally paid a visit to this place to try the AYCE menu. It is in the same tiny strip where the late great Amazing Hot Dog was. It was very good. The sushi was fresh and tasty, and the hot appetizers were all good.

The place is small, but very nice inside, and the service was friendly. I would still give the edge to Sushi Village in Westwood (prices for AYCE are the same in both places, but Sushi Village is much larger and has more offerings on the AYCE menus), but people in the Verona area are not likely to travel up to Westwood very often and vice-versa. So for those of you in the Verona area, check this place out. You won't be disappointed.

I went once when they first reopened, and I haven't been back. They were good before the relaunch, but now they're an overpriced joint serving mediocre food. A lot of reviews online of the place I've seen have been pretty lousy, and the parking lot usually seems empty.

Take a ride down south to Buffalo's Chicken Shack in Wood-Ridge and get 100x better food for half the price.

I miss Clixes.

They sure do. I got so excited when Corrado's started putting the flyers out. But they only do them every other week. They need to put them out weekly.

A few months ago before Fairway opened, I stated that I thought the West Paterson location might have been a little "lowbrow" for Fairway. It's certainly not a bad town, and there certainly are some affluent towns nearby, but overall the area is not of the same affluence as the Northern Bergen County area where the Paramus Fairway is. Not to mention it might be a shock for the people in the area used to shopping at the Pathmark (which was horrible, BTW) to get used to the higher prices, no matter how much better the quality of the food may be.

And then there's the Corrado's factor. The WP Fairway is almost smack-dab in the middle of the Clifton, Wayne, and Fairfield Corrado's stores, and not that far away from any of them. Corrado's is a much bigger threat to this store than to the Paramus store, which is further away.

Now Corrado's, even in Wayne, isn't perfect. Some items in produce are sometimes past their prime and their butter cookies from their bakery are pretty lousy. But when I can get a lemon for $.10 instead of $.89, I can live with the produce having a little shorter shelf life.

I still love Fairway and the WP store is beautiful, but they may indeed need to make some changes to keep up with Corrado's and the Little Falls Shop-Rite. It should be a very interesting battle.

This has been my chief complaint about Fairway. While they still have great stuff and there are still deals to be had, they have raised their prices a lot since they opened in Paramus three years ago. Corrado's is often significantly cheaper on most items, and the items, at least in the Wayne location, are the same quality as what you'd typically get at Fairway.

As for Shop-Rite? Well, they're still the best of the major supermarket chains in this area, but I prefer shopping at Fairway/Corrado's.

Their buffalo wings were the absolute best, until they destroyed them, along with the entire chain in the early 2000s. It would be nice to have them back in the old Saddle Brook location, if they can keep up with the times.

If you go in the morning, be sure to get some Fairway smoked salmon sliced by Terry, the Smoked Salmon Ninja! In the WP store for a limited time!

Oh, one other advantage to the WP store: it's way closer to all the Corrado's locations! It was a PITA for me when I wanted to go to both Corrado's and Fairway and I had to travel all the way to Clifton or Wayne and then all the way back to Paramus. While it's still a little bit of a ride, it's much less of one now, and much easier to hit both stores in one trip!

I'm a regular in Paramus, but I made the trip to the West Paterson store tonight. Impressions?

It's bigger than Paramus. It's nicer than Paramus. Is it worth the trip if Paramus is closer? Read on...

The store is beautiful. You won't doubt you're at a Fairway, but everything about the store seems to be a bit more upscale and higher-end than Paramus. Even the scales and price tags are new.

The store is about 10,000 square feet large than Paramus, but it seems much larger than that. The long aisle at the back of the store, which has the deli, seafood, and butcher departments on one side and groceries on the other side, seems like it's twice the size of the one in Paramus.

I was surprised that while the grocery section seems larger than in Paramus, the other sections seem to be about the same size. The produce, bakery, deli, and butcher departments all seem to be about the same size as the Paramus departments. Along those lines, I really didn't see a whole lot of stuff that wasn't offered in Paramus.

There are two things the WP store offers that Paramus doesn't: the cafe, which isn't as big as I pictured, but is nice, and contains the hot and cold bars, which have more offerings than in Paramus. There were four sections, three hot, and one cold. The hot bars were divided into Indian, Comfort Food, and one other section I can't remember. I don't know if these are going to be permanent stations or if they're going to switch. One thing I did like was everything was labeled, and ingredients were listed on the tags (unlike in Paramus). Oh, and the booze! The wine store appears to be in a totally separate section, which I'm not sure if you can access from the main store. However, they had some of the specials in the main store (for example, they had Blue Moon 12 pks. for $13.99 on display in the front by the registers).

They had some nice grand opening specials: Fresh Atlantic salmon for $4.95 per pound (farmed, but what do you expect for $4.95?), pre-packaged bakery cookies (whoopie pies, fruit cookies, etc.) for $2.99 per package (they go for $4.99 - $5.99 regularly in Paramus, and they're all freekin' delicious), whole beef filet for $5.99 per pound, and parmigiano reggiano for $9.99 per pound.

The store was busy, but nothing like the madhouse that engulfed the Paramus store during the first week. I hate crowds, but this was a reasonable busy. Waits at the departments were minimal. That could be because they brought in extra help for the first few weeks, but hopefully the trend will continue.

They're also giving away $10 off $100 coupons throughout June, which makes my decision on which store to go to for the next month a little easier!

Is it going to be worth a special trip to the WP store for me in the future? Probably not, but I'll be going there as long as the grand opening specials and coupons keep flowing. After that, I'll probably return to Paramus. Yes, it's beautiful, but like I said, just about everything they had is available in Paramus.

If the two stores are equal in distance for you, then I say go to WP. For others closer to Paramus, that store will continue to serve you well.

I went here a few weeks back (thanks to a Groupon I had) and I also thought they were very good. The portions were generous, the barbecue sauces were great (especially the spicy orange-based one) and the owner (Suzy) came around to all the tables and was very gracious too. I'm planning to return as well.

Thanks for the replies. I've been to Chengdu 23 too, and they're also very good, but they're essentially in the same area to me as Chengdu 1. Maybe four miles apart on essentially the same road. Neither is really crazy far from me, I was just hoping to find a place I could get to in 5-10 minutes (preferably off highways) instead of 20-30 minutes.

Oh well. Guess I'll have to keep making the trip!